bit-tech Shopping: Midland 74250C Emergency Alert Portable Weather Radio with SAME

Rating: 8

Time with product: 3

Strengths: Bright yellow color, flashing LED, loud, multiple-channel reception, custom LCD w/ scrolling messages, 24-hour military time, dual-alarm, sleep mode.

Weaknesses: Not easy to use unless you read the manual, volume buttons need some good pressing to function sometimes.

Summary: Recently I bought a weather radio by WeatherX from Wal-Mart. It proved to be badly made since it would eat batteries very fast and the internal charger would use the alcaline batteries to charge its own rechargable batteries.During my last visit at a local Wal-Mart I saw the Midland 74-250C for a deep discount: 77.5% of the regular price. I thought to give it a try since I was not happy with the previous weather radio.Initially I noticed that it had a 2-line LCD display, the bottom one with scrolling messages. I started playing around but was not able to receive anything in terms of the usual 7 NOAA weather radio channels. I would follow the quick setup manual but no sound was coming out other than white noise. Then I did a very careful reading of the extended user guide and it worked fine. I receive two channels in the broader L.A. area, 5 and 7, but only 5 is clear enough to listen to. I did not change anything, I just pressed the buttons in the proper sequance and all was well.The radio uses two AA-size batteries with low battery indicator, has a backlight that is adequate in low light conditions, features a digital thermometer in C or F degrees, offers way too many warnings (56) for emergencies/earthquakes/toxics and of course weather phenomena, stores county memories, warns with freeze alert and it feels right on hand. It does come with removable belt clip and a nice strap in case you need one. It's construction is solid and does not feel cheap. Midland has a good name in radios and this product keeps up with that reputation.Overall I am happy with it and the price was right. Highly recommended.