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Mike Wolf
join:2009-05-24
Tuckerton, NJ

1 edit

Mike Wolf to heat84

Member

to heat84

Re: Nationwide EAS Test 11/9 2:00 PM EST

QVC is channel 3 for me. CBS is channel 2 for me. The alerts continued up until 4:50am for me, and I noticed my Moxi and the DTA would recieve and display the alert first, then approximately 3 minutes later my cableboxes alerted, so I was able to prepare myself for photos and video. This is essentially what happened

»www.youtube.com/watch?v= ··· BC1p0pZk


only the message script for all devices was "THE BROADCAST STATION OR CABLE SYSTEM HAS ISSUED A REQUIRED WEEKLY TEST FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES/AREAS: Monmouth; Ocean, NJ; New Jersey; AT (a time) ON OCT 26, 2011 EFFECTIVE UNTIL (a time) MESSAGE FROM NJ34025

Whats odd is the use of the word "the" instead of "a" in the beginning of the message, it doesnt sound right, does it?

Still don't know what NJ34025 means lol
The Q
join:2008-06-26
Collegeville, PA

The Q

Member

said by Mike Wolf:

Still don't know what NJ34025 means lol

I googled NJ34025, it seems to be an locality identifier (at least for the US Census folks) for Monmouth County, NJ based on the search results that came back....

Mike Wolf
join:2009-05-24
Tuckerton, NJ

Mike Wolf

Member

yeah i did the same thing, but it doesnt make any sense why it would be from that rather then from an actual organization or person.

where you seeing anything during the test frenzy?

Newsjunkie21
join:2011-04-19
Brick, NJ

Newsjunkie21 to Mike Wolf

Member

to Mike Wolf
I gotta admit that tone kinda scares me.

Mike Wolf
join:2009-05-24
Tuckerton, NJ

Mike Wolf

Member

lol well its SUPPOSE to It gotta get your attention somehow and fear is good I think? So you excited about the national test?

SmokChsr
Who let the magic smoke out?
Premium Member
join:2006-03-17
Saint Augustine, FL

SmokChsr to Mike Wolf

Premium Member

to Mike Wolf
said by Mike Wolf:

Still don't know what NJ34025 means lol

That would be the FIPS code for Monmouth Co New Jersey..
EAS alerts are based on FIPS codes to determine the location.

Mike Wolf
join:2009-05-24
Tuckerton, NJ

Mike Wolf

Member

why wouldnt we just use 34029 for ocean county?

SmokChsr
Who let the magic smoke out?
Premium Member
join:2006-03-17
Saint Augustine, FL

SmokChsr

Premium Member

I'm not sure how NJ is set up. That said, where ever the decoding box is that generated the alert, if it was set up to decode 34025 as a valid in area code, then it would relay that alert over its entire coverage area.

I work in radio broadcast in Florida, so to give an example I have the (EAS) boxes I program set up to respond to any alert that occurs in the coverage area of that radio station. So it may seem a bit odd to a listener in the South end of the coverage area that he just heard an alert for the far North end of the stations coverage, perhaps 100 miles away.

In the world of cable, it's always a guess as to what the boxes are set to decode and from where. I know with the local cable co, they decode at a distant headend who knows where and send the alert in with all the other programing. I've seen some alerts come in that were for 2 states away.

Mike Wolf
join:2009-05-24
Tuckerton, NJ

Mike Wolf

Member

I've seen weirder where a customer from a small mom and pop cable provider was receiving tests from South Carolina.
Anyway the FCC and FEMA and other various agencies will be tidying up the entire system piece by piece, section by section until its a model of efficient perfection. IPAWS is gonna make it alot better. »www.fema.gov/emergency/ipaws/

SmokChsr
Who let the magic smoke out?
Premium Member
join:2006-03-17
Saint Augustine, FL

SmokChsr

Premium Member

Yes When IPAWS comes online it should get a bit better. I've been requested to give a talk Saturday on EAS at a broadcasting conference. One of my requested topics of course was on what the new rules will be, and that is currently any ones guess. I guess I get to make some guesses this weekend.

Now for those who deliver you your EAS messages, the FCC just told us this week, that we HAVE to print out a new 24 page EAS handbook and place it at each EAS box for the test Nov 9.

Bear in mind, they didn't say we needed to read it, just that we must place it at the box before the test, and that we can remove it as soon as the test is complete. Also, the Alert code used for this test is an EAN. That particular code is the nationwide "Oh poop!" code. When it is received no one has to do anything. The box should immediately switch to the alert and retransmit it. "yes we can tell the other alerts to wait a bit or even go away if we want to".

So now we have to have a 24 page book at every EAS box to tell us we don't need to do anything.

So for those of you who are annoyed by the alerts, don't feel alone sometimes those of us who are sending them might even be a bit more annoyed.

Mike Wolf
join:2009-05-24
Tuckerton, NJ

Mike Wolf

Member

If you have any questions you would like to know, please feel free to ask me in a private message and I'll try to answer them.
It couldn't hurt to read that book as it may be found enlightening.
»www.fema.gov/emergency/i ··· nfo.shtm
»www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia ··· ide-test
»apps.fcc.gov/easnt/home1.cfm
Some equipment are automated and will pass along the alert in unmanned locations, where as others are manual and require intervention. Overall like I said before the IPAWS is going to make it alot more accurate so "false alerts" will be minimized. I'm mostly annoyed when people ask stupid questions, like this one thread »EAS warnings removal on comcast Motorola (HD TV boxes)
My head almost exploded.

Newsjunkie21
join:2011-04-19
Brick, NJ

Newsjunkie21

Member

I was watching Piers Morgan Tonight last night and saw a 30 second ad for the National Emergency Alert System test. I'm sure that it'll be running on a majority of ad-supported networks between now and 11/9.

Mike Wolf
join:2009-05-24
Tuckerton, NJ

Mike Wolf

Member

yes quite alot in fact, I just got off the phone with Tom Beers about that last week. big goal is to get the word out so theres no mass panic. the ads should be rolling out on most if not all channels at this point.

SmokChsr
Who let the magic smoke out?
Premium Member
join:2006-03-17
Saint Augustine, FL

SmokChsr

Premium Member

said by Mike Wolf:

big goal is to get the word out so theres no mass panic. the ads should be rolling out on most if not all channels at this point.

It's good to get the word out.. Although I think the chance of another "War of the Worlds" is quite remote.

I don't know if this is good or bad but, anymore it's hard to get the public's attention much less cause a panic. As a fire fighter we had a fire in a hotel, as we are dragging hoses through the lobby, for those in the lobby , their main concern was that the hose didn't leak and water down their drinks.

Now had this test come between 12:30 and 1:30 EST, it might have caused a revolution, interrupting 'The Young and the Restless" can cause major troubles.
Expand your moderator at work

Mike Wolf
join:2009-05-24
Tuckerton, NJ

Mike Wolf

Member

Re: Nationwide EAS Test 11/9 2:00 PM EST

»Emergency Alert System Channel
Mike Wolf

Mike Wolf

Member

*sighs* apparently some "genius" in government decided to change the time from 3 minutes to 30 seconds.
moes
Premium Member
join:2009-11-15
Cedar City, UT

moes

Premium Member

I noticed this too, RATHER have the long test instead of 30 seconds, figures...
The Q
join:2008-06-26
Collegeville, PA

The Q to Mike Wolf

Member

to Mike Wolf
said by Mike Wolf:

*sighs* apparently some "genius" in government decided to change the time from 3 minutes to 30 seconds.

... and only a few days before the test. Nice.

Mike Wolf
join:2009-05-24
Tuckerton, NJ

Mike Wolf to moes

Member

to moes
same here, I was looking forward to it. one of the points of the test being 3 minutes was to test out equipment to make sure it doesnt lock up or fail at the 2 minute mark.
moes
Premium Member
join:2009-11-15
Cedar City, UT

moes

Premium Member

my dct2000 does shit it's self after 2 minutes, this much I do know. we had a tornado rip though just south of me, eas went off and ran for a little over 5 minutes straight, my dct70 was still showing it but was not locked up (as in having to hard reboot) but that blasted "refurbished" as the sticker says dct2000 had to be hard reset twice and I still got that blasted box, i should go swap it I think.

Mike Wolf
join:2009-05-24
Tuckerton, NJ

Mike Wolf

Member

wow. I'm sorry for the inconvenience dude. If I was you I'd definitely go ahead with that swap out for a different model. »www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pre ··· 226.html
moes
Premium Member
join:2009-11-15
Cedar City, UT

moes

Premium Member

heh mike not your fault, I am just blaming the local office for handing me that when we got comcast. but yeah it's getting swapped quickly.

Mike Wolf
join:2009-05-24
Tuckerton, NJ

Mike Wolf

Member

Yes, but I know if I was in your position I'd want an apology from them, so please accept an apology from lowly old me.
moes
Premium Member
join:2009-11-15
Cedar City, UT

moes

Premium Member

Gratefully accepted mike