NOUS41 KWBC 101915
PNSWSH

TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION NOTICE 08-20
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON DC
315 PM EDT MON MAR 10 2008
         
TO:	   SUBSCRIBERS:
	   -FAMILY OF SERVICES
	   -NOAA WEATHER WIRE SERVICE
	   -EMERGENCY MANAGERS WEATHER INFORMATION NETWORK 
           OTHER NWS PARTNERS...AND NWS EMPLOYEES

FROM:	   KEVIN SCHRAB       
	   CHIEF... OBSERVING SERVICES DIVISION 
	   OFFICE OF CLIMATE WATER AND WEATHER SERVICES 
	
SUBJECT:   THIRD QUARTER FY08 SCHEDULE: RADIOSONDE REPLACEMENT 
           SYSTEM /RRS/ IMPLEMENTATION WITH TERMINATION OF
           OPERATIONS OF RADIOTHEODOLITE TRACKING /ART/ AND 
           RADIO DIRECTION FINDING RADIOSONDES

IN THE THIRD QUARTER NWS WILL TERMINATE UPPER AIR OBSERVATIONS 
FROM RADIO DIRECTION FINDING RADIOSONDES AND AUTOMATED 
RADIOTHEODOLITE TRACKING AT THE THREE SITES LISTED BELOW ON OR 
ABOUT THE DATES INDICATED.

SID       STATION NAME        OUTAGE DATE

72215     PEACHTREE CITY GA   10 APR 2008
72365     ALBUQUERQUE NM      24 APR 2008
72364     SANTA TERESA NM      8 MAY 2008
72261     DEL RIO TX          30 MAY 2008

NWS UPPER AIR OBSERVATIONS WILL RESUME APPROXIMATELY 2 WEEKS 
LATER. NWS WILL USE THE RRS WITH GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM /GPS/ 
RADIOSONDES. EACH OF THESE SITES WILL BE OUT OF SERVICE FOR UP 
TO 2 WEEKS. WHEN RESTORED PARTS OF THE UPPER AIR CODED 
MESSAGES WILL BE SIGNIFICANTLY LONGER.

NWS HAS COORDINATED WITH ITS PARTNERS ON THE LONGER LENGTH OF 
THESE MESSAGES.

THE FORMAT OF THE MESSAGES WILL BE THE SAME WMO FORMAT FOR CODED 
UPPER AIR MESSAGES IN USE WITH THE MICROART LEGACY SYSTEM. THE 
NUMBER OF LEVELS IN THE CODED MESSAGES WILL BE TWO TO THREE 
TIMES GREATER FOR THE TTBB AND TTDD. AS A RESULT TWO CATEGORIES 
OF AWIPS TEXT PRODUCTS WILL INCREASE IN SIZE: SGL AND ABV. THE 
NUMBER OF LEVELS IN THE TTAA...TTCC...PPBB AND PPDD PARTS WILL BE 
RELATIVELY UNCHANGED. THESE CHANGES REFLECT UPDATED CODING 
PRACTICES AND HIGHER RESOLUTION LEVEL SELECTION CRITERIA. THE 
MAXIMUM SIZE LIMITS OF THE PARTS OF THE CODED MESSAGES ARE AS 
FOLLOWS: 

     TTAA:   15 LEVELS 		 
     TTCC:   10 LEVELS 	   	 
     TTBB:  135 LEVELS 	   	  
     TTDD:   40 LEVELS 
     PPBB:   40 LEVELS	  
     PPDD:   40 LEVELS 

IN ADDITION THE 31313 MESSAGE INDICATOR ASSOCIATED WITH VARIOUS 
PARTS OF THE MESSAGE WILL BE INCLUDED WITH EACH PART OF THE 
THERMODYNAMIC MESSAGE PARTS. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE 
MESSAGE REQUIREMENTS...REFERENCE WMO 306: MANUAL ON CODES:  
INTERNATIONAL CODES: VOLUME 1.1 PART A-ALPHANUMERIC CODES 
AND WMO 306: MANUAL ON CODES: REGIONAL CODES AND NATIONAL 
CODING PRACTICES: VOLUME II. USERS CAN FIND INFORMATION ON THE 
LEVELS SELECTION CRITERIA USED IN NWS CODING SOFTWARE ONLINE AT  
/USE LOWERCASE LETTERS/:

     HTTP://WWW.UA.NWS.NOAA.GOV

IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR FEEDBACK...PLEASE CONTACT:

     DOMINIC BOSCO
     NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE / OPS11
     1325 EAST WEST HIGHWAY
     SILVER SPRING MARYLAND 20910
     PHONE: 301-713-1841 EXT. 123 
     E-MAIL: DOMINIC.BOSCO@NOAA.GOV

NWS TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION NOTICES ARE ONLINE AT /USE LOWER 
CASE LETTERS/:

     HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OM/NOTIF.HTM

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