Oregon Scientific WR601N Portable Weather Radio with AM/FM & NOAA Alerts - Emergency Survival Gear for Outdoor Camping, Hiking & Travel

I had the predecessor to the Oregon Scientific WR601N Portable Weather Radio for roughly 11 years and it worked flawlessly during that time. Hence, when it finally ceased to function, I had no other thought but to order the newer version of the same product, that being the WR601N. I use the radio solely as an indoor device to warn of severe thunderstorms that can produce high winds, possible tornados and/or hail that we sometimes get here in FL, so I can't comment on its mobile ability. What I can say is that the WR601N is able to be programmed to respond only to weather issues that are related to your immediate area. That way, you are not being bothered by information that generally would not concern you. The radio is loud enough to be heard throughout an average sized home and it repeats itself a second time so that you don't miss the original information. The radio runs on batteries but it's best to use the AC adaptor so the batteries do not wear down. About the only downside I can see to the WR601N is the fact that it can be a little tricky to set up and I see where others have noted the same thing. If you read the quick set up guide carefully, I think you'll be able to figure it out. However, if you run into problems, call the toll free number that is within the directions and an Oregon Scientific employee will hand walk you through the procedure. I gave this weather radio 4 stars only because of the tricky set up. Function-wise, for indoor home use it's 5 stars.I just purchased this radio to take with me when camping in the event of severe weather. I read a lot of reviews on a variety of radios sold by Amazon before deciding on this one. I only received it this week, so I can't vouch yet for its longevity. But it was much easier to set up than some of the reviews indicate. Because of the detailed explanation of the SAME codes given in the user manual it was a bit confusing to program at first. You really don't need to know all of that. Just ignore all the explanations, follow the instructions on how to put the radio in the programming mode and simply enter the six-digit number found for your area on the NOAA web site. I had it on this morning waiting for the NOAA test to make sure I had it programmed correctly. I had the volume turned down to "3" and it was still plenty loud when the test alarm went off. All in all, this seems to be a great radio for the price. One other small complaint - I wish that the a/c adapter plugged into the cradle rather than directly into the radio. I'm concerned how well the connection will hold up over time as I unplug it and plug it back in when I take it camping and return home.I have an older version of this same radio. It has worked well for me for several years so when I needed another one I bought the same model. Oregon has made a couple of changes that IMHO have actually hurt the radio. 1st, during a warning event the volume is FULL-ON LOUD, and the volume can't be reduced like it could on my older one. Since this radio sits on the night stand right next to my bed (and head), I find this to be VERY irritating when it wakes me at night with a warning. 2nd, they reduced the brightness of the flashing light that indicates when the radio is in monitoring quiet mode, it is dim enough that it can't be easily seen with the bedroom light on. One positive change they made was that the newer model does not loose it's settings/memory when the batteries are changed like the older model did.I agree with several other reviewers, this radio is definitely not user friendly to program. Nothing about programming this radio is self explanatory, you will NEVER be able to change any settings on this radio without referring to the user's guide. If you misplace the user's guide you WILL be SOL! I keep mine right next to the radio. If you are technologically challenged and have trouble programing a VCR or TV, don't buy this radio!I've had it for a year now, and I like it overall. Sits in the kitchen and does its thing as a weather radio should. Just a couple quirks I don't like about this model: 1) To stop listening to an alert you hit the button on the top which permanently silences the radio. You have to press it two more times to put it back in standby mode. This is awful. We missed a tornado warning today because of this, that button probably got pressed on accident. It needs a "snooze" mode to silence the current alert, then it should unsilence itself automatically to be sure you get the next alert. 2) the battery life is awful. I consider it a plug-in model and only use the batteries when I need to unplug it momentarily or as a backup when the power goes out. There's no reason for it to come with a belt clip, it doesn't have enough battery life to make that reasonable. 3) would be nice to be able to adjust the volume of alerts, this thing will wake the souls of the damned.We had the older version of this little radio for years The problem with the older version is that it won't turn off. We now keep the older one in the house and keep this one in our car for our travels. We just put the batteries in, made sure the directions were the same (from the instruction sheet) to set time date etc. And it is ready to go You can set it up, which is a bit more difficult, for specific oounties but we just turn it on and it will automatically go to your closest weather area. We really like this radio.We've had a WR601 Weather radio for years, but it comes on so loud when there is a weather alert that it blew out the speaker. I ordered the WR601N to replace it, and although I had trouble setting it up, I believe it will work as well as our old one. This radio is no longer made, but some are still available at a very good price. You cannot register the radio though, as Oregon Scientific is no longer at the address listed on the registration form. This weather radio is very handy to take along fishing, golfing, or on vacation as it comes with a belt clip and runs on batteries or can be plugged into AC current.I just the radio. Its 1 Aug 2014. I will update later. I got this to take on a canoe trip: 7 days in the interior of Algonquin Park, Ontario, Canada. This trip will be the Scorch Lake semi-loop. We will do it over 7 days. Basecamp on Scotch for a few days. I have a crank weather radio which I got a local sporting goods store. Its one of those all in one survival thing: flashlight, radio, clock, mobile phone charger, etc. all rechargeable with solar and/or hand crank. And, its a bit cheesy. Its heavy and doesn't hold much of a charge. Its too much bother taking into account kms of portages. So I wanted a weather radio that was small and light. I choose this one the WR601N. I read all the reviews here and wasn't sure what I was going to get. Good or bad. Mixed reviews. I don't really need the warning system as I plan to use this on canoe trips. Its not worth having on due to the batteries we'd have ot carry. I will get to that... but on first use I am impressed. It has a decent feature set. Nice clock and I hope it remains accurate. Some weatherproofing. Nice feel, feels high quality. Its nice and small and light 130g without batteries and comes with a desk craddle, belt clip and adaptor. very nice.I didn't find the manual hard to understand and refered to it often. I was able to find the relevant section and follow the instructions. I am not sure why others find it difficult. Maybe a different version of the manual? Mine is dated 2011. I know there is an older one out there. I was able to find the SAME weather locations for what I need. I wanted my location and some areas around it, the city my parents live in and two areas where we camp. I was able to program these in with no real issues. yes its a funny UI but it starts to make sense once you know the key order. In canada we have different codes, here is the link to find the codes in Canada: http://www.ec.gc.ca/meteo-weather/default.asp?lang=En&n=E5A4F19C-1Now, I am an electronics hobbiest. I measured the current draw. On "off" its 0.05mA, on Standby 20mA, On 40mA (volume at 4), 30mA (volume at 3). If you take the 3 batteries as Enelop NiMH 1800mAH, then if we say 1500mA as a conservative value? that works out to 3.5 years, 3 days, 40 hours, 50 hours, respectively. Not too bad! It's not worth us carrying 9 batteries to have it in standby: we can see the clouds and see the weather approaching. We can just montior the NOAA broadcast for the park every few hours. Then we can run it for the whole trip on one set - a bonus!SO I will report back after we use it on the trip. So far I am impressed. I really like the feel of the radio and the controls have good feedback and feel high quality. the battery cover is held in place with what looks like a nice latch. it applies pressure against the o-ring. yes and o-ring for the battery compartment. This and the rubber switch membranes make me feel this has some weatherproofing. I am curious if there is some weatherproof material over the speaker. the sound is nice and can go low to very loud. the speaker out is nice too. i think it might work with headphones. anway we'll see...Have recently heard this go off three times in one week of having it. Keeps me up to date.