[SBE] Working the kinks out of EAS

[McGlothen, Darryl]

You're assuming, of course, that Federal people 'think'. Even giving
them the benefit of the doubt, evidence would suggest that their thought
processes are unrelated to alerting the public about serious to
catastrophic events. Their response to EAS activity, whether test or
actual, is to fine a broadcaster because some schmuck pushed the wrong
button during a test. The heroic efforts of most broadcasters to comply
with and implement EAS requirements ( without funding...) are a
testament to the fact that broadcasters do take their responsibility to
the public very seriously. How 'bout a little help from the 'thinkers'
in Government? Huh?

Darryl


> -----Original Message-----

> From: sbe-bounces at sbe.org [mailto:sbe-bounces at sbe.org] On Behalf Of

Dan

> Mammone

> Sent: Friday, October 09, 2009 6:24 AM

> To: 'sbe member discussion mail list'

> Subject: Re: [SBE] Working the kinks out of EAS

> 

> Sure they [RWTs] do Bob... I've caught expired messages in mine,

> especially

> for the changes regarding Daylight Savings Time... Usually my Endec or

> theirs. RWTs are a good way to catch time discrepancies.

> 

> Personally, I don't think people would panic. I just suggested that

the

> federal people may THINK that may happen. Of course, it could be just

> the

> simple fact that FEMA has yet to be trained as an originator. Or, they

> have

> just "forgotten" radio broadcast altogether and opted for TV/Cable.

But

> then, I've seen no National tests on TV/Cable either.

> 

> OK FCC... where are you on enforcement at the National level? You're

> right

> there!

> 

> Dan Mammone CBRE, CBNT

> Broadcast Engineer

> WMCO-FM/Orbit TV6

> Muskingum University

> 

> 

> -----Original Message-----

> From: sbe-bounces at sbe.org [mailto:sbe-bounces at sbe.org] On Behalf Of

Bob

> Reite

> Sent: Thursday, October 08, 2009 7:57 PM

> To: sbe member discussion mail list

> Subject: Re: [SBE] Working the kinks out of EAS

> 

> This is why a RMT should be issued from FEMA, to check on the

> propagation. I don't think it would cause a panic, because at least in

> Pennsylvania, RMTs issued from PEMA are a normal monthly event, and

> really exercise the system.  As far as I'm concerned, RWTs are pretty

> much useless.  They check that the encoder works, and that the

decoders

> work, but do not reveal issues, such as messages expiring and never

> getting forwarded because of propagation delays.

> 

> russ at russvanderhorst.info wrote:

> > Hi All,

> >

> > I have been following the conversation on the problems with EAS, and

> I

> have to admit that I

> > am bothered by the fact that something that is critical to the

> infastructure of our country is in

> > such poor condition.

> >

> > Hypothetical situation (and I pray this never happens), but let's

say

> there were a biological

> > attack on Boston, MA. I live in NH, about an hour out of Boston.

Many

> people who live in NH

> > commute to MA to work, including into Boston. Add to this the fact

> that

> many people near the

> > MA/NH border come to NH to shop as we don't have sales tax here...I

> could

> see a biological

> > threat to the New England states moving very quickly, and with

little

> or

> no warning.

> >

> > again, I hope that this is something that never happens, however if

> it

> did...how hard would it

> > be to set up a national test of EAS. Of course, you would want to

> announce

> this several

> > weeks in advance that it is a test, and only a test...but I wouldn't

> think

> it would be that difficult

> > to do. If various people/agencies around the country knew the test

> was

> coming and when, it

> > would be possible to measure it's penatration and speed of

> propagation,

> find out what does

> > and doesn't work, and figure out a standard to make everything work

> as it

> should.

> >

> > If such an act were performed on the United States, travel would

have

> to

> be frozen in order

> > to contain the situation, instructions would have to be given. you

> would

> of course get the

> > standard government message that "everything is under control"

> (whether it

> was or wasn't).

> > It is my (perhaps incorrect) understanding that if a national alert

> needed

> to be issued, it has

> > to be done within 10 minutes, and under the conditions I mentioned

> above,

> everyone should

> > be sitting still not going into or out of the danger area within 15

> minutes. This is something I

> > would thing that congress and the president and the FCC would want

to

> have

> working, yet

> > we are in a condition where we don't know if it works or not. Just

my

> two

> cents worth, but if

> > the broadcast industry is not 100% certain the system works, then

> congress

> and the FCC

> > should be listening and doing everything they can to get the system

> fixed.

> 

> >

> > Russ

> >

> > my webpage

> > http://russvanderhorst.info

> > _______________________________________________

> > The SBE Roundtable, SBE at sbe.org

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