Breaking:FCC dismisses all the Weather Alert Radio Network LPFM Applications.

[radiofan2023]

Where do you live? Clearly not in the Midwest where most people in tornado alley still have NOAA radios.

I’ve lived in Tornado Alley for 30+ years, my family has lived in Tornado Alley for 100+ years, and neither I nor anybody I’m related to has ever owned a weather radio. I also don’t know anyone who’s ever owned one.

 

[anotherguyTN]

Modern smart phones are supposed to be able to give weather warnings, but I've found out that they aren't always reliable. I'll get amber alerts for missing kids from 200 miles or more away, but don't always get weather warnings for tornadoes in my own area.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

Modern smart phones are supposed to be able to give weather warnings, but I've found out that they aren't always reliable. I'll get amber alerts for missing kids from 200 miles or more away, but don't always get weather warnings for tornadoes in my own area.

AND.. they dont work up here! After a national test on our cell phones didnt work, i filed a complaint with the FCC which forced the phone company to respond... i found out two things...

wireless alerts on cell phones are not required by law
wireless alerts cant be transmitter to phones that are on a 2G network as there isnt enough data to transmit it
(and no, the network isnt being sunsetted or upgraded any time soon)

 

[K.M. Richards]

wireless alerts cant be transmitter to phones that are on a 2G network as there isnt enough data to transmit it
(and no, the network isnt being sunsetted or upgraded any time soon)

So, as the last of the 3G service in the continental 48 states is going offline and 4GLTE customers are being aggressively marketed 5G service, Alaska isn't even an afterthought to any of the wireless companies?

You would think that they have enough old but still serviceable 3G equipment to upgrade the 49th state ...

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

So, as the last of the 3G service in the continental 48 states is going offline and 4GLTE customers are being aggressively marketed 5G service, Alaska isn't even an afterthought to any of the wireless companies?

You would think that they have enough old but still serviceable 3G equipment to upgrade the 49th state ...

The problem, which most of us (as in we up here) readily admit to and understand is a couple fold... the low population numbers, which translates to less $$$ and the fact some communities will never have fiber.. theres just no way to get it here, microwave wont work so satellite it is and that is expensive.

We have begged.. begged the phone company6 to upgrade us to even 3 g and let us help them find the funding.... ands its fallen on deaf ears on the later............ and the first was.. we want to, but we have to make it work financially, basically.

Wevew had cell phone service failures and sometimes, landline services failures (landline is UUI, cell is gci.. both the samer company) that have been so drastic it ran the risk of endangering a life if a serious medical emergency happened.. and mroe than once the clinic has considered having someone sleep at the clinic and just instructing peopel to head there if theres a problem

I also know for a fact during a spat of issues, our 911 dispatch is in fairbanks and they had to make 10! calls to the two oncall medical providers to get a cal lthrough and completed when there was an emergency

 

[Kelly A]

AND.. they dont work up here! After a national test on our cell phones didnt work,

That's okay if that day ever comes, the missiles will be flying over you on the way to somewhere in the Lower 48.

 

[Michi]

REC does track many of the alerts that come in through EAS (IPAWS) and WEA.

IPAWS All Hazards CAP Feed | REC Networks

recnet.com

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

Back to the questions about NOAA sites, someone said they look exactly like FM installations. My experience is that they use vertically polarized only antennas. As a radio aficionado, I have a few NOAA radios, and scanners, and analog VHF radios that cover the Weather Band, acquired over the years. If you have a NOAA fixed location radio, they are often compromised by the antenna polarity. If you have a telescoping whip on a Universal Joint on a scanner, you can chase the received polarization and have good reception on the local NOAA station, and have fun DXing NOAA stations, often 200 miles away. Never heard any on E skip yet. Unless you buy a very expensive professional VHF Yagi for that band, you would have to build a vertically polarized Yagi for optimum DXing. 2 meter Yagis are too sharply tuned to work vey well on the 162 MHz band.