NWS Tampa Bay NEXRAD will down for upgrade beginning January 22, 2018

Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Tampa Bay Ruskin FL
1253 PM EST Fri Jan 19 2018

...Public Information Statement for KTBW Radar...

Contacts:
Brian LaMarre, Meteorologist In Charge
brian.lamarre@noaa.gov, 813-645-2323 X222

Daniel Noah, Warning Coordination Meteorologist
daniel.noah@noaa.gov, 813-645-2323 X223


Beginning Monday, January 22, the KTBW WSR-88D radar operated by the
NOAA National Weather Service in Ruskin, Florida will be down for
approximately five days for the refurbishment of the transmitter.
Although the form, fit, and function of the transmitter will remain
the same, old breakers and cables original to the radar will be
replaced with modern fuses and new cables.  This will help keep the
20-year-old radar operating smoothly for another 20 years.

This transmitter update is the second major project of the NEXRAD
Service Life Extension Program, a series of upgrades and
replacements that will keep our nation`s radars viable into the
2030`s. NOAA National Weather Service, the United States Air
Force, and the Federal Aviation Administration are investing $150
million in the seven year program. The first project was the
installation of the new signal processor. The two remaining projects
are the refurbishment of the pedestal and equipment shelters. The
Service Life Extension Program will complete in 2022.

During the downtime, adjacent radars include: NWS Melbourne,
Jacksonville, Miami, Tallahassee, as well as the TDWR site located at
MacDill AFB. For direct access to any ofthese surrounding radar sites,
go to the following web page: https://radar.weather.gov/index.htm

The KTBW WSR-88D is part of a network of 159 operational radars. The
Radar Operations Center in Norman, Oklahoma, provides lifecycle
management and support for all WSR-88Ds.

For a radar mosaic loop of the Southeast United States:
https://radar.weather.gov/ridge/Conus/southeast_loop.php

The National Weather Service in Ruskin, Florida can be found on
social media at: https://www.facebook.com/NWSTampaBay and
https://twitter.com/NWSTampaBay