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Opus weather was in Historic Mode

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I am busy testing the next beta 3.03.5 with the aim of improving the FSX surface winds at greater distances, mainly to coax it into selecting the expected runway for AI aircraft. Having some success but need a few more flights and tests to get it just right. This process might take a few tweaks to optimise the updates but we have a few ideas.

 

Stephen

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For some reason, OPUS isn't forcing the winds update in FSX as you can see in the second screenshots. The winds are totally off. The altimeter, the temperature, and the conditions are correct however. 
 
However, I can see OPUS updating the clouds and the presssure and all that but not the winds at the destination. They have been off for the past couple of weeks.

 

Only lately things started deviating and here I am giving feedback.

 

Interesting. I dont have much issues with winds. I just make sure to do the dynamic live update a few times approaching my destination and the correct winds will kick in.  It wont do it automatically all the time, so have to force it. And as Stephen emphasizes make sure the Destination ICAO code is in the weather section. I forget sometimes. 

 

As you pointed out though Opus was doing really well with matching the weather, and things have been deviating recently. For me its been the cloud layers and in particular Overcast not being overcast like it once was. 

But I see im a few beta versions behind so will update. 


CYVR LSZH 

http://f9ixu0-2.png
 

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Are you using VATSIM as your primary server, as it appears to be so in the above image !

 

You should select the PRIMARY weather server which is NOAA and has all the latest METARs.

 

The VATSIM METARs are often way out of date !!!

 

You are responsible for selecting the weather server and the LWE, which hasn't really changed at all, just gets the weather from the server you specify. You should really get into the habit of using the Opus weather reports. You will see the METAR day and time codes displayed there so you can see how up to date they are.

 

You have selected to download METARs from VATSIM, usually way out of date, and are comparing them with the current weather which will be available from the primary NOAA weather server.

 

The Opus LWE does not just inject part of the weather, it ALWAYS injects the exact weather downloaded and indicated within the METAR reports. But if these are old and out of date then you will get old and out of date weather.

 

The winds injected into the sim will either match the METAR exactly or if they are currently stabilised will match the Static weather. All the details are shown in the Opus weather reports which will clearly say what winds are currently injected.

 

But the LWE has not changed so any changes are really an illusion. The Low Overcast effect has not changed but the lower altitude limit has just been extended from 2000 to 6000 feet. Nothing else has changed at all !

 

Make sure you specify your Destination before you fly, or whilst airborne provided you perform a weather update afterwards. The LWE can only coax FSX to provide accurate weather at your destination if it knows where that is.

 

Stephen

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The METARs shown on the screen are exactly showing the weather supplied by the server, and those winds will be used to generate the weather map. The surface winds reported by the METAR from the VATSIM server are reporting 180/10, this METAR has the day and time code for 31st and 2100 Zulu.

 

These are the VATSIM METARs so the fact that they are different from your other weather source is really irrelevant. The METARs are the only weather source being employed in your weather engine. So if these METARs say 180/10 winds, that's what the LWE will give you. Assuming any stabilised winds have been recovered.

 

You should also try the next beta 3.03.5 which is using a modified update procedure to ensure or coax FSX into accepting the RW surface winds at greater distances. See the SimForums for details. But please in future show the Opus weather reports and rely on these rather than perhaps comparing with a different source possibly using METAR reports generated at a different time, hence showing the weather at a different time.

 

Stephen

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I have had similar troubles and do not believe the METAR source is the likely culprite (I'll explain). I haven't been flying so much lately, so the amount of data and troubleshooting I've done has been minimal. Effectively I have only turned off all methods of stabalization in OpusFSX. I get perfectly accurate weather at the departure field, but not at the arrival field (this is all of about 2-3 flights, so like a said, mininmal data).

 

OpusFSX is set to "primary server" and I am use Aeroweather on an iPad which draws from NOAA. I do not know which source the Opus "primary server" is drawing from, but I would expect NOAA, hence while I believe I'm looking at the same source.


Eric Szczesniak

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Opus uses the NOAA site as its primary server. These METARs are NOT hidden from you and you can check them or compare them yourself at the NOAA ADDS site. You will find all the downloaded METARs in the OpusWeatherReport.txt file, all the information is also in the Opus weather report windows, including the day and time stamp of the METAR source. Check them yourself using the NOAA ADDS site, NOT via any third party, go direct to source and use the actual METARs.

 

You will find Opus is 100% correct.

 

You do not need stabilisation if you fly low level VFR, but you should ALWAYS specify your Destination in the weather dialog. It is only by doing that that Opus can make sure FSX has your correct destination weather, it also makes sure your METARs are no more than 5 minutes out of date as far as download is concerned.

 

Opus does not hide anything so why check with other sources. Read the OpusWeatherReport.txt file and compare it DIRECTLY with the NOAA ADDS site. That will ALWAYS be better than going through any intermediary. Go direct to source and compare the two METARs at the same time ... You will find they are IDENTICAL. You will see that Opus uses all the NOAA METARs unless you have told it to do otherwise.

 

But Opus provides you with ALL the information including a perfect long range ATIS in the form of its Destination Weather Report. And just to make sure there is no misunderstanding, even though all the information and METARs are available for your inspection, OpusFSX's primary weather server is NOAA !

 

Check it directly for yourself.

 

Stephen

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You will find the METARs at ...

 

http://www.aviationweather.gov/adds/metars/

 

That's where Opus downloads them from directly, unaltered and stored for your perusal in the OpusWeatherReport.txt file within the OpusFSX\Themes folder. The day and time code for the METAR is also displayed in the Opus weather report windows, along with the local time of the last weather injection. If you see the 'Static XXX/XX XXC' field in the Opus report window then you know wind stabilisation is active.

 

But why not try the latest beta which is in the progress of trying to force the RW weather at your specified destination, I assume you are specifying your destination, even though stabilisation is in force.

 

But you have the OpusWeatherReport.txt file, you have the web site above (no need to rely on another site that may not have the latest METARs even if they do claim to use the NOAA site, when did they download them, what is the day and time code on the METAR, check it, that's what its there for.

 

You will find Opus downloads the LATEST METARs direct from the NOAA source, you see what is at NOAA in Opus. Not only is NOAA the source, the METARs are downloaded fresh when they are needed. To force a full download just click on the Update Weather button or use the Update Weather menu option, or configure a shortcut command to do it in Opus.

 

If you still feel Opus is not using the latest up to date METARs, well I don't know what more to say. Its all there in front of you.

 

Stephen

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You will find all the downloaded METARs in the OpusWeatherReport.txt file, all the information is also in the Opus weather report windows, including the day and time stamp of the METAR source.

 

Where is this file located?  I do not see it in the OpusFSX main directory or FSX directory.

 

 

You will find Opus is 100% correct.

 

No, sorry, it is not.  Yes, I understand it is supposed to be and that is the purpose.  Perhaps the METARs it is downloading do in fact match (I can't find the above referenced file to check), but it is clear many of us are not seeing this weather in the simulator.  Something is wrong.  I would think it would be a much better approach to customer service to try and work with us to figure out the problem rather than claim our sources are at fault and that OpusFSX is apparently infallable and never wrong.

 

 

...when did they download them, what is the day and time code on the METAR, check it, that's what its there for.

 

Yes, believe it or not, some of us in the flight sim community know how to read a METAR.

 

Quite honestly, I find this attitude towards support of a problem both insulting and frustrating.  I guess you already have my money, so it makes no difference, but perhaps it's time to go back to using other developers software.  OpusFSX no longer works for me and it seems there is no interest in trying to address these issues.


Eric Szczesniak

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I can confirm that since the last few beta releases I've been getting issues with winds aloft not updating after flying 500+nm across the continental U.S. on VATSIM. No, VATSIM weather is not enabled. I have a registered FSUIPC. After flying with the same wind speed and direction at FL380 for about 2 hours, I restarted OPUS in admin mode, and now it depicts winds completely opposite direction to what it really is. No matter what I did with the settings it wouldn't find the right wind data. I even looked at the FSI report and upper winds said "No data" neither did lower winds.

 

I can also confirm that the temperatures have been higher than usual climbing out and up in cruise altitude. ( -30 to -43 at FL380 when it should be in the -50s, yes,I checked the NOAA data.)


David Zambrano, CFII, CPL, IGI

I know there's a lot of money in aviation because I put it there. 

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Are you using VATSIM as your primary server, as it appears to be so in the above image !

You should select the PRIMARY weather server which is NOAA and has all the latest METARs.

The VATSIM METARs are often way out of date !!!

 

I usually use primary but cycled through them to see if i would get a different result. 


CYVR LSZH 

http://f9ixu0-2.png
 

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The OpusWeatherReport.txt file is located in the OpusFSX\Themes folder, and if you haven't checked these METARs against the NOAA site indicated above how on earth can you say they are not 100% correct ?

 

You will find if you bother to actually check the METARs and use the Opus weather report windows, checking the day and time stamp of the METARs, that they are all 100% correct. Something you have admitted to not doing yet you still feel you can refute their accuracy. The METARs are downloaded directly from the NOAA site when you update your weather. All the information is there for you to check and peruse, but you have not looked at the OpusWeatherReport file containing the actual downloaded METARs nor examined the METARs at the actual NOAA site, the weather server.

 

Make sure you have not enabled Magnetic Variance in the Weather Preferences dialog otherwise the onus is on you to interpret the variance.

 

Also check our SimForums and try the latest betas which are working towards coaxing the sim to accept RW surface conditions at your specified Destination at much greater ranges. Of course you can use whatever engine you want, that statement or threat means nothing to me. But all your other points are really mute because you haven't even checked the METAR file (didn't know where it was), nor have you examined the actual NOAA site to see the current METARs yourself, nor have you considered the day and time stamps on the METARs you are using, not given an indication whether Stabilised winds are in force, etc.

 

Stephen

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You may be interested to know that in beta 3.03.5, currently being tested and part of the Flight Plan Assistant beta dev cycle, we have actually changed the weather interpolation and update procedures relating to your specified Destination and Alternate sites. All these changes are aimed at trying to coax FSX into accepting the RW surface winds at much greater distances, irrespective of whether wind stabilisation is active or not.

 

But you should first satisfy yourself that the LWE is downloading the most recent METAR reports from the NOAA site (identified above for you). So select the Primary weather server, disable the VATSIM options which may load out of date METARs, check the NOAA site, update the weather and check the OpusWeatherReport.txt file. That is what it is there for. You should also get into the habit of using the Opus Weather Report windows and looking at the day and time stamp of METARs, they are important and should really be shown on every weather report. METARs provide the 'actuals' at the time indicated at the start the report, a snap shot of the weather at this time so to speak.

 

Do the above and you WILL see that the METARs are 100% correct, and only after checking the above can you really comment on their accuracy.

 

Stephen

With all the latest versions of software we advise that you always specify your Destination and Cruise Altitude. Then set all the default options making sure you have the Adjust Settings Automatically and Adjust Sim Friendly options set. Only set the Use Maximum Satbilisation option if you system has problems with FSX wind shifts.

 

Feel free to go to the SimForums and take part in the beta dev cycles. You may find the current beta interesting, and judging from the above should certainly find the next beta of use. All participants and OpusFSX users are welcome.

 

Stephen

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You will find if you bother to actually check the METARs and use the Opus weather report windows, checking the day and time stamp of the METARs, that they are all 100% correct. Something you have admitted to not doing yet you still feel you can refute their accuracy.

 

Well, for some reason this file does not seem to exist in my installation.  I will try reinstalling, since one may assume there is a problem with my current installation given the missing file.

 

Regardless, as I stated before, I can refute that Opus is not loading accurate weather in to the simulation.  It may or may not be downloading the right METAR (I suspect it is), but whatever it does to put that weather in to FSX is not accurate.  Sorry you don't like that answer, but it is reality.


Eric Szczesniak

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You will have an OpusWeatherReport.txt text file in your x:\OpusFSX\Themes folder, the file is created each time the LWE updates the weather.

 

Stephen

No need to reinstall, it is generated each time the weather is updated.

 

Stephen

Sorry but you are wrong, the LWE generates the weather in accordance with the downloaded METARs and injects that, subject to wind stabilisation. Again, you can see the weather that is injected, just look at the Opuus weather reports. Please stop making statements that are not substantiated by any facts. Show me the METAR s AND an image of your Destination weather report. Show me how Opus is getting the weather wrong.

 

Stephen

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You will find OpusWeather.txt file, this is actually the file that contains the METARs. The OpusWeatherReport.txt file contains a report of all the GRIB forecast data. This information is also listed in our Reporting Weather Anomalies topic which describes what info is stored and where.

 

You seem to keep making statements without any shred of evidence or facts, or even checking that the statements are correct or founded. First it was a claim that Opus isn't downloading the correct METARs, without checking the OpusWeather.txt file or even the NOAA site, nor the Opus weather reports. Now you say Opus is injecting the wrong weather without even knowing what it is injecting or considering it might be your FSX that is not storing the weather accurately at distance.

 

Nothing is hidden if you care to look. The downloaded METARs can be seen in the Spy window and are recorded in the OpusWeathe.txt file, all the weather is displayed in the Opus weather report windows, even showing the actual METAR day and time stamp, yet another thing you have failed to take note of, even the GRIB data is made available in both weather reports and the OpusWeatherReport.txt file. All the txt files can be examined by you and are available for checking for any weather anomalies.

 

All you have to do is set all defaults, set the Adjust Settings Automatically and Adjust Sim Friendly GRIB options, specify your Destination and Cruise Altitude (are you doing this ?) then Update the weather. The LWE will update the weather in FSX, make available ALL the information to you, including all the downloaded NOAA METARs, provide you with perfect long range ATIS in the form of the Opus weather reports, even telling you the important day and time stamps on the METARs along with a host of other information. If the LWE knows your destination, which it should if you are following the recommended procedures, it will coax FSX into making sure your destination weather is spot on and the downloaded METARs are no more that 5 minutes old.

 

Once again, nothing is hidden, all the weather information is there in front of you, all the METARs are downloaded directly from the NOAA site along with the GRIB global forecast data, Opus provide a wealth of weather information inside its weather report windows, providing perfect ATIS from over 400 miles away. There should be no reason why you should think the data is in error. If you do then show the downloaded METARs, show the weather reports, they are there on your system.

 

Stephen

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