Date: 09:43AM, Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Engineering Technical Order

Remove Telco Hardware Associated with Disconnected Air Force NEXRAD PIP Telecoms from WFO Comms Room

This EMRS notification applies to:

Peachtree City, GA KFFC
Greer, SC KGSP
Pendleton, OR KPDT
State College, PA KCCX
Brookhaven, NY KOKX
Medford, OR KMAX
Phoenix & Yuma, AZ KIWA & KYUX
Tallahassee, FL KTLH
Charleston WV KRLX
Memphis, TN KNQA
Pleasant Hill KEAX
Tucson, AZ KEMX
El Paso, TX KEPZ
Missoula, MT KMSX
Pocatello, ID KSFX
Flagstaff, AZ KFSX
Mobile, AL KMOB
Raleigh, NC KRAX
Fort Worth, TX KFWS
Morehead City, NC KMHX
Salt Lake City & Cedar City KMTX & KICX

It has been over 1.5 years since the Air Force disconnected its NEXRAD PIP network connectivity to NWS WSR‐88Ds. That network had been awarded to and maintained by a DoD division of Verizon (VzB) under the Networx contract.

Removal of the VzB service enabling devices (SEDs) that facilitated the PIP network, in this case a Juniper J2320 router and a MultiTech out‐of-band (OOB) modem, should have occurred closely on the heels of service disconnects. However, progress to remove the SEDs from all locations stalled on multiple occasions. Networx contracts representatives at DISA and GSA were petitioned for assistance, and VzB management subsequently agreed to provide each of the aforementioned WFOs with a pre‐paid and pre‐addressed shipping box to return the SEDs to VzB.

VzB has subcontracted the remaining SED recoveries to a company called PICS Telecom.

Upon your receipt of the return shipping box from PICS Telecom, please complete the Steps delineated in the procedure provided at the link below:

http://www.roc.noaa.gov/WSR88D/PublicDocs/EMRS/Instructions_to_Last_21_NWS.pdf