The NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) service operates on seven frequencies, with different frequencies used in different areas. NOAA Weather Radio works with other Federal agencies, including the Emergency Alert System (EAS), to provide complete weather and emergency information. The seven frequencies are given below (in MHz):
| 1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
| 162.400 |
162.425 |
162.450 |
162.475 |
162.500 |
162.525 |
162.550 |
When a situation calls for a weather or civil alert, a digital signal is sent on all transmitters covering that area. This signal includes the following data: Alert Type, Alert Duration, and SAME Code or Codes (numbers indicating the counties affected by the alert). If the situation calls for an alert signal, a 1050 hertz tone is also sent.
Examples of situations calling for a weather alert include winter storms, thunderstorms, tornadoes, and flash floods Examples of situations calling for a civil alert include child abductions, chemical hazards (such as caused by a chemical spill), industrial fires, and evacuations.
Weather radios are designed to monitor the National Weather Radio service broadcast on the frequency that they are tuned to and respond to an alert signal by sounding an alert and/or turning on to play the alert message. Radios with the SAME (Specific-Area Message Encoding) feature allow you to set the radio to only activate when an alert contains a SAME code you have programmed into the radio.
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