WHO REMEMBERS THIS: THE WEEKLY E.B.S. TEST

[Early Byrd]

Who remembers this standard radio procedure?:

"This is a test. For the next 60 seconds, this station will conduct a test of the Emergency Broadcast System.
This is only a test"

The transmitter was then shut off (not thru the filament stage, of course) for 10 seconds, then it was put back on for the same, then off, then on and a 1000 cycle tone came on for the same. Then came the following close:

"This has been a test. Had this been an actually emergency, you would have been instructed to where to tune for further information. This concludes this test of the Emergency Broadcast System.

I think I might have the wording a little wrong, but this was the standard EBS test for many years before it was changed to what we have now.

The thing was that back then, these tests were sometimes done at the very same time of day on the very same day of the week every week. WILD, for example, always seemed to do conduct their EBS test at 12:00 Noon on Mondays every single week back in the 60s.Anyone else have memories of this?

 

[bostonmediaguy]

Here's a jingle to help you remember!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23U2ssOPs-M

 

[raccoonradio]

EBS became the Emergency Alert System. WRKO runs them with Dana Hersey voicing it, ending with
"This concludes the Emergency Alert test"

Years ago at WMWM I'd have to run a cart and at a certain point go over to the transmitter
and press a red button. 23 sec. pause, etc.
I have heard in the past EBS alerts go out when there are conditions of heavy thunderstorms
that could spawn tornadoes...was at a restaurant in Pittsfield and whatever station was running it would have the announcement saying what counties were affected. Not long ago was at WMWM
and one came across saying Merrimack River was at flood stage in Lawrence, etc.

And most recently was in Vermont and taping "My Place" off Vermont Public Radio and an alert
came across about potential strong thunderstorms in parts of VT and NY, of course.'

When EBS switched to EAS WMWM had to raise some money to get it, otherwise we couldn't
stay on air. We had to appeal to the college president etc

 

[CTListener]

"This has been a test. Had this been an actually emergency, you would have been instructed to where to tune for further information. This concludes this test of the Emergency Broadcast System.

You missed "This station serves the (city/region name) area." That sentence came right before the concluding sentence on those stations that would be staying on the air in the event of an emergency.

 

[Early Byrd]

You missed "This station serves the (city/region name) area." That sentence came right before the concluding sentence on those stations that would be staying on the air in the event of an emergency.

Ah, but I didn't. That part of the announcement was added later. It was not part of the wording back when I remember it (the 60s).

 

[Deleted User]

And who remembers the 10 bells on the teletype that an EAS test was being sent?

Anyone remember the authenticators? they came in a sealed envelope like missle launch code authenticators!

We had one of those funny EBS jingles we used it was on a cart! ( remember those?)The activation of the tone generator was done by holding 2 buttons in at the same time. The buttons were in the main air studio behind a small plexiglass panel that had a mushroom cloud drawn on it.

 

[Early Byrd]

And who remembers the 10 bells on the teletype that an EAS test was being sent?


I do, I do!!

...and I remember having to take transmitter readings during or just after the EBS test was done, because the transmitter had been shut off and put back on. It was a separate set of readings from the regular one which had to be done every three hours "back in the day".

 

[WLYNWAZNgm]

Bring back Conelrad! ;D

 

[JIBGUY]

Xmtr readings had to be done every half-hour, even into the 1970's. At least that was the requirement for directional AM stations. Readings had to include the phase on each tower, in addition to the amps, volts, watts.

 

[Deleted User]

Ahhhh fond memories of Licensed people taking transmitter readings, going through reams and reams of TT paper before throwing it out looking for the EBS tests to get put in the log.

We've been replaced by machines!

 

[Early Byrd]

Xmtr readings had to be done every half-hour, even into the 1970's. At least that was the requirement for directional AM stations. Readings had to include the phase on each tower, in addition to the amps, volts, watts.

I honestly don't remember readings being done that often...and most of the stations I did time at back then were directional AMs.

 

[MarkConey]

Xmtr readings had to be done every half-hour, even into the 1970's. At least that was the requirement for directional AM stations. Readings had to include the phase on each tower, in addition to the amps, volts, watts.

I honestly don't remember readings being done that often...and most of the stations I did time at back then were directional AMs.

YES, Transmitter readings were taken EVERY HALF HOUR even at NON-directional AMs and FM stations back in the late 60's. Remember the FCC Third Class Radiotelephone license endorsed for broadcast (element 9). You needed one to take meter readings of Non-Directional stations. You needed a First Class Radiotelephone Phone License (First Phone) to do directional station readings (don't think 2nd class Radiotekephone Licenes were enough to do TX readings back then).

BTW, WLYNgm, I also remember Conolrad (sp) symbols on the car radio dials of old.

 

[radio zombie]

YES, Transmitter readings were taken EVERY HALF HOUR even at NON-directional AMs and FM stations back in the late 60's. Remember the FCC Third Class Radiotelephone license endorsed for broadcast (element 9). You needed one to take meter readings of Non-Directional stations. You needed a First Class Radiotelephone Phone License (First Phone) to do directional station readings (don't think 2nd class Radiotekephone Licenes were enough to do TX readings back then).

Additionally, base current readings had to be taken twice a day at the tower site at the AM directional I worked at. I believe they had to be taken within a certain amount of time after power and pattern change each day.

 

[MickeyD]

Xmtr readings had to be done every half-hour, even into the 1970's. At least that was the requirement for directional AM stations. Readings had to include the phase on each tower, in addition to the amps, volts, watts.

I honestly don't remember readings being done that often...and most of the stations I did time at back then were directional AMs.

YES, Transmitter readings were taken EVERY HALF HOUR even at NON-directional AMs and FM stations back in the late 60's. Remember the FCC Third Class Radiotelephone license endorsed for broadcast (element 9). You needed one to take meter readings of Non-Directional stations. You needed a First Class Radiotelephone Phone License (First Phone) to do directional station readings (don't think 2nd class Radiotekephone Licenes were enough to do TX readings back then).

BTW, WLYNgm, I also remember Conolrad (sp) symbols on the car radio dials of old.

Radiotelephone licenses were strange back then. A Second Class radiotelephone license was strictly for two-way radio but you could be the Chief Engineer of a 10 watt FM station. With a First Class License you could work on anything but was basically designed for broadcasts RF.

 

[OlderRadioGuy]

And how many when running the EBS test, hit the high voltage on the second time, and were greeted with a resounding 'bang' ... and no antenna current?

 

[NHRadio]

When did the requirement to switch the xmtr on and off go away? I started in 1983 and by then we didn't have to do it for an EBS test. Also, what was the point of doing that?

And how many when running the EBS test, hit the high voltage on the second time, and were greeted with a resounding 'bang' ... and no antenna current?

 

[pqgeorge]

Who remembers this standard radio procedure?:

"This is a test. For the next 60 seconds, this station will conduct a test of the Emergency Broadcast System.
This is only a test"

The transmitter was then shut off (not thru the filament stage, of course) for 10 seconds, then it was put back on for the same, then off, then on and a 1000 cycle tone came on for the same. Then came the following close:

"This has been a test. Had this been an actually emergency, you would have been instructed to where to tune for further information. This concludes this test of the Emergency Broadcast System.

I think I might have the wording a little wrong, but this was the standard EBS test for many years before it was changed to what we have now.

The thing was that back then, these tests were sometimes done at the very same time of day on the very same day of the week every week. WILD, for example, always seemed to do conduct their EBS test at 12:00 Noon on Mondays every single week back in the 60s.Anyone else have memories of this?

Here's a swinging little ditty that will have you laughing for a while.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENHOMpLkalg

First time (and the last time, on radio) I heard this version of this EBS test was back in '77 on WPLR (99.1/New Haven, CT). LMAO on this one. Nothing illegal about it back then, BUT the FCC probably was not amused with such a "light-hearted" approach to something rather "dire" in scope. I never heard this version ever again on radio. Oh, well. ENJOY!!

 

[Early Byrd]

When did the requirement to switch the xmtr on and off go away? I started in 1983 and by then we didn't have to do it for an EBS test. Also, what was the point of doing that?

And how many when running the EBS test, hit the high voltage on the second time, and were greeted with a resounding 'bang' ... and no antenna current?

I don't remember exactly when the transmitter on/off EBS procedure was changed, but I can say for certain it was still being done that way in the mid-1970s.

 

[pqgeorge]

When did the requirement to switch the xmtr on and off go away? I started in 1983 and by then we didn't have to do it for an EBS test. Also, what was the point of doing that?

And how many when running the EBS test, hit the high voltage on the second time, and were greeted with a resounding 'bang' ... and no antenna current?

I don't remember exactly when the transmitter on/off EBS procedure was changed, but I can say for certain it was still being done that way in the mid-1970s.

If I recall correctly, on the TV side of things (in later years), stations were only required to "toggle" just the aural RF section during the test. The visual section would stay on the air to keep a slide on during the duration of the test. Some stations actually provided an "(American) sign language" interpretation on the lower right part of the screen. Later on, most stations opted for a "crawl" of the EAS information.

 

[WLYNWAZNgm]

When I was in elementary school (early 60's), they used to
blow an air raid siren once a week. I believe it was, like,
every Friday at noon. A canary yellow birdhouse looking
contraption, with a big CD logo on it, on a telephone pole
right outside the cafeteria window...

The "evacuation plan" for metro
Boston was something like - everybody get in a car all at
once, and get on Rte. 2. Head on out to, like, Gardner or
someplace, and in the high school gym basement they had
20 or 30 moldy cots, and some tins of crackers that had been
there since the Eisenhower administration... Gotta watch out
for those godless, Soviet commies! ;D