Re: EAS System

[Richard Chadwick <RW@RichChadwick.com>]

Just saw an EAS on WNDS-TV 50 last night that cut right into a spot - it 
was just a test, nothing urgent.   Although, this could be more a product 
of WNDS rather than the technology......




At 04:05 PM 6/8/2001 -0400, Mountain Wireless wrote:
>All of the EAS decoders I've worked with -- note I said the ones I've worked
>with, not all of 'em, so please don't flame me if yours is the exception --
>actually offer the station DCO/Engineer/whoever-programs-the-darn-thing a
>great deal of flexibility. The problem most stations have is that they need
>to do some reprogramming on their ENDEC.
>
>EAS allows automated stations to participate in the system without human
>intervention. It can, however, be made more friendly for stations that have
>jocks and ops, can be adapted to prevent it from trashing your automated
>programming, and allows stations to choose which alerts they acknowledge and
>rebroadcast (letting you prevent those damn "Severe Thunderstorm Warnings"
>from going off every ten minutes on a rainy day). The Required Monthly Tests
>do not have to be sent out instaneously (and I believe that is the case
>system-wide), so if your ENDEC is doing so it's likely because it's
>programmed that way, or perhaps there are low end units that do not provide
>a delay. It's also possible that your ENDEC has a countdown timer, but it
>does not notify the operator thus making any countdown just a delay of the
>inevitable; this is the case at most stations where I've heard complaints
>about EAS cutting into programming.
>
>I am not saying the system is simple by any means, and it certainly is not
>infallible. In fact, I've seen enough ENDEC's taken out of service or
>incorrectly programmed that I'd be willing to bet that if EAS were ever
>activated for a national emergency, fewer than half of the broadcast and
>cable signals nationwide would carry the message...
>
>...Of course I don't want us to have a reason to test that theory, thanks.
>
>-J.
>
>Jason Roberts
>WCTB / WHQO / WSKW

R.W. Chadwick
http://RichChadwick.com
617.747.4090