Uniden Wx500 Vhf Scanner Owners Manual

REFERENCE GUIDE
WX500 web OM final.qxd  07/15/2002  4:30 PM  Page 1 

Precautions
Before you read anything else,
please observe the following:
Changes or modifications to this product not expressly
approved by Uniden, or operation of this product in any
way other than as detailed by this Reference Guide, could
void your authority to operate this product.
UnidenDOES NOTrepresent this unit to be waterproof.
To reduce the risk of fire or electrical shock, DO NOT
expose this unit to rain or moisture.
WX500 web OM final.qxd  07/15/2002  4:30 PM  Page 2 

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
About Your Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
About Emergency/Weather Alerts . . . . . . . . . . . 2
About FIPS Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Obtaining Your Area’s FIPS Code(s) . . . . . . . . . 4
Taking Proper Care of Your Radio . . . . . . . . . . 5
Unpacking  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....

1
About Your Radio
Traditional weather radios receive NOAAs weather broadcast (usually
within a 50-mile radius) then sound an alarm of any emergency code
which was transmitted along with the broadcast. This means that people
who live outside an affected area are often alerted even when their area
is not affected, causing many of them to ignore potentially real
emergency/weather warnings that can save lives.
In 1994, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
began broadcasting coded...

2
Your new radio is equipped with the following features:
n7 Preprogrammed National Weather Service Broadcast ChannelsnProgrammable Emergency/Weather Alert with S.A.M.E. TechnologynLiquid Crystal Display for Alert DescriptionnBacklit Displayn20 Programmable Area Codesn3 Alert Modes (Display, Tone, Voice)nMultiple Alert Display CapabilitynAlarm Clock with SnoozenBattery Backup Power Source
About Emergency/Weather Alerts
When the WX500 receives an emergency/weather alert:
• It sounds an alert tone.
• A...

3
About FIPS Codes
For the purpose of broadcasting emergency/weather information, the
NWS has divided the United States into regions by state and county (or
parish, where applicable) then assigned a 6-digit FIPS code to identify
each county or parish. For example, the code for Tarrant County, Texas,
is 048439.
The first digit in a FIPS code
identifies the county subdivision, 
the next two digits identify the state,
and the last three digits identify the
county or parish.
Your radio can receive all...

4
Obtaining Your Area’s FIPS Code(s)
To obtain the FIPS code for the location where you installed your radio,
contact the NWS toll free at 1-888-NWR-SAME (1-888-697-7263).
Visit their website: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/indexnw.htm
If you call the NWS, follow the instructions you hear.
Hint:
Since you can program up to 20 FIPS codes into the radio’s
memory, you might want to obtain the codes for other local areas
(as long as those areas are within a 50 mile radius of your local
NWS broadcast station)....

5
Taking Proper Care of Your RadionDo not use the radio in high-moisture environments such as the
kitchen or bathroom.
nAvoid placing the unit in direct sunlight, near heating elements,
or vents.
nDo not plug the radio into an outlet controlled by a wall switch as
prolonged periods without power causes the clock to reset.
Unpacking
Carefully check the contents against this list:
nWX500 Radio with built-in telescopic antennanAC Adaptor (Model AC500)nCigarette Lighter Adaptor (Model DC500)nThis Reference...

6
Setting Up the WX500 All Hazards/Weather Radio
1. Plug the AC adaptor into an outlet and into the WX500. Make sure 
that the outlet is not controlled by a switch that is turned OFF.
2. Install the 9V Backup Battery by removing the battery compartment
cover and snapping the battery onto the terminals.
3. If you would like to program your radio to receive Alerts only for
certain areas, determine the SAME codes you need. SAME codes for
your area can be found using the National Weather Service toll-free...

7
4. Determine the best Emergency/Weather Channel to use in your area.
The best channel for your area is listed on the NOAA website at:
http://205.156.54.206/nwr/indexnw.htm along with the SAME codes, 
or at http://205.156.54.206/nwr/nwrbro.htm. Or, you can turn the
Emergency/Weather Radio and NWR broadcast ON, enter the Menu,
and change the CHANNEL until you find the broadcast with the best
reception.
5. Enter the Menu (menukey) and use the 3,4,5,6 and select
key if you would like to change the...