Remote Systems Integration » News

Merry Christmas 2009

Tom Nichols — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 23:10:21 +0000

Well…I could just cut and paste the last Christmas message. It is indeed a joy to have so much business one doesn’t have time to post any Web entries the entire year. Thanks again to all those who have made RSI such a success. Now at well over 150 airports using either RSI’s technical services or the RSINet data product (or both), we are poised to unveil even bigger things in 2010. Thanks to all.

Merry Christmas and Happy 2010!

Merry Christmas 2008

Tom Nichols — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 00:40:26 +0000

Well, it seems every year when I sit down to write the end of the year message I get to say “this has been the best year in RSI history”…and so it is again.

The end of 2008 finds Remote Systems Integration, LLC with a navaids / AWOS maintenance client list approaching 100 airports. Plus, the RSINet NADIN delivery service has been a success far beyond our expectations. In fact, we have beaten our RSINet business projections by over 100% and will be well ahead in February on the anniversary of the RSINet rollout.

Without our clients and partners, we would be nothing. So, thank you all.

I do want to take a moment to thank some partner businesses that have helped us immensely in the past year. All-Weather, Inc for their great staff and a fantastic AWOS product that is easy to support, the great folks at AT&T who support the RSINet network, and finally my business partners and subcontractors. Can’t do it without you guys.

Tevis Pappas – Southwest RSI office

Steve Eagan – RSINet sales engineer

Ben Prichard – SC field service

Chris West – FL and SC field service

Interactive Consulting Services and Red Tide Software – RSINet software development

So, from the RSINet family and the Nichols family, thank you all and have a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year…and take a moment to remember what Christmas is all about.

New airport, new AWOS

Tom Nichols — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 15:32:41 +0000

Sometimes, work is not really work….one of our favorite vacation spots is Branson, Missouri. So, RSI is really excited to be part of the new Branson airport currently talking shape in the hills southeast of Branson, This new privately funded commercial and general aviation airport will bring easy access to the Branson area with a 7000+ foot runway and full ILS navaids. Remote Systems Integration has completed the installation of an All-Weather 900 series AWOS-3 PT at KBBG and will provide long-term maintenance support. The AWOS includes present weather and thunderstorm detection as well as RSINet NADIN connectivity. The airport is slated to open in early May. For more information, visit www.flybranson.com for news and live construction cameras.

New Phone number

Tom Nichols — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 18:20:51 +0000

You can now reach RSI and RSINet using the toll-free number (800) 261-1774. Press 1 to reach Steve Eagan, RSINet National Sales Engineer, 2 for 24 hour tech support, and 3 for all other calls. Our Fax number remains the same (901) 829-3740 and (901) 568-0871 will continue to work.

What customers and weather pros are saying about RSINet!

Tom Nichols — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 21:25:36 +0000

When my telephone started ringing on Monday morning after Hurricane Ike hit Houston, I have to admit I was not really surprised…at first. I knew Ike had passed directly over Houston, and we had a new AWOS installation there on a rooftop helipad at Memorial Hermann Hospital supporting Life Flight operations. Life Flight had recently become our latest RSINet NADIN delivery customer. In the RSI office, there is a small program constantly monitoring all RSINet sites via the National Weather Service Telecommunication Gateway. If a site goes down, a text message is sent to me and another technician. We don’t get many texts from the system and I had not gotten one overnight, so I knew the KMCJ system was still up. What I DIDN’T know until I started getting phone calls from the NWS and other Houston area colleagues was that the KMCJ AWOS with RSINet was the ONLY site in the area to have weathered the storm uninterrupted. I did some checking and verified that was indeed the case. With backup power to the AWOS and the robust RSINet network, data continued flowing when satellite and telephone communications were either out or jammed. Here’s some sample comments:

“I want to write and thank you for all the help in getting the AWOS installed at our hospital helipad. As you know we received certification only a month before Hurricane Ike hit the area.
We were able to use the information provided by the system to launch our helicopters out of here at the last possible moment prior to the hurricane and we were the ONLY weather reporting system operating during and after the storm. Because the system was still reporting after the storm, search and rescue aircraft had data to base their operations on and we were able to use the data to recover our aircraft at the first opportunity.
As a direct result of the recommendation to have our data sent out to NADIN we were apparently able to provide the NWS with storm data as it approached and passed our area. We were the only AWOS system that was up and recording data during the storm from beginning to end.
Our hospital system and many others were very grateful to get the weather information we provided during this demanding time.”

Stephen Scroggs
Chief Pilot
Life Flight
Memorial Hermann TMC

“Congrats on a robust AWOS communications system that held up better during hurricane Ike than some of the federally owned ASOS/AWOS systems!! Even though admittedly it is located at KMCJ/Hermann Hospital in Houston, where there was back up power sources, it is one of the few Houston weather observations that we have a complete and uninterrupted history of observations during the event. That’s what important!!”

Troy Kimmel, Jr.
Senior lecturer and Manager,
Weather and Climate Resource Center
Department of Geography and the Environment.
University of Texas at Austin

We are proud of RSINet and happy we could make a difference!

RSINet technology delivers in Hurricane Ike

Tom Nichols — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 17:40:44 +0000

In the early morning hours of September 13^th, Hurricane Ike slammed into the Texas gulf coast. The city of Houston suffered a direct hit from Ike. Near the rooftop helipad of Memorial Hermann hospital (KMCJ) in the heart of Houston sits an All-Weather Inc. Automated Weather Observation system installed by RSI and equipped with the RSINet data delivery service. According to National Weather Service personnel and data records, The KMCJ AWOS and RSINet datalink was the only Houston area AWOS or ASOS to provide uninterrupted weather data to the NWS for the entire storm event. In a city where satellite dishes were blown away and phone lines were out, the RSINet technology weathered the storm. Here is a portion of the data transmitted by RSINet at the height of the storm:

KMCJ 130855Z AUTO 32042G64KT M1/4SM OVC001 23/23 A2845 RMK AO1 P0107
KMCJ 130835Z AUTO 33049G77KT 1/4SM OVC001 24/24 A2850 RMK AO1 P0060
KMCJ 130815Z AUTO 34049G73KT 1/4SM OVC001 24/24 A2856 RMK AO1 P0024
KMCJ 130755Z AUTO 35048G73KT 1/4SM BKN001 OVC006 23/23 A2864 RMK AO1 P0044
KMCJ 130735Z AUTO 35049G73KT 1/4SM BKN001 OVC006 23/23 A2868 RMK AO1 P0025
KMCJ 130715Z AUTO 35046G69KT 1/2SM BKN002 OVC009 24/23 A2877 RMK AO1 P0007
KMCJ 130655Z AUTO 36045G69KT 3/4SM BKN001 OVC009 24/24 A2884 RMK AO1 P0021

AWOS Data transmission: Thinking ahead

Tom Nichols — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 21:23:37 +0000

One of the questions we are getting here at RSINet is about NADIN transmission technology. Why does the RSINet NADIN system use such as high speed channel for a limited amount of data when a simple phone line can deliver the data?

Well, discounting all the low-tech disadvantages of slow speed transmission over phone lines, the main answer is the future of AWOS systems and capabilities, as well as the enhanced services in the works at RSINet.

The AWOS hardware companies are not standing still. New networked displays, new capabilities, and new features are in the works. When you connect your AWOS to RSINet for NADIN data delivery, you already have that enhanced infrastructure built in, ready for the next generation of hardware.

One of the HUGE drawbacks of “discount” NADIN service is that it is not two-way. RSINet is, and at network speeds. That means in addition to delivering data from your AWOS to the FAA, we can deliver data to your airport. THAT opens up a whole world of possibilities, and we’re working on several. That’s just one of the reasons All-Weather, Inc. – a leading AWOS hardware manufacturer – has picked RSINet as their chosen NADIN service provider.

In addition, RSINet’s real-time high speed capabilities provide more flexibility for the changing world of weather data. There are several projects in the evaluation stages by the FAA and other agencies which will require data transmission capabilities a low-tech system just won’t be able to accomplish.

So, without giving away any secrets, let’s just say that when you connect your AWOS to RSINet, you are also connecting your airport to a whole list of future possibilites.

RSINet is preferred service provide for AWI AWOS 900 series

Tom Nichols — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 21:35:15 +0000

All Weather, Inc is now featuring RSINet on their corporate web site for use with domestic AWOS series 900 systems. The 900 series is a highly reliable state of the art AWOS and is fully compatible with the RSINet service, with no additional cards or computers needed. Simply connect the RSINet interface and go!

RSINet recently outfitted the University of California – Davis airport (KEDU) near the All-Weather factory with an RSINet system for the AWI engineers to evaluate. They liked what they saw!

The AWI 900 series AWOS is, based on our maintenance statistics, THE most reliable aviation AWOS available today.

Click here to go to the AWI web page.

Even More RSINet FAQ’s

Tom Nichols — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:31:56 +0000

Q: Will I need to upgrade my AWOS battery backup (UPS)?

A: No. Even at full transmit, the RSINet inteface only draws a few watts of power. Your exsisting UPS will work fine. However, adding another computer or satellite transceiver (such as with other NADIN systems) may seriously shorten your UPS run time and may require the added expense of upgrading your UPS.

More RSINet FAQs

Tom Nichols — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 16:59:42 +0000

More questions and answers on the RSINet NADIN Data delivery system

Q: Our airport has a part-time contract tower. What is the REAL ruling on NADIN connections?

A: Here is the definitive answer per the official FAA memo outlining the use of NADIN at part-time towered airports: When the tower is open and certified weather observers are on-duty, (A) the automated report must be augmented or (B) the NADIN connection must be disabled.

Newer AWOS units do not have the capability to augment the METAR reports. NEXWOS units made by Systems Management circa 1995 (now All-Weather, Inc) can be made to augment reports. So, the real world answer is that for most airports, the NADIN system must be disabled when the tower is open. RSI has a solution for that issue and it is included with your RSINet system if needed.

Q: We are looking to do some remodeling work on the FBO in the future. How difficult is it to move the RSINet interface with the AWOS? We don’t want to pay to have a satellite dish or phone line relocated.

A: The RSINet system is self contained. Pick it up and move it with the rest of the AWOS Central Data Platform. Plug it back in and you’re set. If for some reason you have issues with the relocation, just call us. You AWOS technician should have no problems performing the move. The RSINet interface is about the size of a 5 x7 index card and only weighs a couple of pounds.