[EAS] The 2017 EAS Handbook for LP-1's

[Gary Timm]

To those wishing for more detail in the new EAS Handbook,
CSRIC had a very though job in designing a Handbook with the flexibility to be used by all EAS Participants, but we did the best we could.  We felt the numerous fill-in-the-blank sections on each page could provide space for EAS Participants to address whatever their specific differences were and we left space to refer to external documents.  Could it have been better? - probably.  But hopefully this document is workable for all, and considered a vast improvement over what we started with.

Paul,
Here's what I would do in your situation being an LP-1 that originates RMTs as a part of the State EAS Plan schedule.  On Page 10, following "This facility sometimes originates RMTs.", we provided a space for "See instructions at: ________".  Unfortunately, the FCC only provided for 7 characters in that blank space.  You might either just hand-write in the location of the RMT Origination instructions, or be creative with the 7 characters such as "See instructions at: Page 16" and add your instructions as an additional page to your EAS Handbook.

Under "Receiving the RMT", it sounds like you only receive RMTs from the nuclear plant and you can click the first choice that those RMTs are relayed automatically.  I'm not sure what you mean in saying "other RMTs during the year are log-only".  Do you mean duplicate RMTs after the original is received? - The operator will never see those.  FCC rules require that all original received RMTs must be relayed, but maybe your State EAS Plan has some quirk there.  If so, I'd explain that in Steps 1, 2, 3, as you mentioned.

Gary Timm, Broadcast Chair
Wisconsin SECC
Chair, EAS Operating Handbook Update Subgroup, CSRIC V

From: Paul Campbell <Pcampbell at maxmediava.com>

The RMT section of the new 2017 EAS Handbook is vague for LP-1's regarding the section on RMTs on Page 10. Under the "Sending the RMT" section, my LP-1 station here generates its own RMTs, with the exception of a quarterly nuclear power plant test that originates from the SR, which I relay automatically, but this is the only RMT from them that I relay. Their other RMTs during the year are just logged. I suppose this would qualify my first response in this section as "This facility sometimes originates RMTs" even though we originate RMTs most of the time.

Under the "Receiving the RMT" section, since I only relay those quarterly nuclear plant tests automatically and log the rest, my answer doesn't fit neatly into either of the form's answers. I'm inclined to choose the 2nd option, and despite there being no operator intervention required, writing in the three lines of text field "Nothing. This facility is LP-1 for this market, and therefore only auto-relays quarterly nuclear plant test RMTs. Other RMTs are log-only."

Anyway, I'm just wondering how other LP-1's are handling this. Thanks a lot.

Paul

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