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Oregon Scientific Touch-Control AM/FM Weather Clock - Black | 
 enlarge | Brand: Oregon Scientific
Category: Kitchen
List Price: $59.99
Buy New: $29.50
You Save: $30.49 (51%)
New (8) from $29.50
Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 50422
Color: Black
Batteries Included: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.8
Dimensions (in): 12 x 10.5 x 3.5
MPN: BARM669A
UPC: 734811305527
EAN: 0734811305527
ASIN: B000N4UTB8
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | WEATHER FORECASTER,BARM699A/BLRBK-T |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
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| Customer Reviews:
 The (almost) perfect alarm clock April 16, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
After having tried several "atomic time" clock radios and alarm clocks, I have finally found what is for me a nearly perfect unit.
The clock easily synchs up with the time signal from WWVB, even during the daytime, when many other units can't (assuming you orient the antenna properly).
The digitally tuned radio works well on both AM and FM, being one of the few radios that I have tried that doesn't get swamped by the nearby radio towers.
A big plus on the alarm clock feature is that you can set the alarm to a particular station and volume, and then go to sleep with the radio set for a different station and volume. So you can go to sleep with a classical station on a low volume and wake up to a news station on a very loud volume.
Even without the HiGlo turned on, the display is very high contrast and easy to read in even moderately dim light.
I happen to prefer that the HiGlo isn't on full-time, since I try to avoid light pollution in my bedroom at night (several medical studies have shown surprising health differences that seem to be related to the light levels during sleep!).
Some people have complained that the surface touch controls are too sensitive. I have not found that to be the case. The unit locks out the controls after one minute, so you have to touch a control twice in order activate it. As long as the clock is left on a table or dresser, this prevents accidental changes quite adequately. The only way this could be a problem was if someone was to pick up the clock and hold it in their hand such that they were bumping one of the controls.
Only three minor changes that prevent this from being perfect.
The first is that when set to wake to buzzer instead of radio, the clock only beeps for two minutes (albeit quite loudly in an increasingly annoying pattern) before giving up. Since I wake to radio, which plays for two hours, this isn't a problem for me.
Another feature that could use improvement would be a switch to toggle the HiGlo between its current behavior and being on full time (although this would throw off the accuracy of the inside temperature reading due to heat generation).
The only thing on the unit that I could call a real flaw is the lack of having a backup battery. The unit will hold its settings for several seconds during a brief outage, but if the outage lasts longer than that all settings (saved stations, alarm time) are lost. The clock will reset itself from WWVB once power is restored, but you will have to reprogram your favorite stations and reset your wake-up time.
Pretty good device.... February 9, 2008
The soft touch buttons makes it too easy to turn the radio and or change the snooze timer from 8min to 25 mins which I am constantly hitting by accident. The back light doesn't stay on times out in 1 min. If need to see the time in the middle of the night you have to hit one of those sensitive buttons to light the clock on. However, you may want total darkness in the bedroom at night. It takes sometime getting use to the buttons. Fortunately. the clock and alarm requires more to setup. I do like that I can get a quick look at the inside temp and outside temp especially during the cold winter. I think this may be the best feature of it all. Radio station works well..The alarm has two alarm options one is a beeping sound and the other is the radio. The beeping sound is not so loud so if sound sleeper than this may be to lite of a sound...
All in all the clock/radio/alarm/wheather station is an ok device.
 Good features but big mistakes January 26, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a really great clock as long as you're not planning to use it for a bedside clock. There are 2 big problems that make it unusable bedsidewise.
1. Firstly, the backlight times out. So if you want to see what time it is in the middle of the night, you have to touch the clock to get the light to come on.
2. Second-of-ly, the thing beeps every time you touch it. So, if you want to know what time it is in the middle of the night, and you can accept that you have to touch the clock, you then get to hear a microwave-like beep. That's annoying if it's just you, but if there is someone else in the bed, they're really going to hate it. Also, if you have to change the alarm or turn it off or on, you're going to hear a beep every time. I considered opening the thing up and cutting the wire to the beeper, but COME ON!
These 2 problems made this relatively cool clock, basically unusable for what I was hoping which is too bad because it's small, easy to read, and pretty cool looking.
If you want this for a desk or other place in your house, probably, it's fine.
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