XN000022-1991-02-23 — Page 2

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1991

1

NEW WEATHER RADAR FOR RO

WEATHER RADAR TO

THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY (RO) IS TO HAVE A NEW TRACK TROPICAL CYCLONES AND MONITOR SEVERE WEATHER CONDITIONS.

OF PRICE-TAG

$9.66 MILLION, THE NEW SYSTEM, WITH A REPLACE THE EXISTING ONE WHICH IS IN PLACE SINCE 1983.

IS

TO

THE PURCHASE APPLICATION OF THE NEW METEOROLOGICAL APPROVED BY THE FINANCE COMMITTEE.

SYSTEM WAS

THE YEAR

TENDERING PROCEDURES ARE SCHEDULED FOR THE MIDDLE OF SO THAT SELECTED SYSTEM CAN BE DELIVERED AND INSTALLED IN 1992/93.

OF THE EXISTING PRIMARY OPERATIONAL

THE NEW RADAR WILL POSSESS ALL THE FUNCTIONS DIGITAL RADAR SYSTEM (DRS) AND WILL SERVE AS THE WEATHER RADAR FOR HONG KONG.

THE EXISTING RADAR, WHICH IS MORE THAN SEVEN BE USED ONLY AS AN EMERGENCY BACKUP SYSTEM.

BECAUSE MANY DIGITAL

CIRCUIT

YEARS OLD, WILL

BOARDS AND SPARE THE DRS WERE NO

THIS IS SO COMPONENTS ESSENTIAL FOR THE PROPER MAINTENANCE OF LONGER PRODUCED AND WERE BECOMING UNAVAILABLE IN THE MARKET.

AT A RADAR

COMPRISES AN ANTENNA, THE DRS, AS WELL AS THE NEW SYSTEM, TRANSCEIVER, AND A VIDEO DISPLAY OF RAW DATA, IS LOCATED SITE ON TATE'S CAIRN.

CAIRN TATE'S

SITE TO THE RO TELEPHONE LINES AS AN

TRANSMISSION OF RAW DATA FROM HEADQUARTERS RELIES ON A MICROWAVE LINK WITH EMERGENCY BACKUP.

BY

A

TRANSMITTED RAW

IS FURTHER PROCESSED THE

DATA COMPUTER-BASED CONTROL AND PROCESSING SYSTEM AT THE RO HEADQUARTERS.

INFORMATION

IS DISPLAYED AT

RO THE THE

SO COLLECTED

OFFICE AT THE METEOROLOGICAL DEPARTMENT'S HEADQUARTERS AND AT THE AIRPORT SO THAT ANY HAZARDOUS WEATHER MAY BE DETECTED AND WARNINGS ISSUED TO ALL CONCERNED.

BR

PER

THE TOTAL RECURRENT EXPENDITURE A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF THE NEW SYSTEM IS ESTIMATED TO BE $400,000 ANNUM UPON COMPLETE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROPOSAL.

THIS FIGURE IS BASED ON THE ESTIMATED MAINTENANCE COST

OFFSET BY A SAVING OF NEW SYSTEM OF $540,000 PER ANNUM, DERIVED FROM A REDUCED LEVEL OF MAINTENANCE OF THE DRS.

OF THE $140,000

0

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