Midland WR120 NOAA Weather and Emergency Alert Radio - WR120

I chose this model over the more expensive WR400 with clock radio because you can turn the WR120 off or adjust the volume for siren and radio. This stays plugged in and silent 24/7 and only alerts when there is an emergency so it gives you peace of mind. You can also just use it to listen to weather radio separate from the alarms. Menu driven configuration makes initial setup easy. You don't need to use SAME codes, just enter your county, though I think it would be best to use Zip codes than to scroll through states and counties. The large screen and visual alert Warning/Watch/Advisory LEDs are helpful. If you disconnect from AC & battery power to change batteries, it won't save your settings. You'll have to go through and reconfigure it again. It doesn't just alert on severe weather. It will also alert on other events like chemical spills, terrorist attacks, contaminated water, power outages, bad guy on the loose, etc which eliminates the need for a scanner to listen for fire & police emergencies. Editing events is difficult because they're not in alphabetical order. Despite being a radio, it won't synch time from radio-controlled clocks with auto DST. That seems like a feature it should have. It would be nice to have a small blinking LED like other weather radios so I know it's on when the screen isn't lit, though you can configure it so that the backlight is always on but it will stay on if switching to battery power and drain the batteries. Overall satisfied, but I'd pay more for more configuration options.

Gold standard: excellent must have

I'm glad I bought this radio (about 2 years ago) and I'm buying another for a relative. Several things are great about this radio: * it's reliable. * the alarm is loud enough to wake me up even if the alert on my cell phone doesn't. Since lots of storms come through at night, I appreciate this! * the double AA batteries have kept the radio working when the power has gone out and when I've brought the radio into the basement when tornadoes have been spotted close by (twice). * plays the weather forecast at the push of a button. * programming is pretty straightforward, though it takes some time. People who aren't keen on electronics might want some help and some patience. No complaints.

First, I am an FCC licensed broadcast engineer and have been since 1968. Along with that, I am a licensed amateur radio operator...again, for many years. I purchased several Midland NOAA radios perhaps 20 years ago to give as gifts and as promotional giveaways for a television station when we were "pushing" NOAA alerts. The "one" I kept for myself finally gave up the ghost...about 6 months ago. No signal coming in. Not a problem, as I ordered a WR120 as a replacement. Of coiurse, because of "COVID", as with everything else, the price had jumped up, but it was still a great buy for the protection it offers. Problem is...the signal is weak, even in areas where I had a great signal before. No changes at NOAA, I checked with them. And, even when I could receive a signal, only one station came throuog. Ok, I quickly put together a 1/4 wave vertical antenna. Signal was improved, but not nearly the quieting I expected, and the entenna had to be located in "just the right spot" inside the house. That spot was at the tope of a window that actually faces the NOAA transmitting site. I tried vertical polarization as well as horizontal polarization. To no avail. I removed the rubber duckie antenna from one of my Marine VHF portables, changed the antenna connector, and the signal on my handheld was great. Mattered not where the antenna was located, or whether it was vertical or polarized. In other words, my antenna was perfect. Replaced the connector, back to the RCA male, "metered" it out to verify good connection with no shorts (always delicate when working with those RCA "phone" connectors), and all was good. Reception was still sketchy with the WE120. Another local TV station is running a promotion in the area. So far, they have partnered with retail outlets and have managed to get a lot of radios in the homes of people in the area. I'm not sure which Midland unit they're selling. Next promotion is 14 May in a nearby town. Local "hams" have been helping customers program the radios they purchase at no charge. I plan to purchase 2 more radios, one for a gift, but I will take along some batteries and test both before I leave the retail location. By the way, there was a slight, barely noticeable improvement with two external antennas I used compared to the attached telescoping antenna. I suspect with a radio issue, or an antenna connection issue (internal of the radioi), I'll let you know, one way or the other, if the next radios I get work ok.

The radio is easy to use, and lightweight, the battery lasts a while, and is a great option if you need a simple weather radio.

I've had NOAA Weather Radio receivers around the home since 1974 from various manufacturers. Over the past half a century, I have come to rely on weather alert radios made by Midland, as they have the longest life span, and provided outstanding reliability over the years. In fact, my oldest working weather radio is a 1989 vintage model 74-102 and it still does a magnificent job. Currently, I have three Model WR120 alert radios around the house, and no matter where I am at, I can hear any emergency message from the National Weather Service day or night. Also, the battery backup feature has provided continuous protection even after power failures. The WR120s really are the gold standard of weather radios, and I often buy extras off Amazon as holiday "stocking stuffers" for my coworkers, family and friends. They really are a great gift idea.

Can’t remember how many years I have owned this weather radio by Midland but It is still as reliable as it was when it was new. I know it is several years old because I bought it new. Thank you Midland for producing quality products. Have not had this unit not to work or serviced in any capacity. If it was to quit functioning, I would buy another one just like this one.

Great little radio for keeping up with the current conditions. So easy to set up.

just as I expected from Midland in a weather radio! does its’s job!

delivery right on time. really like the product so far

I have many midland weather radios and the newest WR120 is by far the best weather radio. It works GREAT! Price is GREAT! Speaker is GREAT! It's Compact! Very good quality! Good battery life! I Love the stand built in too! I would give it 10 stars but you only have 5******

I just purchased a new midland wr120 weather radio a few months ago, and just the last pass week the clock re-set its self back to 12:00 AM for no reason at all. So I figured that something was laying on the buttons causing the clock re-set, so I checked to see if here was anything touching the radio, and there wasn't. So I went back into the menu, and set the correct time. Then all of a sudden the very next day the screen lit up, and the clock started to flash 12 again. Talking about a malfunction for the Midland weather radio. This is what happens when the company uses lead free solider on electronics. Lead free solider is very well known for having tin whiskers grow on sensitive components shorting them out, causing malfunctions. Not only that but, lead free solider also needs higher then normal heat to melt. This high heat also is known to destroy electronic components as well. This over heating causes components to fail faster.

Midland Weather Radio is an excellent product. It goes off flawlessly when an alert is sent out.

just recieved WR120....it works great. Highly reconmmend this product!!!!!

This radio has saved us in numerous severe weather events. Being in the Chicagoland suburbs, we get some nasty weather here and there especially in the spring and summer. I have owned the Wr-120 (older non EZ model) for 9 years and upgraded to the EZ model 2 years ago. This radio is an improvement to the older Wr-120 with much easier menu options and alert customization. Now the only quirk I have with the EZ model only and I’ve seen it with other Wr-120EZ users is that after a while, alerts take longer to process, ie. siren takes longer to activate after the EAS header tones activate. I’ve seen it where when the header tones activate, it takes the radio more than 20 seconds or even longer to sound off the siren, and by then, the alert read out is almost over. The older non EZ model always activated very quickly (1 second after the header tones sound) But the best way to combat this is to factory reset the radio periodically, so it sounds off quicker. But other than that, it’s a great radio that does its job. Also a great bang-for-your-buck! And I also love that it has EOM (end of message) detection so the radio automatically shuts off after the message is complete instead of waiting minutes to shut off on a timer.

Wow unpacked the radio did a quick set up and a little later it gave us a severe warning. It beat the TV stations in reporting the warning. Great to have in severe weather time of the year.

Havent had any storms since I got my radio,,,haha maybe scared them away from my area....Radio is loud enough to wake a person up from a sleep tho. I had one just like it before and it worked very well, it just got old....

This was my first radio for my collection and it is one of my favorites. It is very easy to program and it is very simple for a starter radio. I would for sure recommend.

Had one of these radios and ordered more. I like the alerts when there is a watch or warning and that siren that goes off is a great feature. You can listen to the daily weather forecast as well just by pushing the "weather/snooze" button. Setup is very simple. Just be sure to put batteries in it. Depending on your home layout, you may have to move this near a window so that you can get good reception. That's my only drawback. In the country, reception only works near windows so you can't just place on an interior wall. There is an option to hang on a wall as well as for an external antenna but I have yet to find an "external antenna" that uses an RCA adapter and can be placed remotely to connect to the system. Our radio has alerted on tornado activity. If you live in the south, be sure to have one of these and check to make sure it is functional at least weekly. I would recommend you get one if not two. Get some for family and neighbors as well.

They work just like they always have and I bought 3 of them. One for us and one for each of our parents highly recommended!