[EAS] Attention tones for WX alerts?

[Dale Lamm]

[snip]

Also, I'm not clear what the 'extra' tone was - but perhaps the box
should have actually stripped that?

[end]

The single tone is the NOAA alert tone, 1050 Hz for 10 seconds. Before
digital headers, this tone would open up Bearcat scanners, etc equipped
with weather alert features. Description at the URL below.

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/nwrwarn.htm

The ATTN tone is the discordant two-note 8 second sound which can be
configured to prefix relayed alerts.

At least one model of EAS device may be adjusted to strip out the ATTN
tone from the monitored station's audio. If you are relaying an alert
from several stations upstream, the build-up of 8 second ATTN tones can
be annoying. 

On at least one current EAS unit, setting the ATTN detector threshold
incorrectly can cause the device to swallow the actual alert audio. I
have decided to configure our market's units to NOT attempt to remove
the ATTN two-tone signal from the monitored stations.

Dale Lamm
WHBC-FM LP-1