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About fips codes – Uniden Radio User Manual

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About FIPS Codes

For the purpose of broadcasting emergency/weather information, the

NWS has divided the United States into regions by state and county (or

parish, where applicable) then assigned a 6-digit FIPS code to identify

each county or parish. For example, the code for Tarrant County, Texas,

is 048439.

The first digit in a FIPS code

identifies the county subdivision,

the next two digits identify the state,

and the last three digits identify the

county or parish.

Your radio can receive all S.A.M.E. alert signals broadcasted within about

a 50-mile radius of where you installed it. To receive S.A.M.E. alerts and

broadcasts about emergencies/weather occurring only in particular

counties within that area, you can program up to 20 FIPS codes into the

radio’s memory. For example, this lets you avoid hearing an alert that

applies to an area within a 50-mile radius but not necessarily to your

county or parish.

Most FIPS codes begin with 0, which means that FIPS code

represents an entire county. The NWS, however, eventually

plans to subdivide some large counties. When that

happens, each subdivision will be assigned a digit from 1-

9, resulting in codes such as 148439, 248439, and so on.

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