Topic: Local weather radio went down

[ncpilot]

I tried listening from work, nothing... figured I'd better check my radio once I got home... (I'm streaming Winnabow NC radio to Wunderground).

Finally remembered a few minutes ago, and listened on both my radios... silence. Called the local NWS office, where they played the broadcast for me over the phone, then... they checked the transmitter and found it was down, so they switched over to the backup...

Hmmm... we both said... they'll have to trouble shoot why the backup didn't kick in automatically.

I've seen that happen with a local tv station. They monitor the feed, but not actual transmitter output--they never know when the xmitter goes down...

Good thing there wasn't any bad weather in the area...

Are there weather brownie points?  

[katlon]

When NOAA radio at KGSP has transmission problems a faint beep kicks in under the regular audio. It has happened numerous times over the past several months and they at NWS have yet to catch it before I or another listener does. I think there is absolutely no actual observance of their own transmissions. Everytime I email them with a problem they just say "thanks and we're on it." I guess there equipment is so out of date they just try to keep it working best they can. A couple of years ago when I took a Skywarn class we were told that they instructor would not be able to mail our certificates to us because they could not spend the extra money for the postage. Thanks Congress.

[ncpilot]

Yes, there is a consistent beep when on the backup transmitter...

You'd think they'd use an actual weather radio in their facility to monitor the transmission... Maybe I should buy them one...

[SLOweather]

Well, look at it this way. Our NWS office is over 100 miles away in Oxnard. They are responsible for 5 or 6 different NOAA transmitters from San Simeon to Long Beach and Catalina Island. There's no way they can directly monitor all 6 of the transmitters for which they are responsible.

That's probably one of the ways we as private weather sites help without knowing it. By streaming their audio, we give them a way to listen to their transmitters remotely.

I just wonder if they have figured that out?

[ncpilot]

That's a good point... re: multiple station responsibility...

[kb4mdz]

Granted it's been a long time since this topic got a posting, but I came in late.......

katlon mentioned that when the NWR transmitter at KGSP has troubles, there is a low-level beep on the audio;

This indicates the transmitter is running at low power; if it's a very old transmitter, they consist of  a 100Watt basic solid state transmitter, and a (up to ) 1KW tube-final transmitter.  (Which when it is on, the driver drives it with about 40 watts,).  When one of these beasts is just running the 100Watt exciter, an additional circuit injects a low-level 'beep' of about 400 Hz, approx. 10 seconds apart, into the audio.  The standard configuration at a site is two identical transmitters, 1 & 2.  If it's running TX 1, there is a single beep, if TX 2, then double beep.

If the hi-power PA fails to come up, it will stay in 'low-power' mode.  Weather Service office can typically switch transmitters from 1 to 2, or vice versa, via another audio tone sequence sent down from the forecast office.  If, for example, it's running TX 1, and the sequence to 'go to' TX 1 is sent from F.O., this just resets any PA faults, and starts the cycle for the PA to warm up & try to turn on again.  (about 45 minutes from stone cold).

So, to cut to the chase, whenever you hear a NWS TX doing the beepy-beepy; call up the forecast office & let them know.  No, they don't monitor it by ear, 24 hours a day. 

More details as requested by the forum users.....
Chuk G.
NWS transmitter maintenance for about 3 years, somewhere in an Eastern state....

[Mark / Ohio]

Welcome to the forum Chuk and thanks for the information!   

[anchorageweather]

Great info, thanks!!!

[ncpilot]

Yes, good info... I think it's important to use the correct phraseology/terminology so when you call a service like NWS, you'll appear knowledgeable enough that they won't think you're just some yahoo calling that thinks a psychrometer is a head doctor... 

Chuk... you're not embarrassed to say you're in NC, are you?

[kb4mdz]

Marc -

No, not embarassed at all; just trying to keep it 'quiet' as to which stations  I worked on.  Not sure why, tho, since it's so long ago.

I live in Cary, have been living here for about 18 years. 

Funny thing about this subject, just now.  I was down around Winnabow, NC, on Tuesday, heard the 162.5500 transmitter doing the single beep.  Then had the chance to head toward Elizabethtown, and still heard the single beep, up to about 11:00 when I got to my work location.  When I came out, just after 12:15, it was double-beeping, and I headed back toward Raleigh.  Just kept the radio volume low, so I could listen to broadcast radio.  About 1/2 hour later, burst of static on the frequency and then voila!!!  Full power, full quieting signal as I was driving towards Fayetteville. 

More power!!!!!   Arrr!! Arrr!!  AArrrrr!!!

[GvlSkywarnNCS]

".... if it's a very old transmitter, they consist of  a 100Watt basic solid state transmitter, and a (up to ) 1KW tube-final transmitter...." 

As best I can remember that's what is still up on Paris Mtn (WXJ21) based on something said at a Skywarn class several months ago. It's pretty rare for this TX to go down for any significant time span- there is something to be said for tube finals: they'll put up with a lot more out-of-spec stuff than solid state does which is why I like them  The main issue here is tower work- it's a rare day when the sky isn't clouded to some degree for about half the year so it can take a month to make a simple adjustment on that end. The last "low power episode" here took a week to fix because of that. Can't blame them- I wouldn't climb the best lightning rod for miles around on a cloudy day either!

Phil

[MesquiteWx]

Chuck is spot on with what the tone is. One thing thing are trying to implement which they have used for years in commercial radio is DTMF tones. Where if one goes down it will send a DTMF tone to activate the other one so it doesn't have to be monitored. If you remember way back in the days when cable TV first came available back in the 80's? I guess it was you would hear DTMF tones all the time. Radio still uses them with simulcasted shows. They have them in such high freq. now days that the human ear can not even hear them. I use them with my Zara radio program for my Xmas Display too. Before the show starts the tone will go off and the radio will fade out and when the show is over it as another tone that will turn the music back on until the next show. Why NWS hasn't jumped on this until now beats me.