OWNER'S MANUAL FOR THE 74-250 Owner's Manual for the 74-250 Weather Radio www.midlandradio.com http://www.midlandradio.com Page 1 of 15 OWNER'S MANUAL FOR THE 74-250 PRODUCT INFORMATION The 74-250 N.W.R./ S.A.M.E. (National Weather Radio/Specific Area Message Encoding) Weather / All Hazard Monitor provides you with constant monitoring of your local National Weather Service broadcast for messages warning you of hazardous conditions. The NWR/SAME decoding allows you to hear only messages concerning the area concerning you. You now have a choice as to what information will be brought to you. No more will you be awakened to hear of a problem many miles from your home that will not affect you. A clock with alarm is also featured. The 74-250 NWR/SAME Weather / All Hazard Monitor is the latest advance in Weather monitoring technology providing you with the information you need for your greatest safety from the effects of weather and other external hazards. FEATURES: VHF Weather Monitor with seven different National Weather Service channels in the 162 MHz FM band - Provides 24-hour-a-day National Weather Service information from seven different channels for maximum reception possible (in areas where available) Alert monitor system receives NWR/SAME codes transmitted by National Weather Service stations warning of dangerous weather conditions and other general hazards. The SAME codes designate which counties or parts of counties are affected by the individual message. When the alert feature is activated, the receiver remains in a standby mode. As SAME coded messages are received, the receiver automatically activates to warn you of dangerous weather conditions. · · · · · · · · · High Performance Receiver - Receives weather broadcasts up to 50 miles from transmitter. Dot-Matrix LCD display for viewing alert type and monitor status. Clock displays time and date and has 2 alarms and snooze functions. Powered from two AA batteries (optional). Flexible Antenna - Provides maximum range reception-up to 50 miles. Fully Variable Digital Volume Control - Adjusts audio output. Compact, Ultra Modern Styling - Small enough to take along. Earphone Jack - Allows private listening or remote speaker location. Charge jack- allows for charging Ni-Cd or Ni- Mh batteries (optional). http://www.midlandradio.com Page 2 of 15 OWNER'S MANUAL FOR THE 74-250 CONTROLS Mode - This is a push button that switches the display from time, date and temperature display to alarm display. Also is used to change the active county. Set - This button allows setting of various functions. Snooze / Function - This is a push button that switches between time, date and temperature display and alert message area. By pressing and holding this button you can switch between alert with siren voice and alert message, alert message only, turn the weather alert off or listen to the weather broadcast. UP / Down - These buttons allow for changing volume and changing settings. Earphone jack - This jack allows for attaching an earphone for private listening. Charge Jack - This jack allows for charging NI-Cd (Nickel Cadmium) or Ni-Mh (nickel metal hydride) batteries. (optional) http://www.midlandradio.com Page 3 of 15 OWNER'S MANUAL FOR THE 74-250 NWR-S.A.M.E.- An explanation In 1994, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) began broadcasting coded emergency signals that identify the specific geographic area (such as a county) affected by an emergency. Until that time such specific emergency weather information was sent in other ways to broadcast stations and others then relayed to the public. NOAA transmits the coded weather emergency signals using a technique called SAME (Specific Area Message Encoding). The Midland 74-250 7-channel weather/ all hazards monitor is designed to receive these SAME transmissions. Your Midland 74-250 can be programmed with up to 9 predefined county / channels that will define which notices broadcast by your local NOAA weather station will cause the radio to alert you. Warnings, watches and statements of weather and other area emergencies, about 40 different types. Also included in the SAME message is the amount of time for which the message is effective. The 74-250 will continue to display the alert until its time expires. In the upper left of the display will be the time the alert was received. You don't need to wait for the 74-250 to give you an alert. Just find the NWR station broadcasting to your area from the 7 available channels. You can listen at any time, day or night to the latest weather information from the National Weather Service. What is a FIPS Code? The NWR divides the United States and territories by state and county (or parish) and assigns a six digit code number called a FIPS (Federal Information Processing System) code or also known as a NWR/SAME county code. The first digit identifies subdivision. The next two identify the state or territory, and the last three identify the county. For example the code for Clay county Missouri is 029047. The"047" indicates the county, the "29" indicates the state, and the "0" indicates the subdivision of the county. In this case and most cases the code will have a zero for the first digit, indicating that no subdivision is in use. The NWS plans to introduce subdivisions of some counties in the future, assigning digits 1 through 9 to the parts resulting in codes like 529047. Acquiring FIPS codes for the desired Area: The FIPS codes can be found by calling the NWS toll free number 1-888-NWS-SAME (1-888-697-7263) Automated instructions will guide you to the numbers you need. The FIPS codes and much more information can be found by way of the Internet at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr Note: You might want to obtain the codes for other counties close to you or those you might frequently travel through. The counties still must be within the coverage area of your NWS broadcast. This is what to expect when you call the NWS number. You will be prompted to enter your state. We suggest spelling the entire state to expedite the process. Next you will be prompted to enter the county. Again spell the entire county. We suggest you locate several counties surrounding you especially the county in the direction most of the storms will be coming from. When you have entered the county, the system will ask you to confirm what you entered is correct. Be ready to write the number. The system tells you the number fairly quick but you have the option to have it read back to you so you can get the whole number. Remember the number will be six digits long usually beginning with a zero. http://www.midlandradio.com Page 4 of 15 OWNER'S MANUAL FOR THE 74-250 INITIAL SETUP To Install Batteries: 1. Hold the radio face down. Press the latch so it swings away from the cover. 2. Lift the battery cover slightly. Gently slide the cover off the unit. 3. Insert 2 AA batteries observing the proper polarity. a. Insert the top battery first by inserting the - terminal end of the battery first and gently pressing the battery into place. b. Install the second battery by inserting the + terminal into the radio first and gently pressing the battery into place. 4. Replace the battery cover over the batteries and fasten with the latch. 5. For rechargeable batteries, please recharge for 10-14 hours before use. 6. Read and understand the programming instructions before attempting programming. Display Backlight: When any buttons are pressed the backlight will be activated for about 5 seconds Programming: Please Read (VERY IMPORTANT) This radio has 9 memory locations. Each memory location called the "County" allows you to store one county code and one channel associated with the county code. The radio will initially be programmed as follow: County 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Code 999999 999999 999999 999999 999999 999999 999999 999999 999999 Channel 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 1 The FIPS code 999999 is the all county code. You may continue to use this code that allows the radio to receive alerts regardless of county. By selection of the first 7 memory locations, you may find the best NWS channel you will listen to. When you have finished with entering the county code and the channel associated with it the radio will automatically revert back to the last county the radio was on. This means that when you finish with programming a county / channel you must be sure of the memory location you programmed. If you programmed county 2 and the radio was on county 1 when you are finished programming the radio will still be on location 1. You must cause the radio to switch to county you just stored in memory. Below are detailed instructions on programming the radio. http://www.midlandradio.com Page 5 of 15 OWNER'S MANUAL FOR THE 74-250 Before programming the radio, we suggest turning off the NOAA receiver. To temporally deactivate the receiver, press and hold the SNOOZE/FUNC button until you do not see the NOAA or any of the speaker icons associated with it. The display should look like this... or like this... Enter the county code into memory (FIPS Code) You can elect to skip this step and go directly to Set the Channel. You can come back to this step later. When you receive this radio it is programmed with the all county code 999999. You may continue to use this code which allows the radio to receive alerts regardless of the county. From the clock display: 1. Press and release the "FUNC / SNOOZE" once to change from clock to weather / display mode if necessary. You will see on the display a scrolling message "NO MESSAGE". This message will depend on if you have received any alerts recently. Above the message you will see on the right center of the display COUNTY followed by a number (1-9). As describe earlier, this number is the county / channel location presently in use. 2.Press and hold "SET" button until you see six digits on the display. The number next to the word county will flash. The six numbers are the numbers associated with the county FIPS code. Refer to the instructions above on how to acquire the FIPS code 3. Press "UP" button to select the county code memory location you desire (1-9). This number will flash indicating you are able to change that digit. · There are nine county codes / channel number memory locations available. Each location can have a different county code and channel if desired. 4. Press and release the set button this will allow you to start programming the county code. · Each press of the "SET" button will allow you to change each digit with the UP / DOWN buttons. The digits will flash indicating you can change that digit 5. Press and release the "UP/DOWN" buttons to change the digit. 6. Press and release the "SET" to move to the next digit. http://www.midlandradio.com Page 6 of 15 OWNER'S MANUAL FOR THE 74-250 7. After setting the 6th-digit of the county code, press "SET" once, the number will flash next to CH. Follow the steps starting with number 4 below or press "SET" again to end programming. o When no buttons have been pressed for 10 seconds, the current setting is confirmed and the radio switches to alert display mode automatically. If after 30 seconds there has been no buttons pressed the radio will revert to clock mode. Setting the NWS Channel · Your 74-250 is supplied with a booklet that lists most of the NWS frequencies and the cities they are in. Find the desired city and the frequency associated with it and refer to the list at the bottom of this section and program as desired. From the clock display: Press and release the "FUNC / SNOOZE" button once to enter the weather mode. You will see on the display the scrolling message "NO MESSAGE" in most cases. Press and hold "SET" until you see on the display the current county code. This will be a six-digit number. · If this is the first time the county code has been programmed the digits will be all 9's. Press "SET" seven times. · This will take you past the county code. · The number next to CH will flash · Press UP/Down button to change to the desired channel 1 to 7. When you are choosing the channel to go with the county code in your immediate area you should hear the weather broadcast. · 1. 2. 3. 4. Press "SET" once to end programming. · When no buttons have been pressed for 10 seconds, the current setting is confirmed and it switches alert display mode automatically. If after 30 seconds there has been no buttons pressed the radio will revert to clock mode. Channel 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Frequency (MHz) 162.400 162.425 162.450 162.475 162.500 162.525 162.550 http://www.midlandradio.com Page 7 of 15 OWNER'S MANUAL FOR THE 74-250 Setting the "County" to listen to. After setting the county or counties desired you now must select one to listen to. From the Weather message display: 1. 2. Press and hold the "MODE" button until you see on the display the 6 digit county code or the all county code. The number next to the county will flash. Press the "UP / DOWN" button ...