How to Program a Radio Shack Weather Scanner

Programming your Radio Shack weather scanner properly will prove beneficial in times of severe weather conditions. Once you program in your specific county codes, you will only be alerted to weather warnings pertinent to your local area, which can minimize false alarms.

Inputting the SAME Code

Use the National Weather Service database to find your SAME code. Click on your state and then find your county. Your SAME code is the 6-digit number in the second column.

Turn on your weather scanner and tune to the suggested frequencies in the SAME code list. Find the clearest station and make a note of it. Turn the scanner off.

Plug your scanner into a wall outlet. The programming process may take a significant amount time and could drain the battery.

Programming the Scanner

Press Menu/Select and the up or down keys to reach the Location option and then press the Menu/Select button again.

Select a warning option by using the up or down keys. "All" will receive all sent alerts regardless of location. "Single" will respond to alerts sent for a single SAME code. "Multiple" will receive alerts for more than one code. Press Menu/Select to select an option.

Enter the code for your region. In some models, this may be done by using the up and down keys to select a digit and the right and left keys to move to another digit space. Others have pre-programmed regions and may necessitate a different method for entry. When done, press the Menu/Select button again.

Test the scanner by putting it on standby on a Wednesday. This is the day that the National Weather Service sends out test messages.