SBE CHAPTER 40 NEWSLETTER
NOVEMBER 1997
SAN FRANCISCO
Roy Trumbull - Editor roy547@netcom.com
Bill Dempster - Artist
 
BABES/SBE LUNCHEON ON WEDNESDAY NOV 26TH
This month our speaker will be Bob Weller from Hammett & Edison. Bob will talk about OET 65 which is the latest incarnation of the RFR requirements. (This document proves conclusively that most second graders can draw better stick figures than the FCC.)

As usual our luncheon will be at Sinbad’s. Sinbad’s is just south of the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero near the foot of Mission Street. Please RSVP to Karen Prasek at Zack’s:  408-324-0551 x126 as  we’ve been running out of tables and chairs. We meet at 11:30 and are seated at 12:30.

THIS IS OUR FINAL MEETING FOR 1997. THERE IS NO MEETING IN DECEMBER.
 

WEB PAGES
The chapter 40 web page is at http://www.lns.com/sbe.
EMAIL MEISTER
The keeper of the chapter 40 email address list is Warren Reese his address is radions@jps.net. Please note the new email address. Warren worked for the KPH in Bolinas which was one of the last coastal Morse sites. He has photos of KPH on his web page at http://www.jps.net/radions.
THE HOWARD IMMEKUS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND
I’d like to remind you that when our founder, Howard Immekus, passed away, that a scholarship fund was established at the College of San Mateo in his name. When Dick Parks died we decided it was better to support the existing fund rather than start a new one. The reality being that it is hard to accumulate enough money so that the interest will result in a significant scholarship.

Donations should be made to College of San Mateo, Office of Special Programs and Services, 1700 W. Hillsdale Blvd., San Mateo, CA 94402.

LAS NOTICIAS DEL ESTUDIO NUEVO

There will be an open house for the industry on Dec. 20th at KDTV, 50 Fremont St.31st Floor, San Francisco. Meet there at 10 AM for coffee and doughnuts and Bob Wyatt will give a tour at 10:30 AM, 11:30 & 12:30.  These are brand new facilities for channel 14.

CONSUMER EAS BOX AVAILABLE
by Stan Harter
Several of you have asked me about this first available consumer-priced ($80) NWR (National Weather Radio) that reacts to EAS (Emergency Alert System) broadcasts and tests. I have one for a 60-90 day test, courtesy of a RadioShack district manager. This report does not constitute a product endorsement, expressed or implied, by the State of California, its Office of Emergency Services or other departments. RadioShack and Weatheradio are registered trademarks used by the Tandy Corporation.

In 1994, NOAA (National Oceanic and Aerospace Administration) began transmitting coded emergency weather signals that identify the specific geographic area (such as you county) affected by an emergency. NOAA transmits the coded weather emergency signals using a technique called Specific Area Message Encoding or SAME. This receiver is designed to receive these SAME transmissions.

You may program this radio with up to 15 predefined state/county codes and receive emergency alert broadcasts that notify you of weather warnings, watches, statements --- about 30 different types --- for ONLY those areas. OR, you can receive all of them transmitted on the one selected frequency. There are 7 NOAA NWR frequencies.

ABBREVIATED SPECIFICATIONS (HIGH LIGHTS)

ALERT FUNCTION - lets you set the Weatheradio to sound an alert when it receives one from NOAA.
AUDIBLE ALERTS - With a few exceptions, these are the audible alarms:
WARNINGS - Siren.
WATCHES - Beeps
DMO - No sound (DMO = Demonstration) RWT Beeps (RWT = Required Weekly Test. Every Wednesday between 1100-1200 hours local time)
SAME operation - lets you program up to 15 different FIPS (Federal Information Processing System) codes into memory.

Your county FIPS code is 6 digits. The first digit, if "0", means somewhere within the county. If the first digit is "1" through "9", it indicates in which specific part of a county the threat is located. The second two digits indicate the state; California is "06". The last three digits provide the unique county identifier. The FIPS code for Los Angeles County, for example, is 006037.

The FIPS codes are listed for you in the EAS Web Page:

If you are near another county, it is wise to enter the neighboring county FIPS code(s).

LCD DISPLAY - clearly displays alert status descriptions.
ALERT STATUS INDICATORS - different colored show at a glance the type of alert received; i.e., red for Warning, yellow for Watch, and green for Statement.
7 CHANNELS - lets you select the frequency of the NWR serving your area. They range from 162.400 to 162.550 MHz.
EXTERNAL ALERT TERMINALS - lets you connect an external controller system, such as Plug 'n Power or X-10 system. This is useful for ensuring you can hear OR SEE the alert in a location that might be some distance from where you installed the Weatheradio. This should appeal to the hearing impaired.
EXTERNAL ANTENNA CONNECTOR - for an outside VHF-FM High Band (162 Mhz) antenna. Telescoping antenna on radio for strong signal areas not requiring an outside antenna.
BACKUP BATTERY - 9 volt DC. LCD display tell you when battery is low and requires replacement.
MOUNTING - on desktop, panel mount (console, etc.), or wall mount.