Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id DAA06699; Sat, 3 May 1997 03:46:24 -0400 (EDT) Date: Sat, 3 May 1997 03:46:24 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <199705030746.DAA06699@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson Subject: TELECOM Digest V17 #109 TELECOM Digest Sat, 3 May 97 03:45:00 EDT Volume 17 : Issue 109 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Re: EBS Problems? (Michael Wright) Re: EBS Problems? (Daniel J. Meredith) Re: EBS Problems? (Jay R. Ashworth) Re: EBS Problems? (Toby Nixon) Re: EBS Problems? (James E Bellaire) Re: EBS Problems? (John Cropper) Re: EBS Problems? (Derek Peschel) Re: EBS Problems? (Gary Reardon) Re: Rural Telcos and the Internet (Stanley Cline) Re: Rural Telcos and the Internet (Fred Atkinson) Re: Rural Telcos and the Internet (nwdirect@netcom.com) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. 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Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: voe@telalink.net (Michael Wright) Subject: Re: EBS Problems? Date: Fri, 02 May 1997 12:39:06 GMT Organization: Telalink Corporation, Nashville, TN, USA Mark J. Cuccia wrote: > The EBS (Emergency Broadcasting System) has been going through > enhancements over the past few years, as I've read in various > broadcast communications engineering and industry journals. From what > I understand, there is supposed to be a silent 'digital' alerting > tone, which will replace the _LOUD_ two-tone (analog) alerting signal > that we've heard for a few decades. > Has anyone else been recently hearing these EBS tone-burst signals on > local or national radio or television? One would think that these tones > wouldn't be audible if the new enhanced system was supposed to be 'fully > digital'. Rush's show has been rudely interrupted a couple of times here in Nashville by the same combo of harsh multi-tones pulsing on and off ... but in each case the reason was a LOCAL weather bulletin. A telephoned voice drowsily, and sometimes unintelligibly, crept thru some sort of weather statement, taking far longer than necessary. Apparently the local station was inserting this tripe, not the net. Michael ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 May 97 8:25:30 MST From: Daniel J. Meredith Subject: Re: EBS Problems? > The EBS (Emergency Broadcasting System) has been going through > enhancements over the past few years, as I've read in various > broadcast communications engineering and industry journals. From what > I understand, there is supposed to be a silent 'digital' alerting > tone, which will replace the _LOUD_ two-tone (analog) alerting signal > that we've heard for a few decades. (I seem to recall reading that > originally, the analog alerting tone was a single frequency). SNIP > Has anyone else been recently hearing these EBS tone-burst signals on > local or national radio or television? One would think that these tones > wouldn't be audible if the new enhanced system was supposed to be 'fully > digital'. There has been extensive testing going on in the Phoenix, Arizona area. The first changes began taking place a few months ago and were only on the radio stations. What is heard out here are two short buzzes followed by a message stating "This is a test of the Emergency Alert System. The Emergency Alert System will be replacing the Emergency Broadcast System..." Just last week the local television stations began testing the "Emergency Alert System." The process is exactly the same on the television stations, the exact same tones come across the audio path, with audio from the program completely muted. Then across the top of the screen in a blue box the message from EAS scrolls across the top in white letters. This has been the same for all of the stations I've caught it on. Interesting enough they are doing these tests in the middle of prime time programming instead of daylight like was normally done for the EBS. It will be interesting to know how well this works... Daniel "It's Nice To Be Important, But It's Important To Be Nice" Southwestco Wireless, L.P. Fax: +1-602-470-9418 ------------------------------ From: jra@scfn.thpl.lib.fl.us (Jay R. Ashworth) Subject: Re: EBS Problems? Date: 1 May 1997 23:22:01 GMT Organization: Ashworth & Associates It's now called the Emergency Alert System, and while it's digital, it's _not_ inaudible. Check out http://www.fcc.gov/cib/eas/Welcome.html for more details, including the part 11 regs, and a description of the format. Naturally, the digital format cannot be decoded by any stock chip on the planet; fortunately, it's pretty slow, and straight FSK. Cheers, Jay R. Ashworth jra@scfn.thpl.lib.fl.us Member of the Technical Staff Unsolicited Commercial Emailers Sued The Suncoast Freenet "To really blow up an investment house requires Tampa Bay, Florida a human being." - Mark Stalzer +1 813 790 7592 ------------------------------ From: Toby Nixon Subject: Re: EBS Problems Date: Thu, 1 May 1997 15:11:57 -0700 They've been using them here for a few months in the Seattle area. I hear them on KVI 570AM (which is what I usually listen to). My understanding is that the signal that is broadcast is modulated data that can be picked up by receivers and printed out or displayed. Supposedly, people who are deaf and wouldn't be able to hear emergency announcements on the radio will be able to buy these receivers and have them in their home. When there's a tornado or flood warning or some other emergency (do we worry much about nuclear attack anymore?), they'd be able to see the flashing light and read about the problem. So, although the signal is "digital", it must certainly be audible to be able to picked up by this equipment. -- Toby ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 16:06:12 -0500 From: James E Bellaire Subject: Re: EBS Problems? EAS - Emergency Alert System replaced EBS as of January 1st this year. The old EBS receivers are to be left connected as back up until January 1998. The new system has a header code that is sent three times, that is the 'screeeeeech screeeeeech screeeeeech' that you hear at the beginning of the alert. Then a shortened tone plays (only for valid emergencies) and a message of up to 2 minutes length. An end code plays in triplicate after the 'message' portion. That is the quick 'screech screech screech' at the end. A weekly test of the system, which can occur at any time of day instead of just daylight hours, can be under 30 seconds. This test is 'silent' because it does not have a spoken message inside the header. All the station does is announce the test (optional 'this is a test of the Emergency Alert System'), play the header and end codes (screeeeeech screeeeeech screeeeeech - screech screech screech), then returns to its regular program. Not exactly silent, but short with no tones. A monthly test is started by a primary station in each area or statewide and MUST be replayed within 15 minutes. This includes the tone and a script, and is similar to the old EBS tests except that it is coordinated on all area stations. The header code can tell you most of the content of the message, including the county or state involved. The eventual goal is to replace the NWS weather monitors with EAS monitors in homes. Then you can tell your box to listen to your county's code and whichever events interest you. The headers specify what event is happening, from special weather statements to tornado warnings. They are set codes that must be used so that anyone with EAS equiptment can decode any alert signal. EAS was based on the S.A.M.E. alert system that the NWS used. The message portion (inside the header/end codes) is stored and forwarded on other participating stations, unlike EBS where the operator had to transcribe and re-read when forwarded. The EAS message is generally the same as the headers would say, with any details information added. For example, an EAS header may say (in code) 'NWS issuing a TOR (Tornado Warning) for 018039 (All Elkhart County Indiana) effective 15:44 on 05/01 for 15 minutes' with the announcer reading this plus 'a funnel cloud was spotted 3 miles Southeast of the city of Elkhart heading Northeast at 10 miles per hour'. The stations around here still say their station's name at the end of the announcement ('stay tuned to U93 for more information') even though the exact message is stored and forwarded on other stations. They shouldn't be doing that since any future information would be sent through EAS on all stations, but old habits are hard to break. Some stations are also selling sponsorships of EAS (we play your ad right after any EAS message) hoping that listeners will stay tuned. Many NWS stations are adding EAS to their signals, with broadcast and cable systems receiving alerts directly as well as through the old EBS chain. The EAS equiptment is required, with the cheapest systems selling for around $1000. Broadcast and cable systems must by and have the equiptment in use by January 1st 1997. (Although the FCC is not giving fines out as long as a station has ordered equiptment and is acting in good faith.) There have been a ton of implementation problems since January 1st, with the system having problems decoding signals received from other starions or broadcasting the computer codes cleanly. When all the bugs are worked out it will be a better system, but for now we have to put up with the glitches like the one you described. Radio World has had good coverage of the implimentation of EAS and its problems, including a look back at the old CONNELRAD system (pre EBS). EAS is an evolvement of EBS that focuses the service on the way EBS was actually used, for weather and local emergencies. The national EBS system has not needed to be activated, but those tones have saved a lot of lives on the local level. For more information on EAS, search the web or visit the FCC at http://www.fcc.gov/cib/eas/Welcome.html James E. Bellaire (JEB6) bellaire@tk.com Telecom Indiana Webpage http://www.iquest.net/~bellaire/telecom/ ------------------------------ From: John Cropper Subject: Re: EBS Problems? Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 18:10:01 -0400 Organization: lincs.net Reply-To: jcropper@NOSPAM.lincs.net Mark J. Cuccia wrote: > The EBS (Emergency Broadcasting System) has been going through > enhancements over the past few years, as I've read in various > broadcast communications engineering and industry journals. From what > I understand, there is supposed to be a silent 'digital' alerting > tone, which will replace the _LOUD_ two-tone (analog) alerting signal > that we've heard for a few decades. (I seem to recall reading that > originally, the analog alerting tone was a single frequency). The EBS is due to be decommissioned (supposedly by the end of 1997), and replaced by the Emergency Alert System (EAS). This transition will be highlighted by more modern equipment, including the 'silent' alerting system you mentioned. > One weekday afternoon about a week or two ago, I was listening to > WBYU-AM/1450, a station that airs nostalgic music from the 1930's > through the 1960's. Most of the time, they carry a satellite fed > service from ABC-Radio in Dallas TX, called the "Satellite Music/News > Networks", with the particular satellite music format called > "Stardust". The network itself airs news from ABC's American Direction > Radio Network. :-) ABC has more than a dozen "Networks", and it's no wonder that one of them might've been affected by a random switch flip at one of their company-owned stations ... > Has anyone else been recently hearing these EBS tone-burst signals on > local or national radio or television? One would think that these tones > wouldn't be audible if the new enhanced system was supposed to be 'fully > digital'. The EBS-EAS transition is not fully complete nationwide, hence the continuance of the 'audible' alerts ... John Cropper, Webmaster voice: 888.NPA.NFO2 Legacy IS, Networking & Comm. Solutions 609.637.9434 P.O. Box 277 fax: 609.637.9430 Pennington, NJ 08534-0277 Unsolicited commercial e-mail is subject mailto:jcropper@lincs.net to a fee as outlined in the agreement at http://www.lincs.net/ http://www.lincs.net/spamoff.htm ------------------------------ From: dpeschel@u.washington.edu (Derek Peschel) Subject: Re: EBS Problems? Date: 1 May 1997 20:58:40 GMT Organization: University of Washington, Seattle > Has anyone else been recently hearing these EBS tone-burst signals on > local or national radio or television? One would think that these tones > wouldn't be audible if the new enhanced system was supposed to be 'fully > digital'. Yes, on a local radio station. It's KING FM (98.1 MHz). I've heard the new signals a couple of times, early in the morning. First the station plays a small announcement: "This station is required to conduct weekly tests of the Emergency Alert System." (or something like that) Then come the signals (IIRC, two long followed by three short bursts). I'm sure there's a concluding announcement but I don't remember what it is. The whole thing is over very quickly. The tests sound professionally done (not a mistake). I'm sure KING made a recording so they can play it often -- the tests always sound the same. Note the change of name -- "Emergency Alert System." So calling them EBS signals is apparently incorrect. They are clearly digital signals, but aren't inaudible. In an emergency, stations would play some kind of loud warning along with the quiet signal, but I don't know what that warning would sound like. KING's web page http://www.king.org/ doesn't seem to have any information about the EAS, but they do have RealAudio running so you can hear for yourself. Derek ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 02 May 1997 21:17:35 -0400 From: Gary Reardon Subject: Re: EBS Problems? The new system (EAS) is not a 'silent' digital system, but multiple audible packet data bursts. As annoying as the old system, but actually carries information on the type of alert, where it came from, and who it's for. ------------------------------ From: roamer1@RemoveThis.pobox.com (Stanley Cline) Subject: Re: Rural Telcos and the Internet Date: Fri, 02 May 1997 19:34:04 GMT Organization: An antonym for Chaos Reply-To: roamer1@RemoveThis.pobox.com On Mon, 28 Apr 1997 16:00:19 -0400, The Old Bear wrote: > area of internet connectivity for their subscribers. If this is > typical, I am both pleased for what it portends for rural access > to the net -- and deeply disturbed about the whining coming from In the Chattanooga area, most [read: all but one] of the surrounding non-Bell telcos, both co-op and traditional, provide internet access to their customers, *usually* (but not always) at rates close to the "big-city" rates. In many of the cases, one large ISP -- Info Avenue of (North? South?) Carolina provides connectivity which the rural telco resells to its customers. Others, such as Alltel and TDS, have built their own networks; yet others partner with existing local ISPs in adjoining areas. One telco [Trenton GA Telephone], OTOH, continues to milk its customers dry by forcing them to pay either inflated toll charges or $70/mo for a FX line to access Chattanooga as "local." -- they REFUSE to provide any local 'net access because they are so BACKWARD! Needless to say, I may be testifying before the Georgia PSC about the lack of local net access, along with the EAS MESS ... (I think the 'net sex/violence scares feed telco's reluctance; the cable company in Trenton dropped MTV after complaints. Given THAT, why would a telco provide/sponsor a conduit to even *worse* content? If they did, they may be subject to public outcry.) =20 *Bell*-served rural areas, and even smaller towns (~20-50k population) continue to experience a local-access shortage. For example, Rome, Georgia -- home to several small colleges and served by BellSouth -- had *no* local ISPs until about six months ago, and Meridian, Mississippi had only one or two ISP POPs until lately. That worries me -- Baby Bells pushing ISP service in large urban areas when rural and smaller communities are more in need of local access. Stanley Cline (Roamer1 on IRC) ** GO BRAVES! GO VOLS! CLLI MRTTGAMA42G NPA 770 ** scline(at)mindspring.com mailto:roamer1(at)pobox.com ** http://www.pobox.com/~roamer1/ From/Reply-To may be changed -- NO SPAM! http://spam.abuse.net/spam/ ------------------------------ From: fred_atkinson/skytel_at_skytelnotespo@mtel.com (Fred Atkinson) Date: Fri, 02 May 97 08:40:00 -0600 Subject: Re: Rural Telcos and the Internet I have a friend that lives in a little place called, 'Monetta, South Carolina'. Monetta is long distance to all of the three nearest major cities. As my friend was an old computer buff, he was very disheartened to be unable to get local Internet access for a while. The local carrier is 'Pond Branch' Telephone. They entered into an agreement with an Internet provider actively involved in arranging Internet coverage in rural areas. Suddenly, my friend was able to get local Internet access. Not only access, but the access was on the same exchange his telephone service was on (803-685). 'Pond Branch' later got their own domain name (pbtcomm.net). His Internet charges are billed on his home telephone number which is convenient. There is no reason in the world why rural areas can't get Internet access from a local provider. If they can't, it's because no one has been willing to provide it or because no one has tried. Fred ------------------------------ From: nwdirect@netcom.com Subject: Re: Rural Telcos and the Internet Organization: Netcom On-Line Services Date: Fri, 02 May 1997 21:21:45 GMT The Old Bear (oldbear@arctos.com) wrote: > While rural cooperatives are not that unusual, I have not been > sufficiently close to them to know what they have been doing in the > area of internet connectivity for their subscribers. If this is > typical, I am both pleased for what it portends for rural access > to the net -- and deeply disturbed about the whining coming from > the Baby Bells who continue to complain about net access being a > problem rather than an opportunity. As the webmaster for a large directory of ISPs that lists locations access is provided I can tell you that more and more rural areas are getting Internet access through such providers. And with several providers now offering unlimited access for a flat fee using an 800-number it is possible for everyone who has a phone to get access without paying long-distance charges. * Internet Access Providers - Web Presense Providers - BBSes * * http://www.thedirectory.org/ - largest directory on the web * * tens of thousands of listings - over 7,500 Access Providers * * Telephone Prefix Locations - "The BBS Corner" - Web Banner Creation * ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V17 #109 ******************************