RCB Notes 9/16/2020
Tropical Storm Isaias impacts:
1 RF outage - Marion (Somerset County)
Shared site - Automatic Transfer switch failed
Somerset County site also failed
Outage lasted 1:02.
MW and fiber did not go offline, but had some momentary fading.
Zone 3 was very busy, particularly midday; Talbot site was the busiest.
Project Progress:
Phase 4
Table Rock ASR: structure should be complete 9/18/2020
440' tower
Motorola will then install equipment
Coverage testing to start in November, operational by end of year
Acceptance will close out Phase 4.
Phase 5
Charles County coverage testing to start October 1
Calvert and St Mary's will complete testing by December
Southern MD to go live by March 2021.
Montgomery and Prince George's coverage testing will begin once critical fiber is delivered
Go live date is May 2021
Georgia Ave ICC subsite: 250' tower and shelters complete, accepted by SHA 8/28/2020
"Most dramatic site" in system
Final paving of site starts tomorrow
NTP given to MontCo on 8/31/2020 to start their installation
Maryland FIRST equipment to start installation 9/28/2020.
Addon projects:
Converting Westminster ASR to Carroll County simulcast cell:
Westminster (convert from ASR to prime site)
Sykesville (new - there is an existing state tower on hospital grounds)
Taylorsville (new) - will significantly improve coverage.
Original system design was to use ISSI with Carroll County's system, but was tabled for additional ISSI testing. Decided it was more prudent to build out a simulcast site. Requested quotes from Motorola.
T1 to Ethernet conversion project: continuing.
Cherrytown Chicken ASR fully operational.
Operations:
A-G freq coordination with VA. Hoping to use A-G freqs in a multicast mode.
Crisfield ASR - shelter install by end of October, site in operation by the end of year.
Ocean City Antenna relocation: completed, informal coverage testing shows improvement. Waiting for user feedback.
Garrett County local users operational including consoles.
TV Hill RF site: Tower is failing structural assessment. MTA to study options
UPS replacement bore fruit: Chestertown prime site had a commercial power failure and a transfer switch failure, batteries were able to provide power even though the generator started and ran.
[Seems to me transfer switches are a single point of failure, but the UPS batteries mitigated the failure in this case. Not sure if parallel transfer switched can be installed, or perhaps a more reliable part considering two have failed over the past few months.]