Quick AM-FM bandscan of 11/09/11 National EBS Test

[Stormdesk]

Here is my 11/09/11 2:00PM national EBS test station scan results:

I Pre programmed the car presets to select stations so I could catch as many signals in 30 or so seconds from downtown Cincinnati at 2:00pm
During the actual test, the audio where I assume an announcement was to occur, was blank, and had that feeling of a dubbed cassette from another dubbed cassette etc.. Very basic and very odd sounding. In light of an emergency, scary really.

Heard the test begin first on WLW of course, then, on WKRC, WCVX, WQRT, WCVG, WSAI, and WCKY.
On FM, I heard the test on WOBO, WMKV, WORI (Air-1), WAKW, WFCJ, WFTK, WRRM (About 15-20 seconds late), WEBN, WNLT (K-Love), and WKFS.

Two additional stations I programmed in are very low power Cincinnati signals, and did not run the test at all. Those two were that hippy station, WVQC-LP on 95.7, and the KAWZ translator on 91.3 W217BI. Both stations just continued with programming uninterrupted.

Strange.

Stormdesk standing by...

 

[techie2]

We got tones but no audio in Dayton.

I don't believe that translators have to have EAS equipment.

 

[w9wi]

To my knowledge you're right, translators don't require EAS gear -- but they're supposed to relay EAS received from the primary station.

Of course, it could be the test failed in Idaho, so W217BI's primary never received (or relayed) it...

 

[brian65]

I had wlw on at the time.

I wasn't listening that closely but they seemed to play a few tones...then something came on which sounded like the audio from a tv show or movie about some family walking through the woods. It lasted for quite a while.

I was expecting it to be cut off but it kept on playing for a minute or so.

 

[microbob]

The audio was from WCET showing a PBS Kids show.

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

The audio on WLW after Wednesday's National EBS Test came from the children's television show "Caillou". I'm not sure how (or why) that got on.

 

[microbob]

In some places they were airing Lady Gaga. I think the reason the PBS show aired was that there was a problem at WCET were they have the EAS eguipment which is suposed to pass the audio/data to all of the local TV/Radio stations.

 

[xmusicmatt]

In some places they were airing Lady Gaga. I think the reason the PBS show aired was that there was a problem at WCET were they have the EAS eguipment which is suposed to pass the audio/data to all of the local TV/Radio stations.

The way the EAS EAN worked is FEMA issued the alert that was fed to the NPR Satellite to the PBS Station (WCET) WLW is one of TWO NP's in Ohio also known as the PEP stations (The other being WTAM) .. WLW fed it down the line to all the LPs it serves and to the SP (WNCI) which fed it to the LPs it feeds.. to the local stations which monitor those stations (the LP1s and LP2s)...

The reason various stations had other stations audio is if their EAS recv didnt get the EOM tone properly and didn't stop relaying the audio of the station it was monitoring.

 

[microbob]

I was watching Insight cable soon to be TWC at 2PM and they did not have any audio along with the test message. It was just white noise.

 

[jry]

Look, this whole thing is the government proving that it can take over all signals with the push of a button.
Some butt head politician is trying to include the internet in the next test.
1984 anyone?

 

[TANKSBACK]

Tones run, then Lady Gaga song fades, then Mr. Announcer says: "This has been a test of the emergency broadcast system. Had this been an actual emergency you would have been instructed to get up and dance!" Kudos and credit to "borderblaster" for that great voicemail. How 'bout someone tell team Obama about conelrad (sp?), 640 and 1240 AM. Not THAT was a cool sounding emergency alert system. Showing my age again. ;D

 

[storrs19]

Look, this whole thing is the government proving that it can take over all signals with the push of a button.
Some butt head politician is trying to include the internet in the next test.
1984 anyone?

Thank You. Notice the EAS is fed through the NPR satellite? Need I say more? Big Brother Bracko is watching you.
Thankfully I was listening to Shortwave which suffered no interruption at all.

 

[greg.hahn]

Look, this whole thing is the government proving that it can take over all signals with the push of a button.
Some butt head politician is trying to include the internet in the next test.
1984 anyone?

It proved no such thing, because it didn't work. But to have a system such as we have had since 1997, and yet not test it, is ridiculous. This first test was ample proof for the need.

 

[radiogrrl77]

In the Dayton Area, WLW hit first as they are supposed to. Why WRRM was 15 to 20 secs. late should not have been since they are LP2 in Cincy. WHKO (Dayton LP1) and WTUE (LP2) went off without a hitch as did WHIO TV and WBDT TV. WHIO's technical staff stated they got the EAS as they should have. One problem I did notice though.... I was listening to XM and their SXM Public Radio channel and there was no interruption whatsoever. and when XM does an RWT or RMT, ALL channels get blanked and you see a crawl that states it's an EAS test. Now If XM is going to be a PEP station and main carrier of EAS as I have heard rumor of, they need to get their stuff in order. No idea if WIMT (Lima LP1) was successful or not. I didn't get to check them before it was over and had to check into ARES net here we were running during the test. Be well

 

[Troublemaan]

I'm with jry on this one. This is your federal tax dollars being wasted on a demonstration of Big Brother's all-powerfulness. George Carlin called it "pr**k-waving". Absolute power corrupts absolutely. And the EAS system, for all but local emergencies, is a waste of energy.

 

[HafDawg]

Tin foil hats anyone? ;D

 

[mattsledge]

...and I thought I was a radio geek.

 

[Stormdesk]

Well, in regards to the KAWZ translator station I mentioned, (W217BI) at 91.3, I did not know translator stations did not have to have EAS equipment as techie2 said earlier on this thread. And, as w9wi suggested to the best of his knowledge, >"translators don't require EAS gear -- but they're supposed to relay EAS received from the primary station".

This makes sense to me as I have always understood translator stations to 100% relay what goes over the air at the primary or parent station.
If this is indeed how it works, then KAWZ in Twin Falls Idaho must have not carried the national test.

I find that amazing! By the parent station not carrying the test, then all their bazillion translators also failed. EMF was very much on top of things at both Air-1 and K-Love were prompt, and I got the feeling that they wanted to comply so as to not be the subject of criticism.

Odd.. That whole test was odd.
I was however, impressed with all those small AM's following through with what ended up as just noise for 30 or so seconds..

 

[stereolane]

To quote the great Dick Purtan, from the Motor City, many years ago:

"Today, we roll out a new system called the EAS. It's very similar to the EBS. Unfortunately, the EAS has more B.S. than the EBS..."

-----------------------------

He said that on the air, and let's face it.... he was correct.

 

[jry]

To quote the great Dick Purtan, from the Motor City, many years ago:

"Today, we roll out a new system called the EAS. It's very similar to the EBS. Unfortunately, the EAS has more B.S. than the EBS..."

-----------------------------

He said that on the air, and let's face it.... he was correct.

Know Dick well. Great guy.
Look, you can talk all the tin foil hat talk you want but, this is what it is. Next time they want to figure out how to add the internet to the alert.
NPR? What a great way to pass some money to them, without Congress approval. Pay them millions to help with the test.
Oh, its just to compensate them for that expensive satellite time...