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Author Topic: 11/9 National Emergency Response Test  (Read 5102 times)

KI4JGT

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11/9 National Emergency Response Test
« on: October 27, 2011, 04:12:12 AM »

I just casually glanced over the forums (haven't been here in a while) but I'm surprised that I didn't see this in any of the forums main categories. FEMA has declared a test of the president's ability to declare national emergency (as delegated to the director of FEMA) for 11/9 at 2PM EST. As a result, I know that all commercial broadcast stations are required to cease transmission. Are hams included in this? What about ARES, RACES, and MARS?
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KI4JGT

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RE: 11/9 National Emergency Response Test
« Reply #1 on: October 27, 2011, 05:00:49 AM »

OK, for everyone who doesn't know (like me) it's a 3 minute test. No biggie. You'll have to pardon my ignorance as I haven't operated ham bands in 3 years. :-(. Also, Are hams expected to treat this as an emergency too or are we even testing?
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LA9XSA

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RE: 11/9 National Emergency Response Test
« Reply #2 on: October 27, 2011, 05:36:50 AM »

We already have a thread here: http://www.eham.net/ehamforum/smf/index.php/topic,78342.0.html

It's going to be the same as the regular tests of the EAS, except this time they're going to do it nationally, by sending out a national activation message. That's never been done before, so they'll be checking to see if there's some kind of strange error somewhere which makes a broadcast station's EAS equipment work in a state-wide activation, but fail in a nation-wide activation, for example.

As far as I know, amateur radio is not part of the EAS test. I guess the only thing that might happen, is that in some areas the message might not be clearly labeled as a test, and you might get a few panicked check-ins to repeaters from some guys who hunkered down in their private survival shelters and fired up an amateur radio station asking what's going on with the Nuclear Zombie Holocaust; if that happens, tell them it's a test, but also take note of which broadcast station is involved and notify FEMA or your state emergency management organization. That's the kind of fault that this test is supposed to find.
« Last Edit: October 27, 2011, 05:56:07 AM by LA9XSA »
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