# \*Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep\* **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 19, 2003, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep/162497 "2003-03-19T07:38:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep/162497/1 "2003-03-19T07:38:15Z")
That’s all. Had this been an actual emergency, instructions would have followed. You may now resume your regularly scheduled reading. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep/162497/2 "2003-03-19T07:41:19Z")
Now you have torn up every nerve in my body. I am in shreds. ---
**Author:** ![sciguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@sciguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciguy)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep/162497/3 "2003-03-19T07:45:44Z")
No, no, no, it’s supposed to go: Had this been an actual emergency, we would have fled in terror and you would not have been informed. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep/162497/4 "2003-03-19T08:15:37Z")
> [@](#): > > _Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep_ _That’s_ the alarm sound for your emergency system? What happened to stuff like klaxons and that? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![3trew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/13edae/32.png) [@3trew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3trew)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep/162497/5 "2003-03-19T08:22:01Z")
Had this been an actual emergency, you’d already be in some pretty deep s…tuff before you got around to turning on the TV and finding out that we didn’t know what was going on either, assuming you still had electricity and a television set. ---
**Author:** ![Skeezix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@Skeezix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skeezix)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep/162497/6 "2003-03-19T08:27:42Z")
All that friggin’ thing ever did for me was interrupt whatever movie I was watching on cable at the time. Anyone ever see the EBS in action, for anything besides that test? I mean, in the days before The Weather Channel and CNN, I can see where it might have been useful as a (off the toppa my head) tornado warning, but I’ve never actually seen anything other than the tests. [sub]And I have say, the thread title was descriptive enough for me. I **knew** this was gonna refer to the Emergency Broadcast System.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep/162497/7 "2003-03-19T10:30:48Z")
“Emergency. Emergency. There’s an emergency going on. It’s still going on. And it’s still an emergency.” - Holly ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep/162497/8 "2003-03-19T10:42:16Z")
Last time the emergency sirens were used here for something other then a test was for a ~1996 tsunami that ended up being only a few inches. They canceled the warning after only 20 minutes when those little waves washed up on … The Marshall Islands was it? It was a long time ago. I had actually begun to look forward to the massive wave going up the canal pushing dozens of boats ahead of it. I live a 6 blocks from the oceans so no normal wave would have gotten me anyway. Closest call for me. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep/162497/9 "2003-03-19T10:45:34Z")
A normal wave would NOT have gotten me. The most historic hotel in Waikiki would probably be wrecked as well as taking down the wave long before it crosses Kalakaua. ---
**Author:** ![roadrunner70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@roadrunner70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roadrunner70)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep/162497/10 "2003-03-19T10:57:35Z")
[nitpick] actually, it’s _meeep meeep_, not **b** eeeeeeeep [nitpick] [sub]damn humans…almost as bad as coyotes[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Rue\_DeDay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/41988e/32.png) [@Rue\_DeDay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rue_DeDay)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep/162497/11 "2003-03-19T12:00:14Z")
Wow, and I thought it was 'cause **Babs** was backing up. But that would have been _beep_ _beep_ _beep_ _beep_ _beep_. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep/162497/12 "2003-03-19T14:07:52Z")
I thought it was time to leave a message. ---
**Author:** ![Morgainelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Morgainelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgainelf)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep/162497/13 "2003-03-19T14:17:37Z")
OK, I’m under my desk. Now what? ---
**Author:** ![ladybug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@ladybug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladybug)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep/162497/14 "2003-03-19T14:46:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Skeezix \* > **Anyone ever see the EBS in action, for anything besides that test?** I’ve seen it used many times during the summer, especially in the area where my parents live. It starts blaring across the TV every time part of the viewing area is under a severe thunderstorm warning. Do you know how many thunderstorms hit central Florida between June and August? I wouldn’t be surprised if people ignore at least half of the warnings. ---
**Author:** ![Skelji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Skelji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skelji)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep/162497/15 "2003-03-19T14:56:03Z")
Heh. Right here, the sirens are going off FOR REAL! We are under a tornado warning, so your _Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep_ is like closed captioning for me. If I wake up and see Munchkins, excuse me, Vertically Challenged Indigenous Inhabitants of Oz, I think I shall choke on a muffin. ---
**Author:** ![Meros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Meros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meros)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep/162497/16 "2003-03-19T15:10:18Z")
I’ve actually seen it used a few times in my lifetime. The most notably would be the blizzards in '93 and '96, I don’t think there was a single day during those storms that some kind of emergency was announced. There’s also the Amber Alert system which uses the EBS…problem is in this day and age, and living so close to one of the East Coast’s largest cities, every time I hear it throws me into a brief panic. ---
**Author:** ![Rodd\_Hill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3ab097/32.png) [@Rodd\_Hill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodd_Hill)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep/162497/17 "2003-03-19T15:12:19Z")
Actually, a Klaxon is too powerful for such a confined space as this; I think a Klaxet will be more than sufficient. [http://www.klaxonsignals.com/kproduct4.htm](http://www.klaxonsignals.com/kproduct4.htm) [beavis]Heh, they have it listed under “Hooters!”[/beavis] ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep/162497/18 "2003-03-19T16:12:45Z")
no, really. the alarm does go “beep”. we’re on a budget here people. What, you expect the hamsters to run a loud horn,too? Never happy are you? And **Rue** , darlin’, …I otta moider you. ---
**Author:** ![Skeezix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@Skeezix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skeezix)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep/162497/19 "2003-03-21T09:17:16Z")
[quote] _Originally posted by **ladybug** _: **It starts blaring across the TV every time part of the viewing area is under a severe thunderstorm warning. Do you know how many thunderstorms hit central Florida between June and August?** Yeah, all I gotta do is look out the window. 😉 (Matter of fact, Mrs. Skeezix had to dodge a tornado on the way home from work a few nights back.) But I think we’re miscommunicating here. That little tickertape _meep meep meep_ thunderstorm/tornado warning scroll isn’t what I’m talking about. The old-school Emergency Broadcast System (which, IIRC, isn’t the system in use, anymore\*) where the screen cuts to a multi-color test pattern, with a good 15 or 30 second high pitched beep (as in the thread title) is the one I’m thinking of. The voiceover for it was essentially **BNB** ’s OP. “This has been a test of the EBS. This is only a test. Had there been an actual emergency…” yadda yadda yadda \*[sub]I vaguely recall that aside from the format change, (from completely blocking the programming signal, to simply adding a scroll bar on the bottom of the screen) new broadcast and communications equipment for it was put into use sometime in the late 90s. All of which is arguing minutia, I suppose.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep/162497/20 "2003-03-21T19:59:38Z")
Minor nitpick - those weird burps of noise are the signal for the Emergency _Alert_ System. [Oficial EAS info page at the FCC](http://www.fcc.gov/eb/eas/) It’s a digital data signal now, which explains why it sounds more like a fax than an emergency. The old EBS tone, which did get your attention, was a mix of 853Hz and 960Hz tones played simultaneously. Aside from being a fairly unpleasant chord, this particular pair of frequencies would trigger the TV or radio station’s EBS equipment. The old Emergency Broadcast System was replaced on January 1, 1997 by EAS. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep/162497.md?page=2)