Status history, last updated 1-17-08

1-17-08 T1 functioning to summit, dome, Barcroft closet and CC pole. However, starting a week or two ago, we lost contact to CCshop and the CC starband, at about the same time. The cause for this is unknown, but may have to do with the power supply which is shared by the two devices. The CCpole has a separate circuit.

4-3-07 T1 functioning to summit and dome, but battery power is lost at Barcroft (batteries discharged and burst). CC on satellite only.

12-8-06 Current status: T1 functioning to summit and Barcroft, running on solar/batteries. No AC power at Barcroft but diesel generator is in place. Crooked Creek internet on satellite only. Phones OK at both sites.

Fall 2006: redid T1 system at summit: moved Wi-Lan radio inside building and put all antenna wires in conduit. Beefed up grounding system, added metal rod to NW corner of building. Added battery/solar panel power supply for powering dome radio and switch/media converter in dome.

Electronics detail (password needed)
Facilities virtual tour

Older Notices:

8-20-06 A series of lightning storms took out the internet links at the summit and at Crooked Creek. We do not plan an immediate replacement until we can beef up the lightning protection at each site. Hopefully the T1 link will be restored sometime in September. The starband satellite links are woking at Barcroft and Crooked Creek.

7-25-06 Lightning damages main router at OVL - internet connection and email out for about 24 h.

7-18-06 lightning storm(s) damage T1 internet connectivity at Crooked Creek and summit. Backup starband remains functional at both sites.

7-5-06 Full strength connection between summit and OVL restored itself - with hindsight I realiize that water must have gotten in to the connectors, which are bare after the emergency repairs made last winter (I didn't have time to seal them then). Will repair next summit trip.

7-1-06 Connection to Crooked Creek partially restored: summit radio link restored but weak. Intermittent problems with CCshop radio bridge - perhaps power supply is bad? Will check Monday July 3. No problem w/ power supply.

1-06 There is a serious power outage at Barcroft, with no visible cause. We are bringing in consultants with test equipment to isolate and diagnose the problem. We believe that power went out at barcroft on new years day; but sometime after December 20 at the earliest. Crooked Creek has power

6-30-06 Connection to Crooked Creek via summit was failing on the afternoon of Wednesday June 28, and went down completely later in the evening. Link remains down. We will try to get to the summit to make repairs asap. Barcroft still down (power out) but starband backup system is working.

Wi-Lan Internet Bridge Radios - all checked out; OK on 5-13-05 and again on 11-15-05. Link went down 1:30 am 11-29-05 - we are planning a summit trip to repair. Trip keeps getting delayed by bad weather, but is still a high priority. Fixed 2-8.

• OVL "root" internet bridge radio - OK working normally through antenna B
• Summit "repeater" internet bridge radio - went down 1-3-05. Service restored 1-7-05 Summit connection lost 8pm 8/14/05 during severe storm. Still out 8/15/05. Repaired power supply, replaced radio unit 8-22-05. Icing 11-29-05. Damage lost link. Repaired 2-8-06.
• Observatory dome"leaf" internet bridge radio - went down 12-30-04. Service restored 1-7-05. Down 1-11-05. intermittent 1-20-05, Service restored 1-26-05 at about 6pm. Intermittent problems 7-25-05, went down entirely 8-5-05. Repaired with new power supply and replaced terminal connector 8-9-05.
• Crooked Creek pole "repeater" internet bridge radio - went down ?. As of 1/7/05 there is a normal link through antenna A. B link intermittent and probably faulty. Replaced antenna - link now strong. 5-26-05
• Crooked Creek shop "leaf" internet bridge radio - a strong link through antenna A; 5-26-05

Other LAN connections

• Observatory dome; switch went down for about 5 hours on 5-13-05, back up by 1500; replacement switch 9-05
• Barcroft Pace Lab; switch went down for about 5 hours on 5-13-05, back up by 1500; connection lost 6-19-05. Connection intermittent 6-27-05; OK after 8/9/05 repairs; replaced switch 10-05
• Crooked Creek shop switch; on 5-26-05
• Crooked Creek wireless; on 5-25-05
• Twin-WAN router - recovered T1 link 1-26-05 - starband link out but restored by 2-8-05 - went down for about 5 hours on 5-13-05, back up by 1500, off since 8/05.

Starband Satellite Connections

• BAR Starband connection - down as of 1/1/05; Still down 1/10/05; Recovered 1-24-05; OK 5-13-05
• Crooked Creek Starband Connection - down as of November 2004 - host computer problems satellite modem probably OK, still down 11-05 need tech support to get running again.

IP units

• summit weather station - OK 1-7-05, OK 5-13-05; damaged in storm of 8-14-05; repaired 9/13/05 except wind instruments repaired 9-27-05, wind direction seems off by 90 degrees (i.e. a west wind shows on the output as a south wind).
• barcroft weather station - OK 1-7-05; went offline 1-11-0;. Restored 1-26-05; Went down for about 5 hours on 5-13-05, back up by 1500 ; went offline 6-19-05 2100; went offline October 21, 2005
• barcroft webcam - no contact since December; restored 4-29-05; went down lightning?? 5-5-05; OK
• barcroft PV monitoring computer (via starband) - no contact since December. Restored 4-29-05 using T1 connection
• barcroft wireless access point down in late september; awaiting replacement unit; installed replacement 10-05 OK
• crooked creek weather station on line 9/13/05; analog instruments stopped recording in mid October 2005.
• crooked creek wireless access point OK; sometimes needs to be rebooted (POE may be too tenous over too long a reach)
• crooked creek US Array seismic installation OK

Notes: all connections below Dome Radio were out for 5-6 hours on 5-13-05; were restored without any action on our part. Since late June dome power is only working on one of the two split single phase circuits; repairs are in the planning stages.