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<br />interfacing the radar and computer were produced by Mr. Dennis <br />Tredennick, of SPEC, Inc., Boulder, CO. The software was an <br />outgrowth of a version of an original program developed in South <br />Africa in the early 1970's by Mr. Tredennick for a previous long- <br />term hail suppression project there. <br /> <br />The height of the 45 dBZ intensity level within clouds has <br />been used commonly to examine hail potential in storms, analyzing <br />storm intensity (or potential destructiveness) relative to another <br />storm in order to make the best operational decision regarding the <br />placement of aircraft. Output is displayed in color on a computer <br />monitor. Although one person can operate the whole system easily, <br />it works better with an assistant independently operating the <br />computer while the meteorologist mans the radar console. There were <br />3757 storm measurements (RBIs and PPls) archived in 1993. <br /> <br />In the PPI mode the display automatically shows all regional <br />boundaries, counties, neighboring counties, state lines, the VOR <br />navigational aids, positions of county seats and other regional <br />towns. Radar echo intensities are contoured in different colors. <br /> <br />On the radar system PPI display radial lines are drawn at each <br />ten degrees of compass using the Garden City VOR as the primary <br />aircraft navigational aid. Range marks have been put on the <br />radials to be able to closely approximate distance and direction <br />from the VOR when needed during operations. The use of the GPS <br />systems in some of our aircraft, referred to earlier, will make <br />using VOR directions nearly obsolete in the future. <br /> <br />Also incorporated into the total operational radar system is <br />an aircraft interrogator/transponder flight tracking system. Radar <br />specifications and interrogator/transponder specifications are <br />found in Appendices E and F, respectively. Although we are able to <br />simultaneously track three differen~ transponder codes, only two <br />are used on any given operation. The cloud base aircraft use a <br />single code assigned to us by the Federal Aviation Administration <br />through long-standing agreement with them (Feb. 1984); whereas, <br />cloud top flights are given a different code each flight. <br /> <br />D. AIRCRAFT SEEDING OPERATIONS <br /> <br />Four cloud base seeding aircraft and one cloud-top aircraft <br />were used in the 1993 operational period: <br /> <br />(1) 4 single engine Piper Aircraft Comanches, PA24-250 <br /> <br />(2) 1 twin engine Piper Navajo, PA31-325 <br /> <br />All four cloud base aircraft are equipped with Carley-type <br />liquid fuel generators for cloud seeding, one mounted to each wing <br />tip. Each generator carries approximately 6 gallons of liquid <br /> <br />17 <br />