Ever wanted to tighten your safety at home or on a trip? Then, you better buy a weather radio. Don’t buy one before reading our Midland WR-120EZ review.
Maybe you have heard of NOAA in the news during times of a hurricane. They inform us about the upcoming weather hazards. Do you know that NOAA, National Oceanic, and Atmospheric Administration, have more than a thousand radio stations spread around the country? So, a weather radio is a radio that specializes in receiving signals transmitted from NOAA radio stations. Yes, they give prominence to weather emergencies. However, they also feature many more traits than that such as regular AM/FM radio, emergency or non-emergency flashlights or USB outlets to charge up your mobile devices. Thus, it’s always a good use.
Why do you need one?
Many people who go camping, trekking, or fishing see it as a must for their adventures. A weather radio with you can be your guardian angel against adverse weather conditions. For most extreme sports lovers, it counts as a fellow traveler.
Saying that it is not only for outdoor use. In fact, the majority of people use it at home. I mean if you live in an area that is vulnerable to tornados, flash floods, or hurricanes, weather radios are the number one necessity to be in safe hands.
If you decided to buy a weather radio but cannot choose which one, our Midland WR-120EZ review is here to help out!
About the Midland WR-120EZ
Midland is one of the most famous weather radio manufacturers in the US coming right out of Kansas and the WR-120EZ model is the refined version of the WR-120 model. Well, the reason why they call it WR-120EZ is a reference to its being “easy” to operate. The small screen under the logo shows the time by default and right under it, we see three levels of warnings. These are “Warning”, “Watch”, and “Advisory” grouped for the importance of possible threat alerts.
You should know that this weather radio does not come with an AM/FM Radio as many other weather radios do. Thus, if you are looking for one with extra features, this one may not meet your expectations. Apart from that, if you ask if it does what it is supposed to do, indeed it does!
Before moving on, let’s continue with its design features.
Features
The Midland WR-120EZ attaches importance to simplicity. It seems that Midland wanted to produce a radio that is easy to program and the result is this. It does not have those fancy little buttons to add, a colorful design but an affordable weather radio that alerts you as loud as possible when there is an alert from an NOAA station.
It employs a memory system that can save up to 25 counties. If you are living in a county that is different than your relatives or parents, you can just spare a memory slot for them. When there is a signal sent by NOAA, you will hear it with its 90 dB siren and flashing red light.
When we are talking about memory, you can also customize the alert types for each county you save. You can choose to ignore some kinds of alerts or designate a different sound for different counties.
In addition to that, Midland uses S.A.M.E. programming almost in all the weather radios they develop. Specific Area Message Encoding is a tool for classifying of emergency warnings. So, this model is compatible with that, as well.
However, one bad thing is that it annoys me when it starts beeping for having no alerts for 2 weeks. In that case, you just need to unplug it and plug it again.
Pros
- It is so simple. Probably the easiest device that anyone can use.
- It has an alarm clock feature too. With its loud voice, it is impossible to neglect it.
Cons
- This beeping for not having an alert is a setback. I thought the engineers in Midland would turn the trick.
Technical Details and Maintenance
It is just a hand-sized radio with a long antenna. You can simply put it into your emergency kit or place it on your table. It weighs about a pound which is quite the standard compared to other weather radios.
Aside from the embedded antenna, you can use an external antenna. There is a jack for that.
Lastly, one more good thing. It has a section on its back-side named “Cloning Port” and no, it did not come from the Star Trek universe. It is designed for ease of use. So, imagine you have registered all the counties you want to receive alerts and after a while, you bought another Midland weather radio. Do you need to program it from scratch? Nope. You just use Cloning Port in order to clone your customizations and it will take minutes to have your new radio programmed.
When you unbox the product, there is the A/C adapter for that. However, there is the battery department if you want to take it outside with you. You need 3 AA Alkaline batteries for that. It is recommended that you keep those batteries all the time for backing up in case of a power outage.
This weather radio is not water-proof so, do not immerse it in water. However, it is water-resistant. That means you can clean it with a damp cloth or refreshing towel if you want.
Conclusion
When I bought this weather radio, my expectations were low. I knew Midland was a top-notch company but this model’s being affordable and great seemed not possible. Yet, I am very glad that I bought these and not more pricy ones. If you just want to learn NOAA weather alerts like me, I definitely recommend this. It appears that many people think alike as the product is a number 3 seller among portable radios with an average of 4.4 stars on Amazon.