# *ALERT* National Emergency Alert 11/9/2011



## toofastgtp (Nov 24, 2008)

Tomorrow 11/9/2011 
All Satellite, Cable, and Radio stations will go dark, and instead will be testing the Emergency alert system.

Happens at 2pm EST

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/11/national-emergency-alert-test-to-be-held-wednesday/


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## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

Some of the cable companies are warning that their DVRs may become unresponsive after the test.

Curious to see how the DIRECTV receivers will fare.


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## hilmar2k (Mar 18, 2007)

They're just preparing for the inevitable zombiepocolypse.


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## carl6 (Nov 16, 2005)

At last report, the test is schedule to only last about 30 seconds (down from the original 3 minute schedule).


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Soap opera buffs will just love this...


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## wahooq (Oct 19, 2011)

being as how i am in oklahoma...we have had 4 earthquakes in the last week one of which was 5.6 and set a new record...we had a 4.7 yesterday amidst tornado warning and combined with the asteroid passing close to earth this evening...im voting for zombiepocolypse


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## hilmar2k (Mar 18, 2007)

wahooq said:


> being as how i am in oklahoma...we have had 4 earthquakes in the last week one of which was 5.6 and set a new record...we had a 4.7 yesterday amidst tornado warning and combined with the asteroid passing close to earth this evening...im voting for zombiepocolypse


Well, the CDC has you covered.

http://www.bt.cdc.gov/socialmedia/zombies_blog.asp


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## Jon J (Apr 22, 2002)

Don't worry. Everything will be fine....UNLESS you live in Grover's Mill, New Jersey. Then you might want to think about evacuating.


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## TBlazer07 (Feb 5, 2009)

Jon J said:


> Don't worry. Everything will be fine....UNLESS you live in Grover's Mill, New Jersey. Then you might want to think about evacuating.


 That landing had been switched to Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field to give the Eagles some sort of an excuse.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

Drew2k said:


> Some of the cable companies are warning that their DVRs may become unresponsive after the test.
> 
> *Curious to see how the DIRECTV receivers will fare.*


At 2 PM EST, I'm watching the DVR. So I'll probably wont even notice.


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## usnret (Jan 16, 2009)

Wonder if there will still be gravity?


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## Xsabresx (Oct 8, 2007)

usnret said:


> Wonder if there will still be gravity?


Yes there will but your hdd's will spin backwards revealing the zombie's universal plan.


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## dorfd1 (Jul 16, 2008)

are the premium stations like HBO, and Starz participating in the test?


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## skatingrocker17 (Jun 24, 2010)

dorfd1 said:


> are the premium stations like HBO, and Starz participating in the test?


I'm pretty sure that it's not a matter of participation it's just an overlay that DirecTV puts on the screen, like if there's a tornado warning or something but at least with DirecTV you could make it go away.

With analog cable, there's nothing you can do about it and when I had TWC digital cable, there was nothing you could do to make it go away either.


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## dvdmth (Jul 24, 2008)

skatingrocker17 said:


> I'm pretty sure that it's not a matter of participation it's just an overlay that DirecTV puts on the screen, like if there's a tornado warning or something but at least with DirecTV you could make it go away.
> 
> With analog cable, there's nothing you can do about it and when I had TWC digital cable, there was nothing you could do to make it go away either.


Indeed. We have both Comcast and DirecTV here. With Comcast, any EAS message (including tests) causes all cable boxes to automatically tune to a special EAS channel that broadcasts the message. The front panel of the box will read "EAS" during this time, and no action by the user will be acknowledged by the box. After the message finishes, assuming the box behaves the way it should, it will automatically tune back to whatever channel it was on prior to the alert. Any recordings that were in progress are suspended until the alert is over, resulting in two partial recordings in the playlist with a minute or two missing in between. This is true even if the background tuner is open for recording to continue during the alert. On rare occasions, a box will not become aware of the alert's completion and get stuck in EAS mode until you unplug the box. This has happened once that I know of with one of our SD cable boxes (not the HD DVR, thankfully).

What really annoys me is that the boxes pay no attention to what part of the region the alert is intended. There is a special code associated with EAS alerts that identifies exactly where the emergency applies. However, cable boxes do not pay any attention to this and show all alerts for the entire region. Thus, we've lost portions of shows to a Tornado Warning or Flash Flood Warning for an area some 30 miles away from where we live. The coding in the EAS alert is designed to prevent this very thing from happening.


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## CincyJen (Jan 13, 2011)

... since this afternoon, as far as I can tell?

I'm getting a "No need to call us, service will be restored as soon as technical difficulties are resolved. Please tune to your SD version of this channel" onscreen message.

Reboot to fix, maybe?


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## NewForceFiveFan (Apr 23, 2010)

I wonder how many boxes D* will have to replace when they become doorstops? It's a test that's never-ever been performed before on a federal level in all the years EAS (formerly EBS) has existed. Has anyone ever seen one on D* before? I remember seeing them all over cable and OTA but can't remember seeing them on satellite before. I work in broadcasting and here the local EAS originator already has plans in place for killing it if the feds can't shut if off after the test.


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## SPACEMAKER (Dec 11, 2007)

I'm going to call D* and yell at a CSR about this test. haha


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## Dan B (Mar 6, 2007)

Was it supposed to happen already? I was watching TV and I had no alert at all.


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## dvdmth (Jul 24, 2008)

Dan B said:


> Was it supposed to happen already? I was watching TV and I had no alert at all.


Were you watching a recording or something live?

The channel I was tuned to (GSN) had it. DVR functionality was not affected, though, and I could watch pre-recorded shows while the test was ongoing (something you can't do with cable DVR's by the way).


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## Crystal Pepsi Ball (Jun 29, 2004)

Dan B said:


> Was it supposed to happen already? I was watching TV and I had no alert at all.


In Salt Lake City, all of our locals showed the test.


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## dishrox (Dec 30, 2008)

We were watching a recorded program on the DirecTV DVR. It did not interrupt for the EAS. 

sounds like a fail to me. Even when you are watching DVR, EAS signals must be processed and displayed, dont you think?


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## Dan B (Mar 6, 2007)

dvdmth said:


> Were you watching a recording or something live?
> 
> The channel I was tuned to (GSN) had it. DVR functionality was not affected, though, and I could watch pre-recorded shows while the test was ongoing (something you can't do with cable DVR's by the way).


I tuned in one minute late and rewound the live buffer. I guess it wasn't embedded, then?


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## poppo (Oct 10, 2006)

Not sure if it's related, but my DRV just popped up a notice about not receiving guide data. It never did that before. 

The test seemed to be on every channel except the sat locals. Go figure.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

So all of us watching a recording are toast!


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## JACKIEGAGA (Dec 11, 2006)

Should I be afraid to turn the DVR on :lol:


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## MysteryMan (May 17, 2010)

poppo said:


> Not sure if it's related, but my DRV just popped up a notice about not receiving guide data. It never did that before.
> 
> The test seemed to be on every channel except the sat locals. Go figure.


My HR24-500 did the same thing last week. I ran a system test but no problems were found. Did a reset to play it safe. Receiver has been running fine since.


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## skatingrocker17 (Jun 24, 2010)

Drucifer said:


> So all of us watching a recording are toast!


I noticed that too, I had paused something I was watching and I didn't end up seeing the EAS until the buffer was at 1:59pm.

They should really handle it like they do the storm warnings where I'm pretty sure it shows regardless of what you're doing since it's an overlay.

Does DTV do amber alerts as well? I know TWC did but I don't recall ever seeing one with DTV.


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## poppo (Oct 10, 2006)

skatingrocker17 said:


> They should really handle it like they do the storm warnings where I'm pretty sure it shows regardless of what you're doing since it's an overlay.


I've never seen anything like that while watching a recording, unless it is actually in the recording. Which sometimes is strange when you see an imminent storm warning and it's clear as can be outside. And then you realize it was from a few weeks ago.


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## RACJ2 (Aug 2, 2008)

I was at my local health club when the test was going on. They have DIRECTV on flat screens with 4 different channels playing. The strange thing was that the locals didn't have the message displayed for the alert, but screens with the ESPN and CNN showed the test screen. Even if they are picking them up OTA, which I don't believe is true, why weren't the local channels displaying the alert screen?


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## poppo (Oct 10, 2006)

RACJ2 said:


> Even if they are picking them up OTA, which I don't believe is true, why weren't the local channels displaying the alert screen?


I'm sure that is a question someone up the food chain is asking. As noted earlier, my locals didn't display it either, despite notices on those channels for the last few days that they would. So it would seem that the ball got dropped somewhere between the feed to DirecTV and our sets. But that is what tests are for.


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## gfrang (Aug 30, 2007)

I am still in my bomb shelter,my neighbors who been making fun of me for building it are now trying to break in.


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## csgo (Oct 15, 2006)

Seems like DirecTV managed to screw this up too. From the AP: "Media reports indicate DirecTV subscribers heard the Lady Gaga song "Paparazzi" while the test was in progress. It's unclear whether that was intentional."

Sounds like a joke, but it's real.


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## longrider (Apr 21, 2007)

I wonder if the local stations issue was a problem with the local stations. I forgot to check right at the hour but I rewound the live buffer which was on a local station and KUSA did the test themselves (not DirecTV)


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## wahooq (Oct 19, 2011)

from what i know/read it was a national code so im assuming only national broadcasts were affected....my locals here do the test like monthly or something ..given the number of people that were unaware of the digital ota transition when it happened i wonder how many people thought this was real


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## poppo (Oct 10, 2006)

csgo said:


> From the AP: "Media reports indicate DirecTV subscribers heard the Lady Gaga song "Paparazzi" while the test was in progress. It's unclear whether that was intentional."


I did hear some music briefly and thought it was sort of odd. But they play music when there are other station issues, so I didn't really think about it too much.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

It been reported it was a mess everywhere. There will be another after a total review of all reported errors and fixes made.

They plan to add cellphones to the alert system, but not until they fix the current one.


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## paulh (Mar 17, 2003)

csgo said:


> Seems like DirecTV managed to screw this up too. From the AP: "Media reports indicate DirecTV subscribers heard the Lady Gaga song "Paparazzi" while the test was in progress. It's unclear whether that was intentional."
> 
> Sounds like a joke, but it's real.


According to a local radio engineer, they has 2 of the DirecTv Lady Gaga reports, with a beneficial Spanish language message on screen.


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## HarleyD (Aug 31, 2006)

So that's what that was. I saw the "slide" come on stating that it was a test. Then after a bit a warning scrolled across the screen for Washington D.C., first in English...then "en espanol". Changed channels a couple times. Same thing everywhere. Didn't check my locals. Then I returned to my regularly scheduled program.

I didn't think much of it. They used to do these kinds of things all the time with broadcast radio and TV but I suppose this is the first time I've seen it done by a pay TV provider.


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## paulh (Mar 17, 2003)

Overall it sounded like it was a disaster. Some parts of the country got nothing. Some parts got a warning tone and exactly 1 word then silence. I heard that Chicago was twice as good and got 2 words than silence. Some of the more successful tests contained poor audio quality overlayed with rolling emergency tones....

The engineer asked a FEMA person at a conference why they don't just use the proven weather service system (NOAA weather radio was exempt from today's test), the official replied, "because we do not control the weather service"


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## cypherx (Aug 27, 2010)

"dishrox" said:


> We were watching a recorded program on the DirecTV DVR. It did not interrupt for the EAS.
> 
> sounds like a fail to me. Even when you are watching DVR, EAS signals must be processed and displayed, dont you think?


If your watching a DVD it can't interrupt you. Don't see an issue here. Cables way of literally hijacking the DVR is a pain.


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## Davenlr (Sep 16, 2006)

cypherx said:


> If your watching a DVD it can't interrupt you. Don't see an issue here. Cables way of literally hijacking the DVR is a pain.


That is a big reason I canceled my Comcast co-subscription with DirecTv. I could not stand the CONSTANT interruptions to programming, even recorded programming being played days later, with that crap.


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## usnret (Jan 16, 2009)

I didn't get the zombies universal plan..maybe next time. All 4 of my locals had the Emergency thing on at the same time DTV did.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

paulh said:


> Overall it sounded like it was a disaster. Some parts of the country got nothing. Some parts got a warning tone and exactly 1 word then silence. I heard that Chicago was twice as good and got 2 words than silence. Some of the more successful tests contained poor audio quality overlayed with rolling emergency tones....
> 
> The engineer asked a FEMA person at a conference *why they don't just use the proven weather service system* (NOAA weather radio was exempt from today's test), the official replied, "because we do not control the weather service"


Does weather also broadcast alerts over cells?


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## debell (Nov 6, 2011)

DirecTV couldn't even get something simple like this right? :lol:


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## paulh (Mar 17, 2003)

You can subscribe to an emergency alert txt or e-mail service, or get a weather app, but I do not think there is a built-in weather notification.

I used to wonder why pager towers within a tornado path did not send an alert.

I do think the problem with an alert system is the bureaucracy could not write, get approvals, and send out an alert in enough time to do any good.


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## Mike_TV (Jan 17, 2006)

The music by Lady Gaga was a nice touch. I think when the end of the world is coming the last thing I want to hear is some sweet pop music.


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## dishrox (Dec 30, 2008)

Its a DVR, not a DVD. A DVD is not connected to anything. A DVR is a TV receiver and hence must process an EAS. I see the point you are trying to make but DVD is not a relevant comparison. That is like smart phones to PSTN. 

All the DVRs have the functionality to play one video (recorded) while recording another. So a live feed is always being processed no matter what the end user is doing (unless there is a signal loss). 

But hey, it is what it is. I feel its not a big thing for Dish/DirecTV to implement such a thing but chose not to, maybe because the EAS doesnt explicitly say what DVR devices must do in an EAS. So for now, they are treating EAS as any other broadcast and do nothing.

However, my stand is that approach beats the whole purpose. Comcast seems to be on the other end where they are unable to properly handle the EAS but are actually initiating a process to handle it. Which means no matter what the viewer is doing, attention is diverted to the EAS. Of course, its messing up the unit to the point of a power cycle, thats another thing.


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## MysteryMan (May 17, 2010)

debell said:


> DirecTV couldn't even get something simple like this right? :lol:


So...because "you" feel by using Lady Gaga's music during the test DirecTV got it wrong? :sure:


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## BubblePuppy (Nov 3, 2006)

"MysteryMan" said:


> So...because "you" feel by using Lady Gaga's music during the test DirecTV got it wrong? :sure:


Since it is being reported on all the major and many local news sources that only DirecTV played Lady GaGa I would concur that DirecTV did screw up.


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## MysteryMan (May 17, 2010)

BubblePuppy said:


> Since it is being reported on all the major and many local news sources that only DirecTV played Lady GaGa I would concur that DirecTV did screw up.


I disagree. It was a test of the emergency broadcast system, not a actual emergency. The nesessary information was on the screen for "viewers" to "see". Would you rather they have added a Steven Zirnkilton like voice over repeating what's clearly visable on the screen?


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## BubblePuppy (Nov 3, 2006)

MysteryMan said:


> I disagree. It was a test of the emergency broadcast system, not a actual emergency. The nesessary information was on the screen for "viewers" to "see". Would you rather they have added a Steven Zirnkilton like voice over repeating what's clearly visable on the screen?


There were audio instructions that was to be heard, it wasn't on the DirecTV feed. Other outlets had different issues. The purpose of this test was to see where the bugs are. DirecTV did not transmit the complete warning (including the audio portion) while some other outlets did. 
Since all I heard was Lady GaGa I never bothered to look up until the test was almost over. DirecTV had a issue, I'm sure it will be corrected on its part in time for the next bug shakeout.


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## jsk (Dec 27, 2006)

paulh said:


> The engineer asked a FEMA person at a conference why they don't just use the proven weather service system (NOAA weather radio was exempt from today's test), the official replied, "because we do not control the weather service"


I would assume in a real emergency, NOAA Weather Radio would be used. I assumed that they wanted to tie one arm behind their backs with this test and see what would happen if NWR wasn't able to transmit the warning. NWR is constantly being used for local EAS alerts and it seems to work well. Most radio/TV/Cable use NWR as one of their EAS sources.

It probably wasn't DirecTV's fault because they were just relaying it from whatever source they use to receive alerts. See my explanation on how the EAS works here in the Dish Network thread.

FEMA knew that the system has major problems and they are working on revamping it. This test was the first step.


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## Alebob911 (Mar 22, 2007)

I would have to agree that if Directv did not relay all of the information in the test done by the EAS, then it would be a failure. Lady Gaga won't do any good for a blind individual who's town is about to be hit by a tornado. When these tests are done, all participates need to do it the right way every time. During my tenure as an EMT all of our drills, scenario scenes, anything to do to prepare us for any situation was done as the real thing. The EAS must do it the same every time and the same way for everyone involved. If that doesn't happen then this whole testing is just a waste and eventually will put some individuals in danger.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

paulh said:


> You can subscribe to an emergency alert txt or e-mail service, or get a weather app, but I do not think there is a built-in weather notification.
> 
> I used to wonder why pager towers within a tornado path did not send an alert.
> 
> *I do think the problem with an alert system is the bureaucracy could not write, get approvals, and send out an alert in enough time to do any good.*


Alerts are pre-program automatic messages. The only occasional bug with these are when they trigger the wrong alert.


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## HarleyD (Aug 31, 2006)

BubblePuppy said:


> Since it is being reported on all the major and many local news sources that only DirecTV played Lady GaGa I would concur that DirecTV did screw up.


They didn't screw up. They were born that way.


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## ThePhantom (Sep 22, 2007)

BubblePuppy said:


> Since it is being reported on all the major and many local news sources that only DirecTV played Lady GaGa I would concur that DirecTV did screw up.


I don't know about you, but the playing of any Lady Gaga song constitutes an emergency for me...


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## tonyd79 (Jul 24, 2006)

"ThePhantom" said:


> I don't know about you, but the playing of any Lady Gaga song constitutes an emergency for me...


Were you born that way.


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## gemery (Apr 10, 2007)

"tonyd79" said:


> Were you born that way.


Lol


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## sweep49 (Jul 15, 2008)

Glad I missed that.


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