ETRS Form One deadline on October, 18, 2024
All fully-licensed broadcast stations, including LPFM stations need to file ETRS Form One on or before October, 18, regardless of your station's current state of EAS or silent status.
As a result of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, the FCC had extended the filing deadline for the Emergency Alert System Test Reporting System (ETRS) for 2024 to Friday, October 18, 2024.
While there will be no test this year, the FCC still requires stations to update their EAS information once per year. We suspect that there will be a National Periodic Test of the EAS in 2025.
To access ETRS, you will need your CORES login information. CORES user names are based on email addresses. That CORES user name should be linked to (associated with) the FCC Registration Number (FRN) for the station. The CORES password is the same as the FRN password.
Once you have your CORES login information, you can go click on this button to sign in:
All stations should have a CORES sign in. There may be some stations that have not filed an application in several years and may still have an older FRN password. If this is the case, you will need to sign up for CORES access. Once you are in CORES, you will need your previous FRN password. If you are in this situation, go to this URL to get your user account established in CORES:
https://apps2.fcc.gov/fccUserReg/pages/createAccount.htm
I am not going to get into too much details on accessing CORES, but there is information at the FCC on how to do this.
Once you are in ETRS, now what?
To prepare for the filing, you will need to gather the following information about your station:
Your station’s Facility ID number. (This can be found at fccdata.org)
Your station’s geographic coordinates in decimal format. If you do not know that:
Go to fccdata.org and bring up your station.
Make a note of your geographic coordinates in latitude and longitude, degrees, minutes and seconds (DMS format) of your currently licensed facility.
Go to this site at the FCC and enter your coordinates in DMS format and the tool will convert that to decimal.
Your EAS unit’s software version. How to find your software version:
DASDEC: The software version should show in the message that scrolls on the LCD display (it will be something like 3.x, 4.x or 5.x) or you can see it by logging into the web interface. It should be on most screens.
SAGE: Log into your ENDEC and click on the “Version” button. You should see something like “Board rev 4/95.00”. If is 95.00, then you have Rev95. Likewise, 96.00 would be the most current version, Rev96.
VIAVI/TRILITHIC or GORMAN REDLICH: These EAS units are not supported by REC. Please contact the manufacturer to determine your software version.
The two radio stations (call signs) of the stations that your unit is monitoring pursuant to the monitoring assignments in your state’s EAS Plan or if you have a waiver from your state’s EAS coordinator to use different stations. If you have a third radio monitoring another radio station or the National Weather Service, make a note of that. For the call sign of your local NWS station, click here.
If your station (under the current ownership) has filed at least ETRS Form One in any year from 2019 or later, you will need to enter in some minimal information and the form will automatically fill in the information from your last filing. If any of the information has changed since that last filing, such as your EAS has received a software update, you just need to change the form to reflect the new version.
If this is the first time the station (under the current ownership) has filed ETRS, all of the information needs to be filled in.
This video, provided by the FCC provides instructions on how to fill in Form One:
The form that is due on October 18 will be in the 2024 Test Cycle.
This system may be a little tricky to use and sometimes may not work right or require a few extra entries.
What if I don’t have an EAS?
If your station does not have a working EAS decoder, your station seriously needs to working towards getting an EAS. I know that they are costly, but this is one of the primary responsibilities of being a licensed broadcaster. This is something that you can get a Notice of Violation or potentially a fine for not having. You will still need to file though.
The ETRS has been around now for over 7 years and so far, we are not aware of any enforcement action or even a field inspection made as a result of what was submitted on the form. Of course, we cannot guarantee that they FCC may not change their mind in the future, but keep in mind that the FCC’s field enforcement staff is fairly limited and their priority is on direct interference to safety of life communications and broadband providers.
What if I am not running the current (compliant) software version?
With current actions taken by the FCC to add new capabilities to EAS, all stations were required to install new software versions. The current software versions for each EAS decoder are:
DASDEC: Version 5.3. (DASDEC units on version 4 will need to upgrade to Version 5 and DAS charges about $500 for that upgrade. Units already on a 5.x version can do free upgrades to 5.3. More information in the link above. DASDEC units on version 3 will need to upgrade to 4 then 5. This will put you out about $1,000. Very old 32-bit and some of the first 64-bit DASDEC units cannot support the Version 5 upgrade and a new box purchase is required. For more information, please contact Digital Alert Systems.)
SAGE: Rev96. (If your unit is still on Rev95, you will need to purchase the upgrade key from Sage or an authorized vendor. I believe the upgrade is still $195. If you have an older version and for information on doing the Rev96 upgrade, visit the support page at Sage Alerting Systems.)
TRILITHIC/VIAVI and GORMAN REDLICH: Please contact the manufacturer to check your software version.
Even if your software is not the most current when it comes time to file ETRS, disclose the version that you do have. Note what I said above for those without an EAS at all.
Never lie to the FCC. Honesty is a core responsibility of being a broadcast licensee.
What about new stations?
If you represent an LPFM station from the 2023 window or a full-service NCE station from the 2021 window and your station is not yet constructed (and no license to cover has been filed yet), you do not need to participate in this year’s ETRS.
What about silent stations?
Stations that are fully licensed but are silent are still required to file Form One. Use the coordinates for where your station is authorized to operate at.
Once Form One is filed, you are good to go for 2024!
As stated, there will not be a full national test this year, but there may be one in 2025. Filing in 2024 will also give your station a head start for the 2025 testing cycle.
Years without a full National Periodic Test (where only Form One is filed) are not considered by REC where it comes to the criteria for our PACE Program.
Thank you for your participation and helping to demonstrate to the FCC and LPFM’s critics that LPFMers are responsible broadcasters!
Due to our currently limited resources, REC is currently not accepting any new requests for ETRS filing assistance for the 2024 Test Cycle. We will be providing Form One, Two and Three filing services for the 2025 or later National Periodic Test that will be conducted on a date to be announced.