Birmingham NOAA Weatheradio Getting an Upgrade

From our Partner John DeBlock at the National Weather Service Birmingham.

Some notes from John:

1) NWS Birmingham will upgrade NOAA Weather Radio systems at Noon on Tuesday to replace aging equipment.

2) NOAA Weather Radio listeners do not need to do anything on their receivers.

At Noon on Tuesday, NWS Birmingham will “flip the switch” on an upgrade to the software and hardware systems in our office that processes our text products from text to voice, and broadcasts the messages over the phone lines to the 10 transmitters in Central Alabama.

The system currently in place (Console Replacement System, or CRS) is based on technology from the 80s, and the custom built equipment has long passed its usage time and MUST be replaced.

The new system (Broadcast Message Handler, or BMH) replaces that hardware based system with a software system that works on an off-the-shelf PC. We have already successfully tested the new BMH on both the Birmingham and Montgomery transmitters without any significant issues, and we have every reason to believe this switch will be uneventful.

Perhaps the most important piece of information for you is that NOAA Weather Radio listeners do not need to change a thing on their receiver to continue to receive our broadcasts. The way the transmitters and receivers work has NOT changed.

Having said that, with any change or upgrade, there will be an adjustment period as we fine-tune the software to our local operations. Most notably, some of the pronunciations of local towns and other geographic references may need to be adjusted. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to work out all the mispronunciations ahead of time, as automated voice software often will pronounce words differently when they are spoken in context.

We will work as diligently as possible to correct mispronunciations as we become aware of them. For instance, the system generated my last name as “Delaware Block”! I have been assured that it has been corrected.

If you have any problems, please call the NWS forecast staff at 205-664-3010 and then press option 2. Alternatively, feel free to refer them to me at (205) 664-3010, extension 223, or Meteorologist-in-Charge Jim Stefkovich at (205) 664-3010, extension 222.

Similarly, if you have questions or comments, don’t hesitate to contact our staff, Jim or myself at the numbers above.
Thanks for all you do!

John

Category: Alabama's Weather