What AFMIT Post Warranty Support Policy? This is 1997; AFMIT was an interim program with a life expectancy of 1 year when it was purchased in 1993, covered only by a one-year system warranty, with no need for life-cycle program maintenance. Who could possibly be curious about this in 1997, and why?
AFMIT was a procurement managed by AWS/Scott AFB in 1993. To "maintain inter-service inter-operability," the AFMIT system was specified to be USN/MOSS compatible. In addition, AWS was genuinely interested in quickly fielding a short term solution to the units' tactical weather requirements based on an existing contract until STT was ready. So, at one time, AFMIT started out life as a cooperative follow-on to the existing USN/MOSS contract, but it seems that after 9 months of billable wrangling, the Navy lawyers and the Air Force lawyers couldn't get over that Billy Mitchell/USS Utah mock bombing thing back in the 30's, so AFMIT became its own procurement and a totally new contract was written--delaying AFMIT by almost another year--but freezing the technology that the taxpayers were being asked to buy all the same. Meanwhile, the units waited...
Actually, the 60+ year old Utah incident had nothing to do with it, but that was almost how long it took to figure out, under the DOD FARS, that the USAF couldn't legally procure the system as a USN/MOSS follow on under the original USN/MOSS contract, and how long it took to field a new legal USAF/AFMIT contract. Meanwhile, the units waited...
The DOD FARS, at least as configured then before our VP reinvented government, guaranteed not so much that the taxpayers were protected from fraud as they did guarantee that the government must spend, much less pay, too much to purchase obsolete technology every time it goes to bat. Although it was by all reports a 'lightning' procurement, by the time the AFMIT contract was actually let, there were many significant no-cost upgrades that could have and should have been substituted in the contract, but none were 'legally' possible without modifying the contract and starting the entire process over. Meanwhile, the units were just about fed up with waiting...
Hilton Systems, Inc. (HSI) was the prime contractor on the original USN/MOSS program, and continued as the prime on the AFMIT program. However, they were primarily an 8(a) program management firm, and WeatherTrac was the principal product/system supplier on both the USN/MOSS and USAF/AFMIT programs, although HSI provided significant systems integration, test, and packaging effort in addition to contract management on both contracts. HSI's 8(a) status has since expired, and they are no longer available for AFMIT Post Warranty Support(PWS)--even if there had ever been envisioned a need for such a thing back in 1993.
As you may know, the AFMIT program was meant to be an interim program of finite life. The original meaning of 'I' in AFMIT in 1993 when it was (finally) purchased as a throw-away, 1 year system was "interim," although that may not still apply if you are actually reading this in 1997. In 1993, the USAF explicitly declined our life-cycle maintenance/update proposal, and chose only to let the (now long expired) one year system warranty and two-year CPU warranty cover AFMIT for the intended 'life' of the program. As we were informed, the USAF chose to handle its own extended maintenance for the AFMIT program. If memory serves us correctly, the exact quote in 1993 was, "AFMIT is an interim one-year program of limited life not requiring life-cycle maintenance." If that was true, then why have you read this far? You certainly have absolutely no business reading any further in 1997. Still...
To the best of our knowledge, DET 4/Hurlburt Field was 'the' official AFMIT support point of contact, though we believe that their function might have been transferred to AWS/Scott AFB. They once asked us about a downconverter, and recently, parts for a tripod. By design and/or specification, we aren't in that loop. At one time, DET 4 was running a BBS for AFMIT issues. We don't know if that is still active or not.
WeatherTrac did design, specify, and provide the original MOSS and AFMIT configurations, we continue to sell AFMIT-like systems in desktop, marine, and tactical configurations, we wrote and continue to write/support the software, and we continue to provide AFMIT repair and upgrade services. Because the USAF declined our service wide life-cycle proposal (jointly presented with HSI in 1993,) we have implemented a flat ala carte repair schedule based on a minimum cost to diagnose/repair. This was advised in writing to AWS/Scott AFB after the service wide life-cycle maintenance proposal was declined. We do accept such repairs, but an RMA# must be obtained before we accept any shipments. If you are having problems, call us/e-mail us (support@sfwx.com). Often, problems can be diagnosed and repaired without returning the system; We have provided tons of pro bono support for our good friends in the USAF, and will continue to do so whenever possible. Just like our big brothers at Microsoft, who are endlessly showering us with helpful, free support. We intend to start publishing these remote diagnostic histories on our website to assist the AFMIT users still banging on these things. If there are enough of you guys still out there with an interest, we'll even start an AFMIT maillist on our mail server, but it will be restricted to AFMIT users/units.
If a complete AFMIT CPU is returned for repair/diagnoses, our minimum fee for repair is $1000. If any single component is returned for repair, our minimum fee for repair is $250. Often, this includes return shipping, but that depends upon the required repairs. So far, all but one returned system has been refurbished within the minimum figure. The one exception was a nearly completely destroyed CPU unit from Kunsan AFB, which was gutted and replaced with a new unit for $3250--including return shipping to Korea.
Whenever AFMIT CPUs are returned for any repair, we implement the power supply pilot light/external fuse retrofit described on our website, but as you can see, we publish the procedure and parts list (on an "as is" basis without warranty) as well so units so inclined can implement that on their own if they see fit. We also publish any AFMIT information or application notes that might generally be of interest as well on this page. (See http://www.sfwx.com, and look for AFMIT Support Notes).
We accept VISA/MC. With great increasing reluctance because your A/P folks always pay late and give us grief, we also accept the endlessly creative government supplies/service POs. If these are issued only for the minimum charge to diagnose/repair, and upon inspection, the required complete repair charge is greater than the minimum, the PO must be amended after our advice in order for us to proceed with the complete repair. If such amendment is not agreed to, the minimum amount is billable and the unit is returned without complete repair. (This has never happened.) We do not issue RMAs until proper payment and/or a PO has been forwarded and accepted, and we do not accept equipment for repair without RMAs.
When the system was deployed in 1993, WeatherTrac delivered the original training program down at Hurlburt to 4 USAF personnel, who then became the primary AFMIT instructors for the other units. I imagine by now there has been sufficient turnover that many 'original' AFMIT trainees are long gone, and the systems have been handed down like orphans to folks who are still trying to use these things while they wait for any day now SST to finally show up. WeatherTrac is still here. If your unit has new personnel that require AFMIT training, that can be arranged on your site, at our facility in Allentown, PA, or at an alternate location near Newport, RI.
Canadian National Defence has a couple of AFMIT like systems that they brought back from Haiti, and they recently upgraded them to Windows-95. The upgrade required adding additional memory(to 16MB) and installation of Windows-95, with an optional hard drive upgrade as well. We'd love to convince a few of you guys to upgrade your AFMIT systems, too. We now support Windows-95 as well as Windows-NT, and can offer several alternative CPU platforms, including ruggedized Pentium based systems.
When we originally bid the system, we showed the USAF three options for the choice of CPU. The other two options were ruggedized units with integral LCD displays, Magnesium alloy cases, etc. The non-ruggedized, plastic case, glass tube unit chosen was selected by the USAF because it was the least expensive and, although not intended for a tactical/ruggedized environement, included a two year basic warranty. Since the USAF regarded AFMIT as a one-year program, they could not justify spending the extra money on the ruggedized units, so they selected the less expensive unit. In fact, by the time the contract was let, other less expensive ruggedized CPU options, as well as higher performance options for the selected CPU, were all available, but none could be substituted without 'modifying' the contract and starting over. So, when you look at an AFMIT terminal and think 'cheap, slow 486 with too little memory/disk drive,' think instead 'bureacratic, cumbersome DOD FARS with little rational coherence.'
What amazes us is how well these inexpensive glass tube units have held up for the last 3 and now going on 4 years. Although they have full metal chassis under those plastic bezel shells, the glass tubes certainly aren't shock mounted in any significant way, nor are the internal hard drives anything other than commercial IDE drives. The fact that so many of these things are apparently still running still amazes us; we cringed when the USAF selected these things back in 1993, but for whatever their reasons, they apparently chose a box that was going to last "long enough" back in 1993. One C.W.O. confidently told us back then that the USAF was more careful with their equipment than the Navy, and would thus take better care of their equipment, so non-ruggedized CPUs in rota molded foam shipping cases was goodnuff'; maybe he was right. The lone 'nearly destroyed' CPU from Kunsan, even though it came back with the bezel smashed, the metal chassis bent so badly that the fan 'buzzed', and much of the keyboard and front panel in pieces, still booted and acquired imagery out of the box!--although it would only drive an external monitor.
Still, it's 1997, and many of you guys are apparently still banging on these things, or you would never still be reading this far. What is the deal with AFMIT? The program as far as we know has been long dead; it seemed to us, as far as AWS was concerned, STT made it DOA PDQ after delivery in '93, QED. AFMIT only happened back in 1993 because STT was going to be a little late; hasn't STT happened yet? Why are you folks still using these AFMIT things? If so, have you been given any maintenance money to try and keep using them? Who is asking you to keep putting Band-Aids on these things, and how do they expect you to do it without a budget? We've had guys send e-mail, complaining that the USAF couldn't even get spare tires for F16s, much less money to upgrade AFMITs. OTOH, we know that _we_ didn't budget anything back in '93 to cover '97 AFMIT pro bono extended support issues. The impression we get is that most units pushing ahead with AFMIT are doing so totally on their own.
We've finally vented. Contact support@sfwx.com. Put AFMIT SUPPORT REQUEST in the subject. Indicate your base contact information, AFMIT serial number, preferred E-mail address for return information if other than one used, and explain your support issue. If we can easily address it, we will, at no cost. If reasonable, we will publish a synopsis of the issue on our website. If we must charge you, or must charge you a minimum for diagnosis/repair, we will tell you in advance.