National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Strong to Severe Thunderstorms in the East; Heat in the Central and Western U.S.

Strong to potentially severe thunderstorms with damaging wind gusts are forecast Thursday from parts of New England into the Mid Atlantic and Carolinas. Significant heat will expand across the West and Central Plains through Friday, potentially breaking daily high temperature records. Dangerous heat will then build into the Eastern U.S. this weekend through much of next week. Read More >

NOAA Weather Radio

National Program

NWR Receivers

Weather.gov > NOAA Weather Radio > NWR Receivers

NEW EAS Event Codes, effective 2017

NWR transmitters broadcast on one of seven VHF frequencies from 162.400 MHz to 162.550 MHz. The broadcasts cannot be heard on a simple AM/FM radio receiver. There are many receiver options, however, ranging from handheld portable units that just pick up Weather Radio broadcasts, to desktop and console models which receive Weather Radio as well as other broadcasts.

Where to Buy One

NWS staff produce Weather Radio broadcasts. NWS neither manufactures nor sells receivers. You can buy receivers at many retail outlets such as electronics, department, sporting goods, and boat and marine accessory stores and their catalogs as well as online.

Receiver Types and Models

NWS does not endorse a specific make or model of receiver. The lists below, which contain just some of the many NOAA Weather Radio/EAS receiver manufacturers and resellers, is provided as a convenience and not an endorsement.

Depending on the information you want to access, and how and where you plan to access our broadcasts, you have many options. There are standalone Weather Radio receivers as well as multi-band/function receivers with the weather band included. If you are want to be alerted to Warnings and Watches day or night, a standalone receiver might work best for you. If you just want to be able to tune to in the weather broadcast and do not care about receiving alerts, a general multi-band/function receiver might be better.

Standalone Receivers: Standalone receivers might also come with AM/FM bands, but their primary use will be to receive Weather Radio broadcasts. You can choose between handheld and desktop models, depending on whether you plan to take your radio with you when you go out. There are many choices from a number of manufacturers with prices ranging from around $20 to over $100, depending on the number of features included.

Multi-Band/Function Receivers: These receivers bundle a number of features. Weather Radio is just one of many frequency bands included. You can find the Weather Radio band included in:

  • AM/FM radios
  • Shortwave receivers
  • CB radios
  • VHF Marine radios
  • Scanners
  • GMRS/FRS 2-way radios
  • Car radios
  • TV/Radio combinations*

Public Alert ™ Devicespublic alert logo and NWR All Hazards LogoNOAA All Hazards logo

We cannot recommend one brand of receiver over another, but we do recommend users look for receivers with the Public Alert and/or the NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) All Hazards logo. The Public Alert Standard (CTA-2009-C) was developed by the Consumer Technology Association in conjunction with NWS. Devices carrying the Public Alert logo meet certain technical standards and come with many, if not all, of the features mentioned below. NWS has evaluated devices carrying the NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards logo for user friendliness and performance capabilities.

Residential Grade Radios and Features

Prices vary from $20 up, depending on the model. Many receivers have an alarm feature, but some may not. Among the more useful features in a receiver are:

  • Tone alarm: NWS will send a 1050 Hz tone alarm before broadcasting most warnings and many watch messages. The alarm will activate all the receivers equipped to receive it, even if the audio is turned off. This is especially useful for warnings during the night. (Public Alert ™ - required)
  • SAME technology: SAME, or Specific Area Message Encoding allows you to specify the particular area for which you wish to receive alerts. Most warnings and watches broadcast over NOAA Weather Radio are county-based or independent city-based (parish-based in Louisiana), although in a few areas of the country the alerts are issued for portions of counties. Since most NWR transmitters are broadcasting for a number of counties, SAME receivers will respond only to alerts issued for the area (or areas) you have selected. This minimizes the number of “false alarms” for events which might be a few counties away from where you live. (Public Alert ™ - required)
  • Selectable alerting of events: While SAME allows you to specify a particular area of interest, some receivers allow you to turn off alarms for certain events which might not be important to you. For example, if you live in a coastal county, but not right at the beach, you might not care about Coastal Flood Warnings. This feature may also be called "Event Blocking" or "Defeat Siren". (Public Alert ™ - optional)
  • Battery backup: Since power outages often occur during storms, having a receiver with battery backup can be crucial. However, unless you have a portable unit which you will use away from other power sources, an AC power connection is recommended to preserve battery life. (Public Alert ™ - required for radios, optional for other devices)
  • External antenna jack: While most receivers come with a whip antenna you usually can extend to improve reception, depending on your location you also may need an external antenna. Some receivers come with an external antenna jack so you can connect to a larger antenna indoors or outdoors. You can often buy these antennas where you bought your receiver or from most stores with an electronics department. NWR broadcasts are in the Public Service VHF frequencies, just above FM radio and between the current TV channels 6 and 7. An antenna designed for analog VHF televisions or FM radios should work.
  • External device jack-special needs: Some radios have a jack to plug-in external notification devices, such as strobe lights or bed shakers, which can be useful for those with special needs. (Public Alert ™ - required for institutional receivers, optional for consumer receivers).

NWS does NOT manufacture any brand of weather radio receiver. To get assistance programming your receiver, or to discuss problems, you may be experiencing with its operation, please contact the receiver's manufacturer. Below is a list of many NWR manufacturers. If your radio's manufacturer is not listed, please refer to your User/Owner's Manual for contact information.

Traveling to Canada?

Your Weather Radio receiver also will work in Canada. Environment Canada, which includes the Canadian weather agency, operates weather radio transmitters that generally operate on the same frequencies as the U.S. NOAA Weather Radio network.

Receiver Recalls

For information on Weather Radio receiver recalls, go to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission web site and choose "Radios Weather" in the product type list

Weather Radio Receivers for Consumers

Manufacturers: The following manufacturers have had their radios evaluated according to CTA-2009-C specifications, and have received approval from the National Weather Service to use the NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards logo. NOAA Weather Radio manufacturers that have receivers approved for NWR logo use may produce other models which have not been approved by the National Weather Service. Please visit their web sites to view specifications and owner's manuals to compare features.

The links below take you outside this government site.

Manufacturer Company Information NOAA All Hazards logo
Models

Alerting Solutions, Inc.

610 Cobblestone Drive
San Ramon, CA 94583

925 383-07435

 SARMEX, Beacon

Cedar Electronics

(Formerly Cobra)

6500 West Cortland St
Chicago, IL 60707
  • CRS399, WR380
  • ACXT Series: CMZRAZF333, 345HD, 360-369, 531, 645, 645HD, 1035 (FLT, R FLT HD, R FLT CAMO, R FLT CAMO 3P, FLT SNOW, FLT B CAMO, FLT W CAMO)
  • CX Series: 312, 312A-1, 335, 350, 396A, 397A, 398A, 445
  • CXT Series: 312, 331-332, 345, 345C, 345C+, 385, 390, 395, 531, 545 (C, C+), 565, 575, 595, 645, 1035 (FLT, FLT C, R FLT C+), 1095 (FLT, R FLT,FLT CW)
  • CXY Series: 800, 900
  • MR Series: F57, FF77
  • MR HH Series: 125+, 350, 450, 500, 600 FLT GPS BT, 600W FLT GPS BT
  • PR Series: 360K, 361K, 540, 560BLT, 561BLT, 562BLT, 563BLT, 564BLT
  • RX Series: 180, 380, 385
  • SH Series: 360 (C, NR, NY, R, S, W), 361 (C, NR, NY, R, S, W), 362, 365

E&S International Enterprises

7801 Hayvenhurst Avenue
Van Nuys, CA 91406
Monster Rockin'roller 4, Speaker (RR4)

Kaito Electronics, Inc

5185 Cliffwood Drive
Montclair CA 91763
  • KA500
  • KA600, KA900

Midland Radio

5900 Parretta Dr
Kansas City, MO 64120
  • 75-822, 9001Z, 1001LWX
  • ER200, ER300
  • GXT860, GXT1000, GXT2000
  • HH50, HH54
  • LXT560, LXT600
  • NT3
  • WR10, WR11, WR120, WR300T, WR400
  • XT511, ER10, ER10VP, ER50

Motorola Solutions

1303 East Algonquin Rd.
Schaumburg, IL 60196
  • RMU2080, RMU2080d
  • RMV2080, MHS130
  • T260TPG ,T261TPG T265, T270, T270TP, T271TP, T280
  • T260, T260TPG, T400, T380, T383 T402, T460, T461
  • T465, T470, T471, T472, T473, T475, T478, T480, T600, T605, T470, T471,T472, T800, T801

Reecom Electronics Inc.,

3605 Sandy Plains Road
Suite 240-219
Marietta, GA 30066
  • R-1630C
  • R-1650D

Sangean America

9900 Jordan Circle
Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670
CL 100

Sharper Image

27725 Stansbury Blvd. Suite 175
Farmington Hills, MI 48334
TK-669D NOAA

Shenzhen Kello Science Technology Development Co., Ltd.

2/F., Yingjian Building, No.9, Industrial Road two, Dakan Village,
Xili Town, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, China P.C. 518055
  • TK-335, TK-669D
  • TK-669I
  • TK-669G

Shenzhen Yelaw Technology Co., Ltd.

Room 601B, Block A, Yang Guang Ke Chuang Center,
Nanxin Road, NanShan District, 518054 ShenZhen, China
  • ROCAM CR 1009Pro
  • CR 1009

Spectra (Jensen) Merchandising International

4230 N. Normandy Ave
Chicago, IL 60634
  • JEP100, JEP250, JEP650, JEP725 JEP750, JEP775

Resellers

Manufacturer Other contact information

ALTIS Technology (Hong Kong) Ltd

Suit 711, Lu Plaza, 2 Wing Yip Street,
Kwun Tong, Hong Kong

Buy Two Way Radios

528 S. Cherry Rd.
Rock Hill, SC 29732

Quality Two-Way Radios

43537 Ridge Park Dr.
Temecula, CA 92585

RadioShack

300 RadioShack Circle, MS WF4.136
Ft. Worth, TX 76102

Scientific Sales Inc.

PO Box 6725
Lawrenceville, NJ 08648

WeatherRadios.com

1950 E. Greyhound Pass,
Suite 18-187
Carmel, IN 46033

Weather Shack

P.O. Box 3156
Roanoke, VA 24015

Weather Your Way

2966 Gateway Avenue
Hartford, WI 53027

VOXX Accessories

3502 Woodview Trace
Suite 220
Indianapolis, IN 46268

Industrial/Commercial Weather Radio Receivers

Designed for reception of Emergency Alert System EAS broadcasts as well as NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts. Prices may vary from hundreds to thousands of dollars.

Manufacturer Other Contact Information

Gorman Redlich Manufacturing Co

257 West Union Street
Athens, OH 45701

Thunder Eagle, Inc.

P.O. Box 625
Vienna, VA 22183
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