[EAS] False EAS Test Startles Guam Residents

[Dan Kelley]

I've been thinking for a LONG time that the user interface on lots of devices have never been fully-tested with non-technical people.  There needs to be some plain-english instructions, step-by-step, with lots of "are you sure?" reminders.  Too much stuff with EAS is written for the techs, not the people you're actually relying on to pull it all off.

Dan Kelley
Director of Technical Services/Digital Communications Manager
Michigan Association of Broadcasters
819 N. Washington Avenue
Lansing, MI 48906
(517) 484-7444
dkelley at michmab.com

On Thu, Aug 17, 2017 at 6:16 PM, Sean Donelan <sean at donelan.com> wrote:
>On Tue, 15 Aug 2017, Phil Johnson wrote:
>>But I can't imagine competent management at any radio station allowing an actual Alert template to appear on the computer screen or on a legacy Endec to illustrate that it's available.  This is what RWTs and DMOs are for.  Actual Alerts are what EMs and PSAPs are for.

>Whether a state/territory originates alerts from broadcast facilities or from government facilities; there isn't much training material how to do it.  Manufacturers usually have a chapter in the EAS equipment manuals. But originating an alert is almost always more complicated, with facility specific integration with consoles and transmission equipment. EMAs and PSAPs have the same user interface challenges with their alert origination equipment as broadcasters.

>Yes, some states say broadcasters never originate alerts.  But that just shifts the problem to EMAs and PSAPs, it doesn't solve the training and
>testing problems.

>Is there train-the-trainer material how to teach alert originators, and showing trainers how to set up the system for training?

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