Question about real weather option

**macey** · 02-23-2009, 05:13 AM

Latley i have been using the download real weather option while flying in my local area. I just find it weird that flight sim weather is totally diffrent to what i see out the window of my house as i play the sim. Any reason why? Would be overcast or rain outside. In the sim shows scattered clouds, no rain, pretty good visibility.

**Kapitan** · 02-23-2009, 07:40 AM

Originally Posted by macey

Latley i have been using the download real weather option while flying in my local area. I just find it weird that flight sim weather is totally diffrent to what i see out the window of my house as i play the sim. Any reason why? Would be overcast or rain outside. In the sim shows scattered clouds, no rain, pretty good visibility.

Same here. In south america its even worse the discrepancy between what the sim says its real weather and reality. I dont know which files it access from which weather station but they either must have a long time gap or/and it must be a very basic/incomplete weather report.

K

**fsxflyerofa380** · 02-23-2009, 11:21 AM

It updates every 15 minutes, and might not be accurte. THough remeber, if just checked outside, it is going to be the same like that for fithteen minutes. Also, if you are in an airplane in the sky, it would look different.

***JSkorna*** · 02-23-2009, 12:13 PM

Hi,

You need to use a 3rd party weather program.

**shermank** · 02-23-2009, 12:47 PM

I routinely us FSMetar, a freeware wx program for fs9 or fsx that brings in the same wx you will find on vatsim or ivao...here's the link

http://personal.telefonica.terra.es/web/fsmetar/

Sherm

**irnwho** · 02-23-2009, 12:48 PM

check out active sky that works well

**MongooseMike** · 02-23-2009, 12:53 PM

Originally Posted by macey

Latley i have been using the download real weather option while flying in my local area. I just find it weird that flight sim weather is totally diffrent to what i see out the window of my house as i play the sim. Any reason why? Would be overcast or rain outside. In the sim shows scattered clouds, no rain, pretty good visibility.

One of my biggest disappointments with FSX has been the weather generator. Like you, if I look out the window and it's poring rain or socked in with fog and then FSX loads up with light clouds or low overcast, I'm calling a foul. And I don't buy into the idea that it is because it downloads every fifteen minutes.
What for me, has been consistently right on the money every time has been the third party generator I bought. Active Sky/ Xgraphics has been a great boost to the sim experience.
When we had the big fires in Northern California, Active Sky generated the smoke filled valleys all the way from Sacramento into the Napa Valley. I highly recommend this product.

**fsxmissionguy** · 02-23-2009, 02:31 PM

Originally Posted by macey

Latley i have been using the download real weather option while flying in my local area. I just find it weird that flight sim weather is totally diffrent to what i see out the window of my house as i play the sim.

Do you live at the airport? Cuz the weather you download is for a specific area ... and I'm pretty sure it's not the area directly over your house, unless of course, you're living at the airport.

**DontSink** · 02-23-2009, 04:10 PM

Originally Posted by shermank

I routinely us FSMetar, a freeware wx program for fs9 or fsx that brings in the same wx you will find on vatsim or ivao...here's the link

http://personal.telefonica.terra.es/web/fsmetar/

Sherm

I thought I would give FSMetar a whirl. Although I don't have a registered version of FSUIPC, seems to run anyway. BUT...the big "but"...comparing data downloaded from VATSIM in FSMetar, with data on-line from a weather site...while similar, the FSMetar data has wind gusts to 70, and visibility to1nm! It actually was blowing my a/c off the runway.

From the weather site for KMBG, actual gust is to 25, visibility is 6nm:

SPECI KBGM 232033Z 31020G26KT 6SM -SN SCT024 BKN035 OVC042 M08/M13 A3008 RMK AO2 PK WND 34026/2032 UPB14E17SNE14B17 P0000

From Map View" in FSX:

What causes these descrepancies?

Also, I was only able to downnload data from VATSIM. Any thoughts??

BTW, I plead ignorance on this subject.

**shermank** · 02-23-2009, 05:25 PM

FSM lists a NOAA link but that has been dead for several months, maybe more. I do not fly on IVAO, and have not tried their link. fwiw, there are always wx discrepancies from differing services. I have found Vatsim to be fairly reliable, granted some odds and ends. anyway, you gets whats youse pays for...:-). Short of Active Sky, which every one raves over, costs well over $50 US, I'm happy enough with FSM.

Sherm