ATC Radar Sites

[DaveNF2G]

PlanePlotter has a new feature that can be used with some of the more advanced virtual radar boxes. It can attempt to calculate the location and rotation rate of ATC radar sites. However, the analysis process is quite error prone and would be more effective if some information was already known.

European hobbyists have access to official lists of radar sites. So far, I have found no such resources for North America.

I know the locations of three sites that cover my area - Albany (I've seen it), Equinox Mountain (ditto), and Cummington, MA (found in a site that shows pictures of various kinds of radar sites). There appears to be another in the Helderberg Mountains of eastern NY, one possibly near Lake George, and one that might be in New Hampshire.

I have received IDs from 10 or 12 sites, but establishing their locations has been problematic. Radar sites are very difficult to spot in Google Earth because the dishes or radomes are often too small to resolve in many areas.

If anyone has a list of US/Canada ATC radar coordinates and/or other data, please post a link.

 

[poltergeisty]

Found this. FAA Long Range Radar Sites

 

[slabonte]

Dave,

I'm looking for the same for Eastern Mass. Have you tried using the Planeplotter feature to find the locations? It seems to get them somewhat close.
What ID do you have for the Cummington site? I've been plotting one somewhere out near Pittsfield as well, I believe. Good to see another planeplotter user...we could use a few more of us around!

@Poltergeisty: The long range sites aren't quite what we need...it's the SSR sites we're looking for, and so far, no luck Googling them.

 

[poltergeisty]

I think you won't find them due to security reasons. Apparently flight explorer should have them but I don't see anything.

 

[slabonte]

Here's what I have so far, computed with PlanePlotter's algorithm:

II 2 42.4 -69.9 (I'm guessing this one's off, since it plots in the ocean. I'd bet it's near Provincetown)

II 3 42.1 -71.8 On google/bing maps, there's a tower nearby at 42.100754 -71.814172

II 4 42.0 -70.6 Plots in the water South of Duxbury

II 5 41.2 -71.6 Plots in the water South of Block Island

II 7 42.8 -71.1 Area nearby at 42.808173 -71.08684 is pixelated on both google & bing

II 8 42.4 -72.6 Can't find anything nearby, but it should be real close, based on the "scatter"

II 9 42.1 -70.9

II 13 42.4 -71.6

II 15 42.6 -71.2 Some sort of round site w/ antennas nearby at 42.60854 -71.209073 (look on bing for best view), or it could just be some ruins.

That's the best I've got so far, but like Dave said, the locations PlanePlotter finds aren't very accurate. I try and run/analyze the radar pings daily, so hopefully I'll be able to refine those.

II 15 42.6 -71.2

 

[kma371]

Dave,

The FOIA link on Yahoo Groups didn't have anything for your area? I know the site numbers are missing but you should at least have found the gps coordinates.

http://www.foia.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-090615-023.pdf

I'm in the same boat on the west coast. Found all the sites, but can't find the site numbers.

PlanePlotter has a new feature that can be used with some of the more advanced virtual radar boxes. It can attempt to calculate the location and rotation rate of ATC radar sites. However, the analysis process is quite error prone and would be more effective if some information was already known.

European hobbyists have access to official lists of radar sites. So far, I have found no such resources for North America.

I know the locations of three sites that cover my area - Albany (I've seen it), Equinox Mountain (ditto), and Cummington, MA (found in a site that shows pictures of various kinds of radar sites). There appears to be another in the Helderberg Mountains of eastern NY, one possibly near Lake George, and one that might be in New Hampshire.

I have received IDs from 10 or 12 sites, but establishing their locations has been problematic. Radar sites are very difficult to spot in Google Earth because the dishes or radomes are often too small to resolve in many areas.

If anyone has a list of US/Canada ATC radar coordinates and/or other data, please post a link.

 

[slabonte]

Site II 2 could be the one at North Truro, which would be 42.034576 -70.05437.

 

[BMT]

II 2 42.4 -69.9 (I'm guessing this one's off, since it plots in the ocean. I'd bet it's near Provincetown)

There are sites located off-shore.

BMT

 

[gcaple]

There two basic types of ATC radar - Long Range (LRR Enroute's) which are ARSR-4s and Terminal (Approach Control) which are mostly ASR-9's. The LRR's rotate at 6 rpm and the terminal radars at 12 RPM. The terminal radars are normally at airports with a few being constructed off airports for expanded coverage. The LRR's are designed to have a relatively low optput (around 3.5KW) and are used up to a range of 250 miles. The array is 60 feet across. The terminal radars operate at about 1100 KW and are used up to 40 miles from the antenna. All long range sites (ARSR-4's) are joint FAA /Military use and are part of the national defense systed as well as the ATC system.

 

[e737]

I know coast guard air station cape cod formerly otis has a radar site that shares it feed with khya.

 

[DaveNF2G]

I have sets of coordinates, but since PlanePlotter's Beamfinder re-plots the positions with every analysis run, it's hard to correlate the data. Some sites move by 50 or 60 miles between plots.

 

[Stevenme]

Are the ARTCC RCAG transmitters usually co-located with the radar sites? It's interesting to listen to the center comms, but you have to know where to go to hear the controller side of the conversation.

 

[DaveNF2G]

Having plotted radar site coordinates from a couple of PDF documents found on the web, I have the following 3 questions:

1) What is the second (and larger) radar emitter at Bangor, ME?

2) Where is the new Allentown site? ABE at 40.39.09.900 N 075.27.00.500 W has been demolished.

3) FAA website indicates a long range radar site at St Albans, VT, that does not show up in the lists I have found. Anyone have its ID and coordinates?

 

[Lynch_Christopher]

I know coast guard air station cape cod formerly otis has a radar site that shares it feed with khya.

The radar at Coast Guard Station Cape Cod is actually a airport surveillance radar (ASR) which typical goes out 40 nm is used by the Cape TRACON along with a separate Airport Surveillance Radar site on the Nantucket which is located at the airport. For each radar site the Cape Cod TRACON uses two separate automation systems.In North Truro there is a long range radar site which is used by the center. From what I have heard is that the centers have begun using the airport surveillance radars in addition to the long range radars to reduce the separation in some spots down to five miles.

 

[BMT]

St Albans VT

Aff1zbwboston saint albans arsr 06/30/2011vermont vt
aff1zbwboston saint albans rcag 06/30/2011maine me44-56-08.210n 161768.210n069-25-51.170w249951.170w

bmt

 

[DaveNF2G]

Aff1zbwboston saint albans arsr 06/30/2011vermont vt
aff1zbwboston saint albans rcag 06/30/2011maine me44-56-08.210n 161768.210n069-25-51.170w249951.170w

bmt

The Vermont location is the one of interest, but no coordinates came through.

 

[BMT]

St Albans,VT

There were no LAT/LON shown.

BMT

 

[e737]

good stuff to know! thanks

 

[cipher66]

Are the ARTCC RCAG transmitters usually co-located with the radar sites? It's interesting to listen to the center comms, but you have to know where to go to hear the controller side of the conversation.

RCAG sites are sometimes collocated with radar's but not normally, since there are vastly more RCAG sites than radar sites. To see where an RCAG site is just simply find the site in the database, and click on the arrow to the right of the RCAG name and select details. Then change the map to satellite view and zoom on in. Some of the data is a little off, but if you search around the immediate area near the lat/Lon coordinates you'll see them.

 

[K4DHR]

There two basic types of ATC radar - Long Range (LRR Enroute's) which are ARSR-4s and Terminal (Approach Control) which are mostly ASR-9's. The LRR's rotate at 6 rpm and the terminal radars at 12 RPM. The terminal radars are normally at airports with a few being constructed off airports for expanded coverage. The LRR's are designed to have a relatively low optput (around 3.5KW) and are used up to a range of 250 miles. The array is 60 feet across. The terminal radars operate at about 1100 KW and are used up to 40 miles from the antenna. All long range sites (ARSR-4's) are joint FAA /Military use and are part of the national defense systed as well as the ATC system.

Actually most LRR are ARSR-1E/2/3s. ARSR-4s are primarily found around the perimeter of the US and are in fact shared with the military.

There are also a number of secondary only sites, or "gap fillers" that provide coverage at lower altitudes between the larger ARSR sites.