[EAS] EOM

[Otto, Ken]

Steve asked:

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What happens if the EOM is missing from an otherwise valid EAS message?  I would assume the 2 minute time-out would terminate the message, when the EAS participant is operating in the auto mode.

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An EOM is not automatically sent and this is something a lot of stations learned with the National EAS Test done in 2011.  On an EAN message such as that test the EOM was missed in some locations because of issues with some stations not having the proper audio levels for their new equipment.  

The default audio settings for one of the vendors had the audio in the digital format at such a high level it was feeding back onto input circuits (bleed over) and being decoded again.  Some stations did not understand the vendor's instructions for audio setup until after the test was completed.  So in this instance the test was reactivated "seeing" the beginning of the message again.  Upon completion of the test these stations were still transmitting the received audio from their LP1 station.  

In order to terminate the test a RWT (Required Weekly Test) had to be issued which completed with the proper EOM returning the station to program audio.

Ken

Kenneth Otto, WBCC-TV
Broadcast Operations Engineer