Alarm Clocks

[hoom]

My main point of this thread is to ask if anyone knows of a modern alarm clock with equivalent features to an AWA-Thorn model 1306?

I have this old clock radio that my mother bought for me at a garage sale when I was a school kid, its possibly my most treasured possession because it has the best alarm I've ever heard of & keeps impeccable time.

It was already possibly 15 years old & quite decrepid when I got it nearly 20 years ago.
I think I've kept it in relatively good condition & its not showing any particular indications of having issues but I'm really starting to get concerned about how I will cope when it finally dies

Other alarms I'm aware of either only beep, only play radio or have the option of either radio or beep, with or without volume increasing over time.

My alarm is special because when it goes off, it plays radio for 8 mins, then beeps very loudly.
This is awesome because I set the radio to a relatively low volume and this wakes me gently about 99.9% of the time & I get 8mins to wake up enough to get around to switching the alarm off, avoiding the traumatic beeping :smile:

If I'm very tired & sleep through the radio, wake then doze off again or the radio station is having transmission issues, I get blasted by a shocking beep that never fails to get an immediate response.

I know of lots of people who have issues with waking to their alarms because they need that extra few minutes of rest before getting up & they sleep through radio/beeping or wind up switching it off by reflex then immediately falling asleep again.

So does anyone know of a modern alarm with the same feature?
Would it be likely that I could take it to some sort of electronics specialist & get it overhauled/rebuilt/replicated at reasonable cost?

I can't find any reference at all to this model on the internet

(The thread search thingie found this thread but I don't really want to go ressurecting a 5+yr old thread... & it didn't seem like anyone knew of such an alarm as mine there)

 

[Humus]

I don't know any with that particular feature, but did you ever consider something like the Wake-up Light? I have one and it did wonders to my ability to get to work in time.

 

[Geo]

I would think any alarm clock with a dual-alarm feature could be configured to do the same thing. I have an old model upstairs, but I'm too lazy to go up and look at what it is right now --and it may not be offered anymore either. But dual-alarm and the ability to set one for radio and the other for beeping should cover it.

I think the original intent of such clocks was to allow you and your bed partner to have separate wake-up times while using only one clock --but I often configured mine the way you are describing here. An earlier time for the radio, and a slightly later time for the beeping.

 

[Davros]

create a cd with what you want on it (8mins of quiet music then loud beeping)then set it to play at the time you want
I just have a timer switch connected to the vacuum cleaner the noise wakes me up

 

[Simon F]

My main point of this thread is to ask if anyone knows of a modern alarm clock with equivalent features to an AWA-Thorn model 1306?

OMG. AWA? That's a blast from the past. You must be down-under somewhere.

I would think any alarm clock with a dual-alarm feature could be configured to do the same thing.

That's a good point. In that case, I'll put in a gratuitous plug for Pure's Khronos DAB clock radios. I know Aus will be switching on DAB+ soon and IMG/Pure have an office in Melbourne.

 

[nutball]

That's a good point. In that case, I'll put in a gratuitous plug for Pure's Khronos DAB clock radios.

I've got one of those. It's pretty good (though the user interface is a bit ... By Programmers, For Programmers(TM) which isn't always appreciated at silly o'clock in the morning ).

 

[Simon F]

I've got one of those. It's pretty good (though the user interface is a bit ... By Programmers, For Programmers(TM) which isn't always appreciated at silly o'clock in the morning ).

Ahh. I only have an Evoke "Kitchen" radio, not an alarm clock model. I have no need of the latter as I have two small children.

 

[Geo]

That's a good point. In that case, I'll put in a gratuitous plug for Pure's Khronos DAB clock radios. I know Aus will be switching on DAB+ soon and IMG/Pure have an office in Melbourne.

Oooh, _four_ alarm times. Isn't that nifty. You and your bed partner can each have radio then beeping that way.

Except what I found out after I got married (had the clock from before then) was what really happens is the wife is a lighter (but later --she works second shift at a TV station) sleeper than me and punched me in the ribs long before the beeping happened anyway!

Still have the alarm, but now the cats wake me up for morning feeding long before an alarm would! They don't try her --probably don't want to get punched in the ribs!

 

[hoom]

Hey thanks guys

Those 4 alarm ones look pretty good
Would generally prefer to not have to use 2 alarms for one waking time though.

OMG. AWA? That's a blast from the past. You must be down-under somewhere.

Not exactly down-under but close enough my West Island friend

First I've ever heard of DAB
Shouldn't really be that surprising though.