NOAA Weather Radio: SAME Location Codes and Station Frequencies

Start with two different fields

If a NOAA Weather Radio setup asks for a frequency and a SAME code, it is asking for two different things. The frequency identifies the broadcast channel to tune. The six-digit Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME) location code identifies a county, parish, independent city or other supported area for selective alerts. [1]

Copy them into separately labelled fields before following the receiver’s instructions. A ZIP code, a transmitter call sign and a frequency are not substitute SAME location codes. Some receivers do not support SAME; first identify the actual model and its capabilities.

This is a U.S. NWR information-reading guide, not a test of a receiver, station, room or alert delivery. Check current NWS listings and local instructions. For a warning already received, follow its protective action; do not delay it to complete radio setup.

Read a county listing without choosing by loudness

1. Start at the official county coverage page and select the actual state or territory and county or equivalent area.
2. Find the listed SAME location code and each relevant station’s call sign, frequency, coverage remarks and current status.
3. Keep the area name beside the code. Keep station information beside the frequency; a county can have more than one listed transmitter.
4. Follow the manual for your model when entering codes, tuning and selecting its alert mode.

NWS specifically warns against programming a clearer or louder station that is not the designated SAME channel for the area. A station you can hear is not automatically the station that sends that area’s alert information. [1] A nearby transmitter can also be across a state boundary; select from the relevant coverage listing rather than the state printed in its location alone.

Save the actual row and the date you checked, including any coverage remarks. Recheck the listing when your location or the published service information changes. A saved row remains a dated reference; consult the current official listing for the actual assignment.

Keep code format and frequency units separate

On a narrow screen, scroll this table sideways. You can focus it and use the arrow keys.

NWS lists seven network frequencies: 162.400, 162.425, 162.450, 162.475, 162.500, 162.525 and 162.550 MHz. [1] This list does not assign any of them to your address or tell you the channel numbering used by your receiver.

For a whole-county SAME code, NWS describes a leading zero, followed by the two-digit state/equivalent identifier and the three-digit county/equivalent identifier. Keep the code as text so a leading zero is not dropped. The placeholder 0SSCCC illustrates the positions; it is not a usable code. Do not invent a nonzero first digit to choose your part of a county: use the actual published partial-county guidance where applicable.

Separate coverage, reception and alert behavior

A coverage row means less than a successful observation in your actual room. NWS says terrain, distance and signal blockage can prevent reliable reception even in a county listed as covered. Its approximate 40-mile radius assumes level terrain and is not a guarantee for your address. [2]

The reception guidance also says reception can vary from room to room. [3] During ordinary, safe preparation, follow the actual receiver instructions to check operation where it will be kept. Record what was observed, when, and which setting was checked. Hearing an ordinary broadcast alone does not prove that the selected alert area, alert mode and backup-power arrangement work as intended.

In the NWS status descriptions, “Degraded” means temporary reduced quality of service and “Out of Service” means temporarily nonoperational. [1] Recheck current information and maintain another available alert route. An old “Normal” entry is not a promise of later operation. For specific reception questions, NWS directs readers to the local Weather Forecast Office; model-control questions belong with the manufacturer.

Three fictional record errors to correct

These are documentation examples, not records of a radio we tested.

• “County code: 162.475.” That number is in frequency format. Return to the official area row and find the separately labelled six-digit SAME code.
• “Chosen because it is the loudest.” Verify the designated station and area relationship in the NWS listing. Loudness does not answer that question.
• “Coverage confirmed, so every alert will arrive.” Keep coverage information, an actual reception observation and alert-setting checks as separate entries. Retain another way to obtain official information.

Do not use the examples to decide that a location outside a named alert area is safe. An alert is an instruction from its issuer, and conditions and subsequent messages can change.

Save the radio information and unresolved checks

Download the blank NWR location and frequency record (TXT). It separates area, code, station, frequency, status, manual version, observed reception and the remaining question. No county code or station assignment is prefilled.

Keep the record with the radio instructions and review it when the receiver, location, published coverage or household needs change. Note the actual check date. This form cannot program a receiver, certify delivery or replace current emergency instructions.

NWR LOCATION AND FREQUENCY RECORD — BLANK
U.S. information lookup, not device certification or an actual station assignment.
State/territory and county/parish/independent city/area:
Official current listing URL / row reference / date checked:
Exact six-digit SAME location code as TEXT / area name:
Listed station call sign / transmitter location:
Listed frequency in MHz / coverage remarks:
Current listed operational status / time checked:
Receiver make/model / SAME capability / actual manual version:
Actual setting/operation observation / time / place:
What the observation did NOT verify:
Unresolved coverage, reception or device question / appropriate contact:
Alternative official information route:
Review trigger:
No prefilled location code. Follow urgent protective action before setup.

Three checks before using the record