NOAA/Systems Acquisition Office (SAO), 1315 E. W. Highway, Mail Code SAOX2, Silver Spring, MD 20910

66 -- ENHANCED PRECIPITATION IDENTIFICATION (EPI) SENSOR DUE 120498 POC Donald M. Thompson, Contracting Officer, 301-713-3478 The NOAA Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) program has a need for an Enhanced Precipitation Identification (EPI) weather sensor. This weather sensor is required to identify and detect the following precipitation types: Drizzle, Rain, Snow, Hail, and Ice Pellets as defined in Federal Meteorological Handbook (FMH) Number 1. A sensor is sought which meets the following performance requirements: (1) Precipitation Types: Drizzle, Rain, Snow, Hail and Ice Pellets as defined in FMH No. 1 (without user intervention); (2) Precipitation Intensities: Light, Moderate, and Heavy as defined in FMH No. 1; (3) The EPI sensor shall detect and correctly identify the precipitation types for all precipitation rates greater than zero but less than 10 inches per hour on an event basis as verified by a certified observer; (4) The EPI shall not report any precipitation when no precipitation is occurring (e.g., drizzle, rain, snow, hail, and ice pellets). (5) The EPI shall operate in the following laboratory test conditions, operational temperature limits: (a) low temperature operational, minus 60 degrees F; (b) high temperature operational, plus 120 degrees F. Furthermore, the sensor shall survive exposure to the following temperature extremes with no damage: (c) low temperature withstanding, minus 80 degrees F; (d) high temperature withstanding, plus 130 degrees F. (6) The EPI shall operate under the following laboratory test conditions, operational wind limits: (a) operational steady wind, up to 30 knots; (b) operational wind gust, up to 46 knots. Furthermore, the sensor shall survive exposure to the following wind extremes with no damage: (c) Withstanding steady wind, up to 73 knots; (d) withstanding wind gust, up to 125 knots. (7) The EPI shall operate in laboratory rain conditions up to 3 inches per hour with 30 knot winds. (8) The EPI shall operate in laboratory ice accretion conditions up to 1 inch with 20 miles per hour wind and withstand up to 3 inches with 40 miles per hour wind (9) Reliability, Maintainability,and Availability: (a) Mean Time Between Failure, greater than or equal to 4,392 hours; (b) Periodic Maintenance interval, not less than 90 days; (c) Mean Time To Repair, less than or equal to 30 minutes; (d) Availability greater than or equal to .9998861. Vendors may request a copy of the complete EPI requirement on or before November 13, 1998, and should respond on or before December 4, 1998. Request for EPI requirement must be received by the date specified above: DOC/NOAA/SAO/ASOS, Attn: Annette E. Stevens, (301) 713-2110, 1325 East West Highway, WS 4347, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910. Posted 10/22/98 (W-SN264621). (0295)

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