DASDEC

Digital/Analog Emergency Alert System Encoder/Decoder

Users Manual

Model DASDEC-1EN

Version 1.2-2

Digital Alert Systems,LLC

PO Box 5107

Oracle, AZ 85623-5107

www.digitalalertsystems.com

FCC Information

FCC ID: R8VDASDEC-1EN

The DASDEC is fully compliant with FCC Part 11.

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules.

These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.

Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense.

The DASDEC is an Emergency Alert System (EAS) Digital Encoder/Decoder platform. The DASDEC is built with the latest digital PC computer technology. The DASDEC encoding/decoding technology is software based, and is built upon the Linux OS. The DASDEC core hardware is a standard PC motherboard and digital audio sound cards. The DASDEC is easy to upgrade, not requiring custom ROMS. The DASDEC also exploits the benefits of modern network technology. It is fully operable over a LAN using secure network protocols. In addition, it supports existing methods of device control using a serial port. The DASDEC is representative of the continuing advance of PC hardware into technological areas that only a few years ago required custom hardware.

The DASDEC provides a number of features for easier management of FCC EAS requirements. The DASDEC has been designed to improve the EAS system for radio and TV broadcasters, Cable TV headend facilities, LP1 and LP2 designated stations, and Public Safety and Emergency Service personnel.

* Base unit has one 3.5mm mini-jack audio input port that supports scanning/decoding EAS on two radio channels

* 2 USB ports - will support extra serial ports, printers, modems, wireless ethernet, flash drives, etc.

* supports two PCI expansion cards, use with audio card for scanning two more audio inputs (total of up to six EAS audio sources)

* optional 3 internal radio receivers, GPI input/output and balanced audio output module.

* Built in multi-user, password protected Web interface for control/status/monitoring of all activity.

* Programmable GPI input to trigger actions and GPI output relays during alerts.

* Easy to use web interface for configuration of auto-forwarding locations and codes.

* Web interface makes it easy to review and print logs of active and expired decoded/forwarded alerts.

* Supports TFT-911 serial protocol for alert audio playback and alert translation data transfer

* Will support scanning up to six input channels (depends on hardware expansion)

* Optional support for EAS NET (with DVS-168), DVS-644(SCTE-18), and streaming MPEG2 output digital interfaces.

* Web interface makes it easy to configure commonly used locations and alert types.

* Web interface makes it easy to review and print logs of active and expired originated alerts.

* All audio sections of encoded alerts are stored into separate digital audio files.

* User programmable length of 8 to 30 seconds for FCC EAS 853 Hz and 960 Hz Two-tone Attention Signal.

* Web interface upload feature for digital audio files makes it easy to encode the audio portion of EAS alerts.

Generally, DASDEC screens are self-explanatory. The manual has a section for each screen which reviews information on the screens and provides additional information. The index at the back will help you locate which screen has information you are looking for.

According to the FCC, "The EAS is designed to provide the President with a means to address the American people in the event of a national emergency. Through the EAS, the President would have access to thousands of broadcast stations, cable systems and participating satellite programmers to transmit a message to the public. The EAS and its predecessors, CONELRAD and the Emergency Broadcast System (EBS), have never been activated for this purpose. But beginning in 1963, the President permitted state and local level emergency information to be transmitted using the EBS."

However, the EAS system is used for much more than to support a method of communication that has never been (and hopefully never will be) used. The EAS system provides state and local officials with a method to quickly send out important local emergency information targeted to a specific area. This includes weather alerts as well as local emergency alerts such as child abductions and disasters. The EAS system also runs test alerts on a weekly and monthly basis in order to insure operability.

The EAS system digitally encodes data into audible audio to order to distribute messages. This information can be sent out through a broadcast station and cable system. The EAS digital signal uses the same encoding employed by the National Weather Service (NWS) for weather alerts broadcast over NOAA Weather Radio (NWR). Broadcasters and cable operators can decode NWR alerts and then retransmit NWS weather warning messages almost immediately to their audiences. With the proper equipment and setup, EAS alerts can be handled automatically, making EAS information useful for unattended stations. Other specially equipped consumer products, built into some televisions, radios, pagers and other devices, can decode user selectable EAS messages.

The DASDEC is designed to facilitate the management side of encoding and decoding EAS alerts within cable and broadcast facilities. It is especially easy to use since it is IP addressable and accessible over a LAN.

The FCC designed the EAS system, working in cooperation with the broadcast, cable, emergency management, alerting equipment industry, the National Weather Service (NWS) and the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA).

The FCC provides information to broadcasters, cable system operators, and other participants in the EAS regarding the requirements of this emergency system. Additionally, the FCC ensures that EAS state and local plans developed by industry conform to the FCC EAS rules and regulations and enhance the national level EAS structure.

NWS provides emergency weather information used to alert the public of dangerous conditions. Over seventy percent of all EAS and EBS activations were a result of natural disasters and were weather related. Linking NOAA Weather Radio digital signaling with the EAS digital signaling will help NWS save lives by reaching more people with timely, site-specific weather warnings.

FEMA provides direction for state and local emergency planning officials to plan and implement their roles in the EAS.

Your DASDEC encoder/decoder allows your facility to decode EAS alerts originated from alert sources in your area. These sources can be radio, TV, and cable TV stations. These stations can be forwarding alerts received from a web of broadcasters, or originating alerts if designated as a primary source. To meet minimum requirements of the FCC, you must send randomized weekly tests, forward monthly tests, and forward National alerts. Your state and local EAS plan may also impose other requirements.

A good source of information is the EAS website at http://www.fcc.gov/eb/eas/ . The FCC provides handbooks in Adobe PDF format for AM and FM radio, for TV and for Cable TV.

As of this printing (Spring 2005), the current EAS system has been in place for about ten years. While little has changed in the core EAS system in that time, an explosion of digital technology has occurred, especially in communications and with the enormous evolution of the Internet. New methods of emergency management and alerting are being built to take advantage of the digital mediums. But the EAS system will be in place for at least several more years. The new digital technologies do not replace the EAS system; they augment the system. The EAS system provides an important level of redundant backup, using reliable radio broadcast, with communication coverage for more of the United States than any other medium.

The EAS system is also evolving, with significant improvements possible, that are just starting to be addressed. Bridges between EAS systems and the new digital alerting and emergency management systems will be possible with new digital LAN based EAS encoder/decoder technology. The DASDEC provides a powerful and yet economical LAN based digital platform for this bridge to the future of EAS.

The DASDEC is a 2U rack mounted unit built with the latest digital PC computer technology. It is an embedded PC platform. The front of the DASDEC, pictured below, provides a very simple face for a very sophisticated platform. The DASDEC exposes the PC motherboard connectors and single PCI slot in the rear of the unit.

The front panel features a 2x20 character backlit LCD that indicates power-on, and realtime device status. There are also two LEDs - one red, one green - for indicating specific types of status. A small grill provides space for audio from the internal speaker. One push-button allows for initiating a simple weekly test.

The backlit green LCD provides realtime status of the DASDEC. The LCD is used for numerous purposes, all indicating system and/or encoding/ decoding and active alert status. Here is a list of information available from the LCD.

* When the DASDEC is powered on, the LCD will light up, indicating power-on state.

* While the DASDEC is booting, the LCD will move through a few display states, eventually arriving at the ready state where the first line will display DASDEC:ON followed by a crawling display showing the programmed unit name, the software version number and the IP address.

* During decoding of an incoming alert, the LCD will display information about the source and the stage of the decoding.

* While decoded, forwarded or originated alerts are active on the DASDEC, the top line will repeat displaying pertinent identification for each active alert.

The DASDEC's two LEDS are used for a variety of status indications, making it easy to see at a glance certain important system states.

* When the DASDEC nears a ready state, the green LED blinks more rapidly. When the DASDEC is ready, the green LED light is on solid. A solid green LED indicates the DASDEC is operational.

* If the green LED starts blinking, the DASDEC server has become non-operational. This can happen during software upgrades.

* After the DASDEC becomes operational, in a ready state, with the green LED solid, the red LED indicates decoding, alert sending status, and unacknowledged, unforwarded active decoded alerts.

* If the red LED is blinking quickly, with pauses, the DASDEC server is decoding an incoming alert. If the red LED is solid, the DASDEC is sending an EAS alert. If the red LED is blinking slowly and regularly, an active alert has been decoded and has not been forwarded or acknowledged. Alerts are acknowledged by pressing the front panel button or by pushing the Acknowledge button for the alert on the Web browser.

The back of the DASDEC provides all of the connection ports. In addition to the standard PS/2 mouse and keyboard and VGA monitor ports, the DASDEC provides an RS-232 serial port (COM1), a parallel port, an RJ45 LAN port, two USB ports, main audio line in, out, and microphone jacks, optional auxiliary audio line in, out, and micro phone jacks, and a TV vvideo out connector. The DASDEC provides software support for the TV out as a licensed option. The optional second audio sound card likely also has an unused MIDI interface port.

Audio wiring on the DASDEC has some flexibility due to the option of adding a second sound card and because of built-in software control. Here are a few rules:

* Every line input can be used for decoding audio provided from an external receiver or another EAS encoder.

* Every line input supports two (2) EAS decoders. The left side of the input is decoded separately from the right side. So two line inputs provide four (4) EAS decoders.

* EAS alerts are selectively played out of the analog line output ports. Software is used to select which ports are used for alert origination and forwarding. If the balanced audio output hardware is installed, the main audio line out is disabled and instead is routed out through the balanced audio output port.

* The main/aux microphone input is used to record EAS audio messages. Quality EAS audio messages will need to be recorded from the aux mic input using a higher quality PCI soundcard. Digital Alert Systems can provide this soundcard when a DASDEC is ordered.

For decoding, each side of the stereo input of any audio input can be selectively used as a single decoder source. In other words, one stereo input supports two EAS decoders. A dual RCA to 3.5 mm jack input adapter can be used to connect two separate mono input signals to a DASDEC line input jack.

For alert encoding an audio cable is run from a software selected 3.5 mm line output jack into your systems alert audio wiring. Only analog audio output is supported. NOTE: The SPDIF digital audio output port is not used.

Video output from the DASDEC is an optional feature. When enabled an NTSC analog composite video signal is available from the RCA jack. This will provide a details page during alert forwarding and/or alert origination. The video page display takes a few moments to initialize. It will be steady when the GPO Audio or Video Output Relay is closed. It will also be held until at least the Audio or Video relay is opened.

The DASDEC comes with two General Purpose Output relays. During an alert origination or forwarding, the GPO relay 1 is closed for the duration of the alert audio envelope output. GPO relay 2 is programmable. It can be closed during the audio or NTSC video playout of an alert, or it can be closed when an alert has been decoded but not forwarded, when an alert is held pending a GPI action.

The DASDEC comes with two General Purpose Inputs contact closure circuits.inputs.GPIO input 1 can be programmed to trigger forwarding of an unforwarded alert or hold/delay playout of an active alert. GPIO input 2 can be programmed to issue a Required Weekly test.

The DASDEC uses a standard AC power cord. It uses a single power toggle switch to power on. NOTE: Power is supplied to the unit electronics while the external cord is plugged and supplied with power.

The DASDEC can present graphical user interface in one of three ways. The first is using a VGA monitor, keyboard and mouse connected to the correct ports on the back of the DASDEC. The keyboard and mouse should be connected prior to power on. The VGA monitor can be connected at any time.

The other two ways to get a user interface are via a network connection using a Web browser on a remote host. The DASDEC is given a default static network address of 192.168.0.1. The DASDEC can be connected directly to another computer’s ethernet port using a network crossover cable, or can be connected to a hub or router using a standard network cable. Network cabling may be done at any time.

No matter which way is used, the standard interface for configuring and controlling the DASDEC is a browser based Web interface.

NOTE: the DASDEC must be fully booted before it can provide a network connection.

Once the DASDEC is correctly cabled, power up by touching the power switch or rocker on the upper left corner of the backside. The LCD screen will light up if power is applied. Allow the DASDEC time to boot. The LCD screen and the green system status LED will indicate when the DASDEC is ready.

* Connect the VGA monitor, keyboard and mouse connected to the correct ports on the back of the DASDEC.

* Then power up and wait for the DASDEC boot and become fully operational. Make sure the VGA monitor is powered on.

* You will be presented with a login prompt on the VGA monitor. Type in the user name of "root" (without parenthesis). The default password is "dasdec1".

* After login, the DASDEC presents a shell prompt. At this point, if you are familiar with Linux, you may examine the DASDEC and run Linux administration from the provided shell. However, keep in mind that most configuration tasks (eg. timezone setup and network configuration), should be done from the DASDEC Web browser interface or from specific built-in DASDEC command line applications. Network configuration specifically can be optionally performed from a command line prompt using the provided DASDEC application ‘dasdec_set_network’. See instructions below.

* The typical task at this point is to launch a desktop user interface. Type the command 'startx' (without the quotes) and then touch the Return key. This will run the KDE desktop windowing user interface.

* Wait for the desktop to fully launch. Once the desktop is ready, run the provided DASDEC browser app by clicking the DAS icon labeled ‘DASDEC local’. This launches a browser which will automatically access the localhost DASDEC web server Login page. Follow the instructions for Section 4.2 below for logging into the DASDEC using the Web login page. Everything you will need to do to setup the DASDEC for operation and remote network access will be available from within the Web interface. Keep in mind that the user and password system presented by the DASDEC Web Interface is separate from the one used by the underlying Linux operating system. There is a built in administrative user (Admin) for the DASDEC Web Interface. The default password for Admin is “dasdec”. If you need to run a terminal window to run applications from the Linux command line, click on the terminal icon from the bottom panel.

* Follow the directions in Section 5 for DASDEC network setup via the Web browser interface or follow the instructions below for command line network setup.

* Follow the directions in Section 5 for general DASDEC Decoder/Encoder setup via the Web browser interface.

* Note: The desktop user interface provides access to many other Linux applications. You may also lock the desktop from other users by selecting the proper lock menu item from the right mouse button menu popup screen.

* After you are finished with the DASDEC KDE desktop, logout using the right mouse button popup screen to select "Logout". After a few seconds, the desktop will exit and you will be back at the shell prompt. To fully logout from the shell, press Cntrl-D from the keyboard. You will be back to the original login prompt.

* Once configured, the DASDEC is designed to operate “headless” (without monitor, keyboard, and mouse). The preferable means of DASDEC access is via a Web browser from another computer over the LAN. In fact, while the DASDEC can operate with the KDE desktop enabled, the KDE desktop consumes much memory and extra CPU speed. The provided KDE desktop applications are meant as conveniences and tools during DASDEC configuration. These should not be used indiscriminately during normal DASDEC operation. Using applications from the desktop during normal operation can interfere with the reliable performance of the decoder software.

The DASDEC’s Web Interface provides a very user friendly way to set the network address information. However, the network can also be quickly and conveniently setup or returned to factory defaults, from a command line prompt using the DASDEC application ‘dasdec_set_network’. Just running ‘dasdec_set_network’ will display helpful usage information. Basic network configuration can be achieved using various command line parameters (#.#.#.# is a valid dot/decimal format address, like 10.0.0.5) :

-GW #.#.#.# Sets the Gateway address (optional, default is disabled but with an address of 192.168.0.254).

-PROTO ‘protocol’ Set ‘protocol’ to either static or dhcp. If the value of protocol is static, then use the provided IP address information. If dscp, the network address will be automatically assigned by a DHCP server. Using dhcp requires a working DHCP server on the LAN. The default DASDEC protocol is static.

-default Reset the DASDEC network settings back to factory defaults. This parameter should be used alone.

-norestart Change the network config files but do not restart the DASDEC and network software.Use with caution.

Another task that would be wise to perform is to change the default Linux root password. To change the Linux root password, type "passwd" (without the quotes) at a Linux command line prompt. Then press the Enter key. Follow the prompts to enter a new password.

To logout from the shell, enter Cntrl-D or type logout and touch the Return key. It is VERY important to logout of the shell or lock the KDE desktop when not in use. Unauthorized access can only be prevented in this way. It is recommended that the DASDEC default Linux root password be changed even if the standard access will be by a LAN.

Connect a CAT-5 network crossover cable to the RJ45 port at the back of the DASDEC and to the RJ45 port of the network interface card (NIC) of a standalone PC or notebook computer. Configure the standalone PC to use the static IP address 192.168.0.2 with a net mask of 255.255.0.0. After DASDEC power up and booting, it can be accessed via a Web browser on the host computer.

Now launch a Web browser application and direct the URL to http://192.168.0.1/. The DASDEC will provide a gateway page and quickly redirect to the DASDEC login page. Follow the instructions for Section 4.2 below for logging into the DASDEC using the Web login page. After login, the DASDEC is ready to use, although typically it will be desirable to reconfigure the network address. If the network address is changed, subsequent logins will need to use the new address in the http URL.

Connect a standard CAT-5 network cable from the RJ45 port at the back of the DASDEC into a routing hub or other network switching device. You will likely need assistance from a network administrator to insure the DASDEC's default network address of 192.168.0.1 will be visible on the network, or will not clash with an existing node. Once the DASDEC is powered up, booted, and operational, it can be accessed via a Web browser from any remote computer on the LAN routed to see the address 192.168.0.1. Follow the instructions for Section 4.2 below for logging into the DASDEC using the Web login page. After login, the DASDEC is ready to use, although typically it will be desirable to reconfigure the network address. If the network address is changed, subsequent logins will need to use the new address in the http URL.

IMPORTANT NOTE about Security: The DASDEC can operate on any LAN, including a public internet LAN. It is your responsibility to insure that a DASDEC on an internet LAN is properly firewalled and secured to prevent unauthorized attempts at access. The DASDEC does NOT provide FTP or Telnet access by default since these are inherently unsecure protocols.

To reach the DASDEC Web interface from a browser, make sure the DASDEC is on the same LAN as the browser host and type http://<DASDEC IP Address> (eg http://192.168.0.1). If secure access has been configured, you must use https and a browser that supports 128-bit SSL encryption. When the DASDEC successfully connects for a Web session, it will present the following page in the Web browser.

Type "Admin" (no quotes) as the default user name, and "dasdec" (again, without quotes) as the password. Press the left mouse button over the Login button. With the correct user name and password, the DASDEC will login. If the user or password is incorrect, the DASDEC will display a message indicating the problem. If the DASDEC is left unattended for 10 minutes, it will automatically logout. A message indicating session timeout will be displayed on the login screen.

At your first login, DASDEC will show the Setup > ○ Server page in your web browser. Subsequent logins will start at the last page displayed prior to logout.

The DASDEC Web Interface is organized as a rather standard hierarchical set of related interfaces. Every page presents a standard header area with basic user session information and a set of four (4) major tabbed page groups. The page groups are Encoder, Decoder, Setup, and Server. For a decoder-only DASDEC, the Encoder page group is omitted. Each major group has a set of sub-options that appear as “radio” button selections under the group tab (such as the Server sub-option page under Setup). Only one of these sub-options may be selected at a time. Under a sub-option either a single page or another set of related tabbed pages will be presented. To navigate the DASDEC, first select the major group tab, then select the sub option under the tab. When moving from major group to major group, such as from Setup to Server and back to Setup, the last selected sub option is remembered.

IMPORTANT NOTE: In general, DO NOT use the back button or the Refresh/Reload buttons on your browser to go back to pages visited earlier. Although this often works, it can provide misleading, out-of -date server state information, and in some cases can result in unintended actions being performed. Instead, always use the provided DASDEC navigation buttons. Every DASDEC page provides a Back button to navigate to the previous page and a Refresh button to return the page settings to current values.

This manual will present descriptions and screen shots from each of these groups and sub-options.

The SETUP pages present the DASDEC server configuration sub-options. These are a set of ‘radio button toggles’. Only one can be selected at a time. They are in left to right order:

○ Server ○ Encoder ○ Decoder ○ Audio ○ Video/CG ○ Net Alerts ○ EMail ○ GPIO ○ Alert Storage ○ Network ○ Time ○ Users

At the first login, before the DASDEC can be used, the server must be pre-configured. The recommended order is to first set up the Server, then Network, Time, Users, EMail, Audio, Video/CG, Decoder, Encoder, Net Alerts, GPIO, Alert Storage. The subsequent sections review information on the screens and provide additional information.

Notice that the top section of every page will contain the standard interface displaying the navigation tabs and buttons, as well as server name, time and current user. Also a Back button is provided to go to the previous page, a Refresh button to update the current page, and a Logout button. Always use the provided Back button rather than the browser’s back button. At the bottom of every page are also convenient links to navigate Back, to Refresh, to navigate to the Status page, and to navigate to the Operation Log page.

If the web page displayed is not Setup -> Server, select this page using the tab at the top of the web page. The first task is to check the License Key configuration. The core DASDEC software will only run if it has been enabled using a Master license key. Some DASDEC’s will be delivered pre-configured in the factory, so this task may be complete. Other features are discussed after License Key configuration.