• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

What Are Your Plans for CAP EAS?

R

RF Man

Curious to know what other engineers will do for CAP EAS. Will you purchase converters or buy new equipment? Hope to spark discussion for education and application.


Thank You

RF
 
Buying new ENDECs to replace the old ones, as the new units have IP capability and will email me the EAS reports instead of that asinine receipt paper printout. That alone is worth its weight in gold, getting rid of that opportunity for DJ/Operator error in the logging process. I can then IP in to do weekly tests and check the results, instead of driving to a remote transmitter site to press a button, as is the case at one station.

Also have a few TFT's that are going to be replaced with either the SAGE or DASDEC units. Can't wait to turn those things into boat anchors, would never even consider a converter on them. Converter is $1,200 and you're still left with register receipts and can't directly access the unit for the reasons stated above. New unit is $2,300.
 
Our state broadcasters association is doing a bulk order to bring down the price, plus they are kicking in a large chunk of the money to pay for them. The local stations are getting them for a few hundred dollars. We are getting all new Sage Digital Endecs. I wouldn't ever really consider the converters because a little extra cash up from for the new unit will pay for itself over time. Our old sages have blown-out monitor inputs, spools of paper, and are hard to program. I will be glad to see them go.
 
I like the new sage, one is in already, and working well. Some more going into other customers. I thought about a converter for one client, considering the number of surplus endecs about to become available for parts.

I saw somewhere software that will log everything from the endec. But that requires a computer be there alive all the time, or continue to rely on the wonky printers. The maintenance time, and printer cost and time saved manually logging made it a no-brainer.

The converter just doesn't make sense.
 
We're in the process of installing DASDEC's. There is a learning curve in every box, but they are remarkably powerful devices. The old Burk and TFT 's they are replacing will not be missed.
 
Sage DENDEC units for us. They are already in and working, at least in a conventional fashion. I guess the real question is when is our looser goverment that makes us pay almost 3k for something they should be paying for going to get their CrAP servers on and working? Can we fine them for every day that they don't have their end up and working properly? LOL!
 
SAGE DENDEC here too at all of my stations! Boy, it just seemed like only yesterday when we all had to buy the new units for the '96 upgrade for the EAS. Well, let's hope this lasts a ((little)) while longer.
 
Amen Peter. Unlike the goverment that has unlimited funds because they can just rob from it's citizens more or add more debt for future citizens to pay, radio has to come up with the money from somewhere. Changing out something that still works sucks. We lived up to our end of the deal. The Feds never came up with a decent federal alert distribution. Many state goverments barely function at their EOC level too. That's not radios fault. We did our part and already spent money. Buying a new system isn't going to fix the real problem. The real problem is inept government. I loath having to waste engineering budget on fixing a government problem that in reality won't fix a damn thing. I sure wished we as an industry would have pushed back harder. No amount of technology on our part will ever fix stupidity on their part.
 
Two Sages.

We had a DASDEC briefly, but the ops mgr and I decided to send it back. Too complicated. Sage has a friendlier user interface.
 
6 new sage units. I would not even consider the expense of a converter since it only does a halfa$$ job and will almost certainly need replacement with a fully compliant unit in the not to distant future. Most of the older EAS boxes out there are so far overdue for replacement that it's almost a routine maintenace thng. I'm in the process of replacing two Burks, two TFT's and a Sage with 6 new Sage units. I like the Dasdec as well but corporate decided to go with Sage. It's not that bad but has a learning curve like anything else. Took me about a day to get the first one programmed, but I programmed the other 5 in about 2 hours this afternoon.
 
My day job's corporate chose DASDEC...yep, it's complex but does a lot...I'm feeding three DTV streams with it, each with different CG requirements. Love the web access and email reports, and ability to listen to and adjust the built-in radios via the web.

The Sage is being purchased by my biggest contract client...most have MSRP's in place and air chains will not have to be altered to install the new units. I'll be installing a couple next month...can't wait. ;D

Have one non-profit that will probably do the G-R add-on...their Sage is only three years old, and they're not rich.
 
The DASDEC GUI looks pretty straight forward to me.I would never do an add on,just too risky.My money is still on the dasdec,it;s just more advanced .
 
That would be my fear with an add-on. Somehow I would get double-screwed by the system and it wouldn't be complient about a year after I bought it. Thanks, but no thanks. My main employer and all of my client stations are going Sage. Most all already have them so it's an easy transition. I'm not very impressed with the decoder on the new ones as they are very touchy about level, but other than that I've been fairly happy with them (if spending over 2k for nothing can ever be a happy moment).
 
Haven't had problems with level on my Sage--NWS is a $75 receiver in the window with audio from the headphone jack; primary relay is off a Rolls tuner. Maybe I'm just lucky.
 
Sage is updating the firmware. Should come out soon.
Say they're adding level adjustments to all the inputs. Right now the inputs are much more sensitive than the old ENDECs. For now use a pad or feed it with a DA.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom