Midland 74-250C SAME Handheld Weather Alert Radio

• Recieves All NOAA Weather Channels
• S.A.M.E. Technology
• Large LCD Display
• 56 Different Watches or Warnings Displayed
• Clock with Dual Alarm and built in Thermometer with Freeze Warning

Alas, the problem is that none of the handheld S.A.M.E. radios are very good. The main problem is short battery life -the best units run perhaps a few days in monitoring mode, the worst a few hours. This one runs for about a week if you don't touch it, but manipulating the controls consumes the batteries in less than a day.

The other problem is the user interface. Why do manufacturers insist on overloading controls to the point of idiocy? I have to read the manual every time I want to change a setting on any of these radios -the interaces are completing nonintuitive.

Despite these caveats, the Midland 74-250C does its job -a reasonably sensetive receiver and clear alph-numeric LCD display. I had to buy one of every handheld S.A.M.E radio available for a product review, and this one is the winner.

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Like others have said, this radio performs poorly with respect to battery life. The display is good, reception is fine, but put it in warning mode where it is just listening for alerts and batteries are lucky to make a week. The controls are not hard to use but the quality is poor and I have buttons that stick on occasion. So, you need something to dump in an emergency backpack for use after an emergency this is great but if you want to monitor for events you want wall power combined with batteries.

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After receiving the radio, it took way too long to get it set up for use. The directions could have been written in laymans terms for someone who is not that familiar with all the newest gadgets. I dont like the fact that there is no on and off switch either. It does eat batteries like there is no tomorrow, and even though the directions do mention a charger to be used with Ni-Cad betteries, none was offered as an optional purchase.

If I had to do it over again, I would look for one that has a on/off switch, and one that comes with rechargable batteries and a charger.

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I consider myself to be fairly computer literate -I chase storms with a laptop hooked up to a GPS unit attached to a virtual COM splitter feeding into several mapping and radar programs, all while sucking data down via EVDO on my mobile phone. I've been using computers since before there were graphical user interfaces. That said, figuring out how to even change the channel on this radio was like learning how to defuse a bomb built by a dyslexic, colorblind spidermonkey. Doing anything requires pressing a recursive set of buttons in a specific order, and each button press is accompanied by a loud, shrill beep that will kill mosquitos and make everyone within 20 feet of you begin stabbing each other in senseless anger. I swear to god whoever designed the user interface to this radio was angry with the world and was misanthropically looking for ways get back at the universe that created him. The feeling you get once you manage to actually figure out how to set the time, station, and SAME code on this radio would be akin to the feeling one gets after summiting K-2 without oxygen, sherpas, or legs, if only for the fact that deep down inside you will realize that you are not cool and you will never see K-2 and that the sum total accomplishment of your life is getting the cheap, plastic piece of junk you hold in your hands to turn on. The AA batteries run down after about a week even if you never turn the actual radio on, and the settings all go away when you replace the batteries, so you are sure to have hours of fun several times a month rexplaining your radio with six digit random Navajo code numbers exactly where you live.

The plus side to this radio is that the cheap speaker hides the hiss of static fairly well, which you will hear often due to the extremely poor reception. The stylish "eyerape" yellow will go great with your Mexican Hornet wrestling costume, and handy belt clip-on will be sure to attact muggers who will beat you for your expensive radio and then come back and beat you again after they spend three fruitless hours trying to program in the SAME code for their cardboard box under the bridge.

In summary, I suggest that nobody ever buy this radio. The only useful purpose I can devise for these units are to mark land-mines, since surely a field full of these radios would be enough to deter people of any nationality from approaching.

First time I've got a NOAA Weather Radio. Read up a little online beforehand so I knew I wanted one with S.A.M.E and this looked to fit the bill.

I was attracted by the portability. and by the extra features of a clock, alarm and thermometer.

It was a bit of a pig to set it up, not at all intuitive. The instructions weren't very clear. I don't usually have any problem with technical stuff either.

The radio works fine for me, but the local weather station is a very few miles away, so not able to test it further afield yet.

I use re-chargeable batteries in everything I possibly can, and have a stock of about 30 AA's. Way cheaper than buying alkaline. I have both home and car chargers.

The volume isn't very loud on maximum. Fortunately I have a multi-way charger that has varying voltages and a set of different sized plugs...

I listened to the broadcast for quite a while when I first got it to work (as I said, it's my first one), but after a while I turned it off, and left it on standby. The battery low warning flashed after about 9 hours.

I'll probably keep this one for mobile use, and get another one for in the home.