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There are nearly 2,200 interagency Remote Automatic Weather Stations (RAWS) strategically located throughout the United States.

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NEWS AND INFORMATION

July 19, 2024

MetOne WS/WD Sensor End of Life Notification

The RAWS Depot was recently provided with an End Of Life (EOL) notification from Met One Instruments stating that they will no longer manufacture the potentiometer assembly used in the 023 Ice Rated Wind Direction sensor, 024 Non Ice Wind Direction sensor, and the 034 combination Wind Speed/Wind Direction sensor. After being provided with this information, the RAWS Depot has no choice but to begin phasing out support for the above mentioned sensors. We will continue to support these sensors in the short term but if you currently have RAWS that are utilizing the discontinued sensors, arrangements need to be made to upgrade to the RM Young combination Wind Speed/Wind Direction sensor as soon as possible (FY25 Budgets) which can be purchased through Forest Technology Systems (ftsinc.com). If you have questions regarding the upgrade process or need help determining if you currently have sensors that need upgraded, please contact the RAWS Help Desk at 208-387-5475 or at [email protected].

 

September 19, 2023

USFS Maintenance Permanent Station Contract Change

COMING SOON – October 1, 2023 All USFS fixed RAWS Fire Purpose will be upgraded to MODIFIED SERVICE CONTRACT - Contact Nicole Finch for more information. 

 

October 1, 2021

USFS Maintenance for Portable RAWS

Starting 1 October 2021, all USFS portable RAWS will be placed on Portable Return maintenance contracts with the RAWS Depot located in Boise, ID.  Please review the UPDATED 2022 Maintenance Service for Forest Service Portable RAWS  for information regarding the USFS maintenance agreement. You may also contact the RAWS Help Desk ([email protected] / 208-387-5475) or Nicole Finch - USFS RAWS Program Manager (575-808-7122 / [email protected]) if you need further assistance in relation to the USFS portable RAWS maintenance agreement.

 

Aug 28, 2019

F6/G6 Datalogger Date Bug

 

This is an advisory message for customers with F6-G6 Dataloggers. FTS recently discovered a bug related to the GPS Trimble module version 2010. This bug will change the year to 2039. Station transmissions should not be affected. Please note when viewing logged data, the year may indicate “2039.” If this is the case, please perform a proper power recycle on the F6-G6. This should fix the bug. This bug is still being addressed by FTS. To date, this bug only affects F6-G6 units. The RAWS Depot will provide updates to this as we receive them from FTS. Please direct any questions to the RAWS Help Desk.

Jan 18, 2018 

CS2 Standard G5 or G6 GOES Transmitter Mandatory Firmware Update

In Nov 2017, FTS posted a customer service bulletin notifying customers that purchased a CS2 Standard G5 or G6 GOES Transmitter of a mandatory firmware update. This update addresses issues that could potentially cause Dataloggers to log data using erroneous dates and the transmitter GPS not updating to the correct UTC offset time affecting the transmission times. This service update must be completed as soon as possible and no later than midnight UTC, April 6, 2019.

To expedite this firmware update within the RAWS interagency community a USB thumb drive, with the required firmware and instructions to install and properly document the update, will be sent to every agency or district office that places a parts order through the RSFWSU depot. RAWS Help Desk personnel will also be available to answer questions and provide any assistance with the update.

All GOES users must be CS2 compliant by May 31, 2026.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: What is the procedure to upgrade my station logger transmitter to be CS2 compliant?

A: If you are a RSFWSU depot contract customer using FTS equipment and the station logger transmitter needs upgrading to be CS2 compliant, please use the following procedure:

1) Contact FTS to purchase the CS2 transmitter upgrade kit F6-G6-RETROFIT. Be sure to include the station name on each quote and invoice. Have the kit drop-shipped to:

Remote Sensing/Fire Weather Support Unit
RAWS Bldg. 410-C
3833 S. Development
Boise, ID 83705

2) The Depot will notify you when it receives the CS2 transmitter upgrade kit. You can then order an upgraded replacement logger through the WXx Weather parts ordering process. Note: When ordering the replacement logger, ensure the model you are ordering is the F6-G6-TLM.

If your station is not under a RSFWSU depot contract please contact the equipment manufacturer for pricing.

For more details go to the “NEWS AND INFORMATION” section. Click on “Read More News & Info” and go to the post on the “CS-2 Transmitter Upgrades” dated 5/15/13.

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