Talk:WSR-57

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One of the sources is the map at: http://books.nap.edu/books/NI000004/html/9.html

It doesn't differentiate between WSR-57 and WSR-74S radars on that map; I used other sources to find, say, the Memphis TN situation. Below are radar sites that could have had a '57 or a '74S (or both):

Alliance, NE Binghamton, NY Bristol, TN Cape Hatteras, NC Charleston, WV Chatham, MA Huron, SD Jackson, KY Longview, TX Monett, MO Nashville, TN Pensacola, FL Victoria, TX Volens, VA Waycross, GA West Palm Beach, FL

I couldn't tell from the map that Fargo, ND was for sure *not* a WSR-74C, so it might have had any of the three.

One source indicated Norman, OK (NSSL) had its own WSR-57, but I'm not sure if it's just referring to one at Oklahoma City about 20 miles to the north, or not.

A source also said Hackensack, MN had a '57, but other sources point to several other sites in MN that aren't Hackensack, so I don't know its status.

Chicago may have had a '57 early on (according to http://www.cig.ensmp.fr/~iahs/redbooks/a065/065028.pdf) but I don't see any other references to it.

Evansville, IN may have had a '57 (same source) before it got a '74C.

Help sorting these out would be appreciated. :-) Unfortunately different sources seem to count the "total" numbers differently, i.e. 68 or 69 of the WSR-74C radars and varying totals for the whole pre-NEXRAD network. Good luck!

Kd5npf 02:42, 28 April 2006 (UTC)

Contents

[edit] Evansville, NSSL and others

I visited the old NWS WSO at Evansville, IN (EVV) twice in the early/mid 1990's -- once before the radar was decommissioned/office closed (while the WSO still had warning responsibility) and again a year or so after closure. The radar unit there was a definitely a WSR-57 (vs. a WSR-74C/S). Lots of vacuum tubes.

Also, NSSL in Norman, OK did have it's own WSR-57 back in the day (in addition to the operational NWS WSR-57 radar at WSFO Oklahoma City, OK -- at the OKC airport). The NSSL unit was taken down (in the 80's, I believe) and given to a citizen/public safety group in Woodward, Oklahoma as a non-NWS network radar. I work with the gentleman who was instrumental in that move and operated the radar in Woodward. That radar has long since been scrapped.

I'm nearly certain of the following --

WSR-57 unit(s):
Alliance, NE (AIA)
Binghamton, NY (BGM)
Bristol, TN (TRI)
Cape Hatteras, NC (HAT)
Chattam, MA (CHH)
Huron, SD (HON)
Longview, TX (GGG)
Monett, MO (UMN)
Nashville, TN (BNA)
Pensacola, FL (PNS/NPA)
Volens, VA (VQN)
Waycross, GA (AYS)
Fargo, ND (FAR)

WSR-74C unit(s):
West Palm Beach, FL (PBI)

WSR-74x unit(s): ("C" or "S" -- unsure which -- but not WSR-57)
Jackson, KY (JKL) -- was either a WSR-74C or WSR-74S (I've seen it listed both ways in NWS docs)
Charleston, WV (CRW)

Victoria, TX (VCT) is a strange one. I've seen NWS documentation listing this as a "WSR100-S" unit.

I can dig up some references if you like? A lot of my knowledge has been picked up over time as a result of my own obsession with this stuff. ;)

--129.15.195.145 19:57, 20 July 2006 (UTC) David

[edit] NWS documentation

I dug-up some old NWS modernization updates via the "wayback machine" that provides more information on the locations/models of the old radar network (the relevant info in the "Decommissioned Radars" and "Radar Decommissioning Status" sections):

1. http://web.archive.org/web/19970607085612/www.nws.noaa.gov/modup/index.htm
2. http://web.archive.org/web/19970725055611/www.nws.noaa.gov/im/consintr.htm
3. http://web.archive.org/web/20020625175432/205.156.54.206/im/consintr.htm

This should clear-up questions of which type of radar (WSR-57, WSR-74C, WSR-74S, other ... WSR100-S at Victoria, TX) was where.

--129.15.195.145 23:11, 25 July 2006 (UTC) David

[edit] Interesting stormtrack discussions

Here are a few interesting forum posts from Stormtrack that talk about the old radars:

http://www.stormtrack.org/forum/lofiversion/index.php?t9433.html
http://www.stormtrack.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=10344&hl=radar
http://www.stormtrack.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=9498&hl=

There is some really good stuff in these -- especially the second post which has some links to pictures of old NWS radomes, maps, etc.

--129.15.195.145 23:40, 25 July 2006 (UTC) David

[edit] September update

I've gone through all those sources and I think I've pinned down almost everything.

The two WSR-74x's were among several local area (not network) radars that happened to be -74S instead of the usual -74C. Victoria's WSR100-S, a local radar decommissioned on March 12, 1997, "was manufactured by EEC in the early 70s (before the 74 series)" according to the Stormtrack forums - so it was sort of a prototype -74. I think the list starting with Alliance, NE was pretty much all -74S because that's how they were decommissioned. I still don't know what happened to the Hackensack, MN site, and I'm still looking for totals (matched up to some date, otherwise it's not as useful).

Kd5npf 05:13, 11 September 2006 (UTC)