First ever nationwide EAS test next week

[flip23]

It's Wednesday, Nov. 9th. Maybe the govt. knows something big is coming soon.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2011/11/first-ever-national-test-of-emergency-alert-system-set-for-nov-9-/1

[ChiefEngineer]

And Amtrak is still in business in Beech Grove to serve as a transportation hub for relocation of population and temporary camps for those we can't jail....

Conspiracy theories abound.  This is similar to tests in the EBS days.  AP wire would send authentication codes out.  Because EAS was supposed to be a replacement for EBS this is a long time coming. The new system was supposed to avoid this because it was clustered with redundancy.  Clustered.  This gives someone something to do and our country some indication our government cares. Yawn.

[secondchoice]

I was asked why EAS (radio or TV) was not activated during the 9 / 11 / 2001 attacks.  The President's Air Force One has (or should have the ability to use this system to inform the rest of the nation what actions to take or dangers that are or are not present.  I realize most of NYC's FM's and TV stations were off messing up the local "feed", but the cable and maybe some of the AM stations could have been used.  I guess they should "test" it, but lets hope they never have to use it!!

[WhoDat!]

obama is going to blow into a mic and say "as of now i am the Supreme Ruler of the Country"-you are powerless to stop me" -well maybe NOT, but i can't remember a nationwide test of this kind in my lifetime. i DO remember how a ANOTHER test got screwed up back in the 70's when the codes were messed up. IT'S BIG GOVERNMENT AT ITS BEST!
hey, remember Conalrad at 640 & 1240kc on the AM dial?

[flip23]

All the VIPS stay at the Conalrad in downtown Indy nowdays.

[Juan Bodley]

go to http://historyofwowo.com/audio/WOWO-Bob%20SieversEBS_02-20-1971_scoped.mp3 and hear the mighty Bob Sievers going through the 1971 EBS FUBAR.  He's scrambling but if you were sitting at home waiting for the bombs to drop you'd never know.  (The link takes you to the History of WOWO website...it's a GREAT site dedicated to a station with a great history.  (Yes I wanted to work there.)

[secondchoice]

go to http://historyofwowo.com/audio/WOWO-Bob%20SieversEBS_02-20-1971_scoped.mp3 and hear the mighty Bob Sievers going through the 1971 EBS FUBAR.  He's scrambling but if you were sitting at home waiting for the bombs to drop you'd never know.  (The link takes you to the History of WOWO website...it's a GREAT site dedicated to a station with a great history.  (Yes I wanted to work there.)

At least there was somebody in the control room the read the EBS (now EAS).  This would have been a real mess if they were voice tracked!!

[Corky Marlowe]

Re the WOWO EBS--You can tell juuuust a little bit that everything is hitting the fan, but who better than Bob to keep things under control? Also, the EBS test was voiced by Bob Chase, who is in his mid 80's now and still the voice of the Fort Wayne Komets.

[borderblaster]

I seem to remember an attempt at a national test in the mid 90s and some stations didn't get end tones, thus simulcasting other programming.

I don't get the insistence that the EAS should have been activted on 9/11/01. Unless there is an authority with specific instructions, no one was deprived of knowing about the attacks. I'm sitting in Indianapolis on 9/11 and the EAS goes off...what is it going to tell me to do? Run to a fallout shelter? Wouldn't even know where one was. Get out of high rises? Let's cause a panic.

[secondchoice]

I don't get the insistence that the EAS should have been activted on 9/11/01. Unless there is an authority with specific instructions, no one was deprived of knowing about the attacks.

There was a lot of wasted "over reaction" to 9 / 11 / 01.  That the average TV viewer, you see the towers and the Pentagon literally in flames, the President last seen getting on Air Force One, All commercial airline flights ordered to land ASAP, and TV news people not sure what is happening, and you expect them not to be scared *hit-less.  IIRC there were internet rumors about gas and bio attacks, tainted water supplies.  Had some "official" just had told where the confirmed attacks were, some assurance that the DOD was still functioning, what we could do to help: example stay off the phone you unless really need help.  I was working in telecom at the time and you would not believe the call volume to emergency services nationwide.