Move on to Alabama EAS State Plan; SECTION XReturn to Alabama EAS State Plan; TABLE OF CONTENTSReturn to SBE EAS COMMITTEE REPORT Menu PageThis section is provided to aid users of the EAS, primarily broadcasters and cable operators, in programming the Event Codes, County-Location Codes, and Modes of Operation into their EAS Decoder. Regardless of the EAS hardware in use, each EAS Alert will require programming to include those three elements.
All EAS Decoders must be capable of operating in at least two modes, Manual and Automatic.
MANUAL OPERATION: In the manual mode the EAS unit will only notify the operator of any incoming EAS Alert that has been programmed into it. The operator must take appropriate action to cause the Alert to be re-transmitted over the station/cable system.
AUTOMATIC OPERATION: This type of operation is normally used with a program interrupt connection on the EAS unit. On-air audio and/or video is "looped through" the EAS unit so that the unit can interrupt the audio/video when necessary. In Automatic operation, when the EAS decoder is triggered by an EAS Alert, the unit immediately interrupts programming to transmit the EAS Alert.
SEMI-AUTOMATIC OPERATION: Some manufacturers offer a semi-automatic mode of operation in which the unit will begin a preset countdown to an automatic interrupt after receiving an EAS Alert. The operator should run the EAS Alert on the air manually at the earliest convenience. If the Alert is not run when the preset countdown time expires, the EAS unit will take over and transmit the EAS Alert automatically.
The FCC requires that broadcasters and cable operators program their EAS Decoders for following events:
"EAN" (National EAS Activation) - Must be re-transmitted immediately.
"EAT" (National EAS Termination) - Must be re-transmitted immediately.
"RMT" (Required Monthly Test) - containing your County of License code. Must be re-transmitted within 15 minutes of receipt.
"RWT" (Required Weekly Test) - containing your County of License code. This received test need only be logged. No re-broadcast is necessary.
The following list of event codes is a minimum required list of events for activation of EAS units in Alabama.
"TOR" (Tornado Warnings) - Must be re-transmitted immediately.
"FFW" (Flash Flood Warnings) - Must be re-transmitted immediately.
"CEM" (Civil Emergency Message) - Must be re-transmitted immediately.
"STA" (State Priority Message) - Must be re-transmitted immediately.
Required event codes must be programmed into the EAS unit for the station's local county. Additionally, when programming EAS equipment, other counties in the "service area" of the broadcast station should be considered.
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