[BC] Usefulness of EAS

[Dave Hultsman]

Cowboy,  I agree with you...  When the FCC announced a committee to modernize the old EBS system I was thrilled.    By the time it got done it was  a committee that was supposed to design a horse and ended up with a expensive 7 legged camel and just to step backward to the old FCC Rules days,  the equipment had to be FCC,  Type Notified........That makes the "WOOOW"  on the old comedy EBS jingle mean something.  We had stopped type accepting nearly all broadcast gear and changed transmitters from type accepted to type notified.
 
By requiring "Type Notification" any designer or manufacturer had to hire a Washington Lawyer and probably a Washington Technical firm to do the paperwork to receive approval for type Notification.  This would restrict the number of suppliers. Clearly an advantage to the supplier of this new FCC required equipment. Let make it exclusive by requiring Type Notification.
 
I know of several small manufacturers that wanted to design their own encoder - decoder system using a standard IBM Computer, with a single custom designed audio card for inputs and outputs.  One of those gentlemen was John Pate of Sine Systems, a very brilliant engineer. He had it all designed and dumped it after he found out how much it would cost him to get Type Notified.  Plus there was a legal question if an IBM Computer could be FCC Type Notified.  (Probably because of its not meeting the Part 15 radiation rules).
 
So what was promised to the industry as a newer better system for less than $1,500.00 usually was much greater than that.   Thank God for Jim Gorman and Holyanne or we would all been financing EAS equipment.
 
As a peddler of equipment, I had a great Customer sit and chew my _ _ _ about this being "Legislated larcerny" on small to medium market stations.  I agree it was.
 
The only thing good about it was it did solve a growing problem of stations operating unattended and not being able to responde to the "letter of the laws" with EANS.  The new machines allowed a station to automatically broadcast any weather warnings 24 hours a day without having to go to the studios and also with the great paper tape printers provide you a log for the required monitoring of all the requires RMT, RWT, NWS and ETC.
 
Now here is the new CAS system, which they tried to make you dump everything you had and buy all new but the good guy prevailed.  But if you are a small market and don't have high speed internet how do you access the Server?  I guess small markets are really very important because most small markets have only one radio station. 
 
Also since this equipment is now mandated and related to FEMA why don't the supply all this equipment like the do the IPAWS and emergency equipment to other services?
 
I think I had too much coffee this morning.
 
Dave Hultsman
 
. 
 
In a message dated 6/14/2012 7:02:23 P.M. Central Daylight Time, curt at cwf1.com writes:
>Sage arguments that they would be the only provider, and exactly what
>capabilities would be provided by their monopoly, so overshadowed
>all other arguments that they effectively short circuited a really
>good system.

>The technology was not ignored, but the participants were distracted.

>Sage engaged in more personal attacks on commenters than technological
>discussion. In fact Sage continued sending personal hate mail to commenters
>for near 5 years after the fact. 

>Interestingly, I've never installed any Sage gear in any of the systems
>that I've built ever since. ( too many to count )

>--
>Cowboy