Perhaps it's a coverage limitation or maybe it's that NOAA broadcasts a 100 watt signal while a typical FM station can run at 100,000 watts. There's a serious difference in signal quality. Maybe I'm expecting too much. In any case, get a good antenna.

AM radio runs 250 to 50,000 watts but thats another animal being in the MW band.

NOAA broadcasts on VHF, which may account for the difference you notice. Note that NOAA also broadcasts (at the request of state and federal emergency managers) "All Hazards" emergency info for non weather related emergencies.
A good antenna is a desirable feature on any radio.

Just checked the map, we have coverage across the entire state, even in our area (a bit surprising but welcomed nonetheless). thanks for the suggestion arney and the link aksar

In fact there are TWO stations for our county, one to the west and one to the east

les, i looked on the specs for this radio, it appears to have multiple power sources:

Power Source:
1) Self-Powered Aluminum crank with
Hand Turbine Technology
2) From 3 AAA batteries (not included)
3) AC Power (requires AC to USB adapter, not included)
4) DC Power (charge via included USB cable)

I'm not exactly certain what all that means, very technically challenged these days, but appears it has a usb cable to plug into adapters for either geting power in the car (AC power) or the wall (DC power). DW and DS's I-pods work like this, the USB cables can plug into an adapter for the car or for a standard wall outlet. I'm assuming the AAA batteries are a backup, and the crank is a last resort backup, at least that's how I am looking at it anyway.

just noticed it also has a built-in digital clock and alarm. it could come in handy at scout camp this summer, i am a notorious sleepy head in the mornings

russ, this radio picks up am, fm and the NOAA signals. Between the three i will surely be able to find SOMETHING available for updates

I second the SAME requirement. Being able to use batteries is probably the best for the vast majority of situations. Most radios can run for many days on a single set of batteries, and surely you have a stash of batteries. That's better than using elbow grease at a time when you might be tired and under-nourished. I'd also avoid multi-function radios. Less robust, with more parts to break.

um, two questions:

What is SAME?

Is there a difference between SAME and the NOAA frequencies? If so what is it?

FWIW, there are two NOAA frequencies covering our county. One is in town, 10 miles away. The other is in another town located a bit further away and closer to the border to another state, but is still within about 20 to 30 miles. I know a lot can be different within those distances weather-wise, but it's usually pretty consistently the same in our area.

absolutely bing, the crank is, IMO, a last resort only. I do my best to keep spares of all batteries on hand, eventually i think i'll have to look into standardizing, but for now it's all good. My thinking with this radio is use home power as long as it's available. If power goes out, I'd then go to the battery back-up or AC power, leaving the crank as a last resort.

Yep, I too went through the manual. Just can't fall in love with a crank.

The radio I am getting to like a lot is the CountyComm GP-5 DSP GP radio. AM/FM/SW w/ digital signal processing. Runs on three AA batteries or USB (neither batteries or USB cable are provided). Both FM and AM signals are very clear, I haven't tried shortwave yet.

The radio has a scan function which allows it to scan through the local broadcast and lock in the signals. Then when you roll the tuning dial, it moves station to station and skips the dead air.

Another thing I haven't tried is its recharging ability. As I understand, if you use NiMH batteries and plug into the USB source, it will charge the batteries. I may try that right now.

Charging, a little battery icon shows on the display.