[EAS] so what do we know about the NPT?

[Allen Sherrill]

Our radio group operates two PEP stations, in eastern and central NC.  Both of them successfully received and transmitted the NPT with audio.  

As far as I know, all stations either directly monitoring those stations, or downstream of others that do, at least received some version of the test.  I can't speak to whether all stations retransmitted it, but it started out OK.

Many if not most stations in the western part of NC received a test with only attention tones.  I know it was received that way by at least one LP-1.  I don't know if the test was received successfully by the regional PEP station.

As far as improving the testing...I don't think just having FEMA send out RWTs over the various links will really wring out the system, since they are not forwarded and many EAS boxes will not record the audio payload.  I believe we would have to establish what amounts to a RMT for the NPT, with an audio message.  That's the only way to find all the audio level discrepancies and other problems that keep the audio messages from being relayed properly. 

If it could be done overnight, with minimal program interruption, and (most importantly) without the boatloads of documentation that the NPT requires, I could get behind it.

Allen Sherrill

On Mon, Aug 16, 2021 at 2:30 PM Barry Mishkind barry at oldradio.com wrote:
Folks,

I've had a couple of emails from folks who did not get an NPT and didn't know if it was rescheduled due to weather or some such.

So, for those of you who had NPT transmissions that were less than perfect - or missing - we have gathered a few notes to perhaps explain what happened in your area (Some of the information from this list has been helpful):