First Alert Portable AM/FM with Emergency Alert

Average customer rating:

Defective Radio, Bad Service

A great radio!

the first alert weather radio

Junk

I WISHED I HAD THIS DURING HURRICANE RITA!!!!!

First Alert Portable AM/FM with Emergency Alert

Manufacturer: First Alert
ProductGroup: CE
Binding: Electronics

Shortwave | Radios | Portable Audio & Video | Audio & Video | Categories | Electronics
AM-FM | Radios | Portable Audio & Video | Audio & Video | Categories | Electronics
Shortwave & All-Hazard Radios | Audio & Video | Categories | Electronics
Radios | Portable Audio & Video | Refurbished & Used | Special Features | Electronics Features | Electronics
Audio & Video | Refurbished & Used | Special Features | Electronics Features | Electronics
Home Security Systems | Safety & Security | Categories | Home Improvement | Home & Garden
Radios | Radios & Communication | Emergency Preparedness | Custom Stores | Specialty Stores | Home Improvement | Home & Garden
Similar Items:

Midland WR-100B SAME Weather and All Hazards Alert Monitor with Alarm Clock

Accessories:

Rayovac NM715-8 Rechargeable NiMH AA Batteries, 8-Count Package

Memorex High Performance AA Alkaline Batteries, 50 Pack

Memorex High Performance AA Alkaline Battery 8 Pack

Memorex High Performance AA Alkaline Batteries, 12 Pack

Energizer E91BP-4 AA Batteries (4-Pack)

Product Features:

Portable NOAA weather radio receives emergency alert warnings from the National Weather Service 24 hours a day

Receives all 7 NOAA weather and hazard channels, as well as AM/FM band radio for casual daily use

Features an emergency alert siren, a handle, and an earphone jack for noisy and quiet environments

Powered by included AC adapter for desktop use, with 4 AA battery backup during power outages

Backed by a manufacturer's 90-day warranty

ASIN: B00005KB2N

Product Description

The WX-17 provides early warning of emergency and hazardous situations. Now everyone can have instant notification of local and national emergencies and weather conditions. The WX-17 is portable, easy to use, and combines AM/FM operation with emergency alert.

Amazon.com Product Description

The First Alert WX-17 Portable NOAA Emergency Alert Radio is a portable NOAA weather radio that receives emergency alert warnings from the National Weather Service 24 hours a day. The WX-17 automatically sounds a warning siren when alerts are broadcast, providing you with the early warning you need to deal with emergencies and hazardous situations. Day or night, regardless of what you are doing, you will get instant notification of local and national emergencies, and any weather conditions that require your attention.

The First Alert WX-17 doesn't just keep you informed of vital situations via all seven NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) weather and hazard channels, but includes an AM/FM band for casual, daily radio use. Completely portable and easy to use, this unit includes a telescoping antenna, and a four AA-battery back-up for use during power outages. The WX-17 features an emergency alert siren that is sure to gain your attention, a handle for easy transport, and an earphone jack for both extremely noisy and necessarily quiet environments. The First Alert WX-17 Portable NOAA emergency alert radio is powered by the included 120-volt AC power adapter for desktop operation, and is backed by a manufacturer's 90-day warranty.

What's in the Box
First Alert WX-17 portable NOAA emergency alert radio, 120-volt AC power adapter, user's guide and warranty information.

Customer Reviews:

Defective Radio, Bad Service.......2007-06-14

The radio arrived with a crooked display and hard to use tuning knob. The package had obviously been opened before, so I got someone else's reject. Beach Audio will not pay return shipping under any circumstances, not even for sending me a defective product!!! So I am out $12 in shipping and have no radio.

A great radio!.......2007-06-08

This is a great portable weather radio. Small enough to carry in your purse or pants pocket, your choice of using 4 AA batteries or the electrical cord that comes with it, a loud tone alert to warn you when threatning weather approaches, a nice handle for carrying, and it also makes for a great little AM/FM radio for when the weather is not threatning. The speaker is very good and better than most portable radio speakers. I read the comments up above about a little radio interfearance but you are going to experience that with all portable radios or scanners. This weather radio has an awesome telescopic antenna which you can aim for best reception. This weather radio was a great investment!

the first alert weather radio.......2007-06-08

The first alert weather radio is working fine. I am pleased with the item and would recommend this product.

Junk.......2006-03-23

I purchased one of these radios before Christmas and it works great. I decided I wanted another for work, so I ordered another one.

I recived my radio a couple of days ago and had to send it back because the "preset" weather stations are off the mark and the only thing I can pick up is distorted and garbled. They sent me a replacement and it too is off station. At this point, I'm wondering if the first one I got was the exception. I do NOT reccomend this product unless you just want an am/fm radio, that part works great.

This will be my last First Alert purchase unless I can try it out first!

I WISHED I HAD THIS DURING HURRICANE RITA!!!!!.......2006-02-04

I love this radio! It's awsome! When the clouds look bad I make sure it is tuned to my NOAA that I recive, I flip the switch to alert and it let's me know to tune in and get the latest weather update. It comes with AC adapter or you can use batteries. What more could you want?

Midland WR10 All Hazard Radio with AM/FM Radio

Average customer rating:

This is not a very good radio.
WR10 not for mobile homes
Wal-Mart Almost Giving Them Away
Iffy Electronics?
Form over function

Midland WR10 All Hazard Radio with AM/FM Radio

Manufacturer: Midland
ProductGroup: CE
Binding: Electronics

Shortwave & All-Hazard Radios | Audio & Video | Categories | Electronics

Audio & Video | Refurbished & Used | Special Features | Electronics Features | Electronics

Midland | Brands | Electronics Features | Electronics

Weather Monitors | Electronics |

Midland WR-300 AM/FM Weather/All Hazards/Civil Emergency Alert Monitor with S.A.M.E.

Accessories:

Product Features:

Portable weather/hazard alert radio
Receives all 7 NOAA channels
Instant weather information 24 hours a day
Weather alert siren
AM/FM radio reciever

ASIN: B00005NT9H

Product Description

The WR-10 Weather Max gives you two products in one. You have a combination AM/FM broadcast radio. You also have a 24-hour a day National Weather Service monitor. A complete information system in the palm of your hands. The Weather Max has a full tone alert signaling system built in. When the National Weather Service issues an emergency report, they transmit a special tone. This tone is picked up by your WR-10 to provide you instant emergency weather information. Your WR-10 will advise you of special weather warnings even if you are listening to standard AM or FM broadcasts. The WR-10 has an emergency battery backup system for use if you lose power. It will provide up to six hours of operation if power fails. It also allows the WR-10 to be used as a temporary portable to take on trips, picnics to the beach, etc. The WR-10 provides a new concept in high performance Weather Monitors combined with the information and entertainment of an AM-FM radio. It features a choice of 90dB Siren, Flashing LED, or Voice weather Alert. External Alert Jack allows you to control of other alerting devices.

Amazon.com Product Description

In addition to being a handy AM/FM radio for general use, Midland's WR10 Weather/Hazard Alert Radio also receives all seven NOAA weather/hazard channels, so you're always up-to-date on weather information. If you are listening to the radio, the WR10 will automatically switch to the local weather broadcast when an alert tone is transmitted. The radio can be used anywhere, providing a telescoping antenna for improved reception in remote locations and an AC power adapter. It uses a 9-volt battery for portable power support, which is not included.

Customer Reviews:

This is not a very good radio........2006-05-15

I live about 40 miles from our NOAA broadcast station. For this radio to pick up thier broadcast, I have to hold the radio in my hands and face it South. Very often it puts out a growling noise that totally drowns out any broadcast that I may be trying to listen to. I've always been happy with Midland products, but they have themselves a lemon here. Spend your money on something else.

WR10 not for mobile homes.......2005-06-21

I purchased this WR 10 at Walmart's for $29.00. AM and FM reception is fine, but no weather reception at all inside a mobile home. I'll be returning mine, as I do live in a mobile home, too much metal I suppose. I tried in in every room and nothing!! But take it outside and it works fine.

Wal-Mart Almost Giving Them Away.......2004-04-25

My local Wal-Mart store in Naples, Florida is selling Midland WR-10 Weather Radios for two bucks ($2.00) each! (The radio originally sold for about 30 bucks at Wal-Mart).

I bought about a dozen of them to pass out to my friends. The radio does EXACTLY what it's intended to do...give weather information and weather alerts, and it also has the AM and FM bands.You can set the radio to be absolutely quiet until it receives a weather alert.

The instructions are very clear and an included pamphlet gives the NOAA weather frequencies for all the major cities in the USA,(which can be easily set at the bottom of the radio). There are a number of other neat features which I won't go into here. So RUN to your local Wal-Mart and see if they still have any left at this absolutely amazing price!

My only problem... The radio is made in China, but then, just about everything in Wal-Mart comes from the Orient!

Iffy Electronics?.......2002-04-21

I just purchased this radio locally, and I'm going to have to return it. The buttons aren't working. Considering that I've had trouble with another model weather radio from Midland, I wouldn't buy another product made by that company.

Form over function.......2001-11-26

The Midland WR10 weather radio looks like a good example of industrial design gone bad. The design seems to be based on the company logo - a stylized letter "M". The problem is, assuming you're facing the "front" of the radio, all of the important controls such as the AM/FM radio tuning and volume are on the sides of the radio facing away from the user! I suppose you could operate it by feel, or position the radio backwards, but either way it still seems very awkward. Then again, if you never plan to use the WR10 as an AM/FM radio, it'll probably work just fine.

I saved myself a few dollars and ordered the similarly featured, but conventionally designed Midland 74105XL instead. Not as "pretty" but I'm sure it's identical in performance and a lot easier to use.

Average customer rating:

First Alert Weather/AM/FM Radio WX268

The new radio finally works properly

First Alert Disappointment

Design Flaw - "Radio reception error"

Great Product

Am/fm Emergency Alert Clock Radio

Manufacturer: First Alert
ProductGroup: CE
Binding: Electronics

Shortwave | Radios | Portable Audio & Video | Audio & Video | Categories | Electronics
Shortwave & All-Hazard Radios | Audio & Video | Categories | Electronics
Accessories & Supplies | Refurbished & Used | Special Features | Electronics Features | Electronics
Radios | Radios & Communication | Emergency Preparedness | Custom Stores | Specialty Stores | Home Improvement | Home & Garden
Similar Items:

Midland WR-300 AM/FM Weather/All Hazards/Civil Emergency Alert Monitor with S.A.M.E.

Product Features:

7 NOAA weather channels with SAME local alerts

Receives 79 messages including Amber Alert and 911 call outage

Automatically sounds a loud alert siren when emergency conditions occur in set area

NIST atomic auto-set clock

AC operation

ASIN: B0008551DI

Product Description

Receive important warnings on AM, FM, and WB. First Alert Brand Emergency Alert Radios give you the life-saving advantage of an automatic warning before severe weather and other emergency conditions arise. Simas First Alert Brand Emergency Alert Radio is designed for use before, during and after emergencies by simultaneously monitoring broadcasts by both the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and NOAA Weather Radio (NWR). - Dual EAS and NWR receivers for round-the-clock emergency coverage. - AM/FM/Weather Band clock radio - AlwaysSet? Radio Controlled Clock - Dual alarm setting - Includes new messages for 2004 such as AMBER ALERT and 911 Call Outage. - Meets new CEA-2009 standard for Public Alert? devices. - Scrolling LCD text display of message information. - Easy to program using full text programming. FIPS codes are no longer needed when programming your location into the WX-268. Program the state and county to set your location. - (Specific Area Message Encoding) technology to select the most accurate broadcast for your location. - Automatically sounds a loud alert siren when emergency conditions such as chemical spills, tornados, civil emergencies and more occur in your area. - Never obsolete, upgradeable using a PC. Specifications Power Requirements: 12V AC/DC 200mA (120V: 12V - AC Power Adapter included) [AA alkaline or Ni-Cad batteries for power backup (not included)] WB Band:Frequency Range: 162.400MHz to 162.500MHz Channel Selectivity: 25KHz FM Band:

Customer Reviews:

First Alert Weather/AM/FM Radio WX268.......2007-01-10

Radio works as advertised! Some items to note - If you commit to receive EAS on one band (AM/FM) the other band is locked out; we use the external antenna which improved reception 100%.

The new radio finally works properly.......2006-05-23

This is a terrible product. Had I seen the reviews now available, I would never have purchased it. The radio does nothing that it says it will do - except broadcast manually. None of the auto features work properly. The radio goes off with false alarms without any reason and in times of real weather warnings, it never goes off. I returned it for repairs 6 weeks ago and was told it would take 4-6 weeks. Today I was told it would take another 4-6 weeks. That means they don't have a clue on how to fix it. Save your money and don't buy First Alert products!

Note****
About the first of August I received what appeared to be a new alert radio from First Alert Products. This replacement radio seems to work as I originally expected. If the original radio had worked this well, I would have been very pleased from the beginning.

First Alert Disappointment.......2006-04-28

This was my first weather radio purchase. Having recently moved to the Florida coast I figured it would be a good investment for storm preparedness. When selecting a product I relied on the First Alert name.

Like several of the other reviewers we repeatedly seem to get the "Radio Reception Error-Listen to Broadcast" message. It occurs frequently -- day or night -- with no apparent trigger or cause. The standard alarm feature is difficult to set.

I made the mistake of throwing out all of the original packaging and paperwork or I would have returned this product for a refund. This radio is NOT user friendly. Very disappointing performance from First Alert, a company that usually offers a good product.

Design Flaw - "Radio reception error".......2006-02-03

This radio should be taken off the market. The other reviewers are absolutely right. It constantly alarms (usually in the middle of the night) with "Radio Reception Error" message yet there is nothing in the manual about this. Not a clue as to what the problem might be or how to reset or disable it. You have to unplug the device and remove the batteries to reset it and it comes back again within hours. The customer service was no help. All they said was that I would have to send the radio in to them to have it repaired. A brand new radio just out of the box? I don't think so. It is being returned to Amazon for a refund. Too bad, if I could have just turned that one alarm off or disabled it everything else about this radio worked great.

Great Product.......2006-01-29

This product is almost everything that I have wanted in a weather radio. It allows to granularly select what type of alarms that you do not want to receive or not. For example, I live on a hill, so I do not care to be woke up in the middle of the night for a flood warning (recently happened and I slept right through it). This unit uses S.A.M.E. technology so I set it for my quadrant of the county and the corresponding quadrant of the surrounding county, which is where I live. Seems to work great.

Only issue that I have found with this unit is that it does not seem to set the time with the atomic clock (saw this issue in another review). It sits right next to a clock radio that receives a signal every night and yet this unit does not get the update. Even still, I would recommend this product.

Product Description

No ordinary binoculars, the 8x30 SD VistaPix lets you take digital pictures of what you see, then download them into your computer. The 8x30 SD VistaPix represents the latest in outdoor optical technology, combining high-quality compact binoculars with a state-of-the-art digital camera. It's so easy and fun to use. You simply aim and focus the binocular, then press a button, and the digital camera automatically records the image into its internal memory. Once you download and save your images to your personal computer (Windows) via the supplied USB cable, you can edit them using the included Photo Manager software and store, print, or email them to friends and family. Cool! The 8x30 SD VistaPix is perfect for all kinds of activities including sightseeing, sporting events, family outings, concerts, hiking, and birding to name a few.

Customer Reviews:

**NOT** a birding binocular or a birding camera.......2003-10-24

As a birder who has owned quality optics (i.e., Bausch & Lomb Elite, Swarovski, Kowa, and Leica), in my opinion the Celestron VistaPix pales in comparison. It feels and performs more like a toy than a quality binocular - which is not too surprising given the approx. $150 price tag.

First, the eyecups are not sufficiently deep so that I cannot rest the binoculars against my eyes to resolve the two circles of light into a single view; it is already difficult enough to hold them steady without having the benefit of steadying them against myself. Second, the focus wheel is unnecessarily small and the wheel does not rotate evenly, so that the binoculars jerk side to side while focusing. Third, the strap is nothing more than a cheap string reminiscent of a camera strap on a free give-a-way camera. Moreover, the strap is clumsily attached near the center-top of the binoculars which gets in the way of focusing the binoculars and navigating the camera controls. The strap length and placement also cause the binoculars to hang awkwardly, protruding forward and bouncing with every stride - it should have been apparent to the designers that the strap should be attached to the binocular's outer edges (as it is in ALL binoculars). To add insult to injury, the strap is permanently attached so that you cannot replace it with a quality neckstrap. The bottom line is that, in light of Celestron's better quality line of binoculars, Celestron clearly can do better.

Most limiting on the camera side for birding purposes, the VistaPix has a fixed focus so that only objects farther than 50 feet will be in focus. This minimum focus, at 8x, is practically useless for photographing birds other than pterodactyls (or ostriches, rheas, emus, cranes, storks, albatrosses, etc). Photographing sparrows or warblers yielded photos of unidentifiable blips. Also limiting is the fixed shutter speed with resulting blurry images when trying to photograph birds (which are typically moving). Given that even some disposable cameras have an optional setting to capture fast action, the VistaPix should give the photographer some flexibility. In addition, it is difficult to hold the camera steady enough to obtain sharp images - I cannot imagine how the 10x version can ever be hand-held for photography. The technological solution is probably image stabilization - even a rudimentary form of image stabilization would be immensely helpful. With image stabilization, 10x magnification would be preferable especially if the minimum focus remains no better than 50 feet.

Last, but not least, is there any excuse for a digital image of less than 3 megapixels in this day and age? In sum, I would prefer a product that is twice or thrice the price, and is commensurate in quality so that the end-result is truly useful for birding and photographing birds.

Nice binoculars with the added bonus of a camera.......2003-08-12

First off, these are a quality pair of binoculars. They fold up nice and small and fit into the included nylon pouch along with the USB cable and neck strap. They swing open to adjust for interpupilary distance, and then are focused using the barrel adjustment on the top of the unit. There is a diopter adjustment that would come in handy if your vision is different in each eye. Looking through the lenses shows nice full circles of light, belying the quality prisms within. The digital camera features seem to be a bit of an afterthought; 1.3 mega pix is a bit wimpy for a main camera by today's standards, but that said photos can come out pretty nice with some practice and understanding of the limitations. It is difficult to hold the binoculars steady enough to take a sharp photo over long distances, so you will have to brace yourself or lean on something. There is a screw adaptor on the base of the unit to accept any common camera tripod. The controls are very simple, and after a few minutes it is easy to learn to operate them without looking so you shouldn't have to fiddle with the camera while trying to focus on your subject. The camera will not pick up enough light to take good photos at night; that is to say that the resulting photo will not look as good as what you saw with your dark-adjusted eye. These should be perfect for daytime terrestrial photography however. The SD card and camera are mass-storage compliant, and came up without a hitch on Mac OS X, Win XP, and Redhat 9.
The camera includes a timer feature and a video capture feature, and a simple editor that will allow you to delete the last photo taken or format the memory card. There is no facility for previewing photos through the binocular unit itself.
There are a few annoying things about this unit. There is a 90 second timeout, after which it will beep and shut off power in order to save batteries (2-AAA's). These do seem to chew up batteries more than you would expect them to. Also they will beep for confirmation every time you turn them on, take a photo, or switch menus. It would be nice if it was possible to disable the beeping or at least turn down the volume. The camera does not seem to photograph at the same magnification as the main objective. There is a slightly larger field of view on the camera image, it seems more like 8x25 than 8x30. Overall a nice set of binoculars for nature or daytime terrestrial viewing, with the added gimmick of a rudimentary digital camera for impressing your geek friends and photographing birds / celebrities / neighbors for future recall. Hours of fun and entertainment. :)

Electronics:

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