Manual EAS Events and Broadcast Builder

EAS Station supports manually-authored EAS broadcasts for drills, required weekly tests (RWT), and locally-generated emergency messages. The primary interface is the Broadcast Builder, accessible from the top navigation bar.

Important: EAS Station is experimental software and is not FCC-certified equipment. Manual broadcasts must only be performed in controlled, isolated testing environments. Do not connect the output to licensed broadcast transmitters without proper FCC authorization.

Broadcast Builder (Web Interface)

The Broadcast Builder walks you through constructing a complete EAS SAME header interactively in the browser.

Opening the Broadcast Builder

Click Broadcast Builder in the top navigation bar (requires login). The builder is available at /broadcast-builder.

Step 1: Select Originator Code

Choose the FCC Part 11 originator code that applies to your message:

For drills and test purposes, use EAS or CIV.

Step 2: Select Event Code

The event selector is filtered to the 47 CFR §11.31(d–e) authorized event codes. Common codes:

For routine drills, use RWT (Required Weekly Test) or DMO (Practice/Demo).

Step 3: Add Locations (PSSCCC)

Each EAS broadcast must specify which FIPS/SAME geographic codes it covers (up to 31 codes per message, per FCC rules).

Adding locations using the picker:

1. Select the State from the dropdown.
2. Select the County/Parish from the list.
3. Optionally select a FEMA subdivision if the alert covers only part of a county. The portion digit is set automatically.
4. Click Add Location.

Repeat for each covered area. The running list and SAME code preview update live.

Entering codes manually:

Paste a comma-separated list of 6-digit SAME codes directly into the manual entry field. Useful for bulk entry when covering many counties.

Quick-fill from configured counties:

Click Load My Counties to pre-populate the location list with the FIPS codes configured in Admin → Location Settings.

Step 4: Set Valid Duration

Enter how long the alert is valid. The SAME +TTTT field represents duration in HH:MM format.

• Minimum: 0015 (15 minutes)
• Maximum: 9930 (99 hours, 30 minutes)

For RWT, the typical duration is 60 minutes (0100).

Step 5: Review the SAME Header Preview

The live preview assembles and displays the complete SAME header string:

ZCZC-WXR-TOR-039137+0130-0511445-KHIO/NWS-

Each field is labeled:

• ZCZC — preamble
• WXR — originator
• TOR — event code
• 039137 — FIPS/SAME code(s)
• +0130 — duration (1 hour 30 minutes)
• 0511445 — Julian day and UTC time of issuance
• KHIO/NWS — your callsign and originator name

Verify all fields before proceeding.

Step 6: Quick Weekly Test Preset

Click Quick Weekly Test to pre-load your configured counties, set the event to RWT, and populate a standard test script. The preset:

• Omits the attention signal per FCC guidance for RWT
• Pre-fills a standard RWT announcement script
• Sets a 60-minute duration

You can re-enable the dual-tone or 1050 Hz alert tone if your facility requires it.

Step 7: Configure Audio Components

Toggle which audio components to include in the broadcast:

All components have configurable 1-second guard intervals between sections.

Step 8: Enter the Voice Message Text

If Voice message is enabled, type the announcement text in the message field. The text-to-speech engine (pyttsx3 or Azure) will synthesize it to audio.

Example RWT script:

This is a test of the Emergency Alert System. This is only a test.
The Emergency Alert System is operated by [YOUR STATION] in cooperation with
federal, state, and local authorities. No action is required.
This concludes this test of the Emergency Alert System.

Step 9: Confirm and Execute

1. Click Preview Broadcast to review the complete audio package plan.
2. Click Execute Broadcast to confirm and start the broadcast.
3. EAS Station generates the WAV audio package and triggers the output:
   • GPIO relay activates the transmitter
   • Audio is routed to the configured output device and Icecast stream
   • The message is logged to the EAS message history

Command-Line: manual_eas_event.py

For scripted or automated manual broadcasts, use the command-line tool:

python scripts/manual_eas_event.py --help

Basic example — Required Weekly Test:

python scripts/manual_eas_event.py \
  --originator EAS \
  --event RWT \
  --fips 039137,039057 \
  --duration 0100 \
  --callsign "WXYZ/EAS" \
  --message "This is a test of the Emergency Alert System. This is only a test."

Options:

Alert Self-Test (RWT Capture Replay)

For testing the EAS monitoring pipeline without transmitting, use the built-in self-test with bundled sample captures:

python scripts/run_alert_self_test.py

This replays a pre-recorded RWT SAME header through the audio processing pipeline, triggering the full decode and logging workflow without activating the GPIO relay or transmitter.

Via the web interface: Admin → Operations → Run Self-Test.

Message Archival

Every executed broadcast (manual or automatic) is stored in the EAS Messages table and accessible from:

• Admin → EAS Messages — list all broadcasts with timestamps and header details
• Alert Verification (/admin/alert-verification) — upload captured audio for SAME decode and comparison

Audio files are stored in the media directory (EAS_AUDIO_DIR) and linked to the message record.

Troubleshooting

Broadcast Builder produces no audio

• Confirm TTS is configured (Admin → Settings → TTS) and enabled. Use the "Test TTS" button on that page to verify synthesis is working.
• For Azure TTS, verify the endpoint URL and API key are correctly entered in Admin → Settings → TTS.

GPIO relay does not activate

• Verify GPIO is enabled in Admin → Hardware Settings.
• Check the transmit relay pin matches your physical wiring.
• Inspect hardware service logs: journalctl -u eas-station-hardware -f

SAME header preview shows wrong time

• EAS Station uses UTC for the JJJHHMM field. Verify the server clock is correct: timedatectl status.

Broadcast appears in logs but not on air

• Confirm the audio output device is correct in Admin → Audio Settings.
• Test with aplay -D <device> /path/to/test.wav to verify the output route.