METAR files will not load

[Guest 3cffts]

I must be doing something wrong ... I thought it was simple to do, but now my METAR files will not load. Loading weather using the 'weather//clouds/winds/other' menu works fine.Here are the files:KGSO 182354Z 23015KT 2SM -RA BKN012 OVC075 09/08 A3008 RMK AO2 SLP190 KCLT 182354Z 36015KT 2SM -RA BKN012 OVC075 09/08 A3008 RMK AO2 SLP190 Any ideas as to solving this problem?Brian

[Macflyer 2]

How are you saving them? As .txt files?

[Guest tonyc]

how are you generating them and where do you save them?tony

[Guest 3cffts]

I have both downloaded actual METAR files on the internet using the METAR wizard in 'InfoMETAR.exe'. and also used old METAR files that worked with Win98SE before I upgraded to WinXP. I created a 'METAR" folder in the 'Fly!II' folder and placed the .txt files in that folder. None of the files would upload into Fly!II.Brian.

[KenWood 5]

You might try this: Save several metar reports into one text file, using an easy naming convention. Try adding one return so you have a blank line at bottom of your file.Start Fly! II (am assuming we are talking Fly! II now, ;-) ) and select weather / load metar, be sure the "Clear existing weather on load" box is checked... then Select File - find your file and click on it, then hit open.If you don't see the Altimeter do much of anything, what I do is this:I click on weather in the bar, then select Other.I make a change to the temperature, then click OK.I do the above again, but change the temp back to what it should be (or as near as I can make it). That usually resets all info to what it should be.Let us know if this works okay or not!Ken Wood :-sun1http://www.avsim.com/hangar/fly/dfdg/bannernewkw.jpgGateway 700X; Intel P4 2.4GHz; 512MB RAM; NVIDIA Ti4200 4X AGP 128MB; SB Audigy; Thrustmaster TopGun Fox 2 Pro Shock

[Guest 3cffts]

I tried as suggested but no success. I can set the weather o.k. using the menu Weather/clouds/winds/other, but if I then 'load METAR' the weather immediately re-sets to the default setting.... clear etc.It would seem that there is a problem with my METAR file? Is Fly!II expecting a header or title? I have even tried re-installing Fly!II, with no change.

[Guest tonyc]

Try using the program Infometar to see how it generates the metar files. You can then compare the two.... Look for it in the library.tony

[Guest DSandberg]

Brian,If that is exactly how your METAR file contents look, then you may have a problem with those files. No header on the file as a whole should be present, but there should be another date/time line before each observation, like this:2006/09/23 19:5610AK 231956Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM SCT043 BKN060 M06/M06 A3044 RMK AO22006/09/23 19:56AGGH 231956Z AUTO 30006KT 10SM CLR 23/23 A3002 RMK AO2(This is the METAR format that the NOAA FTP server provides, as well as the format that InfoMETAR generates internally, so I'm not sure how you could have gotten some other format by using InfoMETAR.)Now, it is possible that Fly! II can also handle METARs without this leading line of information ... I have to add that caveat because it has been long enough now that I simply don't remember for sure.David Sandberg

[Guest 3cffts]

David, I used the files you gave, but changed AGGH to KGSO and 10AK to KCLT. No other changes made. In uploading them using METAR, having teleported to KGSO, I had the same result as before. I do get a slight movement of the altimeter and using menu Weather/Clouds/otherI do get changes from the default clear, nil cloud, 29.92 etc, but the changes bear no resemblance to the weather as given in the uploaded METAR! If I change the weather using the menu Weather/Clouds/Other, the entered weather loads just fine, then if I upload the METAR above, I get the same nonsensical readings as before!My METAR files without date and time were ones that worked in Fly! and I believe also in Fly!II. I also have tried files with the dates and times ... still no luck!Brian

[Guest DSandberg]

If you are at least seeing subtle changes in the weather, then what is more than likely happening is that the default weather setting is interpolating with the contents of the METAR files. Fly! II uses a much higher concentration of "weather stations" internally (i.e., when setting the weather manually) than METAR files can provides, so if the default weather has been set in this internal grid, it could be averaging many, many instances of the default weather setting with each single instance of a METAR report.Besides checking the box in Fly! II for clearing existing weather when you load a METAR, isn't there also a preference setting for reloading previously used weather information each time the sim is restarted? If so, you will want to switch that setting off ... I seem to recall this switch was also a problem when "stuck" default weather would blend with loaded METARs. That could also explain why the same files worked for you in the past, if you didn't have that setting turned on in the sim before.I also recall cases before of the METAR weather being "washed out" by even just going into the weather UI screens after loading METARs (without even changing anything), so if you are doing anything like that after loading the METAR you may want to try just flying after the METAR is loaded.I'm not sure what else to tell you, and I hope I haven't misled you on the above items, as I'm afraid that I haven't had Fly! II installed for a number of years now and am just dredging this stuff up out of the recesses of my memory.The last thing I can suggest right now is, if you want to use InfoMETAR with Fly! II, set your minimum spacing between METAR stations to 0 miles when thinning (if you are using the thinning algorithm at all), so that you get as many METAR stations into the mix as possible. This may at least help mitigate the interpolation effect a bit (especially if you are flying in areas with dense METAR coverage), but it's unlikely to be a full solution.Good luck!David Sandberg