FS METEO can someone explain....

[Geofa 108]

In the latest version of Fsuipc there are numerous settings for wind transitions,shear, gusts,turbulence,smoothing of visibilities,cloud layers, thicknesses, and even thunder clouds,icing among many other options.http://members.telocity.com/~geof43/Geofdog2.gif

[Guest]

Hi Geofa,Hope this doesn't come off wrong, because it's been a long day, so please know that I mean this kindly. I have to tell you that METAR observations are made more often than hourly, if conditions warrant, and I can assert that FSMeteo's weather for a particular location will catch those updates, when they are available. If you will note the following:Pulled at 0240Z from ftp://weather.noaa.gov/data/observations/...tions/KBOS.TXT:2002/10/05 02:31KBOS 050231Z 17010KT 10SM OVC027 17/16 A3004 RMK AO2See the FSMeteo and METAR screens at the bottom (sorry, I'm not smart enough to figure out how to put attachments in the middle of a message).As a pilot and weather buff (I was in charge of the WX teletype back in college), I've long known that if changing conditions warrant, a special observation will be made. I'm not fam with the rules governing AWOS ops, but I have observed that in addition to the regular obs at approximately 50 minutes past each hour, they will self-trigger an obs if conditions change. I have seen as many as one obs every six minutes (that's ten an hour). Unfortunately I didn't copy that page, but I found the two day weather list (www.srh.noaa.com) for Lafayette, LA during Lili's passage(eye passage section appears below). There were sixty-one observations for the twenty four hours of October third! Once the obs are made, they still must get into DUATS. I can't say (not being on DUATS) whether they do or do not faithfully transmit special obs when available. I would certainly expecte them to, however, as back when I was getting voice WX briefings, I would hear special obs if there were any. Surely no modern automated solution would fail to carry the reports that are so clearly being made.In any case, the attached should show clearly that the obs are being made rather more frequently than once hourly, that METAR reports are being carried to outlets, and that FSMeteo is not limited to the once-hourly reports at 50 past but will pick up the specials when they are posted by NOAA To the person who noted NOAA being later than DUATS, all I can say is, the Internet is not an operational channel, since they cannot guarantee that the data will propogate (IOW, no feedback that the correct data is being reported). They fling it out there and "hope" it lands. DUATS is an operational channel and will carry the latest available information.--BeachComer Stephen "Beach" Comer Real World Pile-it Commercial ASMEL, Instrument Airplane 4500 TT, 2500 BE20 & BE10

[Geofa 108]

I don't dispute what you say at all-in general however the reports are hourly and it appears both in general update at 53 minutes past the hour. The duats also will update with special reports when needed so noaa is not unique here. However,I spent all day yesterday comparing fsmeteo and microsofts download-the noaa weather fsmeteo used was exactly two hours old in each case-the microsoft matched the current duats data to the "t". I have noticed frequently on the noaa site the latest current report is not always listed-such as my local airport's always being two hours off yesterday.On the noaa site is the following disclaimer:"Data distribution via the Internet is not considered an operational delivery mechanism by the NWS due to our inability to insure access to this service, therefore, the information available here shall not be used for flight planning or other operational purposes. "I would assume since the duats is legal for flight planning and operational purposes that its data is higher quality controlled-and is this not the source of the Jepp server ms uses? I did notice the ms data changing almost immediately after :53 minutes.This of course is a seperate issue from what my original point was which was that fsmeteo does not provide a live streaming weather as some seem to think eg. "changing the weather by the minute" as per the quote in the first post.It is true if an update is made during a flight, and the noaa site posts it-then fsmeteo will catch it. That is for sure the advantage of fsmeteo over ms weather-however unless something pretty interesting is happening in your area hourly changes around :53 minutes past the hour are going to be it and the data may be old-which would certainly not make it "up to the minute weather" which was the text of the original post !.http://members.telocity.com/~geof43/Geofdog2.gif

[Guest WorkingStiff]

For someone who claims to own FS Meteo and like it, you seem to have many arguments to the contrary.The casual simmer (non-pilot) does not have access to DUATS and will not usually see the need to pause the simulator to periodically download the weather using the FS default weather.

[Geofa 108]

That seems to be the way this thread is being taken and it is unfortunate.I like to search for truth-and I have seen lots of posts from posters similar to the "up to the minute weather" (this was the quote) in fsmeteo.This is an incorrect notion.At this point there is no sim that can do this.This should not be a taken as a critic of the program-only a clarification of what it is capable of.http://members.telocity.com/~geof43/Geofdog2.gif

[Guest WorkingStiff]

Well....anyone with a modicum of common sense knows that "streaming weather" only occurs where an individual is physically present at a given moment and is able to experience the weather.

[Geofa 108]

I think I'll leave this one now!:-beerchughttp://members.telocity.com/~geof43/Geofdog2.gif

[Guest WorkingStiff]

No problem here. :-)I think you're were on point in highlighting the default WX features in FS2002 but the comparison of DUATS with FS Meteo wasn't particularly valid for me, since I'm a non-pilot like most of the people using FS2002.

[Guest]

Thanks Cas, this shows that it does do something better indeed.Just got mine in the e-mail will try it tomorrow, I can't believe my stupid outlookexpress decided to not give me access to the attachment because it said it was unsafe so I was pretty upset, would not allow me to open zip I don't know why, I just recently switched to NTFS from FAT32 maybe this had somehting to do with it and I need to reconfigure something but anyhow I got the damn thing now (the Zip).Andy

[pbenoit 0]

This has been an extremely fascinating thread. Riviting actually!In the end I do agree with Mr. Stiffy ... we are flying virtual aircraft through virtual airspace using virtual weather which, by the way, happens to reflect the "most current weather available" on route, be it with hourly observations, or every 6 minutes.Last nite I flew a BA A320 from Luqa, Malta to Heathrow. Looking at the NOAA winds/aloft and sigmets prior to leaving. Meteo was right on target for the cloud areas, and VERY FAST winds at 35,000 feet over the south of France ... like a 97kt quartering headwind.Point is that leaving Luqa, winds at Heathrow were 283/11 .. at Nice, Heathrow winds were 300/15. So I figured I would try a STAR... in this case the BIG 3a approach to 27R, which I was SURE ATC would vector me to .... hehehehe. Well, at Paris the winds at EGLL were 6/15, ooops ... quick change.At any rate ... regardless of whether 6 minutes or 1 hour ... this is very much for for me, and isn't that what it's all about???

[Guest]

Andy,Just FYI, I'll bet you have Outlook Express v6.x (or IE 6.x), which comes with something called the Outlook Email Security Update. This update, present in OE 6x and above, prevents .exe files from being accessible by design. Your change of file formats had nothing to do with it, unless you followed it by updating IE. Best, --BeachComer Stephen "Beach" Comer Real World Pile-it Commercial ASMEL, Instrument Airplane 4500 TT, 2500 BE20 & BE10