[EAS] Single point entry of CAP messages

[Lotus Engineering]

        EAS now works, but has some big limits, things we could not do much about back in the 80's when the current system was set up.  Now we can overcome those limitation.  CAP added to EAS gives us the capability, among other things to;
1. More directly target areas
2. Include much more information in text form as well as audio than the current system can.
3. Provide cleaner feeds.  ( who here hasn't gotten an alert that was almost unintelligible?)
4. Provide additional audio and text selectable by the end user for translation i.e. Spanish for those station in that format.
5. Permit additional paths for the information to get to the end user.
6. Provide Photos for TV for things like Amber alerts.
7. several other things that may not help everyone but may still help save lives in many cases.

        Without CAP we have the 20+ years old system that is still, in many areas, a bucket brigade carrying short messages with the resultant loss in quality and accuracy that occurs with multiple relays.  That chain is very vulnerable.

        The same naysayers who bitched when we went to EAS from EBS can't see the advantages, largely because they don't understand all the system is capable of doing.  Personally I'll be glad to replace the old stuff with equipment with the new improved capability.  Carts worked, Turntables worked, wire recorders worked, reel to reel worked but we have evolved and the Emergency alerting systems need to evolve and grow with them.
Bill

Bill Croghan CPBE WBØKSW
Chief Engineer,
KOMP/KXPT/KENO/KBAD/KWWN/KWID
Lotus Broadcasting, Las Vegas, NV
Co-Chair, Southern NV, Inyu County CA operational area.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: eas-bounces at radiolists.net [mailto:eas-bounces at radiolists.net] On
> Behalf Of Bowen, Jonathan
>
> So I've been trying to keep up with all this stuff but from what I
> understand so far the entire thing sounds seems backwards. EAS works
> and has been in place for decades. I may be preaching to the choir but
> it seems CAP is a lot of complication on top of a system that just
> works... I understand the need for CAP to bridge the gap and send the
> messages over other channels. They can add content to the alert if they
> want but that doesn't affect broadcasters. What I don't get is why we
> all need CAP-EAS receivers. The only place a CAP-EAS converter should
> exist is at the EAS origination points. When the governor or emergency
> organization wants to send a message they send it over CAP and it is
> injected into the EAS chain just like we do now. No extra regulations,
> no extra hardware, and no hassle. I still don't see why I need a CAP-
> EAS converter.
>
> I might be missing something but the entire things seems like a mess
> that will just cause problems for years to come.
>
> Thank you
>
> Jonathan Bowen
>
> _______________________________________________
> This is the EAS Forum Discussion List
>
> Please invite your friends to join our Forum!
> http://lists.radiolists.net/mailman/listinfo/eas
>
> And, remember the main page: http://eas.radiolists.net
>

Lotus Broadcasting Corporation and radio stations KOMP FM, KXPT FM, KWID FM, KWWN AM, KBAD AM, and KENO AM do not and shall not discriminate, in any way on the basis of race, ethnicity or gender, with respect to our advertising practices.