Reliable access to weather information can be an important part of emergency preparedness. This compact NOAA Weather Alert Radio combines AM, FM, and NOAA weather-band reception with a dedicated weather-alert function in a lightweight, pocket-sized design.
When the weather-alert function is activated, the radio remains in standby mode and can respond to applicable emergency weather signals. According to the manufacturer, the LCD backlight flashes and an audible alarm sounds when an alert is received.
The radio also works as an everyday AM/FM receiver. Automatic and manual tuning make it easy to find stations, while memory presets allow frequently used stations to be saved for quick access.
A built-in digital alarm clock and 15–120 minute sleep timer add everyday functionality, making this more than just an emergency radio.
FEATURES
• AM/FM/NOAA 3-band reception
• NOAA weather-alert function
• Weather-alert standby mode
• Audible alert and flashing LCD backlight
• Automatic and manual tuning
• Memory station presets
• LCD display
• Orange backlit buttons
• Digital alarm clock
• Wake to radio or alarm
• 15–120 minute sleep timer
• Compact pocket-sized design
• Battery powered
• Requires 2 AA batteries
• Batteries not included
• Lightweight for emergency kits and travel
• Suitable for hurricanes, storms, power outages, camping, hiking, and everyday listening
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
Keep this compact radio in an emergency kit, vehicle, bedside drawer, backpack, or storm-preparedness supplies. Battery operation allows it to remain useful when normal household power is unavailable.
IMPORTANT
NOAA weather-alert reception depends on signal availability, location, broadcast coverage, and proper radio settings. This radio should be considered one part of an overall emergency communication and preparedness plan.
2 AA batteries are required and are not included.
Tige’ Driver –
Very Nice Compact, Light Weight Unit With Great Features at a Reasonable Price Point
For the price point, this is a nice, light weight, compact, weather alert AM/FM radio. The tuning dial is easy to use. With antenna extended it gets good reception. With high quality batteries (AA x 2 Duracell Max) I have had almost 20 hrs of use and still strong. I purchased this to primarily use as a safety element for overnight camping on river float trips to give warning of upstream storms and floods. For this it is excellent. I have used it on the Buffalo National River N.P. and Ozark Scenic Rivers N.P. and it received weather updates on both rivers. I carry it in a waterproof hard case for protection. The actual radio body case is not extremely robust, and probably not waterproof, but it’s a small enough unit it can fit into most small waterproof cases for transporting. I recently used the unit (with ear phones) in a remote tree stand while deer hunting to listen to and not miss a football game broadcast and got excellent reception. The built in speaker is not going to give you high performance audio output, but that’s not this unit’s purpose. It’s reasonable price, small size, light weight, good reception, ease of tuning, & long battery life make this a great little unit for safety and convenience for use in remote areas where compact size, light weight, and capability are required. It also makes a nice battery backup option for home emergency use in case of power outages. I would buy again, and am also going to buy one for my son. 5 stars!
5 people found this helpful
ZeevK –
Remarkably high quality radio
This is an excellent radio. Over a period of several decades I have owned several small radios. Not surprisingly, technological advances have resulted in considerable improvement. This is a very small radio, an easy fit for a shirt pocket. Despite its small size the sound is clear whether at low or high volume. The sound quality for most music is generally very good, though less so for classical music. I have not made use of the buzzer alarm, but when set for having the radio sound for the alarm it works very well. And, very important for a sound sleeper, the volume is very loud. It continues for about 10 or 12 minutes before going off. Instructions for setting the alarm can be improved. Initially, I had considerable difficulty setting the alarm for “radio” instead of “buzzer.” However, once I solved this problem, setting the alarm became easy. Another reviewer mentioned the similarity between this radio and one sold under the “Geson” label. Both radios are currently available. I have both. Sound on the Geson is also excellent. The volume is more that enough for ordinary listening. However, FM sound isn’t quite as loud as on the Ledianer, so the alarm, if set for a FM station might not be quite as effective for a very sound sleeper. However, with both radios, AM sound is very loud. On the Geson radio, the alarm does not stop until it is manually shut off. I haven’t much use for the Alarm weather function, but I had no trouble locating a “weather” station and the sound is clear. I can’t imagine another small radio, regardless of cost, being superior to this one. I haven’t clocked it, but I have made considerable use of these radios and battery life for both of them appears to be very good.
31 people found this helpful
Laura Dalton –
Very compact, light, portable
Nice radio. The display and buttons are great. Sound quality is very good for a two inch speaker. 4 stars instead of 5 because the sensitivity could be a bit better.
One person found this helpful
janelle –
Great little radio!
Great little radio. I keep it in my bathroom and play it while in the shower. It has a way to hang it up on the far side of the shower (away from the water). It has great volume and I was slightly concerned that it might be too loud for the neighbors. It found stations quickly and easily. I did have trouble setting the clock… I still haven’t figured out how to do that, but now I’m waiting for daylight savings time to change to set the time on it. The light is only on briefly, so I recommend setting everything in a lighted room before you need it. Also, you really need to memorize which side is the volume adjusting dial and which side I the tuning dial. The words are tiny and a mistake is hard to recover from in the shower. But, other than that. I am very happy with this purchase. It stayed put on the stations I chose on both AM and FM. The antenna is OK, maybe slightly weak, but I live in the country so this is to be expected. No drifting off the stations I chose. Overall great quality.
One person found this helpful
Amazon Customer –
Shortwave case markings on NOAA weather band radio
I ordered the 218WB (weatherband version) of this Lijiani radio. The cardboard box is labeled 218WB as is the model number sticker affixed to the radio back. The radio receives NOAA weather stations as expected but the button function markings on the front of the radio are for the shortwave version of the radio, not the weatherband radio. It’s like Lijiani used the wrong plastic case. What’s up with that?!The battery compartment is very tight for standard Eneloop rechargeable AA batteries for both length and diameter. With freshly charged NiMH batteries, the battery level indicator shows 2 out of 4 bars which is expected given the lower voltage of NiMH batteries compared to alkalines.The LCD display has a nice orange backlight but only comes on for a few seconds when you press the backlight button. The backlight does not turn on automatically when tuning the radio or for any other button presses which makes using the radio in low light situations very cumbersome.The plastic case is very slippy plastic and feels like the inexpensive radio that it is.Another oddity I have noticed is that the radio tunes in 100kHz steps on the FM band as expected. What’s odd is that sometimes I can’t get the radio to manually tune to specific frequencies. The radio won’t tune to the next adjacent frequency; it will jump over the next frequency essentially taking a 200kHz step. I think this is caused by a wonky tuning wheel control. The manual tuning acts a little haunted sometimes.Audio quality is quite good for a small, inexpensive radio.I have quite a few cheap import radios from various manufacturers. This one definitely has has some idiosyncrasies that I don’t like but I’ll learn to live with it especially given its reasonable price tag.Cheers.
9 people found this helpful
pmichelpmichel –
Excellent support when I asked for the instruction manual
I purchased this radio 4 years ago, for backup during power outages. Good durability: it still works well. I like the look, the form factor and its small size. The reception is good in my area, with a much better sensitivity when the small antenna is pulled out. In short: this is an excellent product and value considering its low price. Some controls could be more obvious, though… I had some trouble figuring one programming feature. Because I had misplaced the user manual, I asked on Amazon where I could get a copy. Sure enough, I got a response one day after from the Lijiani vendor. The response included a PDF of the user guide, in English. What could I ask more?
4 people found this helpful
Joyce M –
Not so great
This looked like it was going to be an awesome weather radio for my husband, however…Not a good review, sorry.Wouldn’t charge, no sound. Can’t say I’ve ever seen a battery flat on both ends. Need to enlarge the symbols + & -on the battery 🔋 (especially for those that don’t have that good of eye sight) needed to use a magnifying glass to read the battery AND the teeny tiny “instruction manual…WOWZER.And it seems like they’re making it harder to return items also, never had that problem before. I’ve been an Amazon customer since 2014. Price keeps going up and service down. Not a good thing…but guess that’s the world we live in nowadays 😕.
One person found this helpful
Adam Dubbe –
Very good
Works got water inside and we pulled the batteries and let it dry. That was 2 yrs ago still works good. Recommended.
One person found this helpful
Moira Allen –
Amazing sound quality
I wanted to upgrade the level of “transistor” radio I had for emergencies, and liked the idea that this also had a NOAA function. Just got it today, and am absolutely amazed by the clarity with which the stations come through, and the quality of sound. My only criticism (and the reason for four stars instead of five) is that it requires a lithium rechargeable battery. If you want this in a “safe room” or wherever you shelter from, say, tornadoes (just moved to Missouri so I have to pay attention to this now), you’re not going to want to run down every month and recharge it. And if the power is out, and it runs out of charge, that means you’re out of luck. Most of us keep batteries in our emergency supplies, so, again, wish it ran on those. But – it’s still a good enough radio that I’ve bought a second one, one for upstairs and one for downstairs.
3 people found this helpful
J. Hearst –
needs simpler instructions
instructions were a bit convoluted