[EAS] Anaysis of IPAWS EAS Test Webinar

[Alex Hartman]

Yet entire states missed out on the test entirely. (yes, that is redundant :) )

My digital ENDEC dropped audio at the second data burst and put a lot
of static'y garbage on the air instead. Not quite sure why... i only
got 4 words on the air.

The PEP should have beaten the NPR feed for obvious reasons, but like
i mentioned, some LPs and other stations (even a PEP from what i
understand) monitored the NPR feed instead of the conference bridge.
Whoever gets there first, wins. The matter of it all really was there
was a lot of praise for the NPR feed, when in fact, i don't know of a
single state plan that has a satellite feed as their required monitor
point. Stations modified the system, period.

I'm in the back yard of the "offending" PEP, WCCO, which is why i
believe ours was badly damaged. Closest to the impact if you will.

I just wish FEMA would've been more up-front about what exactly
happened, then we would have more information and insight on how to
correct things.

As for the PEP success rate, i would imagine it would be a variable,
as they were all supposed to be on the bridge at the same time,
getting the same audio, but i'd also imagine that of the 40 or so PEP
stations, maybe 15% of them have the same equipment. Some G-R's, some
Sage, Others TFT, etc. They all reacted differently from what i
understand.

There's still a lot of data to be analyzed from this, and since we
don't really have that data, we can only speculate.

--
Alex Hartman

On Wed, Nov 30, 2011 at 1:56 PM, Ira Wilner <bdcst at vermontel.net> wrote:
> Hi Alex,
>
> I think the PEP station success rate was quite variable.  In my case the PEP
> EAN beat the NPR feed by the satellite system time delay amount.  Both the
> PEP station and the NH NPR affiliate had 8 second HD radio diversity delays!
> And the PEP still won out.  Futhermore, my stations in VT that only
> monitored the NPR affiliate for EAN bailed out at the second set of headers
> while my NH LP-1 that grabbed the PEP station feed ran the entire damaged
> audio feed.  The New England PEP is WBZ Boston.
>
> Somebody may have their information wrong.
>
> --Ira
>
> ***************************************************************************
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Alex Hartman" <goober at goobe.net>
> <eas at radiolists.net>
>
>> See, this bothers me here:
>>
>>>Many states continued to note that the PEP stations don't provide 100%
>>>coverage and the current NPR Squawk Channel feed is essential, with
>>> >perhaps additional non-PEP sources needed.
>>
>> They *modified* the system! How can this test be anywhere near
>> accurate when the PEP does NOT take audio from the FEMA feed, but
>> instead takes  the audio from NPR squawk channel, which, ironically,
>> beat the FEMA feed by like 5 seconds they said. (Maine particularly)
>>
>
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