AWIPS RPS Lists Information for MRLE & Supplemental Low Elevation Scans
Updated on 5/26/2020 based on comments from the NCF Backline Support.
Background:When SAILS first deployed and select sites received modified
VCP definition files to add an additional low-elevation scan below 0.5°
(hereafter supplemental low elevation), the local AWIPS RPS Lists had to be
modified to request these additional scans.
MRLE & Supplemental Low Elevation: Similar to SAILS, MRLE and the
Supplemental scans will require local AWIPS RPS List updates. Unlike SAILS, the
process has been streamlined since RPG Build 18. Below are instructions on how
to make these modifications.
The National RPS List has recently been updated to incorporate MRLE. The
following table shows which products are available with MRLE and Supplemental
Low Elevation scans and which ones are included already in the National RPS List.
If a product is not on the National RPS List, it will require an update to the
local AWIPS RPS Lists.
| Product Name |
Product Number/Mnemonic |
On National RPS List? |
| Super Res Reflectivity (Z) |
#153/SDR |
No |
| Super Res Velocity (V) |
#154/SDV |
No |
| Super Res Spec Width (SW) |
#155/SDW |
No |
| 8-bit Refl Array (Z) |
#94/DR |
Yes, at or below 3.4° |
| 8-bit Velocity Array (V) |
#99/DV |
Yes, at or below 3.4° |
| Differential Reflectivity (ZDR) |
#159/DZD |
Yes, at or below 3.4° |
| Correlation Coeff (CC) |
#161/DCC |
Yes, at or below 3.4° |
| Specific Diff Phase (KDP) |
#163/DKD |
Yes, at or below 3.4° |
| Hydrometeor Class (HC) |
#165/DHC |
Yes, at or below 3.4° |
| Melting Layer (ML) |
#166/ML |
Yes, at or below 3.4° |
| Raw CC (SDC) |
#167/SDC |
No |
| Raw PHIDP (SDP) |
#168/SDP |
No |
| Note that the Super Res SRM is generated by AWIPS based on the Super Res Velocity (SDV) product. |
Since Super Res Reflectivity (Z) is not on the National RPS List, it requires an
additional entry in the local AWIPS RPS Lists to generate this product. For
example, if the current RPS List for VCP 212 is requesting all tilts of Super Res
Reflectivity (Z) plus the SAILS cuts, the entry might look like the following in
the RPS List Editor on AWIPS:
Super Res Reflectivity (Z), elev all
Super Res Reflectivity (Z), elev 0.5, Cuts All
To receive the MRLE cuts, this requires modifying the second entry to grab all
cuts of the lowest 4 elevation angles which is the maximum number of elevations
MRLE can scan. See the example below:
Super Res Reflectivity (Z), elev all
Super Res Reflectivity (Z), elev lowest 4, Cuts All
Repeat this edit for all products that are not on the National RPS List for which
MRLE cuts are desired.
NOTE: Cuts All does not mean "All cuts in the vertical" but instead means
"additional cuts of this elevation angle" (i.e., the 0.5° cut). Also, you could
request each elevation individually using Cuts All for each MRLE cut, but the
option above requires the least amount of edits to the local AWIPS RPS List and
keeps it more concise.
Editing the local AWIPS RPS Lists: The local AWIPS RPS Lists are stored in
multiple locations on AWIPS. The updates for MRLE and Supplemental Low Elevation
scans ultimately need to be made to the VCP 12, 212, & 215 files in
dx1:/awips2/rcm/data/config/drop-ins, but the “draft” version of these RPS lists
may be stored in a user’s home directory or in /data/fxa/rps-lists. The
format of the information in the files are the same for all locations, but the
filenames in some locations have a .rps appended to the end. Make the edits discussed
above to the RPS lists by following the instructions below.
- When the RPS List Editor is used and an existing list is loaded via the “View” option, the default save location is:
/home/<username>/caveData/common/site/<siteID>/rcm or /data/fxa/rps-lists
When the RPS List Editor is used and an existing list is loaded via the “File » Open” method, the list is loaded from AND the default save to location is:
/data/fxa/rps-lists
- Either of these save locations can be changed, if so desired.
- Files in these directories have the .rps extension.
- Files in these directories are not automatically sent by AWIPS but can be manually downloaded to the RPG.
- These files MUST be copied to the following directory on DX1 and renamed accordingly.
/awips2/rcm/data/config/drop-ins
- These files are used when the VCP changes on the RPG (i.e., AWIPS automatically sends these files to the RPG).
- Files in this directory use the following naming convention: KXXX.[storm|clear-air].VCP##. Notice
that the .rps is dropped and the mode is added. (i.e. KAMA.storm.VCP12 or KDGX.clear-air.VCP32).
If a 'more' command is given to view one of the RPS list files, the example lines above show as:
Super Res Reflectivity (Z) HZ 153 256 25 - 16384 -1 0 1N -1 -1 N -1 0
Super Res Reflectivity (Z) HZ 153 256 25 - 28676 -1 0 1N -1 -1 N -1 0
The 5 digit numbers (i.e., 16384 and 28676) are RPG codes which define grabbing
the requested elevations and all supplemental cuts.
Additional Notes:
- If currently in VCP 12, 212, or 215, editing these lists do not automatically download them to the RPG.
Download the modified list (using the RPG List Editor) to begin receiving the Super Res SAILS cuts.
- If you encounter problems with an incorrect version of an RPS list being sent to the radar
automatically upon VCP mode changes, first ensure that the files in /awips2/rcm/data/config/drop-ins
have the proper naming convention as noted above and
contain the product(s) you are looking for. If you require further assistance, contact the
AWIPS Network Control Facility (NCF).
