(IVAR) - Final Report - Strategic Environmental Research and ...

Results
No maintenance was required on the mechanical, electrical, or electronic components of the
CEAT avian radar units during the period March 2007 through March 2010.
The magnetron of the older eBirdRad unit at NAS Whidbey Island had to be returned to the
manufacturer (Furuno) for replacement shortly after the Fall 2008 IVAR study there. In that
case, the wildlife biologist at NASWI and a CEAT technical specialist working there, himself
also a wildlife biologist with experience as an electronics technician in the U. S. Navy, were
able to dismount and disconnect the RST from the eBirdRad trailer, return it to Furuno technical
services in southwest Washington state, and remount and reconnect the unit after it was repaired.
Over the course of the three-year IVAR project, the following components of the Furuno
2155BB marine radar at MCAS Cherry Point (also one of the older eBirdRad units) had to be
replaced or repaired: A magnetron, an antenna motor, and a circuit board. The antenna motor
was removed and replaced by the WS wildlife biologist but the other repairs were performed by
a local certified Furuno technician.
As regarding diagnosing and correcting some equipment problems, one of the advantages of
having remote connectivity to the avian radar systems in the field is that the vendor’s (in this case,
Accipiter®) technical staff can use that connection to assist local personnel in the diagnosis of
problems, as well as uploading and installing routine software upgrades, bug-fixes, etc.
It should also be noted there is likely to be no shortage of qualified radar and electronics
technicians at most military bases, particularly airfields. Thus, even if the end-users of the avian
radar systems may not have the requisite technical skills to perform simple maintenance tasks,
others at the facility may well have those skills. We’ve also observed over the years that both
military and civilian technicians at these facilities become quite interested in the avian radar
technology and are most anxious to assist when called upon.
Conclusion
Local personnel have been able to maintain the avian radar systems in the field during the course
of the IVAR and CEAT projects. When a major repair was required, local personnel were able
to remove the failed component, return it to the manufacturer for repair, and reinstall the repaired
component.
6.7 OTHER AVIAN RADAR SYSTEMS
The IVAR and CEAT studies employed digital avian radar systems provided by Accipiter Radar
Technologies Inc. (ARTI). There are other avian radar systems on the market, but these systems
were not tested as part of our projects. These commercially-available systems include:
• Accipiter® systems from ARTI, - www.accipiterradar.com
• MERLIN systems from DeTect, Inc. - www.detect-inc.com
• MARS® system from GeoMarine, Inc (GMI) - www.geo-marine.com
• ROBIN Lite system from TNO (now Robin Radar Systems b.v.) - www.vogelradar.nl
It is only possible to make general comparisons between these systems at this time because the
other commercially available radars have not undergone comparison testing, nor have
independent performance assessments been completed by the FAA or other agencies. Instead,
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