Originally published at: If Russia nukes the U.S., here's how the Emergency Alert System will work | Boing Boing
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If Russia nukes the U.S. then the living will envy the dead (and not just in the U.S.).
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Some general advice from Beau…
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It’s composed of two tones being played at the same time: 853 hertz and 960 hertz
and yes, 853 is a prime number all the better to avoid any harmonics
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A favorite bit of trivia he didn’t mention is that the sound of the EAS header is often referred to as the ‘duck farts’.
…though I wonder how illegal it is to post in a youtube video given the existence of Sirenhead and the fake emergency alert videos people like to post.
(Fake emergency alerts are an entire genre: Emergency Alert System - Nuclear Bomb Attack. - YouTube )
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But, would they notify us if the bomb was imminent?
I thought I read somewhere that if total destruction was coming they would spare us the panic.
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As a bully, Putin is more likely to use nuclear weapons against those who can’t respond in kind.
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Yeah, if there was an actual full-scale nuclear conflict, I’d be looking for advice on how to maximize my chances of being vaporized. Seems like the best option.
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I think I’ve got that covered. I live within 1km of the seat of government in a NATO country!
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Thank you for that.
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‘If Russia nukes the U.S., here’s how the Emergency Alert System will work’
Briefly.
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Back in the final years of the Cold War we could see this thing from our school window. We were told that, if the day ever came, its presence would ensure that it would be over pretty soon for us.
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It’s helpful… more so than duck and cover…! 
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From the Seattle Times, a little more info on the US’s “baby nukes”
What Russia’s nuclear escalation means for Washington, with world’s third-largest atomic arsenal
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Do (broadcast) sounds actually cluster around whole-number Hz values enough for that to matter?
It’s the advantage of living in Europe - if you’re in an urban area, you’re never too far from something important. Living in California, in Silicon Valley, I suspect I’m in the middle of a number of targets - but only “close” to them in the American sense, i.e. they’re all a good number of miles away. Which is really the worst possible situation.
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Broadcasting a tone that almost no one is familiar with, as it is illegal to broadcast unless the nukes are actually on the way, over the radio, which gets less and less relevent over time, seems like they are not going to reach quite everyone.
But if one famous TicToker also has a radio, that will probably be enough to get the word out.
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how many people have a radio that could pick up this signal?
i don’t. i don’t know anyone who does. we all use internet for what we used radio for.
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Reminds me, I need to get some cash to have on hand.
Ain’t nothing gonna work after the big ones drop.
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