It is quite possible that the simulation of that equipment is not quite correct.

 

Or, the weather data that the simulation is dependent upon is not quite correct.  PMDG is only displaying what is sent by ASN, and ASN is now only months into the release of this feature.  You assume the pilots here do not have vast experience LOL.

Have any of them once commented on my topic about this? NO! So i'm not going against anything they have said, i'm only mentioning what i've been told.

According to this document:

 

http://www.rockwellcollins.com/~/media/Files/Unsecure/Products/Product%20Brochures/Radar%20and%20Surveillance/Weather%20Radar/WXR-2100/MultiScan%20ThreatTrack%20Quick%20Reference%20Guide%20-%20Boeing.aspx

 

You may have been too high for any threat to show. (First heading....quiet dark cockpit)

 

My WX is working fine in AUTO WX-T.  I just flew into KDEN with heavy TS.  They did not show when I was at FL390.  As i started to descend, the radar started to populate the TS and the pink for turbulence.

Like i said i'm only mentioning what this pilot said.

Like i said i'm only mentioning what this pilot said.

 

I'm not disputing your pilot friend.  I just posted a document directly from Rockwell-Collins (though I think the engineers know more than the average pilot).

I sent that link to the pilot and mentioned it

I know that devin not one moment i thought that.

My good friends,

 

I have quite a lot of real world experience with many different types of radar, and I thought I might be able to help.

 

It is uncommon to see precipitation at FL390. I've probably only seen any serious cells reaching above FL350 about ten times over 30 years, and if one was to see them at such an altitude in the U.S. they would almost certainly be in the Midwest during the late Spring and Summer months or along a warm oceanic current (typically within 20 to 40 miles of a coast line). There are of course always exceptions, but I'm speaking about how things regularly happen.

 

Lest we forget, clouds do not mean precipitation, and moisture (especially when static) does not offer the reflectivity needed to generate a radar return. One may well see a large tower and there still not be any precipitation.(until enough moisture has had time to be carried by the updraft to cooler temps where the moisture condense into ice crystals. Rain occurs when the ice crystals melt. As a reminder, we're discussing thunderstorms here. Under different conditions, moisture can condense based on other factors and fall as rain without freezing.

 

The point however is just because you see clouds or even a tower (thunderstorm), you won't necessarily have precipitation, and you should rarely see this at FL390.

 

Note that you can always point the radar down to see weather you will soon be flying over.  Remember that radars are Line of Sight, so the angle is based on the distance you are from the precipitation.

 

If you think you should see precipitation, make sure you have Detailed Clouds selected in FSX and Map Detail selected in ASN, pull up the ASN Radar Map and lock onto your aircraft position.  Check the location of the surrounding precipitation, put it off the nose f the aircraft at about 30 miles and angle if you're above 15,000ft then angle your radar downward (remembering that radar is line of sight rule).  If you don't see returns under those conditions, you may well have a software problem and you should take screen shots of the WXR Radar, ASN Radar Map, and any real world weather radar you can correlate to - and pass this to Dave or Damian at ASN.  Be sure to note your aircraft position, which is REALLY EASY if you simply load your route into the ASN Flight Plan before departing. Recordings to go with screen shots are always helpful as well.

 

I sincerely hope that this is useful to you. 

Note that you can always point the radar down to see weather you will soon be flying over.  Remember that radars are Line of Sight, so the angle is based on the distance you are from the precipitation.

 

Thats what the pilot mentioned when i was speaking to him, he said the radar is smart enough to scan below when in AUTO - In AUTO it should do a low beam and a high sweep, combine those sweeps, remove ground echos and then display it.

 

So why did my radar not do this when in AUTO

If you think you should see precipitation, make sure you have Detailed Clouds selected in FSX and Map Detail selected in ASN, pull up the ASN Radar Map and lock onto your aircraft position.  Check the location of the surrounding precipitation, put it off the nose f the aircraft at about 30 miles and angle if you're above 15,000ft then angle your radar downward (remembering that radar is line of sight rule).  If you don't see returns under those conditions, you may well have a software problem and you should take screen shots of the WXR Radar, ASN Radar Map, and any real world weather radar you can correlate to - and pass this to Dave or Damian at ASN.  Be sure to note your aircraft position, which is REALLY EASY if you simply load your route into the ASN Flight Plan before departing. Recordings to go with screen shots are always helpful as well.

 

Thanks alot dave. I will do this sometime !

 

 

So why did my radar not do this when in AUTO

 

You're most welcome Vernon.

 

As far as the Auto Mode, I don't know how PMDG programmed it to function, and there could be some difference between real world and the PMDG radar. I remind myself that it's not real world all the time and still burn myself by thinking of it as if it was real.

 

Taking manual control of the radar MIGHT be the best way to tell for sure if you're suffering a problem.

 

I wasn't going to mention it, but our team is getting ready to start a rather intense weather radar study, using yet to be released software. It will be neat to get a controlled look at the weather radar functions.

 

Good talkign to you Vernon.

My good friends,

 

I have quite a lot of real world experience with many different types of radar, and I thought I might be able to help.

 

It is uncommon to see precipitation at FL390. I've probably only seen any serious cells reaching above FL350 about ten times over 30 years, and if one was to see them at such an altitude in the U.S. they would almost certainly be in the Midwest during the late Spring and Summer months or along a warm oceanic current (typically within 20 to 40 miles of a coast line). There are of course always exceptions, but I'm speaking about how things regularly happen.

 

Lest we forget, clouds do not mean precipitation, and moisture (especially when static) does not offer the reflectivity needed to generate a radar return. One may well see a large tower and there still not be any precipitation.(until enough moisture has had time to be carried by the updraft to cooler temps where the moisture condense into ice crystals. Rain occurs when the ice crystals melt. As a reminder, we're discussing thunderstorms here. Under different conditions, moisture can condense based on other factors and fall as rain without freezing.

 

The point however is just because you see clouds or even a tower (thunderstorm), you won't necessarily have precipitation, and you should rarely see this at FL390.

 

Note that you can always point the radar down to see weather you will soon be flying over. Remember that radars are Line of Sight, so the angle is based on the distance you are from the precipitation.

 

If you think you should see precipitation, make sure you have Detailed Clouds selected in FSX and Map Detail selected in ASN, pull up the ASN Radar Map and lock onto your aircraft position. Check the location of the surrounding precipitation, put it off the nose f the aircraft at about 30 miles and angle if you're above 15,000ft then angle your radar downward (remembering that radar is line of sight rule). If you don't see returns under those conditions, you may well have a software problem and you should take screen shots of the WXR Radar, ASN Radar Map, and any real world weather radar you can correlate to - and pass this to Dave or Damian at ASN. Be sure to note your aircraft position, which is REALLY EASY if you simply load your route into the ASN Flight Plan before departing. Recordings to go with screen shots are always helpful as well.

 

I sincerely hope that this is useful to you.

What a refreshingly awesome and useful contribution, Dave. Perhaps a bit presumptuous on my part, but on behalf of everyone who is going to come across this read and your comment, thank you.