EAS test today?? Anything?

[bobdole369]

Did anybody notice anything at all? If it were an actual emergency I suspect the only people alerted would be old folks watching soap opera's. Working folks don't watch TV (tho they might listen to the radio, but more likely iPods or streaming on computer.) I know I typically don't see severe weather alerts on TV till days after thanks to TiVO.

 

[dmcowen674]

EAS test today?? Anything?

Did anybody notice anything at all? If it were an actual emergency I suspect the only people alerted would be old folks watching soap opera's. Working folks don't watch TV (tho they might listen to the radio, but more likely iPods or streaming on computer.) I know I typically don't see severe weather alerts on TV till days after thanks to TiVO.

It knocked our area of Comcast TV off air.
When dial in about the outage, there is a recording they are aware of the outage it has caused but no ETA on getting back on air.

The Internet connection part is obviously unaffected.

Didn't see any Alert, signal just dropped at 1:06PM CST.

 

[IronWing]

My decoder ring started ringing.

 

[LTC8K6]

It was identical to every other EAS test I have ever heard. A brief test alert.

 

[TwiceOver]

Didn't hear a thing.

 

[dmcowen674]

Update: Heading to the local Comcast office now. They have confirmed the EAS signal killed our box.

Only the menu displays, no picture. They can no longer establish two way communication with the box after the EAS test.

 

[bobdole369]

Update: Heading to the local Comcast office now. They have confirmed the EAS signal killed our box.

Only the menu displays, no picture. They can no longer establish two way communication with the box after the EAS test.

Thats completely amazing. The set top box talks to the DAC (digital access controller) to get authorization to decode stuff coming down in data on the cable, a more likely scenario is that a coincidental power surge on the cable line, or a coincidental parts failure occurred.

Since nothing changed as far as your box is concerned ( it wasn't a special signal or anything), just that the EAS was broadcast on the normal signal.

Essentially Comcast is saying the same as "the Phillies game killed your set top box", or "When you got that call from North Dakota, it caused your phone to burst into flames." Chuckle. I suspect they have some other issues and telling you to box it up is their way of buying time.

 

[GeekDrew]

I heard silence for maybe 10 seconds, that's all.

 

[herm0016]

The test was very lame. I expected more with all the hype

 

[Red Storm]

I didn't notice anything, because like most people I'm not on the TV or radio during the day.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally Posted by dmcowen674
Update: Heading to the local Comcast office now. They have confirmed the EAS signal killed our box.

Only the menu displays, no picture. They can no longer establish two way communication with the box after the EAS test.

Thats completely amazing. The set top box talks to the DAC (digital access controller) to get authorization to decode stuff coming down in data on the cable, a more likely scenario is that a coincidental power surge on the cable line, or a coincidental parts failure occurred.

Since nothing changed as far as your box is concerned ( it wasn't a special signal or anything), just that the EAS was broadcast on the normal signal.

Essentially Comcast is saying the same as "the Phillies game killed your set top box", or "When you got that call from North Dakota, it caused your phone to burst into flames." Chuckle. I suspect they have some other issues and telling you to box it up is their way of buying time.

Well we just got back from the Comcast office. We were in line with about 100 other people that same thing happened to them.

Just activated both boxes over the phone and back up and running.

 

[Pulsar]

I was at home watching TV when it happened. Out of curiosity, I started clicking through the TV stations. Only 2 or the 25 over-the-air stations I receive were carrying the EAS signal.

As far as it goes.... total failure.

 

[Pardus]

 

[ussfletcher]

Originally Posted by dmcowen674
Update: Heading to the local Comcast office now. They have confirmed the EAS signal killed our box.

Only the menu displays, no picture. They can no longer establish two way communication with the box after the EAS test.




Well we just got back from the Comcast office. We were in line with about 100 other people that same thing happened to them.

Just activated both boxes over the phone and back up and running.

It was probably the vinegar.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally Posted by dmcowen674
Originally Posted by dmcowen674
Update: Heading to the local Comcast office now. They have confirmed the EAS signal killed our box.

Only the menu displays, no picture. They can no longer establish two way communication with the box after the EAS test.

Well we just got back from the Comcast office. We were in line with about 100 other people that same thing happened to them.

Just activated both boxes over the phone and back up and running.

It was probably the vinegar.

It may have been the Vinegar but I know we were not alone.

11-10-11

http://www.businessinsider.com/atte...-to-be-taken-over-by-the-government-2011-11-1

EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM TEST FAILS



At 2 pm today the National Emergency Alert System is supposed be tested for the first time in its history on a federal level. As of 2:03 the system has yet to be activated.

UPDATE 5 2:46pm: FEMA is still processing the results, according to a spokesperson, and they do not yet have a handle on the scale of the failure.
UPDATE 6 2:49pm: National Journal's Marc Ambinder tweets: FEMA official concedes "glitch"; says that it appears (maybe) to be related to how satellite and cable providers prepped their equipment.

UPDATE 7 2:59pm: Some DirectTV customers reported hearing Lady Gaga's “Paparazzi” play during the test. Some Comcast subscribers saw their cable boxes turn to QVC before the alert, while Time Warner Cable customers in New York did not see any alert at all.

UPDATE 8 4:05pm: Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman released this statement to Business Insider:
"The weaknesses exposed by today's test of the emergency alert system are unacceptable. Government and media carriers must work together to make sure the system does what it is intended to do, which is to transmit a nationwide message from the President in a crisis. I commend FEMA for carrying out this long-overdue, first-ever, nationwide test of the system. Without it, we would never have known the extent of the system's vulnerabilities."


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