Midland - WR300, Deluxe NOAA Emergency Weather Alert Radio - S.A.M.E. Localized Programming, 60+ Emergency Alerts, & Alarm Clock w/ AM/FM Radio

We needed to replace our aging weather radio, and decided to buy two (one for the kitchen, one for the master bedroom) so they could easily be heard in any part of our one-story home. We researched the "best" weather radios online, and this model (the Midland WR300) pretty much topped the list. This is a combination AM/FM/Weather radio, with alarm, snooze, etc. and battery backup. We really needed only the weather radio features and battery backup; the other features were of no value in our case, but this very well could double as a "clock radio with alarm/snooze" on your nightstand. Reception is good (we live in Texas) and the sound quality is clear and easy to understand (that was a complaint about our old radio - reception was noisy and it was hard to understand the synthesized voice messages that NOAA uses). Programming is relatively straightforward, though there are a lot of steps, and you can spend a lot of time configuring the vast array of warnings and alerts. Fortunately, this isn't really necessary, as the default settings are perfectly good and most alerts (e.g., hurricanes) aren't relevant for the area in which we live, anyway. We're primarily interested in things like tornadoes, thunderstorms, high winds, hail, flooding, and the like. I love the SAME feature (Specific Area Message Encoding) which allows you to limit warnings and alerts to one or more counties which are of interest. In our case, I set it for the county in which we live and a neighboring county. Thus, the weather radio only sounds for conditions relevant to the immediate area in which we live. This is a BIG improvement over our old radio, which was not configurable in this way and sounded for conditions that were not even near our area. Like most electronics these days, the radio is powered by a small A/C adapter that plugs into a nearby wall outlet. In addition, it has battery backup (4 AA cells - not included). It has a simple, extendable antenna (about 2' max length) which does a good job, even when not fully extended. The volume is adjustable, of course (the first time it went off at 2 AM it about blew me out of bed!). There's a large, snooze-like button on top that can be used to turn the radio "off" when it sounds an alert or warning; otherwise, it continues with detailed weather information in which you may or may not be interested. All in all, I'm very happy with this purchase and would not hesitate to buy it again. So far, I haven't found any features (or lack thereof) that are a "disappointment". If you're looking for a good, solid weather radio at a reasonable price, I can recommend this one.

I live in a semi-rural area that doesn't have high-speed internet, cable TV or very good cell phone reception available. If there is rain or wind, the digital TV signals completely blank out and turtle slow internet speed doesn't do me any good (if I can even get the web page to load) when there is no power. This means I have no way to monitor weather conditions when I need information the most. After experiencing an increase in severe storm activity accompanied by several power outages, I decided it was time to purchase a weather radio. I read a lot of reviews on this product and am very glad I made this purchase! Some reviews had stated it was difficult to program but I found it extremely easy -- you just have to follow the directions step by step that are given in the manual. I never had any idea that there were SO MANY alerts out there you can monitor! My only complaint with the set up process is the fact that I made this purchase mainly to receive alerts for tornado warnings, but this alert was not even listed as an option when programming and there was no mention of it in the manual. After contacting the Midland help line I learned that this is a mandatory warning that is automatically programmed into the system and cannot be silenced or disabled which is why it was not listed. Personally, I think they should state this in their manual in order to save a lot of people the frustration of thinking it isn't there. Within two weeks of receiving my radio, the system was put to the ultimate test - we had an actual tornado warning (first one for my immediate area in more than 4 years!) The radio alert signal and voice command with full instructions was not only very prompt and accurate (my radio alerted me at least 5 minutes earlier than the TV broadcast), but the volume was loud enough for me to hear it from every room in the house. I cannot express how thankful I was to have those few extra minutes to get my family to safety! The compact size and battery back up were perfect for keeping the radio with us to monitor exactly where the storm was tracking and to know when we were out of danger. I am very happy with this radio and would recommend it to anyone!! My only disappointment was making the purchase from the Amazon Marketplace. Good price, but I didn't receive a delivery date until after my purchase was complete. When I reviewed the company prior to purchase, the information I saw showed they were located in Wisconsin - I am in Western Michigan. Had I known that it would take 10 DAYS for me to receive this unit, I would have paid the couple of bucks extra from another company to get my order in no more than 2 days. I cannot say that I will be purchasing much from Amazon in the future as this has consistently been my experience with them --- very slow to ship.

I recently purchased the Midland WR-300 AM/FM Weather/All Hazards/Civil Emergency Alert Monitor with S.A.M.E. through a link from a mobile weather website. I had been checking models and prices for awhile. I had noticed the same basic radio is sold in "accessibility catalogs" because of the alerting connectivity to accessories to make it more accessible for deaf/hard of hearing (vibrating bed shakers and flashing lights, etc.). It is much more expensive in those catalogs (they tweak the model number just a little to add confusion, because they are essentially selling it in a package deal to INCLUDE the flashing lights and/or bed shakers etc, but it's still way over priced!). So really it does what I want it to do, and I already had flashing lights (and a hearing husband!). The instructions for programming the machine are clear enough, but I would have preferred something a little larger font, to make it more user friendly for those not wearing their glasses (or other visual issues). Also they don't specifically include the state/county codes for the SAME feature - you have to look them up on the internet, or go through an automated 800 toll-free calling system. You can, however, leave it set to the default of "every county in the radio signal coverage zone", or you can set it to multiple counties (helpful if you're up in the corner of a county and might want to know when the county above you is getting clobbered just before it hops over the county line 2 miles away from your house, etc.). The third option, of course is just program your county alone. We have it programmed now for just the three or four counties in our metro area, and my husband loves it now that he can sleep through the night without receiving alert signals from places 300 miles away getting a fog advisory or other such weather alert! If the power goes off, you have to reprogram everything - oh joy! So I'd recommend that you print off the codes you laboriously obtained from the 800 number or from the website and keep them written in or near your instructions. They recommend that you put the AA batteries in at the time you are programming...which I did (I think it was 4 batteries ? need to double check)...but turns out, it's merely there to keep the receiver on and drive the alert when an incoming weather alert arrives. Once the power was back on - I had to reprogram the S.A.M.E. and the three radio stations (3 FM and 3 AM radio stations can be programmed to memory.). It's cute going through all the pre-programmed alert possibilities to turn them on or off. It tells you what the default is, and most of them the default is off, but you can toggle it on if it's appropriate for your area - for example, there were alerts for coastal tidal wave, avalanches, coastal flooding, things like that which are good to know if you are on the coast (and I used to live in Florida, so I understand this), but given that we're out in the mid-west, miles and miles from the nearest coast, it seemed funny. Or I'm easily amused - BUT - I was also pleased that I did have the option, as I could theoretically take this in my luggage if I was traveling somewhere and wanted a more reliable way to be alerted for emergencies (in the USA). So far, I'm basically happy with this. Why they couldn't offer this is pretty colors (pink? purple? why not??) I don't know, but oh well. When the lights go out, I guess it hardly matters what color it is!! ;-) There are three different colored LED lights that flash during an alert, to indicate visually what level of severity - advisory, watch, or warning (which is when it's actively happening 15 minutes to NOW!). The Text also flashes on "SEVERE THUNDERSTOM WATCH" "TORNADO WARNING" etc. and of course, the trippy little voice from the station also starts speaking. One of the toggle selections is if you want to be alerted by tone or by voice. If by tone, it squeals for awhile (? what my husband says, I can't hear it!) and then the voice comes on. I have it set to "voice" so there is a tone but not the long obnoxious kind, and then the voice of the radio station comes on reading the statement. There is also a toggle for loud alert or softer alert. There are output jacks in the back where one can plug in whatever signaling device - I'm not looking at it now so can't tell you the exact size but I'm sure it's available elsewhere on the 'net, or ask and I can go look it up on the instruction booklet.

I recently purchased this weather radio in advance of the spring severe weather season, especially as we sleep with fans and we were not sure the outside sirens would wake us in the night. We also wanted the WR300 as other Midland models make noise for every watch and warning. This one has customizable audio alerts, so I can be woken up with tornado warnings without having to be troubled by thunderstorm watches. I figured this radio was good insurance; what I did not anticipate was how quickly I would need it. About ten days after it arrived from Amazon a tornado touched down approximately 1/4 of a mile from my house, doing serious damage to several homes and businesses. My home was, fortunately, undamaged, but there were several features of the radio that proved invaluable in those critical moments. In our area, the NOAA SAME alerts (the alerts that show up on the display) go out before the sirens go off; for us this radio was alerting us to the warning a good two minutes before the sirens, giving us extra time to get downstairs. Because the WR300 operates on batteries as well as AC, I was able to unplug it and take it down to the basement with us as we waited out the storm. With the antenna fully extended, we picked up our local weather radio station but also continued to receive real-time SAME updates on the display, including updated tornado warning information... all of this from what would become our crouched position under the basement stairwell. This proved especially important once the power went out; I had left my cell phone upstairs and the radio became my only link to the outside world while the howl of what we now believe was the tornado came roaring from outside. Once the storm passed, I was able to use the standard radio feature to get information from the local media on the extent of the damage. I cannot speak to the longevity of the radio, as some other reviewers can. I can say that I found it to be a very functional radio and we are obviously very glad we got it. Well recommended.

I purchased this WR as a replacement for an older WR. The older WR was a Midland and it had served us well. I looked at many radios and made the decision to purchase this one. It arrived and was as described. The radio was easy to set-up and I had it programmed quickly. On the test day in our area, the radio came on and showed the information on the lcd screen. We had some recent storms and the radio alerted us without fail. We plan on taking this radio on our next camping trip to the lake. I believe this radio will give us years of service. UPDATE 1/30/16 Both radios continue to work as they did when first purchased. Absolutely no problems with them... Great Radios! UPDATE 08/22/12 I recently purchased another one of these. The first one has worked flawlessly. It simply works as it should I needed another one for my business so, I got another exact unit. These are great WR's and you should really enjoy the performance of them. The radio can be set to not go off on the test day if wanted. I thought mine was not working but, I looked at it and it showed the test had been received. This is great. It doesn't go off a scare you into thinking that bad weather is in the area.... Another great feature of this unit..... Update 4/2/2014 Both radios continue to work as intended. The unit that I have at home was showing weak reception and did not go off the last time we had bad weather. I thought something was wrong with the unit. Then I discovered that my wireless phone was setting next to the weather radio and that was causing interference with the weather radio. I moved the cordless phone a few feet and now the weather radio is picking up the signal without any problems. The cordless phone is a 5.8 gig. and that seems to cause a problem with the weather radio. Other than that problem, I changed the batteries after them being in the unit for a year and that I all I have done to the radio. Both of the radios work well and they get the test signal on Wednesdays if the noaa station sends them out. We are happy with these units. Both units are plugged into a surge protector at all times...

Seems well built quality. Easy to use and program - buttons lay-out. I receive a few broadcast stations clearly - audio good & clear. Display - the main part easy to read... exception is the AM/PM is so small I didn't know it was there at first. Battery backup for power outages. Adjustable analog volume for broadcast listening. High/Low alert volume levels (would like adjustments in between for user preference). SAME feature. Can disable some undesired alerts - some you cannot (tornado & some others). I only use this for its main purpose, weather alerts and WX broadcast information only - I have no need for its AM/FM, clock, alarm. A past storm and a recent storm we received alerts and listened to the broadcast information - thunderstorms & tornado information with hail in the mix. This was nice to have if not keeping up on iffy weather minute by minute. Wife appreciates the alerts when she is home alone and then can tune into whats going on. Nice to have a home base unit 24/7 with battery backup. For expected inclement weather, we'll take a portable battery hand-held unit along (yesterday it was the Midland HH50 for me - wife at home tuned into the WR300). The battery backup with common size batteries (AAA) is a good feature should a power outage occur so she can keep in touch. Should we miss any alerts, easy to check the last 10 alerts although it doesn't give the day/time of those alerts. Wishes: Display - wish I could see it from a lower angle (a tilting display would be nice) and have adjustable brightness & contrast... but this is so minor to me. Add Update 3/16/18 - This radio has been working perfectly fine. Decided to update because of recent waves of storms sweeping into California, from last week into today, and today I was at home and received a couple severe thunderstorm warnings, some associated with hail storms, one associated with possible tornado condition. Nice to know this is still providing me/us alerts of these conditions. In addition, I have a few portable weather radios, a couple with weather alerting. Plus a couple lightning detectors too. Couple evenings ago we got a severe thunderstorm alerts. My lightning detectors went off and since they have some distance scale, we soon saw the lightning, then it got closer and closer until thunder rocked the area. Kind of nice to get the alerts, track some lightning and determine some distance/travel. Of course I have to check weather and lightning maps on line - all plays together. Almost kind of like adding another hobby - but point is this radio is still doing its job. Still comes in loud and clear. A nice WX/Alert device.

I was looking for a radio/alarm clock that also had weather alert functionality. I settled on the WR300 since it seemed to check all the boxes. The set-up instructions are wrong in places, but if you follow the set-up you'll understand the basic method and can figure out how to achieve something even if the actual instructions don't work. Irritating, but not a deal breaker. I set-up my WR300 in about 20 minutes, which included getting the S.A.M.E. county codes off the internet. It's not that hard to be fair. We finally had our first weather event a few weeks ago. When Mr. T. Nado paid a visit to our town recently, my Midland WR300 went ballistic! Good to know it's paying attention to what's going on. From a weather alert monitoring and alerting standpoint, the WR300 is all good. I hope it doesn't die in 6, 9 or 12 months like other customers have reported. I guess I'll see. As for being an everyday alarm clock radio, it's not that great for a few reasons. 1. The back lit screen display, while a pretty blue, is way too bright. At night in a dark room, it really lights the place up. Distracting for me. You can turn the back light off, but then you cannot see the time when the room is dark. It needs a light sensor so it dims when the light level is low. 2. The time component of the display is tiny. Located in the top right corner of the display, the digit size is smaller than the digit size of the year which is located in the center of the display. How dumb is that? It would have made more sense to have these swapped around. Big time in the center and small year in the top right corner. 3. The slanting angle of the front makes the display impossible to read if your bed is at the same or similar height to the clock. Even if you had the overly bright back light on at night, you'd have to sit up in bed to see the display properly. If you're one of those people who wake up at night and want to sneak a peek at the time without having to move much, this clock is not for you. So, for a weather alert/alarm clock radio it's great so far. For an everyday use clock, it's not so good. I decided to keep mine just for the weather/alarm functionality and will buy a separate digital display clock that's easy to read from a distance and dims the display in low light.

This radio certainly does everything the specs say -- Wx/AM/FM and alarm clock. I am quite pleased with it. If you haven't owned a weather radio with S.A.M.E. decoding yet, you will really like this feature. When you set it up properly, the radio will not alert -- and wake you up -- unless a weather alert (such as a severe thunderstorm watch or warning) applies to your specific county. This is really nice when your Wx station covers a large area and you value your sleep! In order to use the S.A.M.E. feature, you only need to look up the 6-digit code for your county, which can be found on the NOAA web site, and enter it into the WR300. It just takes a few minutes, and it could save your life! This radio also comes configured, by default, to ignore the weekly EAS tests and other things that cause most weather radios to alert and disturb your work or sleep. You can change these settings if you want to. The WR300 could be a little more user-friendly. It took me about ten minutes to get everything set up. Also, there does not seem to be a seek/scan feature for the AM/FM radio, so you have to tune to your stations manually. Fortunately it has several AM/FM presets. It was not immediately obvious to me that the volume (knob on right side) was muted. Also the icons for alarm and weather alert were confusing at first. There is an on/off switch on the right of the unit for enabling and disabling the alarm clock. Overall, this is exactly what you would expect from Midland -- a feature-packed product that works very well as long as you are willing to spend a few minutes learning to set it up. Keep that in mind if you buy it as a gift for someone who is "technically challenged." If my grandma needed a weather radio for her bedroom, I wouldn't be afraid to buy this for her; but I would be prepared to set it up and change the batteries once in a while so it didn't lose its configuration during a power outage.

Very portable devices and powerful tool to use

Excelente radio, lo integro a un sistema de alarma sísmica mas grande tiene salida de audio y salida de alarma lo cual lo hace muy versatil

Excelente, esta repite la señal de gobierno de la ciudad de México sin problema alguno y sin falsas alertas, felicidades!

muy bien, todo fincionando correctamente, es buen equipo y funciona en Mexico, no usa mucha energia y se puede conectar a bocinas mas grandes

Excelente compra