Midland 74-250C Handheld Weather Alert Radio with S.A.M.E.

Rating:
Summary: Poor audio, poor directions
Review: I was able to program the radio despite the confusing directions in the manual. I live in a city where the weather alerts are broadcast and the reception is very very poor. You can not hardly understand what is being said. I was very disappointed and would not recommend this to my worst enemy.

Rating:
Summary: Midland 74-250 weather radio
Review: The Midland 74-250 weather radio is good choice for weather alerts while pursuing outdoors activities as it has many alerts and the S.A.M.E.(Specific Area Message Encoding) feature, but keep in mind some negatives:

When I purchased mine, It was listed as having rechargable batteries and a wall charger. It apparently no longer comes with it. From the Midland web site (an older page):

"Includes:
Alarm Clock
Digital Thermometer
Digital Clock
9 Programmable S.A.M.E
Rechargeable Batteries
Wall Charger"

and from the FAQ:

"Q. What charger for the 74-250 Handheld Weather Radio?
Ans. 200 Milliamp 6volt charger, and please make sure that the plug fits the jack."

Midland does not list a charger.
The radio loses the date and time when the batteries are changed, but it keeps the county code.
Programming is difficult, keep the manual handy.
Both alarms are turned on when the batteries are changed.
It requires a coin or similar item to open the battery door.