All-Hazard-Radio Reviews

This radio is a very good weather radio to use. It's "Statement", "Watch", and "Warning" lights are very useful when trying to find out how important the alert is. The clock is a nice thing to have and it will automatically interupt any of the other functions to bring you severe weather. It has a very nice range; I received a weather transmitter from over 75 miles away on it. I like the control that changes the siren volume as it doesn't have to be too loud. The programming is a little difficult, but after you get the hang of it, it isn't that complicated. A very good radio to own for the price. It is also up to date. Per next year, all weather radios are required to have the text display, and this one does. Just a word of warning: The alert siren WILL wake you up; it can be very loud even with the volume turned down.

So far this radio is great. Has all the features needed for emergency notification. Programming was very easy, but keep the manual handy. The back-lit lcd screen is nice and stays on all the time when used with the AC adapter. The weather signal is strong and clear. The 9 volt battery back up lasts about 3 days when the AC is off, so you will need plenty batteries if you are using it without the AC power. So far I have not had an emergency signal come across, so I can not give a review on this. In any case it is a nice unit for the price with many options, i,e external antenna plug, remote speaker or other warning device, earphone, etc. You can also adjust the volume for the alert signal unlike other models. Only draw back; No test feature to check the alarm and warning lights.

I highly recommend this receiver. I recently bought this to replace a weather radio that didn't have S.A.M.E. technology. With S.A.M.E. you put in the code for your area and get alerts for that area only. Wonderful! With the old radio, I was always getting alerts for the neighboring counties. Now, I just get what applies to me. I didn't buy models with AM/FM since in a real emergency I will be listening to the weather radio and my battery powered AM/FM radio at the same time. Reception is clear. The manual is well written. This unit does what it is supposed to do in emergencies ---- it comes on and alerts you. The alert tone is clear and unmistakable. The type of alert is displayed in the LCD display. I like this display since it faces you when the unit is on a shelf or counter top. Not so on some other models. One touch operation to hear the weather at any time. The 74-200 also has battery backup. I learned how important this feature is when I was in a typhoon on Guam.

This weather radio is very reliable and works as promised. What is amazing is that it is so small, can be taken with you anywhere and yet still pulls in signals as well, or better than table top weather radios. Sure it will use some batteries, but if you are at home, you can just plug in an AC adapter. I can see where some could have difficulty setting it up, but once it is set up, it works great. There have been 3 tornado warnings in the past 48 hours, one of which was in the middle of the night. We were awakened by the alert and were able to move to our safe area.

I've only had this weather radio for a few weeks and already had two thunderstorms where I used it. It's a solid weather radio. The signal is great. It's easy to change channels. It has a bright blue backlit which makes it easy to see the screen in the dark. The S.A.M.E. is awesome although I could see where people could have a little trouble setting it. Oregon Scientific has very complete information on it though. All you do is go to an official NOAA web site, type in your zip code and it gives you a "SAME Code" and then you enter it in to the radio. It's similar to setting an alarm on a clock. If you don't know what a SAME code is, a SAME code is a code you enter for your town so that you only get warnings for your town and not just ones around you. When you get a warning, the screen will flash "Warning" and if you want it will set off a 110 decibel siren that will wake anyone up. I haven't had any battery problems. Whenever I don't need it I just have it in the stand (included) and have it plugged in. It's also very rugged and it's not afraid of a little rain. I'd suggest this product to anyone and think everyone should get one.

I love this company - Oregon Scientific. I had bought their photo frame as a gift for my father-in-law and loved it so much that I shopped for another gift for Father's Day and found this emergency alert monitor. It notifies you of severe weather, civil emergencies, child abductions (amber alerts) and a host of other life-threatening dangers. I have a friend with another model and his battery life is very short compared to this unit. We throw it in the car when we go camping, skiing, fishing - anytime we're away from home and need to know about weather or emergencies. It's a great product that we'll never be without.

I purchased a Midland 74105XL as a gift, but gave it a quick test to make sure all was well before wrapping it up, and it performed exactly as could be expected.

I compared it to an Oregon Scientific WR-8000 'All Hazards' portable and an Icom IC-M3A marine VHF handheld radio. Reception quality was good on the active weather channels in this area, however there weren't any alert warnings broadcast at the time, so I can't comment on that feature. The Midland was a bit better than the Oregon Scientific, probably due to it's telescoping antenna vs. the short 'rubber ducky' type on the WR-8000. The Icom being a transceiver, and having a more sensitive receiver was better than both. The AM/FM section of the 74105XL works as well as any inexpensive portable radio.

The build quality of the 74105XL is also typical of an inexpensive radio (and typical for Midland) - sort of cheap feeling, but perfectly adequate for tabletop use. I had posted a negative review here on Amazon.com on the similarly featured Midland WR10 All Hazards radio based on it's less than user-friendly design. Fortunately, the layout of the 74105XL is much more straightforward.

Something that's probably applicable to just about every All Hazards radio currently in use in the U.S. is the quality (or, lack of) artificial speech used for NOAA's weather radio broadcasts. Up until a couple years ago, the broadcasts were recorded by a real, live human. They have since been replaced by a computer synthesized voice, and it sounds just like what you might expect - very artificial. According to the NOAA weather radio site [...], they are currently in the process of upgrading all of their stations with a newer technology, more natural sounding speech system. They even have sample audio files available for audition.

The 74105XL does not feature the SAME specific area warning system, so it's probably best suited to milder climes or environments where a highly localized warning may not be as essential. As a good, basic weather radio, the 74510XL does the job. By the way, the recipients I gave the radio to are happy with it!

this product is one of the most important things u should have if u want u your your family to be safe

This weather radio has it all!! Auto Alert, AM/FM, 7 Channels, Great Size. Bottom Line is it saved me last year during hurricane season. 5 Stars!!!

Purchased this radio and set it up by the manual. This radio will NOT operate with AC power alone. It also requires 3 AA batteries to operate the digital readout. Within the first 3-4 days the batteries were drained dead and unit would not operate.
I changed to new batteries and again in about 3-4 days, thoses batteries were dead. I replaced with the 3 set of batteries and once again, about 3-4 days they were dead again. The radio was set on "Alert Only" so, therefore would not constantly play, only when receiving a weather bulletin. Only once during my 2 week ownership did the unit alert, and that was during a weekly test from NOA radio. This unit was absolutely terrible. Thank goodness for the good people at Amazon, I was able to return this crap back at no cost to me, and a full refund. I strongly suggest that you look at another specific brand besides a battery eating monster like this one was. Very Disappointed in this brand.

I disagree with one of the other reviews posted here. The WR-100 does not need batteries to operate and functions extremely well if programed with the correct SAME codes. . Our radio was extremely easy to program and was operable within 5 minutes of opening the box. Make sure you refer to the instructions and acquire the SAME County codes via the NOAA website: www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/indexnw.htm

I highly recommend this model to anyone who might live in a dangerous weather region, I live in the heart of tornado alley.

This is a great product which has not failed my family yet. Please make sure you check into the products you need.

I recently purchased the Midland WR100 for my mother-in-law's home. I own the Midland 74-200 radio and it has worked well. The WR100 is much easier to program than the 74-200. The manual is much easier to read than the somewhat cryptic 74-200 manual. Either radio is a great choice. Features are similar for each. The main difference is the LCD display. The WR100 faces the top (parallel to the ground), while the 74-200 faces the front (perpendicular to the ground.) This may be an issue in regards to placement.

I own this weather radio, and it has great features...if only it worked properly! Mine has a tendency to come on anytime it feels like it, not just when there's an alert, which can be quite shocking in the middle of the night. I suspect a problem in the electronics. I recenty purchased another model made by Midland, and the buttons on it don't work right, so I'm going to have to return it to the store. I won't be buying another piece of electronics from Midland. If you're looking for a trouble-free weather radio, steer clear!

If you are worried about the weather, this is the perfect item for you! You can get up-to-date weather reports 24 hours a day after choosing which source you want. You enter the code for your area on the back, and you're all set! (The instructions are clear and easy.) Best of all, if you travel you can take it with you and reset it for the new place. You have a choice of being alerted in a weather emergency by a red flashing light or by a loud-enough siren. The announcer's voice is monotonic because of the recording, but if you just want the facts, you won't care. It also gives conditions of weather in the ocean for boaters and fishermen. It works even in a power failure because of its backup battery. You won't have to wait until after the daily news report to find out the weather at any time! This is great!

Very useful but does not have S.A.M.E technology that newer versions have. Difficult to find the right channel for your area unless an alert is being broadcast. The battery door on mine broke due to a fairly small plastic tab snapping off. User interface is not intuitive (setting channels and time is not easy without the user's manual).

In the year since I received the Oregon Scientific weather radio, its price has dropped dramatically, making it an even more attractive addition to an outdoorsperson's backpack or vehicle. As an avid hiker and camper, I bring along this weatherproof radio on weekend trips to receive weather information and alerts. While the reception has proven limited for some areas I visit, such as state parks not located in close proximity to a NOAA transmitting station, and national parks such as Big Bend -- too remote for me to have even bothered to bring the radio along, the reception within or near cities where most users will in practice find themselves using it, is perfect. The radio is also handy to have around the home, particularly if you don't have any other battery-operated weather alert radio at your disposal. When the power goes out and the weather starts turning nasty, it's extremely handy to turn the radio on Standby so it can alert you to weather watches and warnings in your area.

For the money, I don't think you can go wrong with this little, durable device. The only defect I have noticed with my radio in the year that I've used it is the channel buttons occasionally get stuck and have to be pried out using a pen cap or other small instrument. Annoying, to be sure, but the radio continues to work as expected. Battery life with normal AA batteries is good, although I tend to leave my radio turned completely off unless I suspect weather is approaching or am heading off on a trip.

Many aspects of the unit seemed good but I returned the one I ordered because in some locations in my apartment the radio received some type of commercial radio or TV signal. The audio coming from the radio was clearly not from a weather radio station. My older Radio Shack weather radio does not have this problem.

This is a wonderful radio. Most of the problems discussed by prior people are not problems at all. Just read the directions carefully and you will have a great experience with this radio.

The only downside is that this radio does not allow you to adjust the backlight length. The four seconds or so that it stays lit is not enough sometimes.

Overall, this is the best weather radio I have ever owned.

After reading the previous reviews for this product, I was a bit weary. However, after the purchase, I was quite impressed. The controls work fine, even in "silent" mode. No faint broadcasts. I wonder if that person was too close to the transmitter?? Radio controls are nice and easy to program. Reception is very good with minimal distortion on all bands. The couple of things I did notice that I would prefer would be that the backlight stay on just a bit longer, 4 seconds on mine. The other would be to display the alert's effective time. That time is not displayed, but the alert light stays lit for the effective time. All in all, a very good price to pay for safety!

Programming the radio can be a little tricky but if you follow the instructions, it's pretty easy to setup. I picked up one of these due to the crap weather coming through the Atlanta metro area. First one I got refused to work! Called Midland tech support and they told me that everything was configured properly! They guessed it was defective so they sent me a replacment inside a week and the same - no NWS alerts picked up! All duds?? Who knows, but I'm asking for my money back!
It looks good but doesn't work!

This was hands down the worst consumer electronics product that I've ever owned. The menu system is unintuitive, and I could never imagine myself ever being able to fully use the unit without the manual nearby. The unit appeared cheaply made and after about 6 months, the unit wouldn't even power up. I ended up just throwing it away. Pick another product in this category!

After having problems with the model made by Oregon Scientific I purchased this model from Amazon. I'm in Texas, so a reliable weather radio is a must and this product hasn't disappointed me.

I can, however, understand a couple of the points made by other reviewers, If you were driving across the country it may be a bit difficult to program and reprogram the SAME codes as you move from location to location, but I would think that you could get the hang of it after a few changes.

Overall, I would highly recommend this product.

This is a nice unit that does what it says it does-- alert the user to warnings and watches for a large number of situations. We've used it during the busy spring weather season and it has never failed to warn us of impending events (severe thunderstorms, flash floods, tornadoes, even a child abduction), always a few minutes before our local television stations. Setup seemed confusing at first but two minutes with the manual made it quite clear and easy. The only glitch was that I had to look up our county code on the Internet-- the 800 number given was never available. With the SAME technology we keyed in on our county alone, and disabled activation for watches that we don't care about-- a really nice feature. It also includes a standard weather radio for forecasts whenever we like, plus an FM radio (which we don't use) and a clock. I'm very satisfied with the unit.

The original ones of these being marketed had a flaw in the system and did not always alert as they were supposed to! However, the newer ones have had that fixed. We bought one and contacted the manufacturer to be sure and they said that the ones available on the shelves now have been updated and work fine!

We deal with lots of severe weather in the Spring and Summer and ours is working just great! Its great to be able to program it to only alert for your county, so you are not awakened for another county getting a warning!

What a great radio, it works just fine. Took a bit of time to understand the instructions,but once it was properly set up, its operating just fine...

This product has the most difficult programming instructions I have ever seen. Even changing the clock time (which you have to do 2X per year) proves to be a major challenge requiring the manual. The manual also must have been translated from Chinese as it is also difficult to understand...even for someone like myself with a technical degree! I tossed the product out after 6 months.

Sorry everyone, I really wanted to rate this high, ... It came with no antenna, standard. Without an antenna, it picks up few neighboring countie warnings, and lousy radio reception. The radio stinks, sounds cheap, like a ... 4 transistor I had 40 yrs ago. Hard to program (I work with computers), hard to operate. The alarm works half the time, probably due to no antenna. Save your money.

I ordered this unit because I wanted one radio that would both receive AM and FM, and also provide weather alerts. Surprisingly, the WR196T is one of the few on the market that combines these features. I ended up returning it to Amazon after 24 hours, for the following reasons: ... Second, the instructions were poor. Despite all of the functions to master, Oregon Scientific took the cheap approach of trying to condense all of the instructions onto a single large sheet of paper, which is folded into sections. The instructions aren't very clear either. Third, the controls are far from user-friendly. You'd think that the "Radio On" control would turn it on. Nope. A fact I only figured out after initially deciding I had a lemon. (I may be a bit off on this--the unit is already in the return mail so I don't have it in front of me to double-check the control). Fourth, the sound quality is mediocre. Not a big factor for the weather radio transmissions, but a problem while listening to AM/FM. Apparently the slim design, while high-tech, kept them from using a more adequate speaker. Fifth, the sensitivity of the radio, even for standard AM and FM, was mediocre. Local stations were weak unless I carefully positioned the unit. Sixth, the unit includes a clock radio/alarm function, probably because the design engineer saw that the chip set could handle it at little extra cost. For my purposes, this functionality only further complicated an already hard to use unit. I have a clock radio next to my bed; I don't need it in a unit like this. Seventh and last, I specifically wanted to listen to a station in the not-overly-new extended AM band, which runs from 1605-1710 KHz. Every recent car radio covers those frequencies. The WR196T stops at 1600 KHz. Would it have cost them that much to extend the unit to cover the full AM band? The only positive I can offer is that the unit includes a digital thermometer, which can be somewhat useful. I hope that Oregon Scientific sends their engineers back to the design consoles to build a better unit--they'd find that it would sell!