[EAS] Fire

[Sean Donelan]

On Wed, 28 Sep 2016, Dave Kline wrote:
> Perhaps the first step in a whole new system, would be to eliminate the 
> alarming alarm noise component of the alert.
> Duck farts and two tone attention signals do get ones attention, but it
>  seems it can also put people into a frame of mind that their world may 
> be coming to an end. This may trigger irrational responses. If we were 
> to somehow calmly introduce the alert maybe folks would respond in a 
> calmer, more rational manner.

Remember, the Emergency Alert System, Emergency Broadcast System and 
CONELRAD never were designed with a public user interface.  Its more or 
less accidental the public learns about an alert through those sounds.

The bizzare thing is the public now associates those old sounds as "the 
alert".  Much like the NBC chimes were originally used signal a switch 
between the NBC Red network and NBC Blue Network feeds; eventually the 
audience associated the chimes with NBC even though they no longer serve 
any technical purpose.

The EBS Attention Signal was an inter-station signalling mechanisms.  It 
was designed for effecient decoding by equipment, minimizing false 
detection by equipment, and alerting the station operator. The public 
overhead the EBS signal, but it wasn't intended for the public originally.

In 1994, EAS data bursts were a more efficient inter-station signalling 
protocol. The SAME protocol was described as "unobtrusive" compared to the 
30-second EBS Attention Signal, and supported 1990's automation.  The 
duck farts aren't intended to alert the public, the public just accidently 
hear the SAME data burst inter-station signalling.  Weather Radios unmute 
after the SAME protocol, so the public doesn't even hear the SAME data 
bursts from NWS.

The need for backwards compatibility and supporting AM radio as the 
primary distribution channel for national alerts means the entire system 
must support the lowest-common denominator of 1950's radio technology 
using in-channel signalling.

The most difficult thing is to change the old-timer culture, who grew up 
with those sounds; that those sounds aren't set in stone.

If using a clean sheet redesign of a public alert and warning system, I 
wouldn't start with AM radio and in-band signalling. I would start by 
working on a better public user interface for alerts and "closed circuit"
distribution to mass media outlets.  Closed circuit doesn't mean separate 
physical channels. With digital transmission its easier to multiplex 
channels over OTA Digital TV, satellite, internet, etc.

For narrowband AM radio, lets downgrade the alert message (no pictures, 
talk radio audio) when necessary instead of limiting the entire system to 
AM radio.