Had one years ago when we lived where tornadoes were possible, hoping we’d get an alert if a nighttime warning was issued. Got frustrated because (1) we couldn’t get specific enough info, so we’d get alerts that were not highly relevant, (2) they’d repeat —often!, and (3) not often intelligible.
The important thing for (1) & (2) is that it can filter by county SAME code. If it can't, then it'll go off on every alert in the broadcast area (here, 10 counties). Yes, "the county" is still a big area. (3) might be as simple as "bad station" (I can "get" 4/7 here, though only 1 or 2 are good RX)
Thanks. Yeah, we would get info about at least 2 or 3 counties, plus waterspouts over Lake Michigan…which were heading away from where we were. I’ll have to take what you and AltNOAA said into consideration, should it make sense to get such a radio in the PNW.
I've got 2 -- one that plugs in, and the other is battery/crank. The crank one can't do SAME codes; but that means I don't have to reprogram it on vacation. Yeah, I get "too much", but better than not getting anything. At home, it's just off; unless there's a watch ongoing.
(1) They’re only meant to provide a warning, not a detailed forecast (on activation), (2) they activate when a local meteorologist sends out a watch/warning, and there’s always a reason for it, (3) like any VHF radio, a third-party antenna helps a lot.