AlertReady - Electronic Newsroom, EAS Alerts & Wire Service Capture

Buy Accessories for AlertReady

Broadcast Tools SRC-2X

Remote Location Application: Providing bi-directional remote control to fire relays to trigger station tests or receive closures (if your receiver supports an input relay (GPI) to trigger one or more tests or if it pulses/latches a relay when one occurs).

If you need to fire a relay remotely to generate station tests, you can use the SRC-2X at each end (one at your location, one at the site where the EAS receiver is). These boxes route over TCP/IP LAN/WAN so they work over internal and external Internet with routable IP. In this fashion, you can hit a button (make a contact closure, pulse or latch) at one location and have that same thing occur at the remote site with the other SRC-2X. They are bi-directional so they can detect a button hit at the other location and make a relay fire at your lcoation (i.e. vice versa).

Visit Broadcast Tools website for more information

PRICE
$209

Broadcast Tools ESS-1

Remote Location Application: Sending EAS data from a remote location to a central monitoring facility.

If your receiver is not located in the same location as the computer running AlertReady software, as in the case of monitoring a station miles away from your staffed location, the ESS-1 unit will connect to your EAS receiver and route all outputted messages over TCP/IP over private and public Internet connections to the computer running AlertReady.

Visit Broadcast Tools website for more information

This device comes with virtual COM port software that creates a fake COM port in Windows that the AlertReady software looks to see the data being fed over the Internet from the ESS-1 unit at the EAS receiver you are monitoring. You do not need to buy an ESS-1 unit for both sides.

HOWEVER, if you are also needing to use manufacturer supplied programming/test sending software from your location to control the EAS transmitter to send various tests for your own station or other stations, it is recommended you buy two ESS-1 units for that run (separate from the ESS-1 used to send output messages to us). Some manufacturer supplied sending software packages may not like virtual COM ports, and by using an ESS box at both ends, the software application can talk to a real COM port on your computer. The ESS-1 unites communicate with each other to tunnel the data via the Internet.

PRICE
$129

USB2COM

These add COM ports to any computer that doesn't have them (if you need or want a physical COM port to make a connection to an EAS receiver that is near the computer). It is not needed if you are putting an ESS-1 unit on the EAS unit and have LAN/Internet connectivity between the computer and location where the EAS unit is.

Click here for more information on the USB2COM

Rocket Port COM cards

COMTROL makes high end multi-port serial cards with 4, 8 or 16 ports on a single PCI card. These cards run about $100 per port, so unless you need a high density multi-port solution, we recommend using the USB2COM hang on adapters when needing one to a few ports on the computer (since they are only about $25 in comparison). We carry COMTROL if you need a high density solution.

KICK-OFF (MONITORING & REBOOT DEVICE)

This handy USB-connected device lets you run your power cord through it before it plugs into your computer. Our software can be configured to communicate with this device every 10 seconds.

If the device doesn't see us saying hello for a specified time-out, it will issue an NT authority shut down which is the same as a user hitting START/SHUTDOWN/RESTART in windows. In this fashion, if our software ever crashes when no one is around, it will be restarted. This is especially handy on your capture station if you have a dedicated computer in a backroom running 365 days a year unattended which captures all your wire services and/or satellite fed audio feeds.

Coupled with our WRCHECK software, should our program or windows ever fail, you can get an email warning, and know that the machine was rebooted to correct a problem. Our software can also be configured to reboot the computer in the case of lost network or Internet connectivity, which is useful if you're using our system to automatically update your web site around the clock.

PRICE
$249
Includes help with setup and connection of the device.

RS-232 TEST AND ADAPTER KIT

This kit includes a good old fashioned RS-232 mini tester that has LED lights to help you verify that you have data and ground on the right pins for your computer, as well as showing activity when data is coming across. We also include both 25 pin and 9 pin DB connectors, hoods, and a couple 0-25 adapters. Buy this kit for a fraction of what you'd spend at RadioShack.

PRICE
$30

SETUP AND TRAINING

For an additional $50, we will connect to your computer, download the software for you, configure it and train you on its use. You make the cable, we do the rest.