CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – When the possibility of severe weather reared its ugly head last week, three regional weather radio transmitters were out of service, leaving weather radios in Montgomery County offline.

With severe weather in the forecast again this week, the problem with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather radio transmitters has been fixed, Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency Director Ed Baggett confirmed.

Baggett told Clarksville Now that the problem arose when an electronic board in the transmitting system went down on Wednesday, March 17.  A new piece of equipment was found, and the unit was replaced by early that afternoon. But that electronic board was also defective, and another one had to be found.

“They do have it completely repaired and everything is up and running good and the equipment has been tested,” Baggett said.

The storm is expected to hit Thursday afternoon and could include tornadoes, flash flooding and straight-line winds.

Problem with Midland receivers

With the radio transmitters operating again, Montgomery County Government Safety and Risk Manager Jennifer Hood said some weather radio owners may be experiencing issues with weather radios beeping.

Hood relayed the following guidance on how to fix the problem:

If your Midland receiver is beeping, the following explanation is the most common, but it is not the ONLY explanation for a beeping receiver.

The Midland WR-120 desktop NOAA weather radio knows it is supposed to receive a weekly test from the National Weather Service every seven days. If the radio goes for ten days without receiving a test, it gives out one beep every ten minutes.

The radio will re-set itself at the next weekly test, or the next watch/warning issuance.

If you do not want to wait, you can cancel the beeping by unplugging the radio from the wall, turning the radio over, and removing one battery. Wait approximately 10-15 seconds, then replace the battery and plug the radio back in. The settings on the radio will NOT be affected by this, as the SAME county code, and all other information is stored on a flash memory chip.

But you WILL need to re-set the clock. To do so:

1) Push MENU. “SET TIME” appears.
2) Push SELECT
3) Use the up/down arrows to adjust the hour up or down. To get from AM to PM, just continue past the hour 12.
4) Use the right button to move to the minutes setting
5) Use the up/down arrows to adjust the minutes up or down. Right arrow to access both of the minute digits.
6) When you have set the clock to the proper time, hit MENU twice. The radio will display “SAVING”. You are done setting the clock.

We apologize for the inconvenience. The ten-day missed test alarm is a way to assure viewers that their weather radio is performing properly.

NOTE: The previous version of this radio, the Midland WR-100 does not make an audible beep. However, it will display the words “CHECK RECEPTION” until it is re-set using the same steps as outlined above. Like the WR-120, the radio will automatically re-set itself at the next weekly test, or the next watch/warning issuance.

For local severe weather alerts, tune in to radio stations Beaver 100.3, Q108, Z97.5, Rewind 94.3 and NewZee 105.5.