2019 NPT EAS Test
20+ years in service and “still needs to be worked on” ?!?!
A friend owns several stations in the mid south. According to his people the audio announcements were undecipherable.
This is Radio folks. Unintelligible audio does not work for emergency messages. I suppose those folks with Babel Fish or FIPS decoders in their ears were well served.
(Perhaps we should require that EAS messages – not tests – be sponsored. Then there would be incentive to get the audio quality right.)
I have been hammering away at this for years. More squeaky wheel : Either fix it – now – and test it to be sure (lots of effort and probably money spent) – or get rid of it! (Less expensive.) I do not take this position purely from a save-money perspective. Fire departments are expensive and necessary – but the fire truck hoses have to squirt water. Otherwise its only good for a parade.
Emergencies are – by their nature – uncontrollable and unpredictable. (“Emergency Management” is a funny and silly concept when you understand this – it should be “emergency response”.) EAS can only – at best – respond after the fact. (A tornado or flash flood warning may be exceptions to this.) A system for disseminating lifesaving information MUST be robust, reliable, and understandable.
Or it is of no value.
James Walker
fusceris@gmail.com