[EAS] CAP Converters

[Adrienne Abbott]

Ed--
The proposed Part 11 rewrite allows for CAP converters that produce the same
EAS messages that you see now. At this point, we don't know whether that
provision will be part of the final rewrite. A number of us submitted
comments to the FCC strongly urging them to adopt rules that allowed for the
use of the complete CAP message, which the converter boxes won't do. 

You and many others are caught between a rock and a hard spot or--the FCC's
decision and whatever decision the state of California makes on the future
of its EDIS system. But even if the FCC approves converter boxes,
ultimately, as states adopt CAP, stations with those boxes will have to
upgrade, if only to be able to receive the more complete information that
comes with a CAP message. For example, if other stations in your market have
the complete text of an AMBER Alert so they are able to repeat the
information regularly and intelligently, and the TV stations have crawls
that include the text of the audio message, pictures of the suspect and the
victim, maps of the area where the abduction occurred and a graphic display
of the suspect's license plate, well, it's not only going to be hard to
compete with that information, it's going to be harder to explain to the
public why your station offers so little information in a life-saving
situation. Then there's the question of whether you want to pin your
station's emergency information to a piece of equipment that's 15 years old.

In the end, that converter box may only be useable for another 2 to 5 years.
Is that delay worth it? My take on it is...you've got another 7 months to
find the $$$ for the complete new box that comes ready for upgrades via the
Internet. As the old man says "Choose wisely". 
Adrienne

"Radio burps, it cries, it needs to be fed all the time, it requires
constant attention, but we love it." Jim Aaron WGLN 

-----Original Message-----
From: eas-bounces at radiolists.net [mailto:eas-bounces at radiolists.net] On
Behalf Of Edward Ford

I realize the FCC has its hands full with the results of the National Test,
but they need to make a ruling on CAP Converters.  If they aren't going to
be approved for use by the FCC, then that decision needs to be made quickly.
That would keep broadcasters from buying something they can't use.  Also it
would be allow manufacturers to not use their resources on building devices
that won't be type accepted.  Currently the Gorman-Redlich CAP-DEC1 is on
the FEMA list of having passed IPAWS-CA testing, but what FCC says no
converters?  Where does that leave stations that have bought them?  Where
does that leave Gorman-Redlich and TFT?  

Running periodic national tests more often is a good idea, but the rest of
this process doesn't make too much sense.  The FCC and FEMA need to decide
on all the questions of standards, then as many have suggested, let the
manufacturers build the boxes.  No one wants to buy another unit in a couple
of months or in 3-5 years.

Edward Ford
KBPK/Fullerton College    

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