[EAS] SAGE Alerting Systems new EAS box audio level issues & fixes

[Ira Wilner]

I received this missive from our local NWS folks.  Apparently the new Sage Endec internal levels are problematic and can under certain circumstances cause serious audio clipping and as I discovered bleed through of unwanted audio when the audio mux chips are overdriven.  I had issues during a recent Amber alert.  It would be nice to clean this up before the nationwide EAN test since some of us may end up with multiple sources feeding the same alert simultaneously.

--Ira

**************************************************************************

From: Herbert White <Herbert.White at noaa.gov>
Organization: National Weather Service

First, thanks to John Koch, Glenn Field, Dave Nicosia and others in the Eastern Region for researching and passing the initial information to the rest of us.

This is an update with additional information from this afternoon's Eastern Region WCM call. Harold Price, Sage Alerting Solutions chief software engineer, discussed the problem and gave some additional information that may be helpful. First to summarize the issue:

After the Springfield Massachusetts tornado in June the NWS received complaints that the audio of the Tornado Warning was unintelligible on multiple EAS stations in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
Eastern Region HQ and Taunton WFO investigated.
The same problem occurred with an AMBER Alert in Massachusetts, helping to rule out NWR as the root cause of the problem.

The problem appears to with volume settings on a new Sage Digital Endec-3644 EAS box that has been installed to meet the new EAS CAP deadline (September 30).
The audio problem appears to occur in messages that are set for Automatic Relay and immediately passed through, like Tornado Warnings, and possibly any messages that are longer than 20 seconds.
The problem apparently does not happen during a Required Weekly Test or during a short Required Monthly Test that are typically 10 seconds or so in length and set for Time Relay for 60 minutes.

Harold Price reported this afternoon that Sage Alerting Systems will be taking the following actions:

Clarify existing instructions for the one and only new Sage Digital ENDEC (-3644, the one with the bright blue front panel).
Sage will issue a Service Bulletin in August.
Sage will put a notice on their website, http://www.sagealertingsystems.com/
by Friday of this week.
Sage will send an email notice of the problem to their customer email list this week.
Confirmed Sage will issue a software update by the end of August.

Harold Price also wrote the following:

We are doing four things to help stations get their audio adjusted properly.

1) Fine tune the VU meter applet on the ENDEC's web page to better highlight that the input is clipped.

2) Allow the user to set an individual channel input gain value, and to set the default for this more closely to the 1822 ENDEC gain.

3) Automatically check the alert output to make sure it isn't clipped, and turn it down if necessary.

4) Correct a bug in the menu.show input levels display where full scale ends a the "p"  in "up".

We plan to put out a software update in August that will address these issues.

Regards,
Harold

I will forward any significant information that I receive.

Herb

This email message, including attachments, may contain confidential
and/or privileged material specific to Saga Communications, Inc.  
Any unauthorized use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited.  
If you have received this in error, please delete it.
This station does not discriminate in the sale of advertising time,
and will accept no advertising which is placed with an intent to
discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity.  When you advertise
with us, you certify that you are not buying broadcasting air time
under our advertising sales contract for a discriminatory purpose,
included but not limited to decisions not to place advertising on
particular stations on the basis of race, national origin, or
ancestry, and that this requirement is a material term of our
advertising contract with you.