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I have heard some EAS notifications that sound like it's being sent over the airwaves on some frequency going into the system. Verbal/local jursidication instructions and such.

Has anyone run across a frequency on which we could program to listen?

:D :D Well the WSP and other state agencies agreed to use the WSP and 155.475 to alert local government and the media. It all depends. I'm sure the WSP in King County may just alert the 4 King County dispatch centers and let them alert everyone.

In addition to the above frequency, you can find a whole bunch of useful info about how the EAS is deployed statewide at the Washington State Association of Broadcasters website.

BTW: The next Coordinated Monthly Test of the EAS occurs next Saturday, August 13 around 7:50 AM.

So not that many years ago wasn't there a freq - upper 160's that the emergency broadcasts that came from the state to the local broadcasters was transmitted (not 155.475)?

Probably 166.250 MHz, which is still used for EAS emergency information in the Portland area. It's not a federal frequency, but allocated RP for Broadcast Auxillary Remote Pickup and often used for radio remotes.

- Chris

_________________
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Chris Parris
Federal Wavelengths columnist
The Spectrum Monitor Magazine
chrisparris@thefedfiles.com

:D :D I don't even know Chris -- so I hope he forgives my corrections. 166.25 and 170.15 are indeed "RPU" Remote broadcast Pickup - frequencies. However they are BOTH shared Federal Government, Public Safety and RPU. One of my local Post offices uses 170.15 for operations. Both frequencies are shared by many different users. And Chris is correct - 166.25 is used in the State of Oregon -- as a relay between Public Safety / EAN to broadcast stations. Washington State had tested various channels, (158.79, 45.20, several of the 161 RPU, etc.) but to my knowledge never used a specific frequency -- until 155.475. KGY in Olympia does have use of 166.25. The State did test 166.25 -- but needed to talk to the Seattle Stations. They also tested some of the 161 Mhz RPU channels. But all of the 5 channels were in fulltime use and didn't work out. There is however the Statewide license on 161.61 ??? that no one can confirm as being for such use. It's a portable / base station. Washington State did use 159.75 as a relay between east and west -- on one of the passes -- but that was back around 1970. LAPD used 159.75 as a citywide portable command channel -- and could be seen on the old Adam 12 radios. The closest channel that has been used is 455.45. I believe that this channel is reserved in the Puget Sound area for use as an EBS - EAN type channel -- that is open or shared by all Broadcast stations. I'm sure that one of the Seattle broadcast techs might confirm. When I set up an RPU system for the old 1150 AM -- they wouldn't let me use the upper half of the pair (450.45/455.45) so 1150 used 455.25 -- I think. I also remember John Hokenson going all the way up that 200 foot tower while the station was ON THE AIR.

I forgot the word "exclusive" in my previous post regarding 166.250 MHz. That is, it is not an exlusive federal frequency, but can be licensed to local broadcasters.

- Chris

_________________
--
Chris Parris
Federal Wavelengths columnist
The Spectrum Monitor Magazine
chrisparris@thefedfiles.com