ECP 434 approval to upgrade the CONUS DoD to NWS WFO "sending site" frame relay circuits has been incorporated into Mod Note 126 and TCTO 7nn. These circuits support mission-critical DoD WSR-88D data and radar control to the NWS.

Multiple instances have been documented in the last several months where the bandwidth “headroom” on the NEXRAD frame relay circuits between CONUS DoD WSR-88Ds and WFO AWIPS responsible for retransmitting the DoD radar data to central collection has been exceeded during large scale convective weather situations while operating in the faster VCPs 12 or 212. Loadshedding, which has lead to lags in product receipt or products being shed altogether at AWIPS at the worst possible time for warning and forecast operations, is the undesirable consequence of insufficient bandwidth headroom.

The frame relay upgrades will be closely coordinated with maintenance staff at both the applicable DoD and NWS locations. The sequence of upgrades has been prioritized predicated on events the ROC has already researched, anticipated weather for the coming months and entry into tropical season, and weighted for those locations that additionally transmit Level II data via the frame relay circuits.

Click here for the latest Web version of the transition schedule.

As noted with the transition schedule, per approved CCRs 08-00021 and 08-00022 new 16K PVCs to the NEXRAD ROCETEER will also be implemented in parallel with the frame relay circuit upgrades. For background on the ROCETEER system see NEXRAD NOW Issue 17, page 24 at: http://www.roc.noaa.gov/news/NNautumn07b.pdf . The connections to the ROCETEER better enable the ROC to remotely support WSR-88D and tri-agency end users.

Please note that it will be a prerequisite to install Build 11 at all participating locations prior to loading of new router configs necessary to support this change. Build 11 was released as early as possible to all locations associated with this change. Mod Note 126 and TCTO 7nn will provide a new CD for reloading the RPG router (DoD) and NEXRAD frame relay hub router (NWS) configs on top of Build 11. Those router configs will then be incorporated into Build 11.1.

An unavoidable consequence of the telecommunication service orders for NEXRAD frame relay service being nested with DITCO will be that site maintenance POCs will see at least one TSR e-mail associated with this change. Those e-mails can essentially be ignored as we will consolidate info relative to the anticipated frame relay turn-ups after working with you to harden a turn-up schedule. We will then provide you with updates from Verizon, our Provider for all NEXRAD CONUS frame relay service, as they respond to their ability to meet proposed activation dates.

If you have any questions about this project please contact the NEXRAD Hotline.