NBC's Storm Rangers, Weather Expansions and NBCU Model

[WCAUTVNBC10 212]

In Socal the NBC WX sites only show company radar in the sweep. Would that mean they are not using the NWS sites/sweeps?

I'm probably not using the proper terminology but I don't see the NWS radar sites 'pinned" on the NBC wx maps.

 

We haven't had any real weather here for the last 6 months, so I still can't tell which radar I like better...but the NBC radar has prettier colors ...if that matters.

 

RK is referring to the futurecast models. NBC has a proprietary prediction model for its O&Os now. WCAU uses it alongside the Euro, NAM, and GFS models.

[rkolsen 1,303]

Since @Eat News has pointed out engineering stuff to me I thought I’d mention that NBCUniversal Owned Stations, Accelerated Media Technolgies (the truck outfitter) and EEC (the radar maker) won an Emmy for Pioneering Development of Mobile X-Band Radar Truck’s for Television Weather Forecasting and Reporting.

 

https://emmyonline.tv/70th-annual-technology-engineering-emmy-award-recipients/

 

https://www.facebook.com/AcceleratedMT/posts/1556620254440203

Edited December 10, 2018 by rkolsen

[Eat News 4,285]

14 hours ago, rkolsen said:

Since @Eat News has pointed out engineering stuff to me I thought I’d mention that NBCUniversal Owned Stations, Accelerated Media Technolgies (the truck outfitter) and EEC (the radar maker) won an Emmy for Pioneering Development of Mobile X-Band Radar Truck’s for Television Weather Forecasting and Reporting.

That entire contest was rigged in favor of NBC.

Clearly the KBEX-TV Super Dope Doppler 5150 is a much more hi-tech...and it gets better  gas mileage since the unit is housed on a Honda CR-V body.  KBEX's  SDD 5150  is a fullsize WSD-88 Weather Radar that meets U.S. Weather Service  specifications. 

Included in the package is an AM-FM cassette and CD player.

(Actual Super Dope Doppler 5150 Mobile unit shown...Not just a CR-V under a real radar unit with text added to the photo.)

Edited December 10, 2018 by Eat News

[rkolsen 1,303]

1 hour ago, Eat News said:

That entire contest was rigged in favor of NBC.

Clearly the KBEX-TV Super Dope Doppler 5150 is a much more hi-tech...and it gets better  gas mileage since the unit is housed on a Honda CR-V body.  KBEX's  SDD 5150  is a fullsize WSD-88 Weather Radar that meets U.S. Weather Service  specifications. 

Included in the package is an AM-FM cassette and CD player.

(Actual Super Dope Doppler 5150 Mobile unit shown...Not just a CR-V under a real radar unit with text added to the photo.)

I’m not sure how it’s rigged for them. It seemed like they’re are submissions and they choose which is deserving. The chair of the group choosing nominees is the VP of Engineering of CBS Studio City. Regardless of what you say it’s a technological feat. 

[Eat News 4,285]

1 hour ago, rkolsen said:

I’m not sure how it’s rigged for them. It seemed like they’re are submissions and they choose which is deserving. The chair of the group choosing nominees is the VP of Engineering of CBS Studio City. Regardless of what you say it’s a technological feat. 

Strapping a 12 ton weather radar unit onto a Honda CRV is somehow NOT a technological innovation???

That takes a whole bunch of bungee, cords and you must be very careful not to scratch the paint.

Not to mention that 12 volt conversion to 3 phase 440vac...well that's for another day.

[rkolsen 1,303]

So I was reading TVNewsCheck and they had an interview with Valeria Staab - head of owned stations group.  She said they spent three years developing the weather model and there are now SIX Storm Rangers. There are the original three based at KNBC/Los Angeles, WCAU/Philadelphia, KXAS/Dallas Fort Worth. Then I know there’s a fourth “second generation” design based out of WBTS/Boston.  So I am curious as to where the other two may be?

 

I imagine ones in Chicago and maybe another one in San Jose? I’m speculating based on the clusters and the other ones in Philadelphia can get to NYC and DC quickly and then Los Angeles to San Diego.  

[Eat News 4,285]

6 hours ago, rkolsen said:

So I was reading TVNewsCheck and they had an interview with Valeria Staab - head of owned stations group.  She said they spent three years developing the weather model and there are now SIX Storm Rangers. There are the original three based at KNBC/Los Angeles, WCAU/Philadelphia, KXAS/Dallas Fort Worth. Then I know there’s a fourth “second generation” design based out of WBTS/Boston.  So I am curious as to where the other two may be?

 

I imagine ones in Chicago and maybe another one in San Jose? I’m speculating based on the clusters and the other ones in Philadelphia can get to NYC and DC quickly and then Los Angeles to San Diego.  

It's San Jose for one of them.

During the last weeks storms I noticed a storm buggy logo(via radar wx on nbc site) on San Bruno pk. and at the Ventura fire sites.

I figured you had already pointed it out to me and my analog brain just had "forgotten" .

Now if we could only get a few more rain events then, I could make a good evaluation of the x band returns and the WSD-8 returns in this area.

One bad thing so far.

The NBC wx radar page is real sloppy in win10 firefox for me. The WX service radar pages run much smoother.

Edited December 15, 2018 by Eat News

[rkolsen 1,303]

13 hours ago, Eat News said:

It's San Jose for one of them.

During the last weeks storms I noticed a storm buggy logo(via radar wx on nbc site) on San Bruno pk. and at the Ventura fire sites.

I figured you had already pointed it out to me and my analog brain just had "forgotten" .

Now if we could only get a few more rain events then, I could make a good evaluation of the x band returns and the WSD-8 returns in this area.

One bad thing so far.

The NBC wx radar page is real sloppy in win10 firefox for me. The WX service radar pages run much smoother.

One of the NBC fixed radar sites is near a NWS site - KSOX specifically.  The NWS labels it as the Santa Ana Mountains, CA radar site so if you want to compare click on the middle of the three fixed radar sites. I am curious as to the delay - whether NBC or the NWS delays the data online  

Its worth noting that whether your on mobile app or viewing their website the default view is using the NWS radars. You have to click on the icons.  I made this little image for you @Eat News so you can see which are fixed NBC Owned radars and the Storm Rangers.  

On the NBC weather apps and website by default show the overall NWS views. You can then click on buttons (as shown below) to see a specific sites return. Unfortunately it appears that you can’t view more than one at once. The fixed radars are denoted by an icon that looks like half a radar swoop, and the Storm Rangers have a silhouette of the truck. 

[Eat News 4,285]

 

Ok,

Thanks for the primer because I am having trouble when I select  an NBC radar to toggle, I see the return(sweep) in the screen.but when I go to "expand" or to move the map my return disappears and the screen blanks out to a clean map with no radar return.

I like what the interface selections are but I need some more real wx to play with it. I don't seem to be able to select the NWS radar because it's not pinned on my map like it is on your screen grab. I was seeing 5 minute sweeps on what I assume was an NBC radar.

I only do internet stuff on a desktop (no tracking smartphones here), so I can't comment on any mobile aps.

Does the NBC radars get toggled between "clear air" and "precip" like the NWS units"? because the NWS seems to manually switch that here before the rain hits. Is the NBC radars always in one mode only? Does the operator decide when to switch modes?

For as much as i dissed the radar projects.. i'm actually becoming a fan of it with the different fixed site on Mt. Miguel because it's a really good alternate site for a radar.

WX radar is not as much a "life or death" thing in Socal so we tend to ignore it most the time. except for when the stoners stare at the green blobs all afternoon eating raw cokike dough.

And as far as San Jose goes..

San Bruno Peak is a fine place to experiment since they can just park at the KNTV transmiter site, and it won't get stripped,or poo-poo-ed on by the local "flower children".

(my keyboard is crapping out)

Thanks for the info.

Edited December 15, 2018 by Eat News

[rkolsen 1,303]

22 minutes ago, Eat News said:

Does the NBC radars get toggled between "clear air" and "precip" like the NWS units"? because the NWS seems to manually switch that here before the rain hits. Is the NBC radars always in one mode only? Does the operator decide when to switch modes?

I’m betting 99.9% of the time they just let it sweep in precipitation mode and don’t change the settings.  There are no options available for what your talking about.

By clean air you mean like pollution and what not?  I assume it’s able to determine both at the same time but not displayed simultaneously. 

22 minutes ago, Eat News said:

 

I like what the interface selections are but I need some more real wx to play with it. I don't seem to be able to select the NWS radar because it's not pinned on my map like it is on your screen grab. I was seeing 5 minute sweeps on what I assume was an NBC radar.

.

There’s no option to select a NWS. It’s just a mosaic (if that’s the right term for Wx) of all the sites together.

Edited December 15, 2018 by rkolsen

[Eat News 4,285]

I wonder if KNTV has an application for a fixed unit on San Bruno Mountain?  Sure you can just plug it into shore power at the TX site...and the parking is free which is a plus being so close to the city(SF).

I wonder if KTNV also stores a few live trucks up there to save on parking.

[rkolsen 1,303]

6 hours ago, Eat News said:

I wonder if KNTV has an application for a fixed unit on San Bruno Mountain?  Sure you can just plug it into shore power at the TX site...and the parking is free which is a plus being so close to the city(SF).

I wonder if KTNV also stores a few live trucks up there to save on parking.

There are no applications pending. All appear to be the fixed radar sites and the Storm Buggies.

[NBC 5 Chicago 17]

On 12/14/2018 at 3:13 PM, rkolsen said:

So I was reading TVNewsCheck and they had an interview with Valeria Staab - head of owned stations group.  She said they spent three years developing the weather model and there are now SIX Storm Rangers. There are the original three based at KNBC/Los Angeles, WCAU/Philadelphia, KXAS/Dallas Fort Worth. Then I know there’s a fourth “second generation” design based out of WBTS/Boston.  So I am curious as to where the other two may be?

 

I imagine ones in Chicago and maybe another one in San Jose? I’m speculating based on the clusters and the other ones in Philadelphia can get to NYC and DC quickly and then Los Angeles to San Diego.  

One is for sure in Chicago. WMAQ barely uses it but heavily promotes it. When they do use it they put it close to Live Doppler 5 for some reason. Sometimes it comes in handy when they place it in northwest Indiana to show lake effect snow bands. 

[Eat News 4,285]

Where is KNBC's Storm Buggy tonight???

Here is a little geo-mystery.

 

I was toggling thru the NBC wx radar's around Socal when I noticed something very strange...it may even be part of a right-wing conspiracy...

 

Is Storm Buggy having a sleep-over with Ronnie and Nancy?

 

 

Closer...

 

Is it really parked where I think it's parked?

 

 

 

Edited Saturday at 09:30 AM by Eat News
Steller-Vibrato https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOmTdFpIDX8523

[rkolsen 1,303]

Great pick up.  I’m on the app, it shows Simi Valley but won’t show the location when I zoomed in. Maybe it’s the highest peak and they allowed them?

 

One is still parked at that Tx/Rx site for KNTV.

Edited Saturday at 02:56 PM by rkolsen

[Eat News 4,285]

4 hours ago, rkolsen said:

Great pick up.  I’m on the app, it shows Simi Valley but won’t show the location when I zoomed in. Maybe it’s the highest peak and they allowed them?

 

One is still parked at that Tx/Rx site for KNTV.

 

Well for all of you who were playing our game (Find KNBC's Storm Buggy) we are going to revel the super top secret location of the"NBC Storm Buggy 2019 Ronnie and Nancy Sleepover"...

 

And the location is........

 

 

 

Yes folks...Storm Buggy is sitting in the parking lot of the Reagan Museum in Simi Valley, about 40 miles north of Los Angeles.  Ronnie and Nancy are buried here!

 

I bet it will be there all weekend. It's a pretty safe location and it's up on a nice hill.  They have food and nice restrooms...and shore power if needed.

So is SB sitting up there unattended?

I don't know. But I DO know that if you drove up there today or tomorrow that you could probably get a pretty up close look at the buggy for free.  There may also be somebody babysitting Storm Buggy who JUST MIGHT show you the inside of storm Buggy if you ask nicely,or just tell them "Dennis" on the KNBC Mt. Wilson site said it was "ok".

 

  The people and security at the library are pretty chill...so I don't think they will mind a few TVNT fanboys gawking at the Storm Buggy.

 

Have Fun!

Edited Saturday at 07:24 PM by Eat News
Red Velvet-Sappy https://youtu.be/JUJ3Pq74H4c

[WCAUTVNBC10 212]

Speaking of Storm Buggies WCAU is the media sponsor of the Philadelphia Home Show and at their booth they were giving away NBC10/Telemundo 62 swag including miniature Storm Buggies:

 

Eat your heart out Hess Truck!

Edited Sunday at 05:31 PM by WCAUTVNBC10