[EAS] Should the RWT EAS Code be abolished?

[Jim McKinnon]

At one regional AM I worked at many years ago being the LP-1 for the area, 
we would get a call from the weather service to activate the EBS due to an 
ice jam causing flooding on the nearby river. That was prior to EAS and it 
worked because at that time, we did not yet have a NOAA weather station, 
even though the weather office was only ten miles from the AM station. 
Everyone got the message because it was relayed by three or four other local 
stations.
EAS needs to be from the local level first, then from a regional status, not 
from the national level down as the primary path. As has been voiced here on 
this forum many times, except for a small state in area, any issuance of a 
mandatory gubernatorial message would not affect the entire area of most 
states, especially Texas and the like.
However,we here in west Texas, now have a radioactive low level storage 
facility forty or so miles away.
As Mike McCarthy has said about the "BIG RED BUTTON", I have two one for 
each TV station program stream, for weekly tests from the DASDEC and other 
alerts are automatic, except for weather alerts, which are handled by an 
automatic video weather alert system, which puts up the polygonic map and 
"RED" crawl.
RWTs and RMTs although being a pain are necessary, if only to test your own 
system, or to make sure the local LP-1 has not had their EAS box go 
scrambled again for the second or third time in nine months.

Jim McKinnon

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike McCarthy" <towers at mre.com>
<eas at radiolists.net>

> Therein lies the dilemma. The FCC has no authority over non CFR47
> licensees and permittees to force them to test their EAS equipment.
>
> The FCC can ask for a RWT to be sent on the spot during an inspection to
> prove the EAS equipment is in fact in the program chain and
> operational.  I don't recall the exact citation, but it falls under the
> same class as demonstrating control of the transmitter.
>
> Our new facility will have a big red button (60mm wide head) switch for
> this very purpose in the event we are inspected.  No needing to worry
> about entering a password or 5 steps.  Just hit the big red EASy button
> to save us from a x,000 fine.
>
> MM
>
> On 11/24/2011 9:42 AM, David Turnmire wrote:
>> IMHO, the some of the participants that are most important to initiate
>> RWTs are the vary ones that have NO legal responsibility to do so
>> under current law... the civil authorities!
>>> I do
>>> however find fault with requiring the showing of manual RWT activation
>>> even if fully operating in automated mode.
>> I must have missed that requirement.  My organization hasn't done a
>> manual RWT activation in many years!  Its all done by automation.  Most
>> of our sites are unattended 24/7 and essentially relay programming from
>> a central office (though with local EAS equipment).  Apparently the EAS
>> equipment vendors have missed that requirement too... as the ones I have
>> personal experience with all support a "RWTs at random times" feature.
>> Can you point me to where this manual RWT activation requirement is?
>>
>> Dave
>>
>
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