Francis Peak FAA Radar Site

Francis Peak FAA Radar Site (1962-Active) - A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Long Range Radar (LLR) site first established in 1962 near Farmington, Davis County, Utah. The site is used to identify and track military and civilian aircraft movements within a 200-mile radius and to provide air-ground radio communication with those aircraft. Assigned a SAGE System ID of Z-213 and an FAA ID of SLC. Active FAA Radar Site. Francis Peak FAA Radar Site. History This site became an operational FAA radar site in 1962, furnishing radar track data to the FAA ARTCC's and to USAF Direction Centers. The initial FAA ARSR-1 search radar was upgraded to the ARSR-1E and remained in operation until it was modified to become a Common Air Route Surveillance Radar (CARSR) reportedly by 28 Aug 2012. The Utah Air National Guard also maintains a facility on the Peak. A FYQ-47 Common Digitizer was probably placed in service by February 1973 when the USAF/FAA FST-2 to FYQ-47 replacement program was completed. Mode S Beacon System Mode S Equipment Typical Installation The Francis Peak FAA Radar Site was selected in the 1990s to become one of 21 long-range radar sites to have a Mode S radar beacon system installed. The Mode S system allowed operation in the existing beacon modes but added features to improve beacon operation by allowing aircraft identification with a single interrogation and two-way digital communication between controllers and pilots. Besides the 21 long-range sites, there were other short-range radars to be upgraded for a total of 137 sites on the implementation list. Francis Peak was #87 on the list, scheduled to receive the Mode S equipment on 30 Jul 1994. Installation required interfacing with the radar system, addition of a beacon antenna on top of the search radar antenna, a new larger radome, interfacing with the Common Digitizer (CD-2) if installed, additional communication lines and equipment. CARSR Radar The nationwide replacement program converting FAA legacy radar systems to the CARSR radar configuration was completed by 17 Aug 2015 and Francis Peak FAA Radar Site was a part of that program. Legacy FAA radars underwent a Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) that replaced key components in the vintage ARSR-1, ARSR-2, FPS-20, FPS-66 and FPS-67 radars. The CARSR program replaced legacy klystron radar transmitters with a solid-state transmitter as well as renovating the radar receiver and signal processor. The CARSR modification also included common digitizer functionality making a separate common digitizer unnecessary. The Francis Peak FAA Radar Site is now operating with the CARSR radar. The radar site data is now available to the USAF/NORAD Battle Control System-Fixed (BCS-F) operations centers (EADS & WADS) as well as the FAA Salt Lake City ARTCC (ZLC) and adjacent ARTCCs. Other federal agencies have access to the data under the Homeland Security umbrella. Francis Peak FAA Site Major Equipment List Search Radar Data Systems IFF/SIF/Beacon ARSR-1 ARSR-1E CARSR FYQ-47 CD-2 Mode S Current Status Active FAA radar facility atop Francis Peak near Farmington in Davis County, Utah. {"selectable":false,"height":"-500","width":"-500"} Location: On Francis Peak near Farmington in Davis County, Utah. Maps & Images Lat: 41.03278 Long: -111.83833 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 9,515' GPS Locations: 41.03278, 111.83833 Francis Peak FAA Radar Site See Also: JSS System US Radar Sets FAA Air Route Traffic Control Centers Sources: Winkler, David F., Searching the Skies: the Legacy of the United States Cold War Defense Radar Program, USAF Hq Air Combat Command, 1997, 192 pages, Pdf, page 118. Links: Radomes - Francis Peak FAA Radar Site Wikipedia - Joint Surveillance System Deseret News - Francis Peak offers views, hikes and radar domes. Hill Air Force Base - Just what is that golf ball on top of Francis Peak. Visited: 14 Oct 2018 Vicinity