Midland 18-STR Strobe Light for Weather and All Hazards Alert Radios by Midland
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Digital camera reviews of Midland 18-STR Strobe Light for Weather and All Hazards Alert Radios
Digital camera Review: Nice Alert Feature......Not Much Choice
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this strobe last year for my father who has a Midland-300 weather radio. His hearing has gotten so bad that he cannot even hear the siren on the unit clearly if he is far enough away from it. Some time ago he picked up a strobe light for the telephone which got me to thinking about the same concept for his radio. I should mention up front that my father does not live in an area that is prone to floods, tornadoes, or any other truly dangerous emergency weather situation. But of course everyone can get severe winter weather or thunderstorms that one may want to be notified of. So in that sense I considered it a very worthwhile investment for him.
The Midland strobe is designed to work with two of Midlands most popular table top radios. The WR-100 and 300 models. It cannot come any easier to install. It simply plugs into a jack in the back of the radio, and then 3 AAA batteries are installed in the actual strobe. (The plug serves as a feed to pick up the emergency alerts, not to operate the flash feature). Whenever an alert is issued by your local NOAA service, the strobe flashes brightly for the duration of the signal. (Roughly 20 seconds or so). Unfortunately this length of flash time is not adjustable in any way. Meaning unless a hard of hearing person happens to be within visual range of the unit, he will miss the alert. (A big fumble on the part of the Midland designers in my opinion). Also, some of the other reviewers here that have complained about the strobes wire being a little short are correct. Its really designed to be set somewhere very near the radio, rather than mounted some distance away should you favor that. Both of these drawbacks I consider minor, and not a deal breaker as far as this strobe being a worthwhile investment for the hard of hearing that either has an interest in, or actually needs to be notified of weather and other emergencies via a Midland radio. Mostly because this strobe concept for weather radios is something that is strangely not very popular, or available. At the time of this writing, this Midland unit was the only one of its kind available on Amazon, and my own research on the web showed that its nearest competition costs up-wards of $100. Its pretty much this Midland unit or a big jump to a far more expensive strobe if you are thinking of shopping around.
In conclusion, being that this Midland 18-STR is just about the only game in town for something of this nature, I very much suggest you opt to buy it if you're in the market for such an item. It's very reasonably priced here on Amazon, and my fathers has been working flawlessly since I got it for him now almost a year ago. Since the batteries only get used when the strobe is operating, the 3 AAA batteries will last for a very extended length of time. (My fathers batteries still test out strong at just under a year old). A good solid little unit that I highly recommend...
Digital camera Review: Not bright enough
Summary: 1 Stars
I bought it for midland weather radio last year. When we had the weather alert, either tornado watch or warning, the strobe light did flash, but it is not bright enuf to wake me up when I was taking nap during the day. I'm deaf.Digital camera Review: Owner/Monitor Opinion of Unit
Summary: 3 Stars
The alert unit itself is fine..but..when the radio sends an alert signal burst to activate, alarm does not really flash long enough..it goes out with the radio siren..it should be designed to stay activated until manually reset by whom ever as authority over the radio operation.
Being a safety monitor for the complex of buildings I reside around , wx alerts are of mega importance as the businesses our system monitors also have many racks of sale merchandise normally outside of the actual store.
KSMB9301
Digital camera Review: Retired
Summary: 5 Stars
Midland 18-STR Strobe Light for Weather and All Hazards Alert Radios
The strobe light along with the Midland 300 weather radio has preformed flawlessly. My wife is deaf in one ear and sometimes sleeps on the good ear, the strobe light will awaken her.
Digital camera Review: Strobe for Weather Radio
Summary: 4 Stars
I live in an area where tornadoes pose a threat during various parts of the year but live far enough from warning sirens that I have no effective warning if a tornado occurs in the middle of the night. The strobe is a nice compliment to my Midland Weather Radio. The siren on the radio and the strobe insure that even the soundest sleeper will know when a tornado warning is issued. Midland's Weather Radio line makes it easy to turn off alarms for watches or other low level alerts, allowing me to know that when the siren sounds and the strobe flashes that a true emergency exists.