NOAA Weather Radio

In the event of bad weather it really pays to own a NOAA weather radio.

About 6:30 or 7 last night a wicked Thunderstorm with low and frequent lightning was hitting us hard.  There was some nearby property damage although I was lucky. No trouble at Castle Hagensieker.

Even though we all have cell phones, internet, TV whatever…….the best resource for weather is YOUR LOCAL NOAA WEATHER STATION.  They transmit weather data 24/7 however they transmit it on a frequency that you probably can’t get on any radio you own.  You either need a real life EMERGENCY RADIO like you can buy at Lowes or maybe Walmart or you need a USB Software Defined Radio hooked to a computer.   NOAA stations start I believe at 162.40 MHz.  Also NOAA has the Emergency Alert System (EAS).

C CRANE 2E NOAA WEATHER RADIO

Enter the C Crane 2E – AM / FM / Weather / 2 Meter band radio.  The feature that was invaluable to me was setting the EAS Weather Alert which has a flashing red light and an audible alarm.  Given the intensity of the storm last night I wanted to know if its cousin was coming.

So imagine if you will that the Shit really hits the fan from a hurricane or some other event.  No power, no cell phones, no cable TV…………..Just you and a C Crane 2E……….you’d be okay because not only would you get the weather alerts you could flip over to the 2 Meter Ham Band and listen to the amateur radio operators relaying emergency traffic.   You don’t know how bad you need this until you know you need it.

The other incredible feature of this radio is that it is one of the best long distance AM radios on the market.  Very sensitive and with great selectivity.  There are AM radio stations in the US that transmit 50,000 watts (AM Clear Channels) in the evening and can be heard for hundreds of miles.  It isn’t unusual for me to listen to Toronto, New York, D.C., Boston, Nashville, Philadelphia, Cleveland, or Cincinnati from my home in Eastern NC.   Not too shabby.

Suck it up, spend the money, and buy you a REAL emergency radio that has a few tricks up its sleeve and has incredible AM range.