It may seem a little unorthodox for the County Emergency Management Agency to make a public recommendation for a Christmas or Birthday gift, however it is an appropriate time for the general public to purchase a NOAA Weather Radio for dads, within Steuben County.   Why you might say?  Well, considering that NOAA Weather Radio now has a very strong voice throughout Steuben County.  Steuben County Emergency Services received grant funding from The United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Development Agency to purchase two NOAA Weather Radio Transmitters, which have been placed in service within Hornell and Bath.  In Hornell the transmitter operates at a frequency of 162.425 Mhz and in Bath the operating frequency is 162.450 Mhz.  These transmitters giving Steuben County and the local Finger Lakes Region a resource never heard before.  
So what is a NOAA Weather Radio Receiver?
A NOAA Weather Radio Receiver is either a tabletop or pocket receiver, which is tuned to specific National Weather Service radio frequency.  These units are capable of listening to 24 hour, 7 day a week weather information, as well as notifying you by a special tone alert, when severe weather is occurring in the area.  The units come in two formats.  One, which is a general receiver and can either monitor weather or provide a general alert for severe weather anywhere in the region.  The second is a little more expensive unit with Specific Area Message Encoding or (SAME) Technology, which will alert you only to severe weather within your own County.  NOAA Weather Radios very in price, ranging from $20-$80 depending on the style, type and features of the unit.   They are available where you purchase other home electronics.  
So why would I purchase a NOAA Weather Radio for a gift?
If you, or someone you love, spends a lot of time in the outdoors camping, hunting, fishing, boating, golfing or if you are just a general weather enthusiast, a NOAA Weather Radio receiver would make the perfect gift.  The Steuben County Office of Emergency Services encourages a NOAA Weather Radio be placed in every household, just like a smoke detector.   They protect your family, not from the dangers of smoke, but from dangers of severe weather.  For more information on NOAA Weather Radio, visit the Binghamton Weather Service Home Page at: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/bgm/nwr/nwrhome.htm