Part15 stations have no need or right to use EAS system.
It could be said Part 15 stations have no need or RIGHT to even be on the air. Part 15 was mainly to allow for wireless phonograph oscillators, then later other devices like garage door openers, cordless phones, baby monitors etc.
As it states in the letter of the rules....as to the type of operation and use...it says "ANY". That leaves it open to Part 15 owners/operators to do what they see fit for their stations so long as they adhere to the technical specifications called for in those rules and not exceed them. That does not mean anything about having no right to use EAS equipment to monitor and pass along information.
Until there is a law stating you absolutely cannot use EAS gear or purchase it or eat it or jump up and down on it...the statement of "no need or right" is of narrow vision...just my opinion..to which everyone is entitled to have one as you are.
Perhaps you should say on the air to your listeners that you have no need or right to inform them of any emergency situation or that they are better off listening to a licensed station and not yours in case they might miss an EAS blip bleep because your belief is that you have no right or need to utilize EAS gear to monitor for emergencies to pass along to your listeners who at the time are NOT tuned in to an EAS station?
Might as well toss out the weather radio too while your at it. No need or right to have that in the studio either. :/
RFB
heh heh... its fun to listen to you guys
We've said a lot about carrying or not carrying EAS and that 's not why I'm here.
I was just thinking. As an individual, many, yes many persons all the time are either on cell phones or browsing on-line.
Will the EAS system break in to cell phones, or what about land-line phones, and will it somehow pop up on a browser screen?
If not, what are so many people expected to do. They won't know about the emergency.
There is the nation-wide Presidential EAS system that will be tested very soon, activated via the EAN (Emergency Alert Notification) system which is handled by FEMA by order from the White House. Also the new CAP system which utilizes the web and connects to central server systems also handled by FEMA.
The word is that within a few years, perhaps less, it will also activate on things like cell phones and i-mobile devices..including interrupting land line telephone calls.
It is also speculated that the same system will activate a "pop up" on your computer if you are online at the time of an emergency.
The whole idea is to provide a means for the President to address the nation in the event of a national emergency. If we really look at this aspect, especially considering the events of 9/11 and after, the country is still in a state of national emergency, thus is why they want to test the nation-wide activation very soon.
A report on the order can be found here: http://www.emergencymgmt.com/emergency-blogs/alerts/First-National-Emergency-Alert-020411.html
Here is the FCC Report and Order PDF:
http://www.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2011/db0210/FCC-11-12A1.pdf
Excerpt from Page 5 of the Report and Order:
"The White House, through FEMA, initiates a presidential-level EAS alert by
transmission of a coded message sequence in the header that precedes the actual alert."
On Page 5 is a nice block diagram breakdown of how the nation wide EAS/EAN system will work.
All of which was linked by Marshall at the beginning of this thread.
It will be impractical for Part 15 to participate oficially, but then again to participate on an un-official level does not mean Part 15 cant at least tell their listeners "Hey, Obama wants to CHANGE what your listening to and watching"! Change we can believe in for sure! 😀
"Will it appear on all our screens?"
Highly possible. I call it "The One Button Wonder".
RFB
The associated link points to the lack of common mission for EAS. Why would any responsible Part 15 operator want to expose themselves legally to this hair-brained system in the first place? You can read and listen for yourself. Make your own informed decision.
http://www.radioink.com/Article.asp?id=2113263&spid=30800
The WGN story is a good link, and thank you Marshall.
I wish now to be philosophical. If the EAS, as it is now evolving, has a mission, it is to manage the future. Not just the general future, but the disasterous future. There may be no audience to hear the fatal message. Worse, the message might be pre-recorded.
Turning to more productive missions, I would like to purchase commercial air time on the new system:
"This emergency message is brought to you by......."
Premise: Most emergency communication does not occur within the disaster or emergency zone due to power outages, equipment damage, loss of infrastructure, etc.
If this premise is true, the fact that Part 15 stations have a very limited range would necessarily preclude any obvious ability to help in any disaster with an area over one square mile (for AM) or less. And to use the example Carl has pointed to on numerous occasions, most people in the area will not tune to the Part 15 station as a first or second choice (with the exception of being in a compact neighborhood or community of less than a hundred population with no local radio station).
It occurs to me that EAS is an over simplified government program that does not openly ask for citizen participation or recognition. And as such, how are citizens supposed to know how to use the system in the event of an emergency? EAS tends to give all of us a false sense of security. The response to the disasters of 9-11 are clear examples. This system is very in-grown and continues to get updated with "more of the same" operational philosophy with new technology. Training people on-the-fly tends to start and spread rumors and misinformation. When disaster strikes, most people don't react rationally and take direction poorly (Hurricane Katrina).
-Just another thought regarding Part 15 participation in EAS.
That's it, what Marshall just said, we plain people don't have instructions at all.
So maybe this is another part of a thing we've heard more about lately, "security theater."
It's all Hollywood special effects with Godzilla climbing the building.
All the more reason to pretend that part 15 is involved. We can act!
Yes Carl, but can you sing and dance?
Marshall does make very good valid points about proper training for handing out information dealing with emergencies.
However I have to disagree with Marshall's comments regarding Part 15 participating, even though that participation is of an un-official nature.
Lets look at it this way. Lets imagine a large apartment complex and this apartment complex is the nation.
Now each unit within this apartment complex is a little city and in each little city are people..as would be in a real apartment in an apartment complex.
Now lets imagine that this apartment complex is wired so that each apartment, or little city in our example, has an intercom system (EAS station) and this system has the ability for "address all", meaning one button (ha..the one button wonder) can be pushed to speak to all of the apartments within the complex.
Now lets create a disaster.
The apartment complex catches on fire...in the utility room, where the heart of the intercom system is located (PEP station). The apartment's fire sensing equipment (President) detects the fire (national emergency declared) and then sends the warning bleep to all of the apartments in the complex via the intercom system (EAS/FEMA/PEP).
BUT..the fire in the utility room has damaged the intercom hub, cutting off all of the apartments from hearing the warning signal. (a link in the PEP chain broken)
There is one apartment near the utility room (Part 15 station)...and the occupant smells burning, looks out their apartment door and sees the flames spewing from the utility room...frantically they hit the emergency button on their intercom..but nothing happens!!! Now what??? There are tons of people in this place..and they have no idea its on fire!! What to do...oh what to do???
Well that individual could just say heck I'm going to get out of here, and runs for dear life..because they were not trained to yell "FIRE!! FIRE!!"
OR...this individual could run down the hallways yelling "FIRE!! FIRE!!" and knock on the doors of the remaining apartments to warn the people and even help those who are in wheelchairs or are limited in mobility to escape. (Part 15 station says "Please tune to so so EAS station)
Now this individual is your everyday joe blow, no special training, no certificate of professional yelper, nothing like that. Just your everyday guy minding his own business.
This individual (Part 15 station), who instead of ignoring warning signals, passes along the information that the complex is on fire and in doing so (taking action) saves some lives.
Yes...we CAN act..and should ACT and NOT cower in a corner just because some have been programmed to believe that government and only government and their personnel are qualified enough to say "hey, our EAS equipment just issued a warning, please tune to....for further information!"
Really....isn't it about time we do our part to make everyone aware of whats happening?
Or do we lay back and be lazy and expect big brother to spoon feed us while selling off our industries to overseas companies and bail out failing big corporations at our expense??
There is no reason why Part 15 cannot do its small part to help out in an emergency. Even if at the very least it is to advise their listeners to tune in to an official EAS station.
There is no reason why each one of us as citizens of this great nation cannot do our part to help the overall goal.
Now if there seems to be some sort of disorganization in what is supposed to be organized, then it is more imperative for us as citizens to help others.
Granted the majority are not going to choose a Part 15 station as their first or second choice. Does that mean that no one tunes to a Part 15 station at all and that any effort by a Part 15 station is pointless?
Does Part 15 wish to be a part of something...or continue to just be something small and irrelevant?
Indeed....you decide.
RFB
Marshall agreed that (if EAS is done as security theater) we can act, but he questioned whether we can sing or dance.
Radio has its strengths and weaknesses. On radio you cannot fake singing. You can either be heard singing, or not. But, to put dancing on the radio, all you need to do is make a few bumping noises and say, "I am now dancing." Your audience will believe it.
RFBurns made me think, in his apartment complex example, that a yelling individual is the ultimate in low power radio. How far can he be heard? 200-feet? Maybe that shows why the FCC gives part 15 about 200-feet average; it's the distance of a good yell.
Marshall agreed that (if EAS is done as security theater) we can act, but he questioned whether we can sing or dance.
Well even a theatrical performance or musical dance presentation is always scripted and rehearsed...following a guideline so to speak, then the show is performed in front of an audience.
Now I also agree...can we do the dance or sing on key? The real question is...are we Part 15 operators/owners incapable of or unable to comprehend a proper script to rehearse to do our performance when it comes time for the show?
I would think that every single Part 15 station operator/owner would have at least a little bit of understanding and comprehension ability to put on a good show.
Marshall please chime in here...but it seems like your trying to say to everyone here that we are not qualified enough to at least rehearse and put on a show.....ie do our part as Part 15 stations providing an alternative to a listening public in passing along crucial information and only stick with playing music and talk shows created by someone else. At least that is how it comes across in the posts to me.
Naturally we all want to have the right information and not second guess ourselves, even on the general public level. But is this issue really that complex or need to be so complex that it falls outside of our abilities to create a script and then rehearse that script or even a simple task of opening up a microphone and tell our listeners there is an emergency, tune to so and so station?
I believe that the majority of us Part 15 station owners are not just throwing leaves into the wind expecting it all to make a nice pile in the trash bin. We are considerably more apt than that aren't we?
And even if there are some Part 15 station owners who are not familiar with the EAS system or familiar with passing along crucial information, that does not mean that they cannot learn. Those of us who are familiar with EAS protocols and handling emergency information SHOULD step up and ACT and TEACH those who do not know so that they become informed, and in turn can inform their listeners appropriately.
Yes it is a matter of perspective. Do we sit idle by..or do we take action and help in any way we can? Do we pass on our knowledge to others so they too can pass on that knowledge...or do we be stingy and stubborn and keep everything to ourselves and ignore others?
RFB
I would encourage any Part 15 station operator to contact their local emergency manager and offer your services. The caveat being: you will very likely be required to go through a qualification process for certification as to the knowledge needed to operate within the EM Center systems and service area.
You see, the main thrust of the new EAS system is for local law enforcement, fire fighters and emergency management to have direct access to the system by punching in a code and then going on the air directly to transmit their message. Local emergency personnel can even use specific broadcast stations for specific geographical areas, while excluding all others. Each county in the United States is required by law to have an emergency plan and emergency manager. The new system does not require the broadcast station personnel to be the messaging gate keeper any longer; access is automatic. This system was adopted after the Clear Channel debacle several years ago when their automated station could not be brought online to inform the public of a poisonous gas leak. So, your apartment complex illustration works to some degree, but not entirely. Part 15 stations need to work "officially" in concert with the authorities charged with executing the proscribed emergency plan; become a part of the plan, not instead of it.
I have no argument with using Part 15 as a secondary or tertiary emergency notification service. I do advocate that Part 15 station operators make their intentions known and offer their station's capabilities to local emergency management. When this happens, the Part 15 station becomes a real and special asset to emergency management. Independence is not always a virtue. Otherwise, we become an extra leg for Fred Astaire (famous dancer), if you know what I mean. If approached correctly, people will be dancing in the streets and singing our praises.
I do advocate that Part 15 station operators make their intentions known and offer their station's capabilities to local emergency management. When this happens, the Part 15 station becomes a real and special asset to emergency management.
INDEED!! I wholeheartedly agree!!! 🙂
Part 15 has a real opportunity here. To become more than just a tiny signal to a tiny audience.
With Marshall's suggestions, and a bit of creativity on the Part 15 station, a campaign could be initiated in communities where the Part 15 station could be the liaison to the official level for the public level. Perhaps even feature programs on the air that educate the listenership about safety and things they could do to add to the overall goal.
For example, instead of having things like weekly tests or monthly tests as the official EAS stations do, a Part 15 station could have a weekly, or even daily program about general safety tips and ideas for different situations. Maybe even have guests from the offical levels to discuss those tips and ideas. The station could even publish a small printed booklet with local safety officials comments and ideas as well, and hand those out at local events that the Part 15 station could also participate in and promote.
A well scripted and rehearsed program will no doubt yield a performance on stage that deserves a standing ovation!
Big things can come from little ideas...even little Part 15 stations! 🙂
RFB
YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE.
THE KDX TRANSMITTER JUST FELL OUT THE WINDOW AND CRASHED BELOW.
HELLO?
HELLO?