KSN Weather Radio help and Frequently Asked Questions.

Will these radios work in <insert name of your town or county>?

The coverage of the radios is pretty broad in Kansas. You can find much more information at www.crh.noaa.gov/ict/?n=crs and a map of coverage area in Kansas at www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/states/kansas.html.

Will these radios get all kinds of warnings?

These radios will receive not only weather warnings but also homeland security and Amber Alert warnings.

Can I program these radios to get warnings from just my county?

Yes, follow the instructions that come with your radio to program it. If you have trouble, call Oregon Scientific customer support at Phone: (949) 608-2848 or by E-mail: helpme@oscientific.com. You can also download a manual from KSN.com (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) from here: WR103 manual, WR103NX manual.

Where can I find the code for my county?

Kansas: www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/CntyCov/nwrKS.htm
Oklahoma: www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/CntyCov/nwrOK.htm
Nebraska: www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/CntyCov/nwrNE.htm

How do I program the codes into the receiver?

Set the clock

1. Press and hold the MODE button until the display flashes.
2. Select your preference of 12hr or 24hr by using the volume up and down buttons on the left side of the receiver.
3. Press and release the MODE button again to set the hour -- again using the volume up and down buttons. Repeat for minutes.
4. Next, you set the year.  Use the Volume Up button to move up to 08.  Press MODE to move to the next step.
5. Now you will choose whether to use a day/month format, or month/day.  You will see the little letters flashing above or below the numbers.  Select your preference with the volume up/down buttons, then press the MODE button to move on.
6. Finally, choose your language.  Press the Volume Up/Down buttons to switch between E for English, F for French and S for Spanish. Press MODE to finish. You should now see the current time and day of the week displayed.

Set your county's code

1. Before you proceed any further, you should use the links above to find your county’s SAME code.  This will allow you to receive warnings for just your county.  (The radio is capable of receiving codes for more than one county—read the full user manual for more information on this.)  Using Wichita as an example, you find that Sedgwick County code is 020173.
2. Press the "COUNTY" button and you will see "ALL" displayed.
3. Press "COUNTY" again and you will see "-- --" displayed with a [1] in the upper-left corner.
4.  Press and hold COUNTY until you see six 0's displayed with the first 0 flashing.
5. Since the first digit is supposed to be "0" press "COUNTY" again to advance to the second digit. This is where you set the appropriate codes for your county. Don't be confused about the size of the digits on your radio -- there are four large and two small -- you will use them all to enter the code: 020173. To enter Wichita's (Sedgwick County's) code, Use the volume up and down buttons to set it to "2."
6. Press "COUNTY" again for the next digit and so on until you have entered all six digits.
7.  Again if you want to receive warnings for more than one county, please go to the full instruction manual.

Set the proper channel

1. The final step is to select the proper frequency (Channel's 1 through 7).
2. Press the NOAA button on top of the radio. You will see the NOAA sign at the top of the display and you will hear either static or weather information being broadcast.
3. Press and hold the CHANNEL button for 2 seconds.
4. Press the Volume Up and Down buttons slowly until you hear a clear channel.  If you  hear static or a weak signal, keep checking.  Find the strongest signal available.  You will see the numbers in the upper left changing.
5. Press MODE to confirm the selection.

Set the radio to receive warnings

1. Finally, after you have programmed your frequency and county code, you will want to set the radio to monitor bulletins.
2. With the NOAA showing in the display, adjust the volume and confirm that you are hearing the broadcast.
3. Once you are satisfied, you can click the NOAA button on the top of the receiver again and you will see an image of a round dial show up next to the NOAA in the upper-left corner of your display. This is standby mode and the mode you will most often use. When in this mode, if a warning is received, the radio will alert you.

Congratulations! Your radio is now ready to use.  Check the Quick Start Guide and the User Manual for more details on the advanced features of your unit, such as selecting warnings for more than one county, and choosing a specific warning frequency.