Would Appreciate Information on NOAA SAME radios

[Richard Halter]

Hi All:

I have started working with my local county emergency management agency as a volunteer, and my first big project is to help develop and implement a program to increase NOAA emergency radio usage. What I would appreciate is feedback on what the best models (for the price, of course), of SAME radios are available.

Had two tornados 20 miles from me Friday, a 3.6 magnitude earthquake 50 miles north earlier in the week and we are moving into the windstorm, snow and ice-storm season – I hope that we can generate decent interest for a significant purchase program.

Thank You,

Richard Halter,
Warnings To All

 

[Doug Lee]

The Tulsa Repeater Organization tried selling WX radios from Midland, both handheld and desktop models, as a fundraiser as well as a public service. They became a hassle to deal with, and I don't think the club ever made that much money from them anyway.

My suggestion is to shop around, look at manufacturer's websites for reasonably priced models, and then contact the manufacturers to see what kind of deal you can get. But don't commit to buying until you check to see what the public can get, and the prices, at local merchants. I don't know about your area, but here in the Tulsa area, you can get WX radios at Westlake Ace Hardware, Walmart, and of course, Radio Shack.

If you can't come up with a price to beat the local dealers, then help the dealers promote them. Work up a brochure about the WX radios explaining their benefits and how the SAME technology helps them avoid warnings in other areas. List all the dealers in the county on the back of the brochure. Then distribute the brochures to post offices, laundromats, schools, grocery stores, etc. Also, don't forget state and county fairs and other public events.