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Thank you for purchasing the WR196T NOAA (National Ocenanic Atmospheric Administation) - SAME (Specific Area Message Encoded) Weather Radio. This multifunctional radio warns users of severe weather and environmental dangers.
The WR196T comes with the following NOAA functions and features:
Other functions and features include:
The WR196T comes with an AC power adapter. To install it, plug it into the power adapter connector (Figure N) and a wall socket. FM reception is enhanced when the power adapter is connnected.
Using the AC power adapter is the prefered power source. However, the WR196T also operates on battery back-up power for emergency situations when electrical power fails. It is recommended that batteries be installed in the WR196T at all times for such emergency situations. The WR196T uses three AA-sized (UM3) batteries (not included).
The WR196T has a low battery warning indicator icon. The low battery warning icon is displayed in the top line of the LCD screen when the batteries need changing. Change the batteries when the low-battery indicator lights up.
Press [SNOOZE/BACKLIGHT] to turn on the backlight. The light will go out automatically after 10-seconds.
There are four display modes: CLOCK, CALENDAR, ALARM 1 and ALARM 2. To switch between modes, press [MODE] once to sequentially advance through the modes. The current temperature is displayed when the AM/FM radio is off. NOTE: The unit will save all changes and return to normal time display automatically after 10-seconds.
The unit will save all changes and return to normal display automatically after 10 seconds.
To turn on or off an alarm:
Both alarms can be active or disabled at the same time. When an alarm goes off, press [ALARM ON/OFF] to mute the alarm. Or press [SNOOZE/BACKLIGHT] to activate the snooze function.
By pressing [SNOOZE/BACKLIGHT] when the alarm sounds, the alarm will be temporarily interrupted and sound again after 8-minutes. To disable the snooze funtion, press [ALARM ON/OFF].
When AM/FM radio is off, the current room temperature is displayed. To display the maximum and minimum temperature in memory, press [MEM]. To clear and reset the memory for maximum and minimum temperatures, press and hold [MEM] for two seconds.
To display the current maximum and minimum temperatures when AM/FM radio is on, press [MEM].
To turn on the radio, press [AM/FM]. The last selected radio channel will be shown. To turn off the radio without using the sleep function, press and hold [RADIO OFF/ SLEEP] for two seconds or press [NOAA] twice. To manually change the radio channel:
You may program up to 10 radio channels. To program a channel:
When the alarm radio is set [ON], it will keep playing for one hour before it turns off automatically.
To deactivate the alarm radio: reset the time for the sleep function, or simply turn off the radio by pressing [RADIO OFF/SLEEP] for two second or [NOAA] twice.
NOTE: Switching from AM or FM mode to NOAA mode.
When the unit is being manually tuned in AM or FM mode, the 'M' icon is flashing, press either one of the following keys: [CHANNEL], [COUNTY], [MEN], [NOAA] or [MESSAGE], there will not have any effect.
In this case, you can either wait for about 8 seconds until the 'M' icon stops flashing, then you can press the [NOAA] button to change to NOAA mode.
Alternatively, you can press 'MODE' key to quit from the manual tuning mode. Once the 'M' icon stops flashing, you can press the [NOAA] button to change to NOAA mode.
The early warning system uses radio signals to alert the user to weather and environmental dangers A built-in radio receiver responds to seven (7) userselected signal channels.
The WR196T has four activity status levels: NOAA-On, NOAA-Stand-by, NOAAMute and NOAA-Off.
To select an activity level, press [NOAA]. With each press, the status level advances sequentially.
To hear an alert message when the radio is in NOAA-Mute mode, press [NOAA] until the status becomes NOAA-On, and then adjust the volume level if necessary.
When a NOAA message is detected, an alert will sound (except in Mute or OFF modes) and the backlight will flash. The alert type (warning, watch or statement) and description (flood, tornado, fire, etc.) will be displayed. The WR196T can store up to 3 NOAA messages. To display stored messages, press [MESSAGE]. The messages will be displayed with the most current one as "MSG1." The red message LCD will be lit when at least one message is in effect. The message(s) will automatically erase when the alert has been discontinued.
When the NWR airs alert warnings, a digital code known as "Specific Area Message Encoded" (SAME) is included as part of the warning. This code includes information specific to an affected or endangered local geographical area. With SAME codes, the user can select the geographical area(s) of interest and program the WR196T to receive only those specific alerts. When the WR196T is programmed with SAME codes, the user will be alerted to warnings only for those pre-selected geographical areas. Alerts are intially shown on the WR196T as a text display on the LCD screen (Figure A4); then an audio broadcast will follow. At completion of the audio broadcast, the WR196T will emit a short burst of static to indicate end of message.
In NOAA-Stand-by mode, the WR196T will automatically turn the audio on so that the warning broadcast can be heard. The WR196T will then return to NOAAStand-by mode after the audio broadcast has been completed.
SAME codes are available from the NWR. To contact the NWR by phone, call toll-free: 888-697-7263 and follow the voice menu to NWR channels and SAME codes. The NWR can also be contacted via the internet at: www.nws.noaa.gov/ nwr/indexnw.htm. Click on the state for which information is desired.
Example of the first ten county radio channels and SAME codes for Montana:
ST. | COUNTY | SAME # | NWR TRANSMITTER | FREQMHZ | CALL | WATTS REMARKS |
MT | Beaverhead | 030001 | Butte MT | 162.550 | WXL79 | 100 |
MT | Big Horn | 030003 | Billings MT | 162.550 | WXL27 | 400 |
MT | Blaine | 030005 | Havre MT | 162.400 | WXL53 | 300 |
MT | Broadwater | 030007 | Helena MT | 162.400 | WXK66 | 300 |
MT | Carbon | 030009 | Billings MT | 162.550 | WXL27 | 400 |
MT | Carter | 030011 | —No NWR Coverage— | |||
MT | Cascade | 030013 | Great Falls MT | 162.550 | WXJ43 | 300 |
MT | Chouteau | 030015 | Havre MT | 162.400 | WXL53 | 300 |
MT | Chouteau | 030015 | Great Falls MT | 162.550 | WXJ43 | 300 |
MT | Custer | 030017 | Miles City MT | 162.400 | WXL54 | 300 |
In addition, many counties have been further subdivided into as many as 9 smaller sub-sections. The numbers of one (1) to nine (9) in the far left column of a SAME code identifies specific sub-sections of a county. If the county has not been subdivided, the first digit of the county code will be zero (0). (See "Description of SAME Codes.")
The NWR radio channels work in the same way as channels of a regular radio. All of the NWR transmission stations operate on one of seven frequencies:
Channel | Corresponding Radio Frequency |
A | 162.400MHz |
B | 162.425MHz |
C | 162.450MHz |
D | 162.475MHz |
E | 162.500MHz |
F | 162.525MHz |
G | 162.550MHz |
The WR196T labels each frequency channel "A" to "G." Once a radio frequency for a region has been selected, the WR196T will receive audio and code information on this frequency. The radio channel is located in the upper left hand corner of the LCD screen.
SAME county codes are required to selectively receive weather and environmental alerts for a specific county, and need to be entered into the WR196T. Up to nine selected SAME codes can be entered.
The first step in programming SAME codes requires the user to select the option of receiving [ALL] warnings or selected warnings. Selecting [ALL] will result in the WR196T broadcasting all alerts and warnings issued on a particular radio frequency which can encompass a large geographical area of many counties. (See "About Radio Channels") To receive warnings for a specific county, that county code must be programmed into the WR196T
NOTE: It is recommended that the user program the WR196T with specific county codes of interest or need in order to receive alerts and warnings pertinent to only those counties. Selecting [ALL] of the county code will result in the WR196T receiving all of the messages for an entire transmission region. These regions are quite large and encompass about 5,000 square miles.
Display fields permit up to nine county codes to be entered. The user can select less than nine codes by leaving the unused fields empty.
To program a county code:
To individually enable or disable a county code:
Note that the unit will only response to enabled county codes.
SAME codes are comprised of 6 columns of numbers.
State-county coding:
The 3 digits on the far right identify the specific county coding. Each county within a state will have an independent three-digit code.
NOTE: To receive all of the alerts for a given state, insert 000 into the county section.
State codes:
The next two digits, to the left of the county code, are for state coding. Each of the 50 US states has its own two-digit code.
County sub-section code
The last digit on the extreme left is the county subsection. A county may be are broken into nine subsections; each number between one to nine represents a specifc county subsection.
NOTE: If the county subsection code is stated as 0, then that county is not subsectioned. To receive all of the alerts for a given county, insert 0 into the county subsection field.
Code | Area | Code | Area |
1 | Northwest | 6 | East |
2 | North | 7 | Southwest |
3 | Northeast | 8 | South |
4 | West | 9 | Southeast |
5 | Central |
The WR196T receives and displays SAME warning messages in three classifications depending upon severity of emergency: Warning, Watch and Statement. In addition to these classes of alert messages, there is now a new type of message: Test.
The purpose of this new class is to assist you in verifying that your NOAA weather radio is set-up and working properly. Each week the National Weather Service will broadcast a Test message in SAME format. To receive the Test message, your WR196T needs to be in NOAA-On, NOAA-Stand-by or NOAA-Mute mode with a county code and NWR channel selected and programmed into the WR196T. If the WR196T is properly set, a flashing "Test" icon will be displayed on the LCD screen when a Test message is received. The "Test" icon will continue to flash for over an hour after the Test message is received.
NOAA Weather Radio stations broadcast the Test message every Wednesday between 10:00AM-Noon, local time. (Test messages may also be sent on other days and times when there is a threat of severe weather in the listening area or for other reasons.)
Corresponding with the "Test" icon, the following broadcast will be made immediately after sounding the Test alarm:
"This is the National Weather Station office in...(city).... The preceding signal was a test of the Weather Radio Station...(call sign)... public warning system. During potentially dangerous weather situations, specially built receivers can be automatically activated by this signal to warn of the impending hazard. Tests of this signal and receivers' performance are normally conducted by the National Weather Service at...(time)... each Wednesday. If there is a threat of severe weather, the test will be postponed to the next available good-weather day. Reception of this broadcast, and especially the warning alarm, will vary at any given location. This variability, normally more noticeable at greater distances from the transmitter, can occur even though you are using a good quality receiver in good working condition.
To provide the most consistant and dependable warning service possible, the warning alarm will be activated for hazardous watches and warnings for the following counties...(list of counties)...."
When more than one state is involved, the state names will always precede the names of the counties in that state.
If the Test is cancelled due to threat of severe weather, the Test broadcast schedule will resume with the next good-weather day.
If you have questions regarding alarm tests or to verify if a test was conducted, contact the programming office of your local NOAA Weather Radio station.
If the unit needs to be reset, unplug the AC power adaptor then remove the batteries. When the display is blank, reinstall the batteries and all the settings will reflect their default values.
Oregon Scientific has made every effort to design and manufacture the WR196T to provide you with many years of service. Should you have questions or require additional information, please contact our Customer Service Department at 800-853-8883 or via email at: helpme@oscientific.com.
We also invite you to explore the international world of Oregon Scientific and our diverse line of practical and useful products designed to enhance your lifestyle and protect your family. Please visit our website at: www.oregonscientific.com.
This product is warranted to be free of manufacturing defects for 90 days from day of purchase. Defective product returns should be directed to the place of retail purchase. This warranty does not cover a product subjected to abuse, misuse or accidental damage.
When handled properly, the WR196T will provide you with many years of service.
Radio Functions | |
NOAA Channels: | Digital PLL tuning for seven (7) NOAA channels |
SAME code setting: | Nine (9) independent setting or ALL counties options |
FM Band: | 88 - 109.2MHz at 100KHz steps |
AM Band: | 540 - 1600KHz at 10KHz steps |
Preset Memory: | Ten (10) preset memories can be assigned to stations in either AM or FM bandswidths |
Volume: | Sixteen (16) adjustment levels |
Sleep timer: | 15, 30, 60, 90, 120 minutes |
Time Functions | |
Clock: | 12 hour format |
Calendar: | Day-of-the-week display in English, German, French, Italian or Spanish Month / Day / Year format |
Daily alarms: | Two (2) one - minute duration alarms with alarm beep tone or 60 minutes radio |
Snooze: | Eight (8) minute alarm delay |
Accuracy: | +/- 0.5 seconds / day |
General Specifications | |
Battery Type: | Three (3) AA-size (UM-3) 1.5V alkaline batteries |
LCD Dimensions: | Upper:: 2-2/3" (L) x 1-1/4" (W) Upper:: 65mm (L) x 32mm (W) Lower: 2-2/3" (L) x 1/2" (W) Lower 65mm (L) x 14mm (W) |
Unit Dimensions: | 6-7/8" (L) x 5-3/8" (W) x 7/8" (H) 173.6mm (L) x 135mm (W) x 23mm (H) |
Unit Weight: | 11.2 oz (without batteries) 320g (without batteries) |
Operating Temperature: | 23°F to 122°F -5 o C to 50 o C |
Here you can download full pdf version of manual, it may contain additional safety instructions, warranty information, FCC rules, etc.
Download Oregon Scientific WR196T - AM/FM Weather Radio Manual
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