BOM West Takone Radar

[Overlandman]

When you look at the West Takone Weather Radar

http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDR523.loop.shtml

You now get this message

"The West Takone Radar is having a planned infrastructure upgrade and is planned to be back online in mid-June. During this time frame please refer to the Tasmania Weather and Warnings page for local information. www.bom.gov.au/tas"

Wouldn't you think that any planned major upgrade would be done during the summer
Regards Overlandman

[GPSGuided]

It'll be back online in early winter. Could be a lot worse.

[greyim]

Radar love

[South_Aussie_Hiker]

Perhaps rather than take a working radar offline, they wait until it falls over with an unserviceability and then use that chance to start the planned upgrade?

[icefest]

Perhaps rather than take a working radar offline, they wait until it falls over with an unserviceability and then use that chance to start the planned upgrade?

I'm not sure how to react to this logic. 

A planned outage can often be fixed faster & cheaper. 
It's the same as getting an oil change done before the car breaks down. Or getting the brake pads changed before you can't stop anymore.

[tasadam]

I am hoping they upgrade to doppler radar like Hobart, Melbourne etc.
When Hobart was upgraded, you can now see rain bands as they approach the southwest, it's a lot better.
Here's hoping.

[tasadam]

This is what a mate sent them. He has a point too.

Subject: West Takone radar
To: bom email


"The West Takone Radar is having a planned infrastructure upgrade ..."

Planned infrastructure upgrade indeed. What precisely does that mean?

I used to fix/upgrade radars for a living in the private sector and if ever we had dared suggest a user would be without a facility for that long we would have been lynched. I could have replaced the whole radar installation in two days. Yet you apparently need almost a month for an unspecified upgrade? You're having a laugh aren't you?

But wait on, you work for the government with no need to answer to anyone. So what do we expect?

That radar is vitally important to any number of industries ... yes, you remember, those self sufficient people charged with earning enough to pay their taxes, and accordingly, ensure you all live a comfortable non-accountable life.

A pox on you. Mid June for goodness sake.

What a totally unacceptable situation. Please do not bother replying, unless of course it is to advise you have actually managed to find someone who can do the work in under a month.

Shame on the BOM.

[South_Aussie_Hiker]

Not necessarily.

For example, if the mechanisms which control the radar sweep break down, the parts could take days or weeks to obtain or manufacture. Might as well use that time to install a completely new radar which they have already in stock.

Could also be a manpower issue. If there is only a limited number of qualified technicians who are allowed to work on these, it makes no sense for them to waste their resources fixing an old radar which could fall over again a week later.

Happens all the time in the industry I work in.

[Giddy_up]

One could assume that "this planned outage" would mean that the had ample forewarning to prepare staff, technicians and all the parts that would be required to complete the task in a reasonable time frame. This is unacceptable.

[greyim]

Question: maybe maybe not, being done by contractors, allowing one month, taking into account wet days, which would hamper work somewhat? Meantime perhaps said could relay visuals onto the radar page via their iphone?!

[Overlandman]

Heard today from a reliable source that the radar electrical supply / generator & generator building is the major upgrade. So no upgrade on the radar itself. It was a case of spending funds before the end of the financial year. Work is progressing at a good rate & it wont be too long before the radar is up & running again.
Regards Overlandman

[greyim]

I'm so excited... I want YOU... i NEED YOU
http://data.weatherzone.com.au/maplayer ... 40x105.gif

[Overlandman]

The Weather Radar is back up & running, & yes it is raining in the North West of Tasmania..

[Overlandman]

Looks like we are in for a wet February / March 2016.
This usually happens when the weather radar is out of action.

Looks like the upgrade will be worth it with uninterrupted 24 hour weather watch coverage updated every 6 minutes and Doppler capability to provide additional detailed wind information.

From the BoM site
The West Takone weather radar replacement and upgrade project will commence in February 2016 for approximately 8 weeks during which time the weather radar services will be unavailable, for more details check
http://www.bom.gov.au/weather-services/announcements/

[Overlandman]

Work has now started on the upgrade
Regards OLM

From BOM
The weather radar replacement and upgrade project has commenced. Weather radar services will be unavailable until early April when the upgrade is planned to be complete. For more detail please check the Service Announcements page.

[Overlandman]

Listened to a representative from BOM Hobart on 89.3 la FM radio this morning.
He said work is on schedule, the Radar should be operating in the first week of April.

Also mentioned that when the current radar was designed, Goff Whitlam was Prime Minister and the Valiant Charger ruled our roads.


http://www.bom.gov.au/australia/radar/a ... adar.shtml

Regards OLM

[Overlandman]

The West Takone weather radar is back online.
All we need now is the rain.
By the way, it's almost snowing in Hobart.
Regard OLM

[greyim]

Yay !

[Overlandman]

Story from the Advocate regarding the Replacement

http://www.theadvocate.com.au/story/383 ... ent/?cs=87

A state-of-the-art new weather watch radar will provide meteorologists with more frequent and detailed rainfall images.

The device, which replaced an older radar at West Takone, can also transmit Doppler wind data and will send images every six minutes.

Braddon MHR Brett Whiteley said the replacement will provide a crucial service to people in the North-West.

"Investment in advanced meteorogical technology can help to save lives,” Mr Whiteley said.

“This radar provides uninterrupted 24 hour weather watch coverage to the North-West Tasmania region and, in the wake of this summer's bushfires, the service upgrade is a welcome boost to Tasmania's weather observation technology.”

Mr Whiteley added that it will assist forecasters in detecting severe weather events and provide information to emergency services.

"With increased data frequency, and Doppler capability to provide wind information, the radar's upgraded services will help forecasters to more accurately detect and monitor severe weather events and give our emergency services critical information," he said.

Doppler wind images provide forecasters with greater insight into the movements of the wind as well as the intensity of rainfall.

The new radar can transmit images twice as fast as the one it replaced. Mr Whiteley said it will prove itself an asset to the industrial sector and will bring economic benefits to the region.

"The Bureau's forecasts and warnings are essential to the economic livelihood of the nation. They support the construction, resources, agriculture, aviation and marine industries, and the nation’s defence forces," Mr Whiteley said.

"The new West Takone radar will provide improved information, not just for local communities, but for the mining and agricultural sectors in North-West Tasmania also."

The radar is located at Loones Hill, West Takone.

Its $1.3million replacement is part of a wider technological advancement for the Bureau of Meteorology.

Tasmania will also benefit from improvements to a supercomputer, funded in the 2014-2015 budget. The new machine, which is 16 times more powerful than its predecessor, is expected to be fully operational later this year.

[Overlandman]

Story in today's Advocate regarding the Radar Upgrade.

http://www.theadvocate.com.au/story/400 ... f/?cs=5312

The new radar, installed in April after comprehensive testing, processes almost double the amount of detail the old radar did and has a more sensitive beam, allowing forecasters to analyse a range of features including wind events, thunderstorms and bushfire smoke plumes.

Using new digital technology, the radar scans rain events within a 256 kilometre radius every six minutes, four minutes faster than the old radar.

BOM Regional Director John Bally said the new radar had already been of significant benefit during recent flooding to the state’s North and North-West.

“It was particularly useful during those flood events as we could see the rain as it was falling which really helped with flood forecasting,” Mr Bally said.

Mr Bally said the radar’s ability to see wind speed in real time would also help forecasters to make decisions around bushfire management during future fire seasons.

“The wind doppler allows us to see wind speed in real time which helps us to get an idea of where wind fronts and wind changes are occurring,” he said.

The new radar has a 4.2 metre dish, almost 2 metres larger than the previous radar, which, coupled with a 1 degree beamwidth, means it processes weather events in the North-West and North with greater clarity and detail.

BOM said the new radar’s features would be of benefit to primary producers, emergency services and the wider community.

The old radar, which had serviced the area since it was installed in 1995, was removed in February as part of BOM’s Radar Sustainment Program.

BOM communications officer Mal Riley said the old radar had provided 20 great years of service, longer than the usual operational life of 15 years.

“It did break down a bit and was taken off service a few times but that’s to be expected given it’s out in the elements 24 hours a day,” Mr Riley said.

[South_Aussie_Hiker]

Great to see investment in infrastructure.

As someone who uses this radar regularly, it really is a step up from the previous technology.

[Overlandman]

Off the radar for 2 weeks.
Usually when this happens it pours down.

Tasmania's West Takone Wurrung radar will go offline for approximately two weeks from 15 May for routine service works that will maintain and enhance its operational capabilities. Members of the public can receive up-to-date forecast information via MetEye (www.bom.gov.au/australia/meteye).

[Overlandman]

Back up and running