ACURITE 08500 Weather Alert Radio Desktop Instruction Manual

ACURITE 08500 Weather Alert Radio Desktop

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Introduction

The Acurite® Weather Alert Radio will receive encoded civil and  weather emergency alert messages from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio broadcast towers. These broadcast stations are located all over the United States. NOAA operates more than 1000 towers throughout the 50 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin islands and in the U.S. Pacific Territories. This weather alert radio uses Specific Area Message Encoding (S.A.M.E) to identify specific areas, like a county or localized area of a state. This technology limits the occurrence of “false alarms”, that is, alert messages that do not apply to your area. The Acurite® Weather Alert Radio will receive all 7 NOAA weather alert channels. When an official alert is received, the radio will automatically switch on and you will hear the tone and audio voice broadcast. The alert type and message will scroll across the display. One of the color-coded LED’s will also illuminate- signifying which type of message has been received; “Advisory” is yellow, “Watch” is orange and “Warning” is red. The Weather Alert Radio includes an AC power adapter. The AC power adapter is the primary power source for the radio. In an emergency, you may need to take the radio with you to a safe area , the radio features a battery compartment for holding standard alkaline batteries (not included). This feature also provides backup power for the radio in the event of a power failure. Please read through this manual to learn more about the Acurite® Weather Alert Radio. Keep this manual for future reference.

IMPORTANT!

This weather radio is NOT waterproof. To reduce the risk of fire, electric shock, or damage to the unit, do not expose this product to rain, moisture, or immerse in water.
This product has the capability to operate with three (3) 1.Sv “AA” alkaline batteries (not included). Use of rechargeable batteries are not recommended. This radio does not NOT contain charging circuits and will NOT charge or supply power to the batteries.
To reduce the risk of electric shock, DO NOT disassemble or modify this product. Take this product to manufacturer authorized service penoncel when service or repair work is required. Opening the case of the radio or the power dock/adapter voids the warranty. This product contains NO user serviceable parts. TEST YOUR SIGNAL RECEPTION BEFORE RELYING ON THIS DEVICE IN EMERGENCIES. RECEPTION o, the national weather service TEST is the best way to ensure your radio will have proper reception during an emergency. The national weather service (NWS) conducts a required weekly test (RWT) of NOAA all hazards weather alert radios every Wednesday between 11 AM and 12 noon (central time), when weather permits. The test consists of the RWT SAME code, a short tone and message explaining the test. If adverse weather prevents the test from being broadcast on Wed., it is postponed until the next day with good weather. If the test is not conducted by Friday, it is postponed until the following Wednesday.

Display Features

LISTEN MODE INDICATORS
One of three Listen Modes are selected by pressing the “LISTEN” button.

• SILENCED: unit will not automatically sound audio alert to notify to advisories or watches.
  WARNINGS will still sound audio alert to notify you, warnings cannot be silenced.

• AUTO ON: unit will automatically sound audio to notify you of all advisories, watches, and warnings that it is programmed to receive.

• ON: unit will display ON when you manually turn on the weather report.

VOLUME INDICATOR
The Volume Level is selected by, pressing the “VOLUME” buttons located on the side of the unit.
SILENCED: the volume indicator is disabled when the radio is silenced. Unit will not automatically sound audio alert to notify you to advisories or watches. WARNINGS will still sound an audio alert to notify you, warnings cannot be silenced and will sound at a mandated hagfish volume to ensure user hears the warning.

Installing Backup Batteries

After installing batteries, the weather report audio will automatically turn on. If you wish to silence the weather report audio, press the “LISTEN” button.

Note: The power Is the 111aln power source for  weather radio. The batteries provide backup power in the event of a power outage and allow you to move quickly and take your radio with you to a safe location during an emergency.
The internal radio is always 111istening” for alerts, even when the audio speaker is silenced. This requires substantial power, as a result, the weather radio will last approximately 3 days on battery power alone.

Power Adapter

After powering on the radio and choosing placement, you will need to plug-in the power adapter to supply main power to the Weather Radio. Note the icon will display – indicating the radio is plugged in and powered by the AC adapter.

Battery Safety: Clean the battery contacts and also those of the device prior to battery installation. Remove batteries From equipment which is not to be used for an extended period of time. Follow the polarity (+/-) diagram in the battery compartment. Promptly remove dead batteries from the device. Dispose of used batteries properly. Only batteries of the same or equivalent type as recommended are to be used. DO NOT incinerate used batteries. DO NOT dispose of batteries in fire, as batteries may explode or leak. DO NOT mix old and new batteries or types of batteries (alkaline/standard). DO NOT use rechargeable batteries. DO NOT recharge non-rechargeable batteries. DO NOT short-circuit the supply

Setup

After powering on the radio, your radio is ready to receive emergency alerts from the national weather service. It is recommended that your specific radio location code (FIPS code) be entered, which will limit any “false alarms” (alerts that do not apply to your location) from being activated. Additionally, you will need to set your preferences- such as the date and time. The easiest way to ensure that all of your preferences are set is to go through the “Quick Setup” process. This only takes a few minutes to complete.
If you have more experience with weather alert radios, you may wish to manually enter multiple FIPS location codes and manually select your channel, the “Manual Setup” mode will allow you to do this.

NOTE: All FIPS codes entered will remain in the radio, even if the radio power is interrupted due to dead batteries and no power. To clear all the entered codes and reset the radio to factory settings, refer to the troubleshooting section in this manual.

Quick Setup

After powering on the radio, you will need to set your preferences. Most basic preferences can be set by going through the Quick Setup process.
To access the Quick Setup menu, press the “MENU” button on the radio. The display will show ” { SELECT) “. To select the Quick Setup menu, navigate right by pressing the ” ► ” navigation button. Press “OK” to enter into Quick Setup. You may exit the menu at any time by pressing the “MENU” button.

FIPS Code Entry
To find your SAME# (FIPS code), call the national weather service toll free at 1-888-NWS-SAME (1-888-697-7263) or visiting the website below.
www.weather.gov/nwr /indexnw.htm#sametable
MY FIPS CODE ————-
The NOAA weather radio transmission is coded with Specific Area Message Encoding (S.A.M.E.). SAME allows you to customize the alerts to warn you about conditions only relevant to your specific area, which will reduce unwanted alerts. SAME is activated automatically after you enter in your FIPS code.
A Federal Information Processing System, or FIPS code is a six digit  code that identifies your state and county/parish in the United States. The default selection for the FIPS code is “000000” which allows the radio to respond to all advisories, watches, and warnings. To customize the alerts you receive to your specific area, you will need to enter your location’s FIPS code.
To enter your code, press the or navigation buttons to adjust the currently selected (flashing) digit. Press the ” ► ” or ” ◄ ” navigation buttons to move to select the digit you would like to adjust.
Press the “OK” button once you are finished entering your 6 digit location code (SAME#/FIPS code)

Channel Setup
After you enter your FIPS code, the display will read “FIPS CODE SET” and will automatically move on to “CHANNEL SETUP – PRESS OK TO SCAN”. After you press OK, the radio will automatically scan for the strongest channel available. The display will read “SEARCHING”. After scanning, the display will read “THE STRONGEST SIGNAL IS CHANNEL_”. This is the channel that the radio has determined offers the best signal strength.

Time zone
After your radio has acquired the strongest channel, the quick setup process will automatically move on to “ENTER TIME ZONE”. To enter your time zone, press the or navigation buttons to find your time zone. Press the “OK” button to confirm your selection.

Daylight Saving Time (DST) Observance
After you set your time zone, the quick setup process will automatically move on to Daylight Saving Time setting. The display will read “DST ON”, press the or navigation buttons to select either “ON” or “OFF” to select whether daylight saving time is observed in your area. Press the “OK” button to confirm your selection.

Enter Current Time
After you set your time zone, the quick setup process will automatically move on to Current Time setting. The display will read “12:00AM” by default. The hour needs to be set first, press or buttons to adjust the hour, then press the ” ►” button to move over to setting the minutes. Again, press the or buttons to adjust the minutes, then press the ” ►” navigation button to move over to setting AM or PM. Press the or buttons to select “AM” or “PM”. Press the “OK” button to confirm your selection.

Current Date
After you enter your current time the quick setup will automatically move on to setting the date. The display will read “MONTH 01 “. Adjust the month by pressing the or navigation buttons, press “OK” to confirm your selection.
Next, you will need to set the date by pressing the or navigation buttons to adjust, press “OK” to confirm your selection. Finally, you will need to enter the YEAR by pressing the or buttons to adjust, press “OK” to confirm your selection.

The Quick Setup Process Is Now Complete
The quick setup process is now complete, the display will read “SETUP COMPLETE” and revert back to the default dock display on the home screen.

Placement
It is critical to choose a placement location where the radio can receive the emergency alert signal broadcast, such as near a window on an outside wall. To quickly check your radio reception throughout your home, simply turn on the radio by pressing the “LISTEN” button repeatedly until you hear the speaker turn on. You may also want to place the radio in a location you are most likely to hear the alert tone or see the alert indicator lights. Keep the radio away from other electronic interference sources such as computer monitors and TV’s, other radios, motors, microwaves, etc. This radio is designed for tabletop placement, place the unit on a level dry surface away from moisture.

Receiving Alerts
If the radio is set to “AUTO”, when any alert (advisory, watch or warning) is issued by the NWS, the radio will automatically turn on, and the audio weather report will sound. Additionally, a text readout of the type of alert (advisory, watch or warning) will scroll across the display and the appropriate alert light will illuminate.

Silencing Alerts
When an alert is sounding, press the “SILENCE ALARM” button to silence the tone. Please note that if you leave the radio in silenced mode, the audio report and siren for advisories and for watches will NOT sound. Only WARNINGS will sound as they cannot be silenced in any way, as mandated by NOAA.

Viewing Alert Message History
The weather alert radio will hold up to 4 messages in it’s memory at a time, in sequence of when they were received.
To view the messages in history, press the or” navigation buttons when the radio is showing the default clock display to cycle through history of the last 4 messages received. The HISTORY (HIST) mode indicator will display to confirm you are looking at an older alert message.
If there have been no messages received, the display will read “NO MESSAGES”
NOTE: if there are no messages in the history, and the radio has been under continuous power, you may have a reception issue. Please refer to the troubleshooting section.

Volume Control
The volume control buttons are located on the front of the radio. 1 of 10 volume levels are shown in the volume indicator icon on the display. NOTE that the volume will automatically increase to loudest when an actual WARNING has been received, as per NOAA radio requirements.

Backlight
The radio includes a blue backlight to illuminate the display for easy low- light viewing. The backlight will activate automatically for 10 seconds with every button press. The backlight can be constant ON or OFF when AC powered using the included AC power adapter. Press the “LIGHT” button to turn the backlight ON or OFF. NOTE that the display backlight AND indicator LED’s will automatically come on when an alert is received.

Changing the Scrolling Text Rate
The message area scrolling speed can be adjusted to scroll at a slower or faster rate. When the radio is showing the default clock display, press the ” ►” navigation button. “SCROLLING RATE_” will appear on the display. Press the or ” to choose 1, 2, or 3 scrolling rate (3 being the fastest}. Press the “OK” button to confirm your selection.

Telescopic Antenna
The Weather Alert Radio features an integrated telescopic antenna which can be orientated to receive the signal better. This antenna is NOT removable, but can be folded and “stowed” onto the back of the radio housing for storage or travel convenience.

Headphone Jack
The Weather Alert Radio features a small 3.5mm (standard} headphone jack on the top edge of the radio housing. You may choose to plug in any standard pair of headphones or external powered speakers to hear the weather report.

Manual Setup
Most basic preferences can be set by going through the Quick Setup process. The manual setup offers more advanced options.
To access the Manual Setup menu, press the “MENU” button on the radio. The display will show ” < SELECT)”. To select the Manual Setup menu, navigate left by pressing the ” ◄ ” navigation button. Press “OK” to enter into Manual Setup. Note that you may exit the menu by pressing the “MENU”.
Once in manual setup menu, scroll through setting options by pressing the ” ►” or” ◄” buttons. Press “OK” to confirm your selection. The Manual Setup options are: EDIT FIPS CODE, EDIT CHANNEL, EDIT TIME/DATE, EDIT ALERTS, LANGUAGE SETUP.

Edit FIPS Code
If you wish to edit your previously entered SAME# or FIPS code, this is where you may do so. Press the “OK” button to edit your FIPS code.
To edit your code, press the or navigation buttons to adjust the currently selected (flashing} digit. Press the ” ► ” navigation button to move to the right to adjust the next digit. Press the “OK” button once you are finished editing your 6 digit location code (SAME#/FIPS code}
The display will then read “ADD ANOTHER FIPS CODE”. Because NOAA transmission areas overlap, you may want to set more than one S.A.M.E location. This is especially true if you live near the border of a county-you may want to receive alerts from both. If you wish to add another FIPS code, use the or navigation buttons to choose “YES”. Press “OK” to confirm your selection. Enter in up to 10 total FIPS codes into memory in the same manner you entered your first FIPS code, using the navigation buttons.
NOTE: Entering FIPS codes only allows the radio to receive the alerts that are being transmitted from your local station. Entering a code from a distant state WILL NOT allow you to receive alert messages from that state.

Edit Channel
Enter into “EDIT CHANNEL” If you wish to manually select a channel. The display will read “SELECT CHANNEL_”, press the or navigation buttons to select one of the seven NOAA broadcast channels. If you wish to select your recommended channel, visit the NOAA website and review the table to find the correct weather band channel for your area. Find your state, and then search the list for your county. www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/index.htm

Edit Time/Date
To edit the time zone, DST preference, Time, and Date, enter into “EDIT TIME/DATE.” Use the navigation buttons to adjust each selection and the “OK” button to confirm your selections. (refer to page 10 for more details on time and date settings).

Edit Alerts
Your Acurite Weather Alert Radio gives you the ability to fine tune which alerts you want to be notified of. Enter into “EDIT ALERTS” menu to remove or add specific advisories or watches you want to be notified of.
When in the Edit alert menu, an alert message will scroll across the display. Press the or button to toggle the alert on ( bell icon ,,t shown for ON status ) or off ( no bell icon shown for OFF status) Warnings cannot be turned off, but are shown so you can get a complete picture of which alerts you will receive. Please look over the “Alert Description Chart” in the back section of this manual for more information on the available alerts.

language
To select English, Spanish or French language for alert text, use the navigation buttons to make your selection and press “OK” to confirm your language selection.

TROUBLESHOOTIN

radio and then wall socket. The “ f ” indicator icon will display to confirm radio is being powered by the AC power adapter.
Make sure batteries are fresh in case AC power fails. If the radio is being powered by batteries alone, note that the batteries will only last approximately 3 days.

No Sound From Speaker

| Check that the volume is adjusted up to an audible level. If any external speaker/headphones are plugged into the headphone jack, the main speaker is bypassed and will NOT sound until external speaker/headphones are unplugged.
Poor Weather Report Reception| Relocate the radio or reorient ate the antenna for better reception.
Make sure the radio is located near an external wall window for best reception. If you are in a weak reception area, you will need to pay special attention that the radio is placed near a window and at a high placement for best reception possible.
Ensure that the radio is set to the correct channel for proper reception. You may need to change the channel. Refer to Quick Setup: Channel Setup (page 10) to automatically re-scan for the strongest channel.
Contact the NWS to make certain they are currently broadcasting.
The radio is not responding to weather alerts| Make sure you have programmed in the correct S.A.M.E# (FIPS code) for your area. Contact the NWS to make certain they are currently broadcasting.
TO RESET RADIO TO FACTORY DEFAULTS:

press the “◄”, “►” and  “LISTEN” buttons at the same time and select “YES”.
NOTE: You will then need to remove and re-insert the batteries for the RESET to take effect.

SPECIFICATION

• Batteries: 3 x “Al<‘ (not included)
• AC Adapter: output 4.5 V DC (AC/DC Power Adapter included)
• AC Power input: 4.5 V DC
• Channels: Digital PLL tuning for 7 NOAA channels
• RF reception range: -50 miles 180 km]
• Channel 1 – 162.400 Mhz
• Channel 2 – 162.425 Mhz
• Channel 3 – 162.450 Mhz
• Channel 4 – 162.475 Mhz
• Channel 5 – 162.500 Mhz
• Channel 6 – 162.525 Mhz
• Channel 7 – 162.550 Mhz
• Voice output: 77dB/1 m [ 1 KHZ I
• Sensitivity: ( -5dB I
• Size: H 2.0″ x W 5.5″ x D 6.5″

REFERENCE
Alert Description Chart
The following table lists the alert codes and the associated alert message broadcast by NOAA, as well as the alert type. Alert on default is also listed as ALERT ON (YES) or ALERT OFF (NO) from the factory.

NOAA Code| ALERT ON DEFAULT| ALERT TYPE| ALERT MESSAGE
---|---|---|---
ADR| NO| Advisory| Administrative Message
AVA| NO| Watch| Avalanche Watch
AVW| YES| Warning| Avalanche Warning
BHW| YES| Warning| Biological Hazard Warning
BWW| YES| Warning| Boil Water Warning
BZW| YES| Warning| Blizzard Warning
CAE| NO| Advisory| Child Abduction Emergency
CDW| YES| Warning| Civil Danger Warning
CEM| YES| Warning| Civil Emergency Message
CFA| NO| Watch| Coastal Flood Watch
CFW| YES| Warning| Coastal Flood Warning
CHW| YES| Warning| Chemical Hazard warning
cww| YES| Warning| Contaminated Water Warning
NOAA Code| ALERT ON DEFAULT| ALERT TYPE| ALERT MESSAGE
DBA| NO| Watch| Dam Watch
DBW| YES| Warning| Dam Break Warning
DEW| YES| Warning| Contagious Disease Warning
OMO| NO| Advisory| Practice – Demo
DSW| YES| Warning| Dust Storm Warning
EAN| YES| Warning| Emergency Action Notification
EAT| YES| Advisory| Action Termination
EQW| YES| Warning| Earthquake Warning
EVA| NO| Watch| Evacuation Watch
EVI| YES| Warning| Immediate Evacuation
FCW| YES| Warning| Food Contamination Warning
FFA| NO| Watch| Flash Flood Watch
FFS| NO| Advisory| Flash Flood Statement
FFW| YES| Warning| Flash Flood Warning
FLA| NO| Watch| Flood Watch
FLS| NO| Advisory| Flood Statement
NOAA Code| ALERT ON DEFAULT| ALERT TYPE| ALERT MESSAGE
FLW| YES| Warning| Flood Warning
FRW| YES| Warning| Fire Warning
FSW| YES| Warning| Flash Freeze Warning
FZW| YES| Warning| Freeze Warning
HLS| NO| Advisory| Hurricane Statement
HMW| YES| Warning| Hazardous Materials Warning
HUA| NO| Watch| Hurricane Watch
HUW| YES| Warning| Hurricane Warning
HWA| NO| Watch| High Wind Watch
HWW| YES| Warning| High Wind Warning
IBW| YES| Warning| Iceberg Warning
IFW| YES| Warning| Industrial Fire Warning
LAE| YES| Advisory| Local Area Emergency
LEW| YES| Warning| Law Enforcement Warning
LSW| YES| Warning| Land Slide Warning
NAT| NO| Advisory| National Audible Test
NOAA Code| ALERT ON DEFAULT| ALERT TYPE| ALERT MESSAGE
NIC| NO| Advisory| National Information Center
NMN| NO| Advisory| Network Notification Message
NPT| NO| Advisory| National Periodic Test
NST| NO| Advisory| National Silent Test
NUW| YES| Warning| Nuclear Power Plant Warning
POS| NO| Advisory| Power Outage Advisory
RHW| YES| Warning| Radiological Hazard Warning
RMT| NO| Advisory| Required Monthly Test
RWT| YES| Advisory| Weekly Test
SMW| YES| Warning| Special Marine Warning
SPS| NO| Advisory| Special Weather Statement
SPW| YES| Warning| Shelter In – Place Warning
SVA| NO| Watch| Severe Thunderstorm Watch
SVR| YES| Warning| Severe Thunderstorm Warning
svs| NO| Advisory| Severe Weather Statement
TOA| NO| Watch| Tornado Watch
NOAA Code| ALERT ON DEFAULT| ALERT TYPE| ALERT MESSAGE
TOE| NO| Advisory| 911 Telephone Outage Emergency
TOR| YES| Warning| Tornado Warning
TRA| NO| Watch| Tropical Storm Watch
TRW| YES| Warning| Tropical Storm Warning
TSA| YES| Watch| Tsunami Watch
TSW| YES| Warning| Tunami Warning
TXB| NO| Advisory| Transmitter Backup On
TXF| NO| Advisory| Transmitter Carrier Off
TXO| NO| Advisory| Transmitter Carrier On
TXP| NO| Advisory| Transmitter Primary On
vow| YES| Warning| Volcano Warning
WFA| NO| Watch| Wild Fire Watch
WFW| YES| Warning| Wild Fire Warning
WSA| NO| Watch| Winter Storm Watch
WSW| YES| Warning| Winter Storm Warning
??A| NO| Watch| Unrecognized Watch
NOAA Code| ALERT ON DEFAULT| ALERT TYPE| ALERT MESSAGE
??E| NO| Advisory| Unrecognized Emergency
??S| NO| Advisory| Unrecognized Statement
??W| YES| Warning| Unrecognized Warning

To find your SAME# (FIPS code), call the national weather service toll free at 1-888-NWS.SAME (1-888-697-7263) or visiting the website below.
www.weather.gov/nwr/indexnw.htm#sametable

www.acuriteweatherstation.com

Please DO NOT return product to the retail store.
For technical assistance and product return information, please call
Customer Care: 877-221-1252 M-F 7:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. (Central)
www.chaneyinstrument.com

COUNTY#/FIPSCODERECORD
use this area to keep a record of the codes you enter into your radio
COUNlY – CODE – CHANNEL

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