At the end of the day, the radar was left running with all network cables in place. The conduit was temporarily re-secured to the antenna pole with wire ties. Gary said that he would install additional hose clamps to the conduit to ensure that this type of damage does not happen again Internet connectivity was not restored, but there is a small possibility it could return on its own over the next day. Data from the last week was collected on an external hard disk and taken back to Blacksburg. There is enough room on the Linux computer hard disk to allow the radar to run autonomously for at least the next year.
A general inspection of the radar site was also completed. Overall, the radar is in good condition. However, three out of six aircraft warning lights are burned out. Also, ground rods are in place but not yet attached to the antenna poles.
Maintenance trip to Blackstone - UPDATE
By: Nathaniel Frissell on: Thu., Mar. 03, 2011 10:45 AM EST (7805 Reads)
|
|
Nathaniel and Sebastien returned to Blacksburg on the evening of February 23, 2011 after a day of work at the Blackstone Radar Site. The primary objective of the trip was to address Internet connectivity issues at the site. Unfortunately, connectivity was not restored at the end of the day. However, it was determined that the service disruption was caused by wind damage to the conduit containing the Ethernet cable which attaches to the wireless bridge at the radar site. With the help of the contractor, Gary Payne, a high lift was used to reconnect the Ethernet cable to the bridge and re-secure the conduit to the antenna pole. This resulted in the restoration of power to the wireless bridge; however, a data link between the AREC administration building and the radar site could not be established. Attempts were made to restore the link by re-pointing the antenna and checking software configuration. However, the link still could not be established. Nathaniel tried to re-inspect the connection at the AREC building, but AREC had closed for the day by the time he arrived. Click here to view a slideshow of photos from this trip. |
