|
Hardware Repair
Although we never intend on our equipment failing, sometimes due to severe weather such as lightening strikes or power surges it may be necessary to replace hardware in the field. In the event that your site experiences a failure, please contact our Customer Support group at (321) 409-9898 to determine if hardware needs to be replaced; often many fixes do not require hardware and can be fixed through network assistance or IT support.
Should your site need a physical hardware replacement, please use the form below to generate a Purchase Order via either fax at (321) 409-9899 or mail to the Comlabs' corporate offices in Melbourne. If you require further assistance please refer to the Repair Kit documentation or contact Customer Support directly.
Repair Kit - External Receiver (.pdf) 
Repair Kit - Internal Receiver (.pdf)
Repair Kit - ViaSat (.pdf)
FAQs & Trouble Shooting
At Comlabs we strive to provide our customers with the highest level of service and support. To help streamline the customer support process we have created an online trouble shooting guide to some of our most commonly asked questions.
Please note that the content provided here represents the most common solutions to the problems listed; if the situation you are experiencing persists, please contact one of our Customer Support Engineers at (321) 409-9898 or via email at support@comlabs.com.
 How can I tell if EMnet is running on my computer?
Does the Message Manager need to be on my screen in order to receive messages?
The EMnet satellite dish icon in the system tray is blinking.
Does that mean there’s something wrong?
The EMnet satellite dish icon in the system tray is not blinking. What does that mean?
The satellite icon is yellow. What does that mean, and what can I do about it?
The satellite icon is red. What does that mean, and what can I do about it?
The satellite icon is not in the system tray at all. What does that mean?
On startup, the computer asks for a Windows login password. What is the password?
What is “Pager Notification,” and how do I enable it on my EMnet terminal?
What does “Paging Disabled” mean?
What does “Paging Suppressed” mean?
When I receive the text of an EMnet message on my pager, the message is cut short. Why ?
What is EAS?
How can I set up my EMnet system to receive EAS messages from the National Weather
Service and others?
I would like additional training on using EMnet. What are my options?
How can I tell if EMnet is running on my computer? Does the Message Manager need to be on my screen in order to receive messages?
There should be a small icon shaped like a satellite dish blinking in your system tray. So long as that icon is there, EMnet is running. You do not need to have the Message Manager open to receive messages; when a message arrives, the Message Manager will open automatically.
The EMnet satellite dish icon in the system tray is blinking. Does that mean there’s something wrong?
No. In fact, the blinking icon shows that the system is running normally.
The EMnet satellite dish icon in the system tray is not blinking. What does that mean?
A solid (non-blinking) icon may mean that the computer is very busy. If it does not blink for several minutes, that may indicate that all or part of the Windows operating system has become unstable, or that the EMnet software has encountered a condition which it cannot resolve. In either case, Microsoft recommends rebooting the computer as the solution.
The satellite icon is yellow. What does that mean, and what can I do about it?
Normally, the satellite icon is green, to indicate that the system has full communication both through the internet and through the satellite. If the satellite icon is yellow, that means the EMnet system is not receiving the heartbeats that confirm the system is receiving data from the server. EMnet stations configured to use both the internet and a satellite downlink receive these heartbeats over their satellite dish. EMnet stations with internet-only configurations receive email heartbeats.
For EMnet configurations that use both the internet and a satellite downlink, the most common cause for a yellow icon is severe weather; rain fade can cause the satellite dish to temporarily lose contact with the satellite in the sky, usually for only a few minutes. During this time, your station will still be able to send and receive messages through the internet. As soon as the dish regains connection, your station will automatically be fully connected again, and the icon will return to green.
If an icon is yellow for more than a few minutes, there may be other problems interfering with connectivity. For satellite-based accounts, if a satellite dish is knocked out of alignment sufficiently to lose sight of the satellite in the sky, this may cause loss of heartbeats and a yellow icon. If the satellite dish is not properly aligned, it will need to be re-pointed to restore the satellite connection. The SMTP/POP3 connection is still functional, so the EMnet station can still send and receive messages.
For internet-based accounts, changes to anti-virus software can cause the satellite dish to turn yellow. Sometimes, anti virus software that scans email blocks brief system messages such as the email heartbeats. The SMTP/POP3 connection is still functional, so the EMnet station can still send and receive messages. The method for enabling heartbeats through the anti-virus software is different for each software package. Contact your local IT group or the anti-virus provider for assistance.
If you have questions regarding your connectivity, or would like assistance in troubleshooting, please call Comlabs at 321-409-9898, and select “EMnet” - “Tech Support” from the telephone menu. Or, email us at support@comlabs.com.
Back to Top
The satellite icon is red. What does that mean, and what can I do about it?
Normally, the satellite icon is green, to indicate that the system has full communication both through the internet and through the satellite. If the satellite icon is red, that means the EMnet system is experiencing serious communication problems! EMnet must have a functional SMTP/POP3 connection with the EMnet server in order to function.
The most common cause for a red icon is problems with your computer's contact with the internet. The cable connecting the computer to your LAN may be disconnected, or there may be a connection difficulty at another point. Contact your local IT group for help with network troubleshooting.
The second most common cause for a red icon is changes to the firewall. Firewalls need to be configured to allow multi-cast to receive packets from the satellite, and to have outgoing SMTP/POP3 connection to the EMnet servers for the software.
If you have questions regarding your connectivity, or would like assistance in troubleshooting, please call Comlabs at 321-409-9898, and select “EMnet” - “Tech Support” from the telephone menu. Or, email us at support@comlabs.com.
The satellite icon is not in the system tray at all. What does that mean, and what can I do about it?
If the satellite icon is not in the system tray, then EMnet is not currently running on the computer. To start EMnet, Click on START, go to ALL PROGRAMS, and select “EMnet Receiver” from the “Emergency Messaging” folder. Or, you may restart your computer; EMnet should initialize automatically on startup.
On startup, the computer asks for a Windows login password. What is the password?
Comlabs does not have Windows login information set by your local IT group.
Try leaving the user name and password blank when logging in. If this does not work, contact your local IT department to find login information for the computer.
We recommend that EMnet computers be configured so that they do not require a login, so that the EMnet computer is never stuck at an unattended login prompt. Comlabs has a utility called Auto Log-on which may be helpful for configuring this. It can be found in the “Utilities” folder of the EMnet CD. If you have questions, or would prefer to download the utility, please call Comlabs at 321-409-9898, and select “EMnet” - “Tech Support” from the telephone menu. Or, email us at support@comlabs.com.
Back to Top
What is “Pager Notification,” and how do I enable it on my EMnet terminal?
Pager notification is a feature that allows EMnet to forward the text of EMnet messages, EAS messages, and system notifications to any email address. Messages may be forwarded to a standard email account, or to an email address associated with a pager or cell phone.
You can enable your system to send pager notifications by selecting PAGER NOTIFICATIONS from the EMnet menu to open the PAGER NOTIFICATIONS dialog. The Training PowerPoint presentation on “Pager Notifications” gives specific instructions on how to configure this dialog.
(Note that cell phone providers often charge for text messaging. Since the messages are text messages, this feature will not work with numeric pagers.)
What does “Paging Disabled” mean?
“Paging Disabled” means that you have not configured your EMnet computer to forward notifications to a pager or email address. Since your station is not configured to forward messages, paging is “disabled.” Your EMnet computer will state this in any system notification that it would normally have forwarded to a pager.
What does “Paging Suppressed” mean?
“Paging Suppressed” means that an EMnet system notification cannot be forwarded to the pagers or email addresses specified in Pager Notifications.
Paging is suppressed if the EMnet computer has lost connection with the internet, or EMnet is unable to use SMTP communication to send the page to the EMnet server. Your computer may have become disconnected from your LAN, or your internet provider may be experiencing difficulties, or there may be other network issues. Contact your local IT group for help with network troubleshooting.
If pages coming from your EMnet station are suppressed, the EMnet server itself will send a page when it becomes aware that it has lost connection with your EMnet station.
If you have questions regarding your connectivity, or would like assistance in troubleshooting, please call Comlabs at 321-409-9898, and select “EMnet” - “Tech Support” from the telephone menu. Or, email us at support@comlabs.com.
Back to Top
When I receive the text of an EMnet message on my pager, the message is cut short. Why is this?
Since pagers truncate messages (usually to a length between 80 and 255 characters), a message forwarded to a pager may be cut short. A message forwarded from EMnet to a standard email address will include the complete text of the message.
What is EAS?
“EAS” stands for Emergency Alert System. The Federal Communications Commission established EAS in 1994. It is used for Presidential warnings to the public in the case of a national emergency, as well as state and local warnings to the public regarding local emergency situations (including Amber Alerts, and local weather warnings from the National Weather Service).
EMnet stations can be configured to receive EAS messages. Unlike the standard EMnet messages, EAS messages include an audio component suitable for radio or television broadcast.
How can I set up my EMnet system to receive EAS messages from the National Weather Service and others?
You can enable your system to receive EAS messages by selecting EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM - MESSAGE RECEPTION from the EMnet menu to open the EAS RECEPTION dialog. The Training PowerPoint presentations on “EAS Message Reception” give specific instructions on how to configure this dialog.
I would like additional training on using EMnet. What are my options?
Free telephone training is available by appointment for all EMnet users. Telephone training comes in two formats:
1) A “hands on” format useful for a single person or a small group
2) A Webinar format suitable for larger groups
There are also downloadable self-training modules in a PowerPoint format. If you do not have access to PowerPoint, they may also be downloaded in HTML format. To access these modules, log in HERE. Government Users log in HERE.
For more details, or to schedule training, please call Comlabs at 321-409-9898, and select “EMnet” - “Training” from the telephone menu. Or, email us at support@comlabs.com.
Back to Top
Resource Archive
As an added service to our customers, Communications Laboratories is pleased to offer and host a variety of industry related documentation. These documents, which range from assessments of the Emergency Alert System to the NAWAS Manual to the most current FCC proposed rule making, have been collected to serve as an online library for our users. The literature posted on this page is fully downloadable, and all documents are either public property or are made available at the express permission of the authors.
As with many sections of our website, this area is growing continuously as we receive feedback from our customers with regard to additional documents they would like to have available. If there is a particular piece that you do not see but would like to have access to, please let us know and we will make our best effort to expand this online resource at your request. Please email all requests to support@comlabs.com.
(Most items are in .pdf format. Visit www.Adobe.com to download a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader.)
AMBER Alerts
Guidance on Criteria for Issuing AMBER Alerts
Report to the Congress on AMBER Alert (July 2005)
Emergency Alert System (EAS)
Emergency Alert System AM & FM Handbook (2001)
Emergency Alert System TV Handbook (2001)
Emergency Alert System Cable Handbook (2001)
Partnership for Public Warning (PPW)
Developing a Unified, All-Hazards Public Warning System (PPW)
The Emergency Alert System (EAS): An Assessment (PPW)
United States National Warning System (NAWAS)
National Warning System (NAWAS) Manual
|
Site
Map | Search
| Terms
of Use | Contact
Us