Internet connectivity to the Blackstone, Virginia SuperDARN radar was restored by Engineer Kevin Sterne and Ph.D. Student Nathaniel Frissell during a maintenance trip to the radar on October 19, 2011. The Internet at this radar, which is supplied to the radar via a wireless link from the Virginia Tech Southern Piedmont Agricultural Extension Campus, has been offline since the middle of July 2011 due to lightning damage. The old wireless network bridge was replaced with entirely new electronics and antennas. The VT SuperDARN engineering staff is confident that the new equipment will enhance the reliability of Blackstone Radar control and data delivery . The new equipment is not yet permanently installed, as the final configuration will be completed during a future work trip.

Also during July-September 2011, the University of Leicester-owned radar electronics that have been operating at the site since 2008 were replaced with Virginia Tech-owned electronics. The October 19th maintenance trip continues to address issues involving the transition to the new electronics, including a correction of the wiring on the receiver phasing matrix and the identification of an instability in phase shifter module. The replacement of the radar electronics and networking hardware are critical to allowing the Blackstone radar to reliably provide quality scientific data.