Intercepts

Data-driven DISN. DISA has rescoped the size of DISN based upon a 100 percent surge in traffic over the past year most of it on the data side.

Col. Marlin Forbes DISN PM said this reflects the "phenomenal growth" of both NIPRNET and SIPRNET which host Internets and intranets and their related World Wide Web pages. That's a lot of Java-driven eagles flapping their wings.

* The Sonet sprint. DISA has acted quickly to turn on the interim NIPRNET it acquired through Sprint and Pulsar Data earlier this summer with one OC-3 circuit already up and running to connect at least two DISA megacenters.

Signals picked up from our K Street antenna site indicate that by November Sprint will have installed close to 12 Sonet circuits nationwide to carry NIPRNET traffic.

* Commercializing Bosnia nets? The Interceptor is picking up medium-strength signals from our Stuttgart Germany antenna site that EUCOM has a plan to award a contract for a vendor to take over operation and maintenance of all U.S.- and NATO-installed networks in Bosnia later this year.

While the number of U.S. troops on the ground will diminish the nets will remain in place to serve a new slimmed- down NATO force.

* Pesky PLGRs. Our Fort Polk La. remote unit reports that the battery in yet another PLGR GPS receiver exploded.

The Interceptor mobile unit was in Kansas City last week at the Institute for Navigation GPS conference where folks staffing the Rockwell Collins booth wanted to make it perfectly clear that the PLGR did not explode rather the BA-5800 battery "vented " which then "turned the PLGR into shrapnel."

Rockwell Collins folks said users need to turn in old NATO-standard batteries and get new ones.

* Score one for David. Trimble Navigation Ltd. won a GAO protest against the award of the Special Operations GPS Receiver contract to Rockwell Collins based upon the fact that the Rockwell Collins receiver did not meet NDI requirements.

When Rockwell Collins won the PLGR contract Trimble honcho Charles Trimble said "This was a David vs. Goliath battle and Goliath won." Look for a recompete of the GPS procurement - for 2 000 handheld units - within a month.

* Coast Guard DGPS upgrade. The Coast Guard which just turned on its nationwide DGPS network plans to run a procurement to replace all 70 beacon transmitters antennas and associated electronics used in the network.

Jerry Ellis marketing veep of Southern Avionics puts the total value of the contract at about $1.5 million. Not many nationwide systems with the utility and impact of the Coast Guard DGPS network have a price tag measured in the millions.

* Better late than never. The Interceptor's antenna site in a remote corner of Fairfax County Va. reports that the Navy's desktop Blanket Purchasing Agreements will be awarded this week.

They were originally expected to be awarded last week.

NISMC is asking bidders to provide 7 500 units over a three-year period.