At 2:20 p.m. ET on Wednesday, the federal government will test two emergency
alert systems on televisions, radios and cellphones across the country.
https://www.npr.org/2021/08/11/1026679111/fema-fcc-nationwide-emergency-alert-test-eas-wea

The emergency alert system (EAS) test will be sent to TVs and radios. The
wireless emergency alert (WEA) test will go to cellular consumers

Why not also test on PCs?

On 8/11/2021 2:43 PM, NewsKrawler wrote:
> At 2:20 p.m. ET on Wednesday, the federal government will test two emergency
> alert systems on televisions, radios and cellphones across the country.
> https://www.npr.org/2021/08/11/1026679111/fema-fcc-nationwide-emergency-alert-test-eas-wea
>
> The emergency alert system (EAS) test will be sent to TVs and radios. The
> wireless emergency alert (WEA) test will go to cellular consumers
>
> Why not also test on PCs?
>

Didn't happen...

In article <sf15oh$17mj4$1@paganini.bofh.team>, NewsKrawler
<newskrawl@krawl.org> wrote:

> At 2:20 p.m. ET on Wednesday, the federal government will test two emergency
> alert systems on televisions, radios and cellphones across the country.
>
> https://www.npr.org/2021/08/11/1026679111/fema-fcc-nationwide-emergency-alert-
> test-eas-wea
>
> The emergency alert system (EAS) test will be sent to TVs and radios. The
> wireless emergency alert (WEA) test will go to cellular consumers
>
> Why not also test on PCs?

no mechanism to do that.

News <News@Group.Name> wrote in news:sf164t$dub$1@dont-email.me:

> On 8/11/2021 2:43 PM, NewsKrawler wrote:
>> At 2:20 p.m. ET on Wednesday, the federal government will test two
>> emergency alert systems on televisions, radios and cellphones across
>> the country.
>> https://www.npr.org/2021/08/11/1026679111/fema-fcc-nationwide-emergenc
>> y-alert-test-eas-wea
>>
>> The emergency alert system (EAS) test will be sent to TVs and radios.
>> The wireless emergency alert (WEA) test will go to cellular consumers
>>
>> Why not also test on PCs?
>>
>
>
> Didn't happen...

It happened on my TV at the advertised time.

Am 11.08.21 um 20:43 schrieb NewsKrawler:
> At 2:20 p.m. ET on Wednesday, the federal government will test two emergency

Our Federal Government won't do anything like this.

--
De gustibus non est disputandum

On 8/11/2021 3:33 PM, Boris wrote:
> News <News@Group.Name> wrote in news:sf164t$dub$1@dont-email.me:
>
>> On 8/11/2021 2:43 PM, NewsKrawler wrote:
>>> At 2:20 p.m. ET on Wednesday, the federal government will test two
>>> emergency alert systems on televisions, radios and cellphones across
>>> the country.
>>> https://www.npr.org/2021/08/11/1026679111/fema-fcc-nationwide-emergenc
>>> y-alert-test-eas-wea
>>>
>>> The emergency alert system (EAS) test will be sent to TVs and radios.
>>> The wireless emergency alert (WEA) test will go to cellular consumers
>>>
>>> Why not also test on PCs?
>>>
>>
>>
>> Didn't happen...
>
> It happened on my TV at the advertised time.
>

Lucky you. Buy a lottery ticket.

On 8/11/2021 3:33 PM, Boris wrote:
> News <News@Group.Name> wrote in news:sf164t$dub$1@dont-email.me:
>
>> On 8/11/2021 2:43 PM, NewsKrawler wrote:
>>> At 2:20 p.m. ET on Wednesday, the federal government will test two
>>> emergency alert systems on televisions, radios and cellphones across
>>> the country.
>>> https://www.npr.org/2021/08/11/1026679111/fema-fcc-nationwide-emergenc
>>> y-alert-test-eas-wea
>>>
>>> The emergency alert system (EAS) test will be sent to TVs and radios.
>>> The wireless emergency alert (WEA) test will go to cellular consumers
>>>
>>> Why not also test on PCs?

PC's are not included in the test as they are a secondary means of
communication. In a real emergency the only means of communication will
be those systems that broadcast their signals through the air.

The radios and television have been having these alerts since the 1950.
Broadcast system are required to participate in the test alerts to
maintain their licenses. (I have seen several alerts of this type on
different stations in the past few weeks.)

We have gone through several hurricanes, the minute the power goes off
computer systems go down. Some component in the system (individual
computers, servers, etc) loose power and the whole system goes off line.

TV and radio keep broadcasting as only their transmitters need power to
stay on the air. In some case the reporters have moved from their
normal studio to the tower to remain on the air.

The most reliable are radios. Radio are recommended to be part off your
home emergency kits, as they generally take less power than a TV and
radio signals carry further.

Cellphone, being an over the air system of communication, have been
added to the alert system test. We have received Amber alerts and
weather system alerts on our cellphones, when they are turned on. But
again, once the power to the cell tower is lost, cell phone
communication ends.

One thing that is becoming common is the Voice of internet telephones
that many people have to day. Since they are dependent on an internet
connection they can not be counted on in a real emergency.

NewsKrawler <newskrawl@krawl.org> wrote:

> Why not also test on PCs?

Because everyone has a phone. Very few people have - or sit in front of
all day - a Windows PC.

"NewsKrawler" <newskrawl@krawl.org> wrote

| The emergency alert system (EAS) test will be sent to TVs and radios. The
| wireless emergency alert (WEA) test will go to cellular consumers
| | Why not also test on PCs?

How? Any computer that accepts commands from
online is in trouble. They could call landlines, but
they didn't call mine. Though my local city calls landlines
for major announcements -- like the apocalypse, or
a change in rubbish day.

I don't use a cellphone. If I did, the local city wouldn't
know the number. They call listed numbers.

So what the Fed are doing must be simply that those
are the venues where they can force companies to
broadcast a message, and where it's possible to do so.

"Bob Campbell" <nunya@none.none> wrote
| | > Why not also test on PCs?
| | Because everyone has a phone. Very few people have - or sit in front of
| all day - a Windows PC.
| Hanging around mainly with teenagers, are we? :)

In article <sf1c94$4ol$1@dont-email.me>, Mayayana
<mayayana@invalid.nospam> wrote:

>
> | The emergency alert system (EAS) test will be sent to TVs and radios. The
> | wireless emergency alert (WEA) test will go to cellular consumers
> |
> | Why not also test on PCs?
>
> How? Any computer that accepts commands from
> online is in trouble.

it's not sending commands, it's a notification, much like email.

the problem is that windows pcs do not have a mechanism by which such a
notification can be sent.

> They could call landlines, but
> they didn't call mine. Though my local city calls landlines
> for major announcements -- like the apocalypse, or
> a change in rubbish day.

that would be resource intensive and a large number of them would roll
to voicemail, defeating the purpose of an emergency notification.

> I don't use a cellphone. If I did, the local city wouldn't
> know the number. They call listed numbers.

the eas test went to all cellphones. most cellphones can disable it,
although not many have done that.

you will probably see it next time you power it on.

On 2021-08-11 20:33:43 +0000, Mayayana said:
> "NewsKrawler" <newskrawl@krawl.org> wrote
> |
> | The emergency alert system (EAS) test will be sent to TVs and radios. The
> | wireless emergency alert (WEA) test will go to cellular consumers
> |
> | Why not also test on PCs?
>
> How? Any computer that accepts commands from
> online is in trouble. They could call landlines, but
> they didn't call mine. Though my local city calls landlines
> for major announcements -- like the apocalypse, or
> a change in rubbish day.
>
> I don't use a cellphone. If I did, the local city wouldn't
> know the number. They call listed numbers.
>
> So what the Fed are doing must be simply that those
> are the venues where they can force companies to
> broadcast a message, and where it's possible to do so.

Emergency alerts are broadcast to ALL cellphones by the providers,
regardless of whether or not the number is "listed".

In some ways they're a stupid idea (even ignoring the fact that many
people do not have cellphones). For example, someone driving along and
their cellphone suddenly starts screeching at them could cause a
traffic accident, or the sudden shock could induce a heart attack.

On 2021-08-11 20:25:46 +0000, Bob Campbell said:
> NewsKrawler <newskrawl@krawl.org> wrote:
>>
>> Why not also test on PCs?
>
> Because everyone has a phone.

Wrong. Not everyone has a cellphone.

> Very few people have - or sit in front of all day - a Windows PC.

In article <sf1d7h$hm$1@gioia.aioe.org>, Your Name
<YourName@YourISP.com> wrote:

> Emergency alerts are broadcast to ALL cellphones by the providers,
> regardless of whether or not the number is "listed".

yep, although it can usually be disabled on the phone.

> In some ways they're a stupid idea (even ignoring the fact that many
> people do not have cellphones).

not many.

> For example, someone driving along and
> their cellphone suddenly starts screeching at them could cause a
> traffic accident, or the sudden shock could induce a heart attack.

that's a stretch, and unrelated to an emergency test.

On 8/11/2021 4:51 PM, Your Name wrote:
> On 2021-08-11 20:25:46 +0000, Bob Campbell said:
>> NewsKrawler <newskrawl@krawl.org> wrote:
>>>
>>> Why not also test on PCs?
>>
>> Because everyone has a phone.
>
> Wrong. Not everyone has a cellphone.
>
>
>
>> Very few people have - or sit in front of all day - a Windows PC.
>
>
and if they have a cell phone it may not be a smart phone or capable of
receiving text

In article <sf1ekt$euv$1@dont-email.me>, knuttle
<keith_nuttle@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

> >
> and if they have a cell phone it may not be a smart phone or capable of
> receiving text

non-smartphones can receive texts.

you'd have to go back to the 1990s to find a cellphone that can't, and
those won't work on modern cell networks.

In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Thu, 12 Aug 2021 08:51:43 +1200, Your Name
<YourName@YourISP.com> wrote:

>On 2021-08-11 20:25:46 +0000, Bob Campbell said:
>> NewsKrawler <newskrawl@krawl.org> wrote:
>>>
>>> Why not also test on PCs?
>>
>> Because everyone has a phone.
>
>Wrong. Not everyone has a cellphone.

He said "a phone", not a cell phone.

>
>> Very few people have - or sit in front of all day - a Windows PC.
>

On 8/11/2021 1:50 PM, Your Name wrote:

> Emergency alerts are broadcast to ALL cellphones by the providers,
> regardless of whether or not the number is "listed".

To turn alerts off on my Android phone: Settings>Advanced
settings>Wireless emergency alerts>Allow alerts>Main switch off. The
different kinds of alerts (5) can also be separately turned off. The
only one I can't turn off is the presidential alerts (US).

On 11/08/2021 22.22, knuttle wrote:
> On 8/11/2021 3:33 PM, Boris wrote:
>> News <News@Group.Name> wrote in news:sf164t$dub$1@dont-email.me:
>>
>>> On 8/11/2021 2:43 PM, NewsKrawler wrote:
>>>> At 2:20 p.m. ET on Wednesday, the federal government will test two
>>>> emergency alert systems on televisions, radios and cellphones across
>>>> the country.
>>>> https://www.npr.org/2021/08/11/1026679111/fema-fcc-nationwide-emergenc
>>>> y-alert-test-eas-wea
>>>>
>>>> The emergency alert system (EAS) test will be sent to TVs and radios.
>>>> The wireless emergency alert (WEA) test will go to cellular consumers
>>>>
>>>> Why not also test on PCs?
>
> PC's are not included in the test as they are a secondary means of
> communication.  In a real emergency the only means of communication will
> be those systems that broadcast their signals through the air.
>
> The radios and television have been having these alerts since the 1950.
> Broadcast system are required to participate in the test alerts to
> maintain their licenses. (I have seen several alerts of this type on
> different stations in the past few weeks.)
>
> We have gone through several hurricanes, the minute the power goes off
> computer systems go down.  Some component in the system (individual
> computers, servers, etc) loose power and the whole system goes off line.
>
> TV and radio keep broadcasting as only their transmitters need power to
> stay on the air.  In some case the reporters have moved from their
> normal studio to the tower to remain on the air.
>
> The most reliable are radios. Radio are recommended to be part off your
> home emergency kits, as they generally take less power than a TV and
> radio signals carry further.
>
> Cellphone, being an over the air system of communication, have been
> added to the alert system test.  We have received Amber alerts and
> weather system alerts on our cellphones, when they are turned on.  But
> again, once the power to the cell tower is lost, cell phone
> communication ends.
>
> One thing that is becoming common is the Voice of internet telephones
> that many people have to day.   Since they are dependent on an internet
> connection they can not be counted on in a real emergency.

That's interesting, because over here the entire POTS network is being
replaced with a VoIP network. For example, I have fibre to the home,
then a device called ONT that converts fibre to ethernet (RJ) and phone
copper pair (RJ). Without battery backup; I had to add my own UPS.

My guess is that the same is happening over your way, at a different pace.

--
Cheers,
Carlos E.R.

On 11/08/2021 23.22, nospam wrote:
> In article <sf1ekt$euv$1@dont-email.me>, knuttle
> <keith_nuttle@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>
>>>
>> and if they have a cell phone it may not be a smart phone or capable of
>> receiving text
>
> non-smartphones can receive texts.
>
> you'd have to go back to the 1990s to find a cellphone that can't, and
> those won't work on modern cell networks.
>

Over here, that year the GSM networks were starting, and they were
capable of text. Although not even the providers knew that!

--
Cheers,
Carlos E.R.

On 11/08/2021 22.45, nospam wrote:
> In article <sf1c94$4ol$1@dont-email.me>, Mayayana
> <mayayana@invalid.nospam> wrote:
>
>>
>> | The emergency alert system (EAS) test will be sent to TVs and radios. The
>> | wireless emergency alert (WEA) test will go to cellular consumers
>> |
>> | Why not also test on PCs?
>>
>> How? Any computer that accepts commands from
>> online is in trouble.
>
> it's not sending commands, it's a notification, much like email.

Which is not really "sent", it is polled. At client PCs.

--
Cheers,
Carlos E.R.

In alt.comp.os.windows-10 NewsKrawler <newskrawl@krawl.org> wrote:
> At 2:20 p.m. ET on Wednesday, the federal government will test two emergency
> alert systems on televisions, radios and cellphones across the country.
> https://www.npr.org/2021/08/11/1026679111/fema-fcc-nationwide-emergency-alert-test-eas-wea

> The emergency alert system (EAS) test will be sent to TVs and radios. The
> wireless emergency alert (WEA) test will go to cellular consumers

I didn't get any even if both emergency and public safety alerts are on
in my old iPhone 6 + (iOS v12.5.4).

> Why not also test on PCs?

How would that work?
--
Slammy times! 2021 is repeating 2020. :( Please get your vaccine shot(s) if you haven't done so! :)
Note: A fixed width font (Courier, Monospace, etc.) is required to see this signature correctly.
/\___/\ Ant(Dude) @ http://aqfl.net & http://antfarm.home.dhs.org.
/ /\ /\ \ Please nuke ANT if replying by e-mail.
| |o o| |
\ _ /
( )

On 8/11/2021 2:31 PM, micky wrote:
> In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Thu, 12 Aug 2021 08:51:43 +1200, Your Name
> <YourName@YourISP.com> wrote:
>
>>On 2021-08-11 20:25:46 +0000, Bob Campbell said:
>>> NewsKrawler <newskrawl@krawl.org> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Why not also test on PCs?
>>>
>>> Because everyone has a phone.
>>
>>Wrong. Not everyone has a cellphone.
>
> He said "a phone", not a cell phone.

Not everyone has a phone of any kind. In the USA, *most* people have
some kind of phone, but there's a big difference between "everybody" and
"most people.

And in other parts of the world (parts of Africa, parts of Asia, etc,
and other places), it may not even be "most people."

--
Ken

In article <d4tduhx61n.ln2@minas-tirith.valinor>, Carlos E. R.
<robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:

> >> | The emergency alert system (EAS) test will be sent to TVs and radios. The
> >> | wireless emergency alert (WEA) test will go to cellular consumers
> >> |
> >> | Why not also test on PCs?
> >>
> >> How? Any computer that accepts commands from
> >> online is in trouble.
> >
> > it's not sending commands, it's a notification, much like email.
>
> Which is not really "sent", it is polled. At client PCs.

depends on the type of notification.

the point is that it's not a command from the outside world that can
pwn your computer.

In article <inivhrFrnsiU1@mid.individual.net>, Ken Blake
<ken@invalidemail.com> wrote:

> >>>> Why not also test on PCs?
> >>>
> >>> Because everyone has a phone.
> >>
> >>Wrong. Not everyone has a cellphone.
> >
> > He said "a phone", not a cell phone.
>
>
> Not everyone has a phone of any kind. In the USA, *most* people have
> some kind of phone, but there's a big difference between "everybody" and
> "most people.

it's a common phrase, not something to be taken literally to mean every
single person on the planet.

and for the few who don't have a cellphone, they know people who do, or
will get notified in some other manner.

> And in other parts of the world (parts of Africa, parts of Asia, etc,
> and other places), it may not even be "most people."

the emergency test was in the usa, which means cellphone use elsewhere
is not relevant.