Hello,when i am loading the real world weather with activesky, then there are two different metars from the same destination (see attachment)My question is, why there are two metars and which does activesky use?I addition, why i do sometimes read that the weather is autogenerated and why i see sometimes clouds, when in the first metar it says, "CAVOK"?Regards,Peter

Hi Peter,Your top box is the actual METAR, your lower box is the TAF report. AS will use the newest report.Sometimes weather reports are autogenerated in the "real world". The word "Auto" is in place to let pilots and others using that data know this.A weather station has an exact influence range of 2 miles. After that 2 mile range AS uses a combination of stations.Hope this helps,JimActiveSky Supporthttp://www.hifisim.com/images/as2004proudsupporter.jpg

Hi PeterThe first one is the METAR for the selected station. This one is updated each hour depending on station/airport. Large airports, and automated systems, update it each hour even at night. Small airports may only update METAR a couple of times each day. If you do not select to use TAF elements in the settings of AS then this is what it will use to generate weather.Next is the TAF(Terminal Aerodrome Forecast) for the selected station. I am not sure about this but I think TAFs are issued twice a day. If you enable TAF elements in settings and the TAF is more valid than the METAR, then AS will generate weather based on the TAF report. Its a bit more complicated than that from what Ive seen though. AS sometimes morph the METAR and TAF to create a more dynamic weather. The use of TAF often happen at night if the airport is closed and do not have any automated system.CAVOK does not mean that there are no clouds. CAVOK is used when visibility is greater than 10km(5.4nm). No clouds below 5000ft, or below the highest minimum sector altitude, whichever is greater, and no Cumulonimbus.When AS have autogenerated in the METAR/TAF it means that either the station do not have a valid METAR or that AS have morphed the TAF with the METAR. When AS dont have a METAR for the current station it will do like FS does and take weather from nearby stations and create a weather for that station.Hope this answer your questions.Please correct me if some of what I have said is wrong.JT

Thanks for more of an explaination, JT!One correction:"If there is an AUTO after the ID in the metar ob, then there is no observer."If AS is autogenerating any weather, there will be no message stating such. Conditions should change smooth as silk!Hope this helps,JimActiveSky Supporthttp://www.hifisim.com/images/as2004proudsupporter.jpg