Hello,Can someone tell me why ActiveSky is better or more realistic then FSMeteo? ( www.FSMeteo.com )I can't find nothing?.....if you edit 'FSUIPC' you get the same 'and more' then with ActiveSky!?Someone who can tell me the opposite?fmcdude

Good question from FMCdude! FSMeteo!!!!!!!!!!!

Welll, ok, let me have a go at this. First off, I AM an FSMeteo fan. I've been using it for years and Marc certainly has been leaps and bounds ahead of everyone in terms of weather for FS up until recently. In fact, in terms of winds aloft outside of the USA, he's still the front leader. I still have and occasionally use FSMeteo.BUT, I also have wxRE and do think it is a better product overall, and that isn't a criticism against Marc. Damian has taken wx in FS one step (at least!) further. Actually, several steps. I'll outline why I think it is better, and if you have any specific questions from my points, fire away.1) Online I never get a "server down" message, although some have had that happen, but it has been extremely rare from my knowledge. I used to get that about 30 to 40% of the time with Marc's servers, accompanied by an obscure message saying that the archive didn't exist for that period, when I was asking for an old METAR. That was probably the most annoying feature of Marc's system, but to his credit, I believe he has repaired that now.2) FSMeteo uses only METAR's, so will not process TAF's at all, on or offline. That isn't that bad, except on a long flight you really don't know what to expect at the destination for wx (wx=weather). I pull up a real wx site and get the full TAF's and briefing for my destination if I'm using FSMeteo, whereas I get all that with wxRE. wxRE does use TAF's and therefore is much more dynamic, and even offers up a few surprises that are very realistic from time to time (my flight last night from YVR to YYZ for example, gave me unexpected wx when I got into YYZ. I didn't think this was correct until I pulled up Nav Canada's website and sure enough, wxRE was bang on. - that was all online flying). Now, one other nice feature about wxRE is that you do have an option to NOT use the TAF's, in which case you get just the METAR's as they were when you downloaded them, same as FSMeteo. Again the key here is that it is an option with wxRE.3) Overcast conditions now don't have that almighty infuriating blue band with wxRE. Damian found that by reducing the vis a certain amount with an overcast sky, it looked like a true overcast from horizon to horizon. That was one of the biggest selling points for me, and it works fantastically! FSMeteo can't do that at the time of this writing.4) I know FSMeteo has a flight planning section/option, but I've only used it a couple of times. From what I've seen of it, it isn't as detailed and as well laid out as wxRE's. Also (and I consider this a plus, but some might think of it as a negative), you HAVE to learn the codes with wxRE. That raises the level of realism quite a bit. If you want to be a pilot (sim or real) you really should learn how to decode a METAR and TAF's. FSMeteo will give you a plain language version if you ask for it.5) For the most part, wxRE really does an outstanding job of smoothing weather transitions as you progress from one area to another. Furthermore, there are options that will allow you to enhance the smoothing effect further and give you more consistant and fluid weather. FSMeteo has options that allow you to do this as well, but each time you enter a new reporting station's sphere, you get the wx change and it overrides any smoothing option settings. In wxRE, you CAN update on each new reporting station, and that will tend to make the transitions more abrupt, but the key here is that in wxRE it is an OPTION that is totally under your control.6) For offline use, wxRE is amazing. It will (because of the ability to read TAF's) actually continue to process weather when you are offline, based on the TAF. As such, on a long flight while you are offline, you will still get dynamic weather at your destination rather than only the METAR that was indicative of what was happening at the time you started your flight. This is a huge bonus if you fly at different times to real world times, and especially for long flights. If I get a METAR for EGPK (Prestwick, Scotland) when I go to depart CYUL (Montreal, Canada) at 22:00 EST (03:00 GMT), I could hardly expect the exact same wx when I get to EGPK at 09:00 GMT (although it isn't unheard of). With FSMeteo, you will get that 03:00 GMT METAR when you get to EGPK (IF YOU ARE FLYING OFFLINE), but with wxRE you will get the METAR for 03:00 AMMENDED by the TAF for that period. That's hard to beat.7) The new model Damian is working on now eliminates some of the advantages FSMeteo has over wxRE now. Upper winds, for instance, will be coming for the whole world shortly. Damian isn't resting on laurels, although I will say there have been a constant set of improved FSMeteo versions as well.8) wxRE is half the price of FSMeteo. I also understand Marc was going to start charging for updates? I'm not sure about that, and my source may be wrong on that. I hope I am wrong because that would lose me in a fairly big hurry (I'm willing to pay for base programs, but there is a limit to what I will spend, even for FS :-)!).Now, where they compare is that both Marc and Damian are outstanding at customer support. I've never had to wait for any length of time if I've had a problem with FSMeteo, and this forum here for wxRE is equally as good. The nice thing about this here, is that there are others who can jump in and help as well, whereas with FSMeteo (last I checked) there is no general forum. This setup is a bit more open.There are some other options which I haven't touched on here. Overall I find wxRE to be more intuitive, give you a better representation of the weather over time, and have advantages that FSMeteo doesn't yet possess. Having said that, I will keep both (unless I have to start paying for updates) so if one goes down, the other is available. For my money though, wxRE has leapt to the front of the weather game in FS.Hope that helps.Glenn

1 x FS METEO Upgrade to V5.2 () = EUR18.00 Information/Your Registration Key: KEY/FILES will be emailed to you within 24 hours directly by AuthorWas long term user, had to upgrade for the flightmax compatibility included with v5.2.....I wish I knew about wxRE..cheersLucien

100% with Glenn on this. I've been a long time FSMeteo user. Now I only use ActiveSky.

This is an excellent comparison Glenn. Thanks for taking the time to write it. So many people have asked what the differences are.I think another important difference is that Damian is currently working on the next version, scheduled to be released early this year. As a FSMeteo customer, I remember updates coming much further apart. This is a very positive sign that wxRE ActiveSky will continue to improve.Bruce

Thanks Bruce. No doubt I left some things out, but you're right on about Damian continuing to improve an already great product. He seems genuinely concerned about his product and the support it gets, and I also really appreciate the way his beta team and whatnot jump in with answers as well. It's a group effort. I really like that!Now, if I could just get Damian to find a way to smooth out that turbulence I hit crossing a mountain range in the Yukon in the Aztec (I **used** to be 5'10" - much shorter with a much higher voice now :-lol). :-)Glenn

Hi GlennJust wanted to say that your 'comparison' between AS & Meteo was superb - many thanks for the time & effort!!I've got neither - just been keeping an eye on this forum & waiting for any 'teething problems' to be sorted out.I may just wait out for the 1st update but from a 'bystanders' point of view & going from what you + a few others have to say, I'll be spending my hard earned bread on AS for sure.Damien & co. are as 'professional' & supportive as any payware FS addon team around!Awesome stuff - cheers! Josh