I was thinking of upgrading my weather radio. I have a ten-year old Radio Shack 12-259, and I thought perhaps technology has advanced in the last decade. After a brief search, I discovered that not much has changed. Am I wrong in thinking this?

If you want S.A.M.E. technology, there aren't that many choices. For a portable weather radio, you basically get the Midland HH54VP2, which actually looks a lot like the Radio Shack -- same appearance, operation, and even problem (short battery life). Desktop radio weathers with S.A.M.E. include the Midland WR-300 and the Sangean CL-100. It looks like there is also a Reecom. So my questions are:

1. Why don't we have more choices?

2. Why are the dekstop radios more expensive than the portable? Are they better?

My opinion is that 1) is due to the relatively small market for weather radios in general and S.A.M.E. weather radios in particular and 2) desktop radios are expected to last longer and have both AC and battery backup power, and probably have better sensitivity and selectivity. People, I think, expect desktop radios to just work, but are more likely to be willing to fiddle with a portable radio, its location and its antenna.

Bingley... I have both a Midland 300 and Reecom R1630... the Midland has AM/FM and I opted for the Reecom without AM/FM... FWIW, I like the Reecom a little better as the warning is audible where the warning with the Midland is visual... I live about 35 miles (straight line) from the tower (Florida is pretty flat here on the coast)... I get excellent reception with both receivers... both work on AAs as well as 120v

Here is the wirecutter review.
https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-emergency-weather-radio/

Hi Folks,

Just my experience form owning a bunch of weather radios- had trouble with at least 2 Midlands with intermittent decode, had them on different stations and outdoor antennas, pretty much ruled out everything but the radios themselves. Tried a Motorola MWR839, that worked well and bought a second. Drastically better audio, better performance on AM/FM/WX and hasn't missed a decode in about a year. Just my observations and happy to be able to offer some advice back to the group

It looks like they're recommending a radio without SAME?! Can that be true?

I'm averse to do-it-all multi-function emergency radios. A small radio that can also generate some power, serve as a flashlight, etc. doesn't do as well as a dedicated power generator, flashlights, radio, etc. So if I were to upgrade, I would be looking for weather radios (just NOAA stuff, not even AM/FM -- I have a dedicated radio for that).

But I guess this list partly answers the question I have -- if the market reflects demand, then most people aren't looking for a dedicated weather radio with SAME.

Ha, that is the exact same item as the Sangean CL-100! Again, it looks like there isn't much of a demand for innovation, and so companies just rebrand the same product.

I do have an idea for innovation. Why not a portable weather radio that has GPS so it can change the SAME code automatically wherever you go? Imagine taking a long road trip. You'd want to be kept up to date with all the weather hazards.

there are also nice weather apps for you phone and computer...

Radio jay Allen has a lot of radio reviews, including weather radios. I tend to trust his judgement, given his deep background in the field.

https://radiojayallen.com/

Where are his weather radio reviews? A keyword search with the word "weather" turns up two radios, but neither is a weather radio. Moreover, neither has SAME.

Getting weather info from the phone or the computer seems like a supplementary method. In an emergency or disaster, power is likely to go out, cell towers are likely to go out. So I don't think of the computer or the phone as something to be relied upon.

Does anyone know this: is the NWS broadcasting system more robust than cell towers?

I would think that NOAA broadcasting is more robust than cell towers. http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/

The wirecutter article seems to assume you have a home unit with SAME so they are looking at portable models that you might take with you if you leave town, with SAME being not as necessary?

Here are a couple more sites with suggestions, taken from wirecutter references at bottom of article.
http://weatherradios.com/portable-radios
https://www.consumersearch.com/weather-radios

I came across this:
https://www.campmor.com/h/eton-arc-zone-guard-radio-1

It's claim to fame is having multiple remote units for different rooms in the house so that sounder sleeper for instance have an alarm in their room.

It and the remotes are on sale

No experience with it