I recently purchased Active Sky X build 1160 and have noticed what seems anomolies. I do not have FSUIPC installed.When METAR reports clear sky conditions I sometimes have sky depictions showing clouds. Sometimes when the depiction initially shows clear, after a few minutes clouds appear.When METAR reports overcast conditions I sometimes have depictions showing broken sky conditions with patches of clear sky.One set of observations, I began in Harbor Springs MI where METAR showed overcast but depictions showed broken. Moved to Flagstaff AZ. METAR showed clear, depiction showed many clouds. Moved to Grand Canyon. METAR clear, depiction clear. Moved back to Flagstaff. METAR clear, depiction NOW clear. Moved to Harbor Springs. METAR overcast, depiction broken. Later, at Harbor Springs, METAR overcast, depiction overcast at last.Is this how Active Sky X is supposed to depict sky conditions?Also I tried about 10 places and found METAR never reports visibility condtions any greater than 10 SM, even in Flagstaff and Grand Canyon where visibility is usually good. Just a coincidence or does METAR now limit max vis to 10 SM?Jim Jones

Hi Jim,Yes, 10SM is the METAR maximum.Are you giving enough time for ASX and FSX to generate the proper weather? Also, make sure that cloud coverage is set to maximum in FSX.Are you using the Default settings?What are your cloud layers set to in ASX?Please let us know,Jimhttp://www.hifisim.com/banners/hifi-community-sigbanner.jpghttp://www.hifisim.com/

Just to clarify the 10km Metar maximum a little. A metar giving vis as "9999" means "visibility 10km or greater" and not "visibility is 10km". That is the highest vis that a real-world Metar will ever provide.

>Hi Jim,>>Yes, 10SM is the METAR maximum.>>Are you giving enough time for ASX and FSX to generate the>proper weather? Also, make sure that cloud coverage is set to>maximum in FSX.>>Are you using the Default settings?>>What are your cloud layers set to in ASX?>>Please let us know,>Jim>>http://www.hifisim.com/banners/hifi-community-sigbanner.jpg>http://www.hifisim.com/Using default settings except for max layers = 1 for reports sent earlier.New tests:Settings:Changed max cloud layers = 0 and FSX settings Detailed clouds, cloud coverage max,rate of change very high. ASX =very high rate of change. Sometimes when rain indicated in METAR rain initially shows but a half min later stops. No METAR change.Most times, not always, if METAR shows clear, depiction shows clear but a few min later few clouds form and build in density.Inconsistent ground level visibilty when METAR shows 10SM (9999m). Guess vis about 10 sometimes, other times better.Sometimes when overcast in METAR clouds show broken or scattered.Last two tests:Started at 3:24PM 6/19/08 @ Harbor Springs, MIIntitial depiction partial sky coverage est 50 percent base at 1400 ft.METAR 10 SM BKN017 Good agreement at 3:24PMMoved to Flagstaff AZInitial depiction: est 30 percent clouds close to ground at 7000 ft.METAR 10sm clr 28 decoded NO CloudsPoor comparison with depiction.New clouds appearing in dist at 16,000 ft at 3:31 PM and close by clouds fading. Visibility near ground not nearly max.Ground clouds disappeared by 3:33PM but 16,000 ft clouds overhead and at distance very apparent.Are these observations expected or not. I expected closer agreement. Seems ASX/FSX introduces much random, sometime inaccurate depictions.

Hi,OK, a few things:1. Set cloud layers to at least 3. At 0 that means to use no cloud layers.2. In ASX the Dynamic rate of change should be at 50%. At 100% that means that weather is changing very fast. Doesn't matter what you use in FSX as we over-control that slider anyway.Thanks,Jimhttp://www.hifisim.com/banners/hifi-community-sigbanner.jpghttp://www.hifisim.com/

I tried cloud layers at 1 and higher. The more layers I set the more random layers are created by the program, which is not what is wanted. I'm trying to eliminate those clouds when the METAR indicates "clear". I can do that in FSX, but not when ASX is running.I also tried the 50% for dynamic rate of change. All those problems discussed earlier existed at the 50% setting too.ASX makes interesting sky conditions, but in some cases they are not accurate. It seems the random action of the engine overrides what is real.

Hi,Please post your ASX.ini file, METARs and screen shots of those METARs if possible.Thanks,Jimhttp://www.hifisim.com/banners/hifi-community-sigbanner.jpghttp://www.hifisim.com/

Cant't seem to locate an ASX.ini file. Where should I look?Jim

Hi,Documents and Settings/UserName/Application Data/HiFi/XEngine/ASX/ASX.cfgSorry .cfg not .iniThanks,Jimhttp://www.hifisim.com/banners/hifi-community-sigbanner.jpghttp://www.hifisim.com/

First a copy of the asx.cfg file://ASX Configuration File[Options]AutomaticDownloads = TrueAutomaticDownloadInterval = 10CAVOKCloudGenerationPercent = 50NoDataCloudGenerationPercent = 50CirrusCloudGenerationPercent = 0MaximumCloudLayers = 3MinimumCloudTurbulencePercent = 0MaximumCloudTurbulencePercent = 100MinimumCloudIcingPercent = 0MaximumCloudIcingPercent = 100MaximumSurfaceWindSpeed = 100MinimumWindTurbulencePercent = 0MaximumWindTurbulencePercent = 100MinimumWindShearPercent = 0MaximumWindShearPercent = 50MinimumVisibilitySM = 0MaximumVisibilitySM = 100UpdateRange = 500DynamicRateofChangePercent = 50WakeTurbulenceStrength = 50DepictHurricanes = TrueCreateVirtualStations = TrueEnhanceRouteCoverage = FalseMaximumUpperVisibilitySM = 60VATSIMDownloads = FalseEnableSkyScapeMode = TrueUseSkyScapeforStratus = FalseStratusCloudOccurrencePercent = 20ForceHighPriority = FalseDisableWindsAloft = FalseEnableWindSmoothing = FalseEnableFogLayerSimulation = FalseEnableWindShiftStabilization = TrueEnableVisibilityGraduation = FalseNext an attempt to show a depiction along with METAR data and a display of asx screen at the time. The flight started in a clear sky area. Clouds were noted in the distance and I slewed to these clouds, also in an area where METAR showed "clear".

Hi,Disable SkyScape mode unless you are using X Graphics.You are not directly at a station in your shot, so if near-by stations are reporting clouds you are getting a blending of station data. Your flight started clear because you were at the station so that is correct.Everything else looks good on your settings.Thanks,Jimhttp://www.hifisim.com/banners/hifi-community-sigbanner.jpghttp://www.hifisim.com/

>Yes, 10SM is the METAR maximum.That may apply for International format METARs, but is not necessarily true for US format METARs (also used in Canada).For example in Canada, many of the human observed METARs will go up to 15 SM prevailing visibility while some automated ones will have a maximum of 9 SM.I have also seen prevailing visibilities for some US airfields such as KEDW which have been 30 SM or more.A blanket statement that 10 SM is the METAR maximum is therefore not correct.Jeff

Jim, thanks for your continued support chasing my clear sky situation.I do have X-Graphics, but did not have it turned on during the previous tests.I have now deactivated Skyscapes in ASX, and am reporting in this message without Skyscapes activated.You indicated the influence of surrounding weather station data as the possible reason for my getting clouds in an area reporting clear skys (no cloulds). I do not know how far away that influence is but I offer this situation observed yesterday:I summer vacation near Harbor Springs, MI where the skies are often very clear. I used active sky to obtain METAR data for 6 stations surrounding Pellston, MI and Pellston, all reporting METARs of no clouds. When first starting an FSX flight (ASX is active) at Pellston the skies appear perfectly clear, but within 2 minutes clouds begin to form and increase in opacity with time. I restarted FSX at Pellston several times, each time clouds form but at different places. Sometimes the clouds appeared directly over Pellston or very near (2-3 mi). The other weather stations in the immediate area, their distances and directions from Pellston are:Beaver Island, 38 mi west.Boyne Mountain, 28 mi, SSWCharlevoix, 29 mi, SWCheboygan, 15 mi, ENEHarbor Springs, 11 mi, SSWMackinac Island, 21 mi, NNEI believe no other staions within 38 mi exist.These stations surround Pellston and I would think that their influence should be the only ones that would effect Pellston and would provide clear skies in the area. I have noticed similar cloud formation with FSX without ASX, so it may be that FSX is dominant over ASX in the weather production in some situations.The only way I have successfully had totally clear skies is to set as fixed clear skies in FSX without ASX running.

Hi,Just now I went to KSLH as it was reporting CLR and this is what I got in FSX.Jimhttp://www.hifisim.com/banners/hifi-community-sigbanner.jpghttp://www.hifisim.com/http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/190006.jpg

KPLN is now CLRJimhttp://www.hifisim.com/banners/hifi-community-sigbanner.jpghttp://www.hifisim.com/http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/190007.jpg