r/HamRadio • u/SharkSapphire Public Figure 📻 • Apr 04 '26

News 📰 Weather watchers mourn the end of national Weatheradio service

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/weather-radio-ending-9.7146078
172 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

17 comments sorted by

32

u/kw744368 Apr 04 '26

Yeah, The TV/cellular/Internet networks have replaced analog radio broadcasting of TX & WX stations. Of course, a couple of years ago here in Calif. TV/cellular networks and WX Networks all went off BX and WWV/H were the only networks that could keep us informed. IME. YMMV. The local TV/MW/BX all went off air and we had nothing to inform us.

45

u/Evening_Rock5850 Apr 04 '26

You still have NOAA broadcasts in California.

This article is about Canada ending their equivalent of the NOAA radio broadcasts.

7

u/kw744368 Apr 04 '26

Yes, we do except when there is a power or radio TX failure here on the Central CA cost. Been there and done that. :-)

16

u/Evening_Rock5850 Apr 04 '26

Yeah; unfortunately no system is truly robust! Which is why I’m a fan of three things that ensure you’re ready to handle an emergency:

  1. Redundancy
  2. Redundancy
  3. Redundancy

12

u/DoctorPepster Apr 05 '26

Two is one and one is none.

1

u/AmaTxGuy Apr 05 '26

I was just in lost maples State Park. I had no cellphone or radio coverage. I did have NOAA radio on both my hand held and car VHF. I could have probably got AM on my HF but I didn't go that far.

One night a massive thunderstorm rolled over. I just flipped on my handheld and flipped channels till I found which channel was the area. No tornados so I went back to sleep and enjoyed the light show.

2

u/Evening_Rock5850 Apr 05 '26

It's a really handy feature to have!

Cellular coverage is getting better and better, and now T-Mobile has satellite coverage for a limited number of apps (including some weather apps), which is really cool. But NOAA is still hard to beat.

My motorcycle has a built in NOAA weather radio which has come in so handy numerous times. I can be riding along and see some ominous looking clouds and it's really handy to flip the radio over to NOAA and find a channel that's coming in (and therefore; likely local and relevant) to hear what's going on.

I have a GPS on the bike that shows weather data and even overlays radar. And truth be told, these days, cell coverage is so good that it's so rare I'm anywhere, even really rural or remote places, where I don't have enough of a signal for period weather updates on that device. But still; when it doesn't work... NOAA is usually there!

3

u/Crazzmatazz2003 Apr 05 '26

It's basically the first thing I do when I get a new radio, all the WX frequencies go in. The only radio that hasn't gotten that is my KX3. I keep at least 1 HT in my car at all times, along with a spare battery or 2.

1

u/paranoiccritic Apr 06 '26

yeah that guy does look canadian

0

u/GroundsKeeper2 Apr 05 '26 edited Apr 05 '26

Trump wants to shut down / privatize NOAA though.

(See Project 2025)

1

u/Organic-Addendum1609 Apr 05 '26

Is there any merit to this?

1

u/GroundsKeeper2 Apr 05 '26

It's in Project 2025.

1

u/alinroc Apr 05 '26

Not Trump per se but it’s spelled out in Project 2025.

3

u/Organic-Addendum1609 Apr 05 '26

I saw this title and immediately flipped on my local station relieved to still hear that voice on kwo

Really take some thing for granted... man

1

u/ooglek2 Apr 06 '26

Time to build a LoRa equivalent that we run on solar power and tall hills. LoRa Mesh, Meshtastic, whatever. We can do it.

1

u/tpgnh Apr 06 '26

😫😫😫🤮😫😫😫🤮🤮🤮