87th AMS Annual Meeting

Wednesday, 17 January 2007
New science for the WSR-88D: implementing a major mode on the SIGMET RVP8.
Exhibit Hall C (Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center)
Darcy S. Saxion, RS Information Systems Inc., Norman Oklahoma, Norman, OK; and R. D. Rhoton, R. L. Ice, D. A. Warde, O. E. Boydstun, S. M. Torres, G. Meymaris, and W. D. Zittel
Poster PDF (433.0 kB)
The deployment of the Open Radar Data Acquisition (ORDA) upgrade to the WSR-88D, which includes a SIGMET RVP8 processor, allows for the insertion of new science algorithms into the signal processing chain. In the SIGMET RVP8, this is accomplished by developing software known as a “Major Mode,” that runs instead of one of the built-in major modes (e.g. FFT, Batch). Software engineers at the Radar Operations Center (ROC) have implemented the Sachidananda/Zrnic (8/64) Phase Encoding (SZ-2) algorithm, as presented by the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) and National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). This implementation of the new science algorithm into a custom major mode is the first real signal processing enhancement at the time series level for the WSR-88D, breaking new ground in the incorporation of advanced signal processing techniques.

This paper presents an overview of the SZ-2 major mode structure, its current status with preliminary operational results, and some preliminary design considerations for the upcoming staggered PRT major mode.

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