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Portola Valley EPC demos remote AM emergency broadcast; town manager retains license control
Summary
The Emergency Preparedness Committee demonstrated a newly networked AM emergency broadcast (1680 kHz) that allows remote uploads and streaming. The committee agreed the town manager must retain final publishing authority and identified training and access controls as next steps.
Ray, an Emergency Preparedness Committee member, demonstrated Dec. 9 how Portola Valley’s AM emergency radio on 1680 kHz now supports remote uploads through a VPN-protected web interface, allowing prerecorded or live messages to be published without an in-person USB drive.
The demonstration showed prerecorded messages attributed to Carrie Chin and Selena Brown and cycled live during the meeting. "We've had in town for about 14 years a TIS AM radio on 1680 kilohertz," Ray said as he logged into the system and uploaded files. He described the new process as a “huge improvement” over the previous requirement to deliver audio on a thumb drive.
Committee members said the ability to manage the system remotely will improve the town’s capacity to push emergency information quickly. Ray explained the technical safeguards: the radio sits on a private network behind a firewall, accepts uploads through a VPN, and can be controlled live via a microphone on the web interface. He also noted the town’s responsibility under its broadcast license: "At the end of the day, the town manager is the ultimate responsible human being for the license," he said, and suggested discussing delegation protocols with Town Manager Darcy.
Ray showed hardware at the transmitter site, including an Inphase IQ power module, a firewall, and a small UPS unit installed to keep the radio and network running during outages. He said the radio, Wi‑Fi and firewall draw about 62 watts and the installed 1,500 watt-hour UPS should provide roughly 24 hours of runtime at that load, allowing time for recovery or to move to alternate communications.
Committee members discussed who will have technical access and operational authority. Members proposed that the communications subcommittee retain operational control for technical tasks (reboots, uploads) while the town manager or a delegated official retain final authority to publish. The committee agreed to refine a draft policy and procedures that Ray said already exists.
Next steps: the EPC will consult with the town manager about delegation and finalize access protocols and training for staff and subcommittee members. The committee also scheduled an AM radio demonstration for town council on Jan. 28.
