EAS National Test November 9th

[bnaivar]

To our DIRT members...Will Dish be participating in the national EAS Test Nov. 9th?

 

[Willh699]

if so, then i want anyone with Dish to record the EAS test, post it on youtube, and then share said youtube posting. i want video proof that Dish does EAS test. i only seen two EAS tests since Dish started doing EAS test.

 

[Bobby]

if so, then i want anyone with Dish to record the EAS test, post it on youtube, and then share said youtube posting. i want video proof that Dish does EAS test. i only seen two EAS tests since Dish started doing EAS test.

Yeah, why don't you do that.....

 

[Tampa8]

if so, then i want anyone with Dish to record the EAS test, post it on youtube, and then share said youtube posting. i want video proof that Dish does EAS test. i only seen two EAS tests since Dish started doing EAS test.

After long consideration, you have been nominated to do that.

 

[whatchel1]

Only indirectly. All the TV and radio stations are, and I couldn't find that a national satellite service is required to. BTW I just read the entire doc for the National Test.

 

[The Fat Man]

I used to hate being in the middle of a game or movie when I had cable and they would do that. You go to change the channel and it messed up the old Motorola digital cable receivers. The last time I used pay-per-view for a movie (1 time viewing) it did it, and the old AT&T broadband (predecessor to Comcast) refused to refund the movie.

 

[Willh699]

i don't have the stuff to record it and post it on youtube. unless you want t bad filmed on webcam/cell phone cam version.

 

[Bobby]

i don't have the stuff to record it and post it on youtube. unless you want t bad filmed on webcam/cell phone cam version.

Whatever floats your boat...

 

[radio]

Only indirectly. All the TV and radio stations are, and I couldn't find that a national satellite service is required to. BTW I just read the entire doc for the National Test.

According to the FCC and at least ONE state broadcasting association the official word and/or concern is yes, even satellite operators are participating.
There is concern that the general public has NOT been educated. I tend to agree that FEMA and the FCC have done a less than poor job of public education
on this, and laid it all on last minute PSA's that do not explain the whole situation. Operators of broadcast stations already have been informed we have to
fill out forms AHEAD of the test giving our equipment manufacturer info, software version, longitude and latitude of our transmitters, and believe it or not, even
the cellphone number of the party responsible for the test locally. INSERT BUZZER HERE. That part ain't gonna happen! Anyway, here's the poop from one state association for anyone interested, and the association's concerns:

On November 9 at approximately 2:00 PM, FEMA and the FCC will test the Emergency Alert System (EAS) using the Presidential message code, Emergency Activation Notification (EAN). The EAN code has never been tested before.

The test will be very different than what your audience is used to hearing.

1. The test will be over 2 minutes in length. It is usually 10 seconds for weekly tests and only 1 minute for monthly tests.
   
2. All radio, television, cable and satellite operators will air the test at exactly the same time. Viewers and listeners usually just change channels when a test comes on. This time it will be everywhere.
   
3. The test message will take place on 11-9-11.
   
4. The test is happening at a time when national security is on high alert and the economy is causing great national anxiety.
   
5. Your audience is apt to panic or become overly concerned no matter how many times we say "this is a test, this is only a test."

 

[whatchel1]

According to the FCC and at least ONE state broadcasting association the official word and/or concern is yes, even satellite operators are participating.
There is concern that the general public has NOT been educated. I tend to agree that FEMA and the FCC have done a less than poor job of public education
on this, and laid it all on last minute PSA's that do not explain the whole situation. Operators of broadcast stations already have been informed we have to
fill out forms AHEAD of the test giving our equipment manufacturer info, software version, longitude and latitude of our transmitters, and believe it or not, even
the cellphone number of the party responsible for the test locally. INSERT BUZZER HERE. That part ain't gonna happen! Anyway, here's the poop from one state association for anyone interested, and the association's concerns:

On November 9 at approximately 2:00 PM, FEMA and the FCC will test the Emergency Alert System (EAS) using the Presidential message code, Emergency Activation Notification (EAN). The EAN code has never been tested before.

The test will be very different than what your audience is used to hearing.

1. The test will be over 2 minutes in length. It is usually 10 seconds for weekly tests and only 1 minute for monthly tests.
   
2. All radio, television, cable and satellite operators will air the test at exactly the same time. Viewers and listeners usually just change channels when a test comes on. This time it will be everywhere.
   
3. The test message will take place on 11-9-11.
   
4. The test is happening at a time when national security is on high alert and the economy is causing great national anxiety.
   
5. Your audience is apt to panic or become overly concerned no matter how many times we say "this is a test, this is only a test."

I read that (and the rest of the doc) and took it to mean that companies that uplink programming distributed via satellites not the companies that distribute the programming via satellite. So that is why I don't think that Dish has to do anything but business as normal.

 

[radio]

I can see how FCC language can be misinterpreted, believe me, they're a bunch of nuts who couldn't broadcast to save their lives.

However, in this case with the question of who runs the test, Programmers are not the end "transmitters" of their programming. Those who provide the medium carrying it TO the public are; and are regulated by the FCC.

Thus, the big boyz in satellite are doing the test, be assured. Uplinks by individual programmers would not be the ones to do this, they are not required to even own the equipment that generates EAS tests and alerts. All they do is give programming to consolidators like dish, direct, local affiliates, etc via first generation uplink or other means.

Its the final "transmitters" of the programming as a whole who are then charged with having the emergency equipment as part of their FCC licensing. (AM/FM/CABLE/SATELLITE)

 

[whatchel1]

I can see how FCC language can be misinterpreted, believe me, they're a bunch of nuts who couldn't broadcast to save their lives.

However, in this case with the question of who runs the test, Programmers are not the end "transmitters" of their programming. Those who provide the medium carrying it TO the public are; and are regulated by the FCC.

Thus, the big boyz in satellite are doing the test, be assured. Uplinks by individual programmers would not be the ones to do this, they are not required to even own the equipment that generates EAS tests and alerts. All they do is give programming to consolidators like dish, direct, local affiliates, etc via first generation uplink or other means.

Its the final "transmitters" of the programming as a whole who are then charged with having the emergency equipment as part of their FCC licensing. (AM/FM/CABLE/SATELLITE)

Doesn't make any sense. That would mean that they would have to cover all the channels that they uplink and then retransmit. That would include premium programming like HBO and the other movie channels. I still think that it is the program providers that will have to do the insertion or at the very least give approval and adjust their schedule to accommodate the test. This will not be as easy as it sounds to inject the EAS signal into the stream for all the chs that an MVPD delivers.

 

[R0ss]

According to the FCC and at least ONE state broadcasting association the official word and/or concern is yes, even satellite operators are participating.
There is concern that the general public has NOT been educated. I tend to agree that FEMA and the FCC have done a less than poor job of public education
on this, and laid it all on last minute PSA's that do not explain the whole situation. Operators of broadcast stations already have been informed we have to
fill out forms AHEAD of the test giving our equipment manufacturer info, software version, longitude and latitude of our transmitters, and believe it or not, even
the cellphone number of the party responsible for the test locally. INSERT BUZZER HERE. That part ain't gonna happen! Anyway, here's the poop from one state association for anyone interested, and the association's concerns:

On November 9 at approximately 2:00 PM, FEMA and the FCC will test the Emergency Alert System (EAS) using the Presidential message code, Emergency Activation Notification (EAN). The EAN code has never been tested before.

The test will be very different than what your audience is used to hearing.



[*]The test will be over 2 minutes in length. It is usually 10 seconds for weekly tests and only 1 minute for monthly tests.

[*]All radio, television, cable and satellite operators will air the test at exactly the same time. Viewers and listeners usually just change channels when a test comes on. This time it will be everywhere.

[*]The test message will take place on 11-9-11.

[*]The test is happening at a time when national security is on high alert and the economy is causing great national anxiety.

[*]Your audience is apt to panic or become overly concerned no matter how many times we say "this is a test, this is only a test."

Once again if it wasn't for Sat Guys forum i'd never of known about this. Haven't seen anything on tv or heard anything on the radio.
Hate to interject a bit of politics but this so typical of the current administration...

Ross

Sent from my rooted DROIDX (Liberty Gingerbread) using SatelliteGuys

 

[R0ss]

Its the final "transmitters" of the programming as a whole who are then charged with having the emergency equipment as part of their FCC licensing. (AM/FM/CABLE/SATELLITE)

Before cable and sat I would agree. The traditional broadcast stations (locals) always did the EAS announcements. I've had cable and sat and never seen one except on one of the locals. Not suggesting that sat and cable shouldn't do it actually makes sense just have never seen it

Ross

Sent from my rooted DROIDX (Liberty Gingerbread) using SatelliteGuys

 

[dan188]

My cable provider does

 

[whatchel1]

Once again if it wasn't for Sat Guys forum i'd never of known about this. Haven't seen anything on tv or heard anything on the radio.
Hate to interject a bit of politics but this so typical of the current administration...

Ross

Sent from my rooted DROIDX (Liberty Gingerbread) using SatelliteGuys

Shouldn't have said that since Homeland Security was started by the previous admin.

 

[radio]

Doesn't make any sense. That would mean that they would have to cover all the channels that they uplink and then retransmit. That would include premium programming like HBO and the other movie channels.

Again, please remember. Providers of programming (those who only produce and distribute) are not necessarily licensed by the government. HBO doesnt have to have a license to make movies and TV shows. Yes, they use satellie to uplink, but there are OTHER ways programmers themselves can get their content to the actual BROADcaster of it. Most times the uplinks used by providers are leased, not owned by the provider.

The whole idea is that EVERYONE watching or listening to ANYTHING that comes over a government licensed communications facility which is a "participating" EAS broadcaster, (which includes cable headends and ALL satellite delivered services for the general public) run the test. Your theory of it being the provider triggering at their level doesn't work when the system itself is what is called a "daisy chain" and one station's Local Primary (EAS station monitored for emergencies) triggers the rest in the market. That would be like saying (radio analogy here) that Rush Limbaugh has to trigger for his audience, CBS for theirs, etc, etc. And, it will be easier than you think. Local radio stations use ONE EAS panel for all co-located stations in one building, and with today's consolidation of big market radio, this can mean an entire MARKET of radio is handled by one little EAS box. I've seen the cable tests back when I had charter before going FTA. ALL channels go black except for a crawler and a voice. The same is expected for satellite. While I've never seen the actual equipment, the same must exist for satellite as it does for cable or radio. Could be as simple as one emergency box and a digital switcher that is told to output to ALL channels.

Will the test work? Who knows. Its a very controversial issue, taking much more time from Joe Broadcaster than needed, and quite a mess at ALL levels, the biggest of which is the public that doesn't know about it. It's been poorly handled by FEMA and the government where P.R. is concerned. They dumped it on state broadcaster associations and broadcasters. Since cable and satellite is seldom in the business of originating programming, they don't really have a regular "platform" on which to spread the word, beyond a note in your bills!

While I do believe this is the most useless waste of time and resources in my 20 plus years of broadcasting, I do understand the system. The only untruth in the way it is being presented is, there actually can be a few seconds delay from station to station, meaning yes, as a whole, the test will be simultaneous, but....there could be a total of 15-45 seconds delay between stations all broadcasting this. Some are set for immediate rebroadcast of the incoming announcement (automatic) and some choose to manually forward the announcement out once it is received into their equipment's buffer. Thus, it won't be a "perfect" simulcast across the USA.

 

[chicagonettech]

Here is the link to the Official FEMA PDF for the event:

http://www.fema.gov/pdf/emergency/ipaws/national_eas_test_info_toolkit_081511.pdf

This broadcast is MANDATED ON EVERY BROADCAST MEDIUM: "satellite and digital radio and television, cable television, and wireline video providers." [See link below.]

FEMA administers the EAS and has the authority to ensure the conduct of training, tests, and exercises of the EAS by Executive Order 13407. FCC's rules require that EAS Participants take part in nationwide tests of the EAS. [again, see link to document below]

From: http://www.fema.gov/emergency/ipaws/eas_info.shtm

"Nationwide Emergency Alert System (EAS) Test IntroductionFEMA, in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), will conduct the first nationwide Emergency Alert System (EAS) Test on November 9, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern.
FEMA, the FCC, and NOAA's vision for improving the EAS is incremental, which means testing the readiness and effectiveness of the EAS as it currently exists today is the first step. A more effective and functional EAS requires continual testing to identify necessary improvements so that all levels of the system can better serve our communities and deliver critical information that will save lives and property.
EAS Participants provide a critical public service to the nation as the resilient backbone of alert and warning when all other means of communication are unavailable. EAS Participants include all broadcasters, satellite and digital radio and television, cable television and wireline video providers who ensure the system is at a constant state of readiness."

The entire test will take APPROXIMATELY THREE AND ONE-HALF MINUTES and all facilities must carry the entire broadcast.

"[h=2]Nationwide EAS Test Reminders[/h]

• An Emergency Action Notification (EAN) live-code will be used for the Test.
• The test will last approximately 3 a half minutes. To properly test the EAN, the message must last longer than 2 minutes.
• The Washington D.C. FIPS code will be used for the Test.
• An End of Message (EOM) will be used to close the EAN (an Emergency Action Termination will NOT be used).
• You should have at least two monitoring sources (review your State EAS Plan).
• NOAA Weather Radio will NOT carry the EAN- check with your SECC/LECC for monitoring sources.
• The Test will NOT use a CAP message nor evaluate CAP compliance.
• The National Weather Service is rescheduling their Required Weekly Test for Tuesday November 8th.
• If you do not have a PEP source, you may be able to monitor your local National Public Radio member station (contact NPR Headquarters).
• Properly configure your EAS Device (see the EAS Best Practices Guide in the handouts section and visit the EAS Device manufacturer website)"

Additional resources are available via this Google Search.

 

[whatchel1]

Key words are "EAS Participants". E* may not be one of those. BTW I have worked in TV stations and engineered for radio too. So I understand that the EAS is a relay system that receives the code that triggers the remaining stations in the DMA. Have never worked for the lead or "trigger" station. The stations that I worked for would receive the key and it triggered our test which auto switched it to on air for the stations. The problem with E* doing this is it will have to trigger from their uplinks to inject into ALL the stations that they are being transmitted over their system. I don't think companies like HBO would appreciate that 3 mins of their programming being cover up with a slate, tone, & crawl(or just over the video/audio stream) for the EAS system. I was formerly had my CBT in the Society of Broadcast Engineers. So I'm pretty familiar w/ the regs. I was for a while head of operations for a TV station and had to have my Ops run the test weekly/with the monthly done by schedule and it had to be noted on FCC documents. This was no longer necessary once we put in automation as we scheduled the the test via traffic Which ran the test trigger by the automation system.

 

[radio]

Everything I've heard says, "satellite" as well. When you think of the amount of people this mythical "emergency" system is supposed to reach, there's no way that those subscribing to dish or direct would be left out of the FCC's plan, given the millions each has!

Now I've never in my life liked Wikipedia (too many know-it-all's out there editing it) but...here's "somebody's" fact about satellite delivered services and EAS:

The EAS is used on AM, FM and Land Mobile Radio Service, as well as VHF, UHF and cable television including low-power stations. Digital television and cable providers, along with Sirius XM satellite radio, IBOC, DAB and digital radio broadcasters have been required to participate in the EAS since December 31, 2006.[citation needed]​ DirecTV, Dish Network and all other DBS providers have been required to participate since May 31, 2007.