Service Overview

The NOAA All-Hazards/Weather Radio is a service of the National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), of the U.S. Department
of Commerce, provided in cooperation with the Wisconsin Division of Emergency Government and through the facilities of the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board. It provides around-the-clock broadcasts of the latest weather and other emergency information directly from the National Weather
Service Offices.

Recorded messages are repeated every four to six minutes and are routinely revised every two to three hours, or more frequently if needed. The broadcasts are tailored to weather information and other emergency information needs of people within the service range of each transmitting station.  For critical weather events or other hazards to life and property, a distinctive tone is emitted for about ten seconds prior to the emergency broadcast.

The US Department of Homeland Security has the authority to develop an alert and warning message that can be delivered directly to NOAA and broadcast to affected areas. The system is capable of reaching over 97 percent of the United States territory on a 24/7 basis through broadcasts in 50 states, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, and Saipan. All-Hazards/Weather Radios currently equipped with SAME (Specific Area Message Encoding) allows listeners to pre-select the categories of alerts they wish to receive in chosen listening areas. All-Hazards/Weather receivers are located in emergency operations centers and many public sites and workplaces.

Each All-Hazards/Weather Radio is a very high frequency (VHF) FM station.  The service area of each transmitter is approximated by the map, and covers a 25-40 mile radius from the transmitter.

Routine daily broadcasts contain weather information regarding recreation and travel within a day's drive of each transmitter, weather forecasts for Wisconsin (or portions thereof), extended outlooks, hourly weather observations, and radar summaries as appropriate. Special weather forecasts and advisories of interest to the agricultural industry are broadcast at selected times during the day. During winter months a summary of road reports is broadcast.

More Technical Information

For certain critically important weather events or other significant hazards to life and property such as severe weather watches and warnings, each transmitter will emit a distinctive audible tone signal for about ten seconds at a frequency of 1050 Hertz (cycles per second) just prior to the broadcast of an emergency message. Compatible tone activated receivers in “muted mode" with the volume control of the receiver preset by the individual listener provide no output until the alerting tone is received from the All-Hazards Radio Station. Upon receiving the 1050 Hertz signal, the speaker audio turns on and all transmissions become audible. Routine programming is reduced during these critical periods as most information broadcasts relate to hazards. A test of the "warning alarm" tone is conducted each Wednesday between 11 a.m. and 12 noon. If severe weather appears imminent, this test is canceled until the next good weather normal business day. 

The special alert system primarily serves the law enforcement and Homeland Security offices, as well as industrial plants, schools, hospitals, and other institutions where large numbers of people assemble. The warning alarm normally sounds in response to threatening weather related events for the counties located within the range of each station (about a 25-40 mile radius from the transmitter). 

Important Considerations

When planning the purchase of a receiver, please remember that the signal from the transmitting antenna to the receiver should be direct and in line-of-sight for best reception. It is recommended that the receiver be able to operate on batteries in case of commercial power fail. The alarm feature on the radio should activate the speaker when the warning alarm tone is transmitted. This requires the listener to physically reset the radio back to muted mode. A receiver should be tested at the location of intended use before final purchase. If a stronger signal is desired, a brochure that describes suitable antenna choice and construction information is available from the nearest National Weather Service Office. Prices of consumer-grade radios range from $20-$80 dollars. Industrial quality radios cost upwards of $150 dollars. 

Commercial radio and TV stations are authorized to rebroadcast most material, and encouraged to rebroadcast watches and warnings, transmitted over the NOAA All-Hazards/Weather Radio, subject to minimal restrictions stated in FCC Public Notice 70-1108-52876.

• ECB  •  3319 West Beltline Highway, Madison, WI 53713  •  Phone : (608) 264.9600  •  Fax : (608) 264.9622