Radar Status Update

Here is another status update on the ABC 33/40 Pinpoint Doppler Radar…..

Radar installations are complicated, mechanical and electrical facilities that have parts that can fail from time to time. The primary component of the system, the magnetron, failed last week, and we have another one on order. You can’t go down to Lowe’s or Home Depot for one of these. We were expecting it to arrive this past Friday, but unfortunately that didn’t happen. It should be in house Monday or Tuesday, and as soon as it is installed the system will be back in operation.

Remember, when our system is down we can’t offer the still images on the web, but our live stream has radar available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is like looking over our shoulder. We use NEXRAD data when our own radar is down. You can access that from our main weather page; just click on the “watch live” button on the right sidebar.

Many local TV stations do not own a weather radar; they are simply using NEXRAD images from the National Weather Service; that is a commodity that you can see on literally thousands and thousands of web sites. We own a complete C Band radar that located atop Double Oak Mountain in Shelby County. We went to this expense so we can offer real time radar, without delay, that we control in full. It has been a life saver over the 12 years we have been on the air, and I am very thankful I work for a company willing to make that investment in the people of Alabama.

Category: Pre-November 2010 Posts