CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WAND) - An NOAA Weather Radio station serving central Illinois listeners is out of service for an extended period of time. 

According to the National Weather Service in Lincoln, station WXJ-76 in Champaign is inactive due to a damaged coaxial cable, which connects the radio transmitter to the antenna. This station serves east central Illinois on frequency 162.550 MHz.

Officials said they have to find a new tower location to keep cabling from taking further damage, which could mean more long-term outage. This outage will continue as the NWS seeks to move the weather radio transmitter to a new tower. 

NWS leaders have to find a new tower site and reach a lease agreement before they install the transmitter and antenna and start system testing, which will help insure the signal performs at an optimal level. 

"While the entire process could take up to six months, we are working to get the NOAA Weather Radio broadcast online as soon as possible," an NWS article said. 

People who use weather radios in central Illinois have the option to connect to nearby NOAA Weather Radio transmitters, which serve portions of the WXJ-76 listening area. People only need to change the channel number on their radio receiver, and their county number will not change.

Click here to see coverage maps and more information about how to receive future information on forecasts, watches and warnings during the outage.