These are uncertain times.
The September 11, 2001 murders in New York, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania
underscore the need for Americans to know what is going on around them. We rely
heavily on commercial broadcasters, cable televisions, and our telephones to
learn what it is we think we need to know. But is this enough?
Did you know that the
six
hundred fifty National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
National Weather Service radio stations and the
Federal
Communications Commission Emergency Alert System have teamed up to
provide a weather and emergency action notification service for all U.S.
citizens? Did you also know that you can be part of that system just by
purchasing an inexpensive NOAA Weather Radio that is equipped with emergency
alerting SAME technology?
Specific
Area Message Encoding or SAME, allows the National Weather Service
radio station near you to send alert messages for your area directly to your
NOAA SAME weather radio. All you do is select the weather radio frequency for
your area and program your radio with the
SAME alerting code for your county. You then install
your weather radio where you will hear the radio's alarm when it goes off. It
is that simple. It is very much like adding a smoke or carbon monoxide detector
to your home.
The NOAA Weather Radio will alert you
to weather emergencies as well as emergencies declared by local or national
officials. You will know what's wrong and what to do about it to keep your
family safe.
The EAS
replaced
the Emergency Broadcast System (EBS) in 1994 as a tool for the
President of United States and other officials to warn the public about
emergency situations. Given the threats to our peace and tranquility that exist
today in addition to severe weather conditions that can exist throughout our
country it makes sense to own an alerting device that gives you warnings that
can keep you safe.
You can purchase a SAME NOAA Weather
Radio Receiver at many locations near your home or from sites on the Internet.
The NOAA Consumer Information page provides a list of companies where you can
purchase your SAME weather radio. NOAA also links to the U.S. Product Safety
Commission where you can find information about product recalls before making a
purchase.
The NOAA Website enables you to find
the frequency of the NOAA Weather Transmitter
serving
your geographical area.
Special
maps are available online that show the coverage areas of the
high-power NOAA weather radio stations. The NOAA weather radio stations
transmit on: 162.400 162.425 162.450 162.475 162.500 162.525 and 162.550 MHz.
Please note that many radio scanners and even some newer model FRS radios
include weather radio features. Not every receiver capable of receiving the
weather stations has the SAME alert technology. When you buy a weather receiver
for alerting purposes buy one with SAME technology included.
Your NOAA SAME Weather Radio will now
quietly monitor the weather channel for severe weather or disaster warnings.
According to NOAA this is what you can expect to hear when an alert comes
through: "Only the most imminent life-and property-threatening hazards
are broadcasted with the SAME signal and 1050 Hertz warning alarm tone, where
the public has to take immediate action to protect themselves and their
property. An operational guideline is that messages are alerted only for
hazards urgent enough to warrant waking people up in the "middle of the
night" or otherwise interrupting someone's activities at any time.
"
We suggest you spend some time reading
more about SAME technology. If you have more questions take advantage of the
FAQ and consumer information you will find there. A special
Personal Wireless message forum is located right
here at Popular Wireless Magazines for weather radios. We think it is that
important.
Buy a SAME technology weather radio for
your family today.
