Tag Archives: NOAA

C.Crane Observer on sale this week for $29.95

I just received an electronic sales ad from C.Crane announcing that they’re selling off their stock of the C. Crane Observer for $29.95.

Though this is not a shortwave radio, I do think this is a superb value. I’ve used the Observer; it is sturdy, has excellent AM reception (it is a C. Crane, after all) and also includes FM and the NOAA weather bands (useful in the US). It also has a flashlight and even a fully functional dial light.

The Observer also has excellent ergonomics, is simple to operate, and–best of all–has the added feature of being self-powered.

What’s more, C. Crane also includes adapters which can be plugged into many cell phones and iPods to charge them using the radio’s crank power–again, a highly useful feature if you lose power and need to place an important cell phone call.

This is a great little radio to have on hand in case of a power outage or severe weather. C. Crane claims that this offer is only good while supplies last; I doubt they will last long. I’m going to hasten this process, and take one from their stock, myself.

WWV to keep Geo-Alert

Great news for those of you who listen to space weather forecasts on WWV, from Fort Collins, Colorado or WWVH from Hawaii. It appears that NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center is going to continue announcing Geo-Alert products for the foreseeable future. The announcement from NOAA:

SWPC is no longer planning to discontinue the broadcast of its synoptic Geo-Alert products on the WWV and WWVH radio stations. SWPC plans to continue this service for the foreseeable future.

Additionally, updates to the content of this product are underway as a result of the feedback process. For example, in addition to providing the current, daily solar flux at 2800 MHz, we are evaluating adding more frequent observations at 2695MHz. Other improvements to the message content will also be evaluated. Stay tuned to this site for the latest status on these updates.

For additional comments or questions, please email us at swpc.wwv@noaa.gov.

I believe feedback from the online survey has had a positive impact on this decision. The survey is still online–I urge you to participate and let NIST know what features you like in broadcasts.