Weather Alert Radios

I really don't understand why some people are against smart phones. They are so capable. Take weather for example, I run this http://www.elecont.com/defaultip.aspx weather program on my phone. It is THE most capable, up to date, in depth weather app you will ever find. Of course it automatically updates your location on a schedule set by you so no matter where you are it automatically updates to your current location giving you real time alerts for where you are.. GPS, a "phone" lol. There's just so much they can do but most people don't understand them. Some people have the mentality that smart phones are kinda taboo..if you will. JMHO though..

Good help. Thank you. I did find out that my Verizon LG Extravert (pretend smartphone) does have an alert function! It went off with an amber alert the other day so at least I know it works. But A couple of you are really making me think that getting a Samsung smartphone with hotspot will be worth it. Thanks again. Judy

wa8yxm wrote:

WILDEBILL308 wrote:
Hearer is a tip for those who aren't skeerd of modern technology. Yes weather radio's are good but how do you know where the storm is in relation to your location? .....
Bill

Well. for some of us that is easy.. in days of old when folks were bold and GPS still either not invented or a novelity.. I carried a book bag with me every day going to work.. (Funny story follows) What was in the bag... beside my lunch... And a paperback to pass the time?

MAPS. .yes MAPS.. Detailed maps of the city, and the surrounding counties. I can read those maps like you don't know.. I'm good enough at it that when I first came to the area I'm in I calculated the distance from where I was to where I wished to be based on address numbers (once I found the right road). After all, it was part of my job.

Now the funny story... Arrived at work just ahead of the freezing rain, 8 hours later about a quarter inch thick on everythign.

I return to my car, Unlock the passenger side door and put my book bag inside, do something and the trooper chip-chip-chiping ice from his windshield says "You're going to be a while before you go home".. I walk around to the driver's side, knock the ice off the lock and unlock and open the door saying "Oh, I don't know about that" Grab two corners of the windshield cover (Tarp) and give it a FLIP completly clearing the windshield of tarp and the ice that covered it.

YOU CHEATED.. no, I was prepared.

Back when I was a kid and had a job where I had to park outside in a ice storm I would go into work grab some cardboard from the garbage. Put my wipers about half way up on the windshield. Shut them off. Then use them to told the cardboard down on the glass. After work remove them, start car with heater already turned on. Go back inside to throw the cardboard away. Wait around for a couple minutes and then drive home in a warm car with ice free windshield.

WILDEBILL308 wrote:
Hearer is a tip for those who aren't skeerd of modern technology. Yes weather radio's are good but how do you know where the storm is in relation to your location? .....
Bill

Well. for some of us that is easy.. in days of old when folks were bold and GPS still either not invented or a novelity.. I carried a book bag with me every day going to work.. (Funny story follows) What was in the bag... beside my lunch... And a paperback to pass the time?

MAPS. .yes MAPS.. Detailed maps of the city, and the surrounding counties. I can read those maps like you don't know.. I'm good enough at it that when I first came to the area I'm in I calculated the distance from where I was to where I wished to be based on address numbers (once I found the right road). After all, it was part of my job.

Now the funny story... Arrived at work just ahead of the freezing rain, 8 hours later about a quarter inch thick on everythign.

I return to my car, Unlock the passenger side door and put my book bag inside, do something and the trooper chip-chip-chiping ice from his windshield says "You're going to be a while before you go home".. I walk around to the driver's side, knock the ice off the lock and unlock and open the door saying "Oh, I don't know about that" Grab two corners of the windshield cover (Tarp) and give it a FLIP completly clearing the windshield of tarp and the ice that covered it.

YOU CHEATED.. no, I was prepared.

Hearer is a tip for those who aren't skeerd of modern technology. Yes weather radio's are good but how do you know where the storm is in relation to your location? Knowing a storm is South of rout 45 tracking north west towards Dudley doesn't tell you anything if you don't know where you are in relation to the storm and it's track. You could be in the path or a long ways away.
I use my smart phone or tablet or even my lap top. Besides the NOAA app and the other weather apps/weather radar just pull up Google maps and it will show you where you are. Now you can tell what is going on and if you need to take shelter or you are in the clear.
Bill

I've got a little Oregon Scientific model that's pretty slick. It grabs the weather bands but also does am/fm. It also has a flashlight (not real useful) and a USB port so you can charge your phone (real useful). It runs on a rechargeable battery but also has a little solar panel and a crank you can use to generate power. A lot of the areas I hunt and camp in don't have cell service so it's a nice way to get a weather forecast. The phone charger deal is pretty slick too since you can recharge with solar.

Mine us a Midland Pocket model, Identical to one or two of the Radio Shack units shown above. These are good little units but could stand a better antenna (I know how to arrange that).

I strongly suggest a radio with an antenna connector. ONe that lets you use an external antenna. Then you can couple (Connect) to a Scanner antenna or a 2-meter Ham Radio (VHF band) antenna mounted as high as practical on the RV.. I am about to couple such an antenna to my Midland.

WHY.. Well I have several radios, the Midland can not hear NOAA where I'm parked, all the others, save one, can, all the others, save that same one, use external antennas. IN other places I park. Makes no difference.


Also, IF you have a Smart Phone (Android, Windows or Incomplete Operating System (IOS) go to the app store and type NOAA... They have apps like RADAR NOW, which will alert you to weather hazards and Amber Alerts... but might NOT do Fire or some other natural disasters (They do Flood. Oh boy do I know they do Flood.. I'm in the land of daily FLOOD warnings, even if I'm in no danger).

I have a programmable scanner left over from my life before retirement. It has a built in weather band which auto locks on the strongest signal.

Ham radio VHF with all of the weather channels programmed in. Only listen if there seems to be something in the area.

Nice thing about the ham radio is that even if no phone signal to get online there is almost always a reachable repeater around. With that I can get somebody who can tell me all I want to know & plenty more.

Saved our hides from a thunderstorm catching us once in Kansas.

El cheapo service radios from Walmart or wherever are good too. Always useful to help in parking in the CG & not losing each other in the big box stores.

Roy and Lynne,
Which radio did you buy? Did it work well?