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NOAA Weather Radio ('''NWR''') is an American network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information directly from a nearby National Weather Service office. NWR broadcasts National Weather Service warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day. OPERATIONS Known as the "Voice of NOAA's National Weather Service," NWR is provided as a public service by the National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), part of the U.S. Department Of Commerce . NWR includes more than 940 transmitters {Link without Title} , covering all 50 states, adjacent coastal waters, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the U.S. Pacific Territories. NWR requires a special radio receiver or scanner capable of picking up the signal. The Radio service, available over much of North America , transmits weather warnings and forecasts 24 hours a day. In addition to weather information, NWR works in cooperation with the Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) Emergency Alert System , providing comprehensive weather and emergency information. In conjunction with federal, state, and local emergency managers and other public officials, NWR also broadcasts warning and post-event information for all types of hazards, including natural (such as earthquakes or avalanches), environmental (such as chemical releases or oil spills), and public safety (such as AMBER alerts or 911 Telephone outages). Hundreds of stations are operated in the U.S. (where it is more commonly called NOAA Weather Radio ('''NWR''')) by the National Weather Service of NOAA , and in Canada by the Meteorological Service Of Canada , under Environment Canada . Each Radio Station is programmed from a local or regional NWS or MSC office. One station is also available in Bermuda , operated by the Bermuda Weather Service . Most stations broadcast on a special VHF Frequency Band at 162 MHz , which has seven Narrowband FM Channels . The original frequency was 162.550, with 162.400 and 162.475 being added later. In recent years, the proliferation of stations meant to make sure everyone has access to warnings has pushed that number to seven, now including the "intermediate" channels of 162.425, 162.450, 162.500, and 162.525 MHz. These channels (often numbered in that order) are receivable on special weather radio Receivers , available across both countries by Mail-order and at some Retail ers, on most Marine VHF Radio Transceiver s, and on Scanners . In addition, many consumer electronics, such as two-way radios, are now being sold with the ability to receive weather radio broadcasts. Some stations in Canada also broadcast on regular FM and AM broadcast frequencies. When a weather warning is issued for the area which a station covers, certain weather radios are designed to turn on or sound an alarm upon Tone , issued for ten Second s immediately before the warning message. In the U.S., newer radios can instead detect a Digital -over- Audio Protocol called Specific Area Message Encoding or SAME, which allows the radio to limit alarms to only certain warnings, and only to the actual section of the Broadcast area which the listener is located. (This system was later adopted by the Emergency Alert System —the replacement for the earlier Emergency Broadcast System and even earlier CONELRAD ) now required by the FCC for broadcast stations.) In Canada, many stations operate Weathercopy , which is a higher-speed version that can actually transmit entire text Forecast s and warnings, but is not designed for alerting. This system has been decommissioned in 2003 because of new technologies such as the internet and satellite. The bulk of programming however is still in regular voice rather than digital, with a forecaster recording each message once and a system having it repeat in a loop. In the U.S., the NWS has now installed a Console Replacement System (CRS) which uses a Synthesized Voice to read text announcements. The voices have recently been upgraded with new Software that gives a much more realistic and pleasant male (named "Tom", who reads the public forecast) or female voice (named "Donna", who reads the marine forecast and the hourly weather roundup) some WFOs has Tom or Donna read the entire broadcast cycle, and also allows Intonation so that the Tone Of Voice changes with the urgency of the message being read. They supplanted a more primitive male voice called " NOAA's Perfect Paul " from DECTalk System & TripleTalk which had been nicknamed "Igor", "Sven", and "Arnold", among others, for its mechanically awkward pronunciation and intonation (another voice, "Huge Harry" was also used). "Paul" and "Harry" can still occasionally be heard on some stations, for example giving The Current Time Every 10 Minutes . Two forecast offices in the continental United States presently broadcasts weather in spanish: the San Diego forecast office and the El Paso forecast office. Many stations also broadcast in other local languages, including both French and English in Ottawa / Gatineau , Montréal , and the city of Québec ; French only in other parts of the province of Québec , and synthesized in both English and Spanish in Puerto Rico . SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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