TEST SPECIFICS
The test will begin with a request for the activation from the White House to FEMA at approximately 2:00 PM Eastern, 11:00 AM Pacific on November 9th. It is expected that a Presidential Communications Officer will actually read the EAS audio message which will include the phrase "This is a test" several times. It will take a couple of minutes for the message to render into the PEP system and then launch to the Local Primary stations, the NPR squawk channel and the Participating Stations. This means it may be a little after 2:00 PM Eastern, 11:00 AM Pacific, by the time the test propagates to your station so wait for it! Continue your normal programming until the activation comes in and takes over your EAS equipment and with it, your programming and your airwaves.
The National Test will use the Event Code "EAN" and the Locater Code for Washington DC. In the Auto-Forward mode, this combination will allow the activation to take over your equipment and hold it for the entire time of the test. As long as you operate your EAS equipment in the AUTOMATIC Mode, you shouldn't need to make any changes in the programming of your equipment. If you operate in the MANUAL Mode, you will need to check your manufacturer's web site for updates and changes needed before the test.
The National Test will use the Originator Code "PEP" for Primary Entry Point stations and the Duration Code will be 15 minutes. This combination of codes is supposed to take over any EAS unit anywhere in the country and hold it as long as needed for the activation message, with no time limits. EAN is the only activation code that does not time-out after two minutes and that is one of the functions that is being checked in this test. The EOM digital tones will be sent at the end of the audio message which will last approximately two and a half minutes.
With the EAS tones before and after the message, the entire test should run approximately three minutes. This will stress the "seize and control" capability of the EAN Event Code.
For stations that share an EAS unit, this means that it's important that the test clear the first station in time for the other station or stations to be able to send out the test before it expires. Remember that the test must be rebroadcast on all your digital streams so it is important that there aren't any delays in the rebroadcast process.
Nothing beats being there, so every broadcaster, including automated stations and cable providers should plan on having an experienced operator present at the EAS equipment during the test. It is important that you or your operator allow the End of Message signal--the three short data bursts--to play out before switching back to normal programming. Do not attempt to end the test yourself. It may not be easy to wait for the EOM because the person reading the message may pause or hesitate in their reading. But FEMA assures us that the EOM will be sent.
The test message will be in English and will not be available in any other language. Foreign language stations particularly will need to prepare their audiences for the test through PSA's and other messages in your broadcast language because there is no way to override the test audio with a translation.
An EAT--Emergency Action Termination--will not be sent as part of this test. The use of the EAT in conjunction with an EAN is outlined in the FCC's official EAS Handbook as a way to notify National Non-Participating stations which must go off the air if an EAN is issued, that they can return to the air and resume broadcasting. In fact, you should NOT follow the procedures in the EAS Handbook. We have known for years that those procedures were incorrect, if not impossible to follow. While the FCC still requires that you have the Handbooks, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Deputy Chief Greg Cooke has stated multiple times that stations should put the Handbook in a drawer and follow the instructions that the FCC will issue in a "Day of..." guide that's expected to be available this week on the FCC's National EAS Test website.
While the audio message for the National Test will use the phrase "This is a test" repeatedly, the use of the EAN code means your EAS equipment will automatically generate a crawl that indicates there is a national emergency. TV stations and cable, satellite and Internet TV operators are all asked to prepare a graphic or slide that reads "This is a Test" to cut down on the confusion and concern that might arise from the crawl, especially among the hard of hearing and deaf. If you are using a computer-generated graphic instead of a still-store or slide, it should be programmed to run the entire length of the test and not fade to black halfway through the audio message. Four minutes is advised to cover the entire test. The Nevada EAS graphic used for the special Nevada mini-test can be used for the National EAS test. Just don't rely only on the crawl that your equipment, even the new CAP equipment, will produce during the National Test. We know when and what time the test is coming so if you don't want to use the Nevada EAS graphic, you have time to put together a nice looking image that perhaps includes with your station logo and to have the staff on hand to make sure it gets on the air during the test. This is a particularly important procedure for foreign language stations because the National Test will be in English and some EAS equipment can be set to produce the crawl message in Spanish, again possibly confusing foreign language audiences. So Spanish and other foreign language TV stations should make sure that their Test graphic is in their broadcast language.
Your EAS logs are the first and best indicator of whether your station will be able to receive and rebroadcast the National EAS Test as well as any Presidential level activations. Review your EAS logs--do they show that you've received all EAS tests over the past year? Did you receive and rebroadcast the special Nevada statewide mini-National EAS Test on Sept. 26th? Are there any discrepancies between the times the stations you monitor sent the Required Monthly Tests and the Required Weekly Tests and the time you received those tests? Did you upgrade your EAS equipment in 2007 when Congress approved the current DST dates? If not, contact the manufacturer immediately for instructions on dealing with the time change. Remember, the test will be sent on Nov. 9th, three days after Daylight Saving Time ends on Nov. 6th. Make a note now on your calendar to check the time on your EAS equipment on Monday November 7th.
CHECKLIST
Let's begin with the definition of a successful National EAS Test. A station must satisfy two major requirements for the test to be considered a success: your equipment must receive the entire test and must rebroadcast the entire test. This Checklist will help you prepare for a successful test.
Start with a look at your EAS equipment. Is it plugged in, displaying the correct time and receiving your monitoring assignments?
While you're at the EAS unit, check the programming. Do you have a new unit or are you using a legacy box? Is it correctly programmed or has it lost information? TFT's in particular lose their programming when the internal battery weakens. If you can't remember the last time you changed the battery it's probably time for a new one. It's a simple watch battery[1] that is generally available at drug stores and WalMart for about ten dollars. The most difficult thing about changing the battery is the re-programming of the equipment.
Is your equipment set to Auto Forward or Manual? If your station operates in an automated mode for any part of the day, your equipment must be set to Auto Forward. Do you have a delay built into your Auto Forward setting? Do you know what that delay period is? How will that affect the 15-minute duration of the National EAS Test? If you always have an operator on duty and your equipment is set to Manual, be there to see that the test is properly received and then forward it for rebroadcast.
Next, check the audio quality of your monitored stations. Is the audio something you want on your airwaves? If not, make the changes now that are needed to improve the signal and audio quality.
Check your Monitoring Assignments against the FCC EAS Mapbook on the Nevada Broadcasters Association website, www.nevadabroadcasters.org. Because the National Test will be sent from the White House to FEMA'S Primary Entry Point stations, you will receive the test from multiple sources, including Nevada's two PEP stations, KDWN in Las Vegas and KKOH in Reno. In addition, National Public Radio will carry the test on their squawk channel, so it will also come in on KNPR in Las Vegas as well as their translator network, and KUNR in Reno and their translators. That means stations from Susanville to Bishop, Elko to Bullhead City and Tonopah to Ely will all receive the National Test from NPR as well as a PEP station. Most of the stations in the Nevada Operational Area should receive the test on the first "hop" from an originating source rather than through the extensive "daisy chain" used in some states.
If you receive the National Test from more than one of your monitored sources, your EAS equipment should be able to tell that the second message is a duplicate test. If your equipment does try to rebroadcast a duplicate test we are being told that sending a Required Weekly Test (RWT) in the duplicate EAN activation will cancel the second activation.
Be sure to log that the test was received and rebroadcast, just as you would with any EAS activation.
The FCC would like you to take a couple minutes now to "populate" your online reporting form. You will need your Facility ID and other station-specific information when you do this. The FCC will announce the link on the National Test website: http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/emergency-alert-system-nationwide-test. By doing this now, you can cut down on the time it will take you to file your initial "Day of" report.
DURING THE TEST
Be there. Know how your equipment will handle the test, especially if your equipment feeds more than one station. Be prepared to forward the test manually if needed. Be prepared to end it manually if needed but remember that this test will run longer than the normal tests so wait for the entire test to propagate through your equipment.
Be on the NBA conference call to track the progress of the test from the time it arrives at the PEP stations until it leaves your station. The number is 1-605-475-4333, access code 540086#. The line will handle 150 calls at a time, so if you don't get through the first time, hang up and dial in again. Let us know what the test is doing at your station.
AFTER THE TEST
Log the test as you would log any EAS activation.
The FCC would like you to immediately report the results of the test at your station. Use their online resource to tell them what happened immediately after the test.[2] Then you will have 45 days to file a more extensive report on the details of the test at your station.
SUMMARY
Remember, this isn't just another EAS Test. Don't assume that your equipment will handle it just fine. This is a first-ever event and no one really knows whether the equipment and the EAS network will function as intended. Don't sit in your office and assume the equipment and your staff will handle it just fine. Take the pro-active approach and be there to make sure that everything works properly or that you can observe and deal with any problems that arise. Remember that not only will your station will have to submit an immediate report on the test to the FCC, you will also have 45 days to send the FCC a second, more detailed report on the test circumstances and activities.
Additional resources for information on the National EAS Test:
FEMA IPAWS will publish their Best Practices Guide on the IdeaScale website at https://nationaldialogue-emergencyalertsystem.ideascale.com/
You will also find information on the National Test and general EAS topics on the Broadcast Warning Working Group website, the EAS Forum, athttp://eas.radiolists.net/
NASBA, the National Alliance of State Broadcasters Associations, has a section on their website devoted to EAS and information about the National Test at: http://www.easalert.org/
The Broadcasters Desktop Resource at http://www.thebdr.net/ provides information not only on EAS but other aspects of broadcast engineering.
Adrienne Abbott
