National EAS Test August 7th

[davideduardo]

From Barry Mishkind's great engineering site (https://www.thebdr.net):

2019 National EAS Test
The 2019 NPT will be on August 7, 2019 at 2:20 PM EDT. The FCC and the FEMA urge everyone to get ready. There is even a video now posted on the ETRS (EAS Test Reporting System) page.

https://www.fcc.gov/general/eas-test-reporting-system

This year's test is designed to test the legacy daisy-chain system, from the PEP (Primary Entry Point) t0 the LP (Local Primary) to the individual stations that pass the test on to others.

Complete article
https://www.thebdr.net/articles/fcc/eas/2019NPT.html

 

[Wimmmex]

Whats the best way to listen to this?

Scanning the dial to see what stations missed it? ;-)

 

[R.D.P.]

Jesus Radio Selma, WPJB-LP, broadcasted the test.

Also heard it a few seconds later on Direct TV.

Dan <><

 

[Wimmmex]

EAS Test Questions

Questions for David:

1.) Was every station in the USA supposed to run the test?

2.) Here in Boston, I heard the tones and message on WBZ. My local AM just aired the tones (over regular music programming). Were all station supposed to run tones AND the voice message?

 

[anotherguyTN]

It happened in West TN on Spectrum cable, but we have storms coming through so I thought it was a severe storm warning. It would be bad if there was a real warning that had hit the same time as the test.

 

[Smittian]

Missed a Jose Altuve Home Run while listening to the Astros/Rockies game

 

[davideduardo]

Per Barry Miskind's page the test showed "a lot of work is needed".

8/7/19 - Well, the 2019 NPT came. Perhaps the best way to comment is that there is a lot work to do with the PEP and daisy-chain - the way the EAS works when the Internet is down. Reports from Test Day noted quite a few stations reporting clean audio, and forwarded the test. However, other reports noted a number of issues:
1. The test did not reach some areas and states. Florida generally missed the test, as did the upper peninsula of Michigan, and parts of Georgia.
2. In many places, there was no audio. Wisconsin generally had no audio due to a receiver failure. Some stations in ND, CO, NC, and NH also got no audio.
3. Many sites reported "scratchy," "unintelligible," or audio with something underneath the NPT.
4. Stations pulling from Sirius got overly hot audio, fairly distorted.
5. It appears that Sirius sent a second NPT an hour later, perhaps in error.
6. Some stations reported the same problem with the FCC's ETRS site, where they were unable to file Form Two, but received messages essentially saying "the server is too busy." Those that got to file Form Two, sometimes had to wait for well over an hour (or more) to get confirmation emails.

More from Barry at https://www.thebdr.net/articles/fcc/eas/eas.html

 

[umfan]

Heard it on WJR. Seemed to go smoothly.

 

[anotherguyTN]

3. Many sites reported "scratchy," "unintelligible," or audio with something underneath the NPT.

EAS warnings always sound like squawk boxes to me. I know part of that may be from when the message comes from weather band radio, but that's something that needs to be fixed to where it will have a clearer signal.

 

[frankberry]

The message audio is stored in RAM and has a very low bit rate. I agree ... digital memory is cheap. The EAS equipment needs better message audio quality.
Dish Network screwed up the test. They cut off the last of the three "duck farts" at the end of the test.

Frank

 

[Kelly A]

They cut off the last of the three "duck farts" at the end of the test.

Frank

Otherwise known as: End Of Message (EOM)

 

[frankberry]

I knew that. "Duck Farts" is the more common name for the short data bursts.

 

[xmtrland]

I was at a PEP stations transmitter where the FEMA Sage/endec is located and and the got the test, the audio message was of good quality but when I heard the message relayed on the FM side for a station in the same group you could hardly hear it due to a lousy radio feed to the studio Sage attached to the FM.

At the LPFM with a studio 1 mile from the pep station transmitter the message was relayed and the audio good. I think alot of EAS setups that had bad message audio might need to re evaluate the method/tuner/antenna used to pick up the pep station. It might be OK for the RMT test but in an actual emergency it won't fly.