Double EAS Test during KOA Rockies coverage

[ZantennaG1]

This has to be one of the weirder things I've seen outside of Dxing itself, as the 850 KOA Denver radio coverage of the Rockies baseball game was introduced twice, within a 30 minute time frame, for... a test. I am all for making sure people have working access to emergency information, but this comes across as a glitch to me. Also, I'd bet some Rockies fans were not thrilled to be interrupted not once, but twice. Not only that, it was grossly inconsistent too.

So, with my Radiwow R-108 in hand, I noticed the first test to be around 7:30pm. KHOW and KOA took part in the test, but KDFD just went their own way here. (So how is this universal, again?) It's worth noting that the Rockies simulcast on 1240 KFBC had no test to mess with the game, ironically enough. (I thought KOA was a "flagship station" for the Rockies) The second test would begin around 8 to 8:15pm, again interrupting KOA'S coverage of the game. This time, I forgot to check the other channels. C'mon Denver, get it together!

So if KOA had to partake in the test TWICE, and KDFD skipped out on it, then there needs to be some serious conversations here about the state of radio. Just my take, I suppose.

 

[dxsphere]

EAS equipment is set up by default to transmit weekly tests randomly, that probably explains the first one. As for the second one, I don't know. Sending EAS tests and non-life threatening alerts during sporting games is bad business - weekly tests should be pre-scheduled for the middle of the night sometime (like 4:00am or something); monthly tests should be transmitted during the commercial breaks. Other alerts should be ignored unless it involves a tornado or wildfire headed into town or the end of the world. There are other means to receive alerts, like your handy NOAA Weather Radio, over wireless alerts, road signs, social media, etc.

As for KFBC, KOA is a flagship station for the Rockies; the reason KFBC didn't transmit the duck farts of death is quite simple: they grab the coverage from the original KOA audio feed - that is, the original audio prior to being fed through KOA's EAS equipment.

KOA and KHOW appear to be connected to the same EAS box, while KDFD and the other iHeart stations in Denver are probably connected to separate boxes with different weekly test transmit times. These stations either have already transmitted the test this week or will transmit it within the next 24 hours.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

Actually,

If there's known severe weather... a test is supposed to be delayed.

The Rockies network is a program feed before the EAS.. the EAS is the last thing in line leaving the studio before you get to the transmitter site

There'd be no reason for a Cheyenne station in 95 plus percent of the time to rebroadcast a Denver EAS alert. KFBC doesnt simulcast KOA for rockies, it carries a "seperate" satellite feed of the game, mixed from a different source

I am not 100 percent on this, but you don't have to air the weekly, i dont think.. just prove you can recieve it. You just have to air the monthly... *I think*

There are no different weekly transmit times for EAS.. its set by the state broadcasting eas coordinator.. its the same for all the stations in the state. But because KHOW and KOA are licensed to the same town in the same county, KDFD is licensed to another town in another county.. thats why they may be on different eas boxes.

KDFD is licensed to Thorton, in Adams and Weld Counties.. KHOW and KOA are licensed to Denver, in Denver County. There very well couldve been two alerts that didnt include ADam or Weld Counties.

KOA takes their weather coverage pretty seriously. I was up in the KOA studios a few years ago visiting when a tornado warning went off and everyone was ready to head for the basement.

So... an EAS test going off twice and you complain.. is reminiscent of people who complain when a TV weather guy interrupts their NASCAR or soap operas or whatever on TV for severe weather.. without full understanding of whats going on

As i said previously, the Denver engineering community is friendly.. find one of them and ask, they might answer

Later edit.. what i just said may be very well null and void.. i didnt catch the word test in the above post. But.. what i did sya is useful info to remember. I was going off the fact i thought this was an EAs ALERt of some weather.

Apologies

 

[xmtrland]

There are two levels of participation in EAS. One level you don't send RWT but must receive them from the primary sources you monitor. You also have to receive and forward the RMT.

The other level your required to send a RWT and receive the RWT from your monitored sources and receive and forward the RMT.

It's frowned upon sending test in the midnight hours.

Yes you can set up an EAS box to send the test automatic. Or they can be scheduled. Unless you know the actual circumstances to what happened, was it a RMT that was forwarded, a RWT scheduled at a bad time, or both (it happens), your just a listener speculating.

Lots of moving parts in running a radio station. If you think you can do better then get involved and own one or actually become involved in running a commercial radio station.

EAS test happen.

 

[ZantennaG1]

EAS equipment is set up by default to transmit weekly tests randomly, that probably explains the first one. As for the second one, I don't know. Sending EAS tests and non-life threatening alerts during sporting games is bad business - weekly tests should be pre-scheduled for the middle of the night sometime (like 4:00am or something); monthly tests should be transmitted during the commercial breaks. Other alerts should be ignored unless it involves a tornado or wildfire headed into town or the end of the world. There are other means to receive alerts, like your handy NOAA Weather Radio, over wireless alerts, road signs, social media, etc.

As for KFBC, KOA is a flagship station for the Rockies; the reason KFBC didn't transmit the duck farts of death is quite simple: they grab the coverage from the original KOA audio feed - that is, the original audio prior to being fed through KOA's EAS equipment.

KOA and KHOW appear to be connected to the same EAS box, while KDFD and the other iHeart stations in Denver are probably connected to separate boxes with different weekly test transmit times. These stations either have already transmitted the test this week or will transmit it within the next 24 hours.

More people are already on their smartphones or televisions anyways than regular radio, so I have to wonder who it's even helping. Let the game play out! Thank you for your response @dxsphere

There are two levels of participation in EAS. One level you don't send RWT but must receive them from the primary sources you monitor. You also have to receive and forward the RMT.

The other level your required to send a RWT and receive the RWT from your monitored sources and receive and forward the RMT.

Good to know.

It's frowned upon sending test in the midnight hours.

Hmmm....Because it disrupts sleep!

Yes you can set up an EAS box to send the test automatic. Or they can be scheduled. Unless you know the actual circumstances to what happened, was it a RMT that was forwarded, a RWT scheduled at a bad time, or both (it happens), your just a listener speculating.

That's what this board is for??? Some of you on here are engineers, and I can then reach out in a nice way while still expressing my thoughts.

Lots of moving parts in running a radio station. If you think you can do better then get involved and own one or actually become involved in running a commercial radio station.

Sure, I'm a couch coach.

EAS test happen.

Yep, but not like this!

---
@SomeRadioGuy I see you thought it was an actual alert, and then course corrected after that. If there was an actual alert, my reaction would've been different, and I probably wouldn't have needed to make my post. But a test!? Whatever happened to the Noon rule? Perfect time for a test! I did watch that video of a meterologist getting ticked off about The Bachelorette show, and I agree with him there. Not here though. It's a test!

 

[dxsphere]

There are no different weekly transmit times for EAS.. its set by the state broadcasting eas coordinator.. its the same for all the stations in the state. But because KHOW and KOA are licensed to the same town in the same county, KDFD is licensed to another town in another county.. thats why they may be on different eas boxes.

I think you're confusing weekly tests with monthly tests. Monthly tests are set by the state or local area, weekly tests are transmitted over the air by the station's EAS box at a random time during the week. Those in-house weekly tests are not required to be relayed by other stations.

To satisfy the FCC, a station must:
- Prove receipt of a weekly test from a primary monitor station (once per week unless an alert or monthly is received during that week)
- Prove receipt of a weekly test form NOAA (once per week; NOAA tests Wednesdays between 10am-Noon Local)
- Prove receipt of a monthly test when it's sent (once per month)
- Transmit one weekly test in-house (once per week; times are random by default; though some stations set it up)

It's frowned upon sending test in the midnight hours.

That mainly applies for monthly tests; weekly tests are generally random

Yes you can set up an EAS box to send the test automatic. Or they can be scheduled. Unless you know the actual circumstances to what happened, was it a RMT that was forwarded, a RWT scheduled at a bad time, or both (it happens), your just a listener speculating.

I did a quick look at Colorado's monthly test schedule - it turned out to be both a monthly that was forwarded (again they could do it during commercial break since they have 60 mins to relay) and a weekly sent at a bad time (and unnecessary too since the monthly covers the requirement for that week).

 

[dxsphere]

I am not 100 percent on this, but you don't have to air the weekly, i dont think.. just prove you can recieve it. You just have to air the monthly... *I think*

That's true -- you have to air an in-house weekly, prove receipt of a weekly from a monitored source AND NOAA, and air the monthly when it comes.

So... an EAS test going off twice and you complain.. is reminiscent of people who complain when a TV weather guy interrupts their NASCAR or soap operas or whatever on TV for severe weather.. without full understanding of whats going on

Different situation here - if this was a severe weather event or some sort of civil emergency, I'd understand the interruption. But for a monthly test they can put off until commercial break or a weekly test they can put off until some other time outside of coverage, I understand the frustration from the listener who just had their game interrupted. In this case, I knew they were tests because of the headline on this forum, plus a quick peek at the NOAA website suggests no severe weather is occurring.

 

[ZantennaG1]

I think you're confusing weekly tests with monthly tests. Monthly tests are set by the state or local area, weekly tests are transmitted over the air by the station's EAS box at a random time during the week. Those in-house weekly tests are not required to be relayed.

Thank you for the clarification.

NOAA tests Wednesdays between 10am-Noon Local)

I thought so!

I did a quick look at Colorado's monthly test schedule - it turned out to be both a monthly that was forwarded (again they could do it during commercial break since they have 60 mins to relay) and a weekly sent at a bad time (and unnecessary too since the monthly covers the requirement for that week).

Definitely a glitch in the system.

 

[dxsphere]

Definitely a glitch in the system.

It could've been a deliberate schedule. I think KOA has done this before.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

I think you're confusing weekly tests with monthly tests. Monthly tests are set by the state or local area, weekly tests are transmitted over the air by the station's EAS box at a random time during the week. Those in-house weekly tests are not required to be relayed.

To satisfy the FCC, a station must:
- Prove receipt of a weekly test from a primary monitor station (once per week unless an alert or monthly is received during that week)
- Prove receipt of a weekly test form NOAA (once per week; NOAA tests Wednesdays between 10am-Noon Local)
- Prove receipt of a monthly test when it's sent (once per month)
- Transmit one weekly test in-house (once per week; times are random by default; though some stations set it up)


That mainly applies for monthly tests; weekly tests are generally


I did a quick look at Colorado's monthly test schedule - it turned out to be both a monthly that was forwarded (again they could do it during commercial break since they have 60 mins to relay) and a weekly sent at a bad time (and unnecessary too since the monthly covers the requirement for that week).

That's true -- you have to air an in-house weekly, prove receipt of a weekly from a monitored source AND NOAA, and air the monthly when it comes.


Different situation here - if this was a severe weather event or some sort of civil emergency, I'd understand the interruption. But for a monthly test they can put off until commercial break or a weekly test they can put off until some other time outside of coverage, I understand the frustration from the listener who just had their game interrupted. In this case, I knew they were tests because of the headline on this forum, plus a quick peek at the NOAA website suggests no severe weather is occurring.

I work in broadcast, i know how EAS rules go and my job is to keep stations i work for legal... my mis statement of facts was simply because i mis read something and didnt realize it was just a test

I'm just thankful i dont have to maintain a public file any more. Sometimes i wish the EAS requirements would go away too.. im not sure what purpose it serves sometimes except to be aggravating