Appears FAA will take it's usual bold, decisive stand on contracting decision and award contracts to both competitors to develop and demonstrate their wares on ERAM.
FAA has it's own contracting system and under it it is NOT possible to bring a multi billion $ job to a halt for the cost of a letter and postage. But it also calls for some intestinal fortitude in the agency. And maybe it doesn't really matter.
So you want a NEXRAD, son? Well step right up! Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, pay no attention to that man behind the curtain....
NEXRAD, owned by the NWS in CONUS and other people outside CONUS, is the development by a now merged merged company (Sperry) for a committee of government agencies (50% National Wx Service, 25% FAA, 25% Defense) managed by the NWS, the same folks who bring you the daily/hourly weather guess. The transmitter is from an ASR-9, don't know what systems the other parts came from. Held together with a big bowl of spagetti software, possibly programmed in ADA, but likely has lots of other languages and stuff in it using algorithms thought out be people in Boulder CO, so when you have dry air, high temp outflows from convective activity on mountains (real 10,000 ft +mountains, not little hills), tornados and hurricanes it works fine if you can keep it running.
If I were you, I'd get an ASR-9 weather channel. Thats by Westinghouse, no Northrop, no Northrop-Grumman, no ...oh forget it, cant keep track of the stud book for these people.
Last edited by Iron City; 22nd April 2002 at 13:57.