The best trade show displays are sometimes the least costly.  In the case of this display at the 2011 Independent Show, Wendell Woody of Monroe Electronics improvised after his equipment didn’t arrive in time for the exhibit part of the conference.  Using a baseball cap to draw attention to the acronym CAP (Common Alerting Protocol), he drew the attention of this reporter and prompted me to learn more; which is the purpose of a good trade show display.

As Woody explains in this video, the date set by the FCC for compliance with the Emergency Alert System, Common Alerting Protocol rules, is September 30th of this year.  One issue is that the method for communicating with the IPAWS’ (Integrated Public Alert and Warning System) servers has not yet been established.  He explained that Monroe Electronics’ hardware is ready and what they need from the government is the configuration information for the IPAWS’ servers, so it can be downloaded to their customers’ devices that are in the field.

He indicated that it won’t be as simple for operators that have older equipment, as they will require hardware upgrades or additions in order to meet the 9/30 deadline.  The 9/30 date is a milestone towards a 11/9/2011, first-ever Nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System.

Watch the video to hear Woody explain the background of his clever cap, as well as provide a quick overview of CAP.

[Note, for additional detail on the EAS-CAP compliance challenge for smaller operators, please watch this video interview with Matt Polka.  He expresses the ACA’s concern that some of their members will not be able to meet the 9/30 compliance date, given that the rules haven’t been finalized and that all operators do not necessarily have the right equipment to meet the requirements nor can they meet the requirements without undue cost burden.]

[Author’s note:  I had the privilege of working with Woody many years ago at Catel when emergency alert generators consisted of comb generators that over-rode the analog carriers on RF cable systems].