FSUIPC not linking to FS2004 properly?

[esabdulh]

Hello--

Just registered my copy of FSUIPC 3.03 about 3 days. No problems with registration and seem to have full functionality. It does state it is a fully registered copy when I open up the FSUIPC module. Running FS2004 without incident.

Problem is when I link with FSMeteo v6.0, the clouds appear correctly, but the winds do not. If the wind is 030 at 10 kts, the simulator winds will actually start off very different, such as at a heading of 010, and then actually drift up to 60 degrees away. When FSMeteo refreshes, the winds will actually drift back towards the 030 at 10, and then overdrift up to 60 degrees in the other direction. This all happens over about 8 minutes!

Just wrote to Marc Philbert about it and yet to have a reply. I'm not sure, however, if it is FSMeteo or something with my copy of FSUIPC 3.03, or settings in my FS2004. When I set my weather as "user-defined", and then change the visibility settings in FSUIPC, the simulator visibility does not change. (In other words, if FS vis is 20 miles, and I set FSUIPC to 10 miles with clear/overcast/rainy/etc., the vis still stays 20 miles.)

Any idea how I can fix this, or what I'm doing wrong?

Thanks,

Emil

[Pete Dowson]

Problem is when I link with FSMeteo v6.0, the clouds appear correctly, but the winds do not. If the wind is 030 at 10 kts, the simulator winds will actually start off very different, such as at a heading of 010, and then actually drift up to 60 degrees away. When FSMeteo refreshes, the winds will actually drift back towards the 030 at 10, and then overdrift up to 60 degrees in the other direction. This all happens over about 8 minutes!

Either the dynamics in FS2004 are not turned off, or this is wind variance enabled. Check the METARs for the nearby stations. Are you EXACTLY at a METAR station? If not, then FS2004 will be interpolating between many nearby ones. If, by chance, either the winds are very different in different neighbouring stations, or, just possibly, the times of the different METAR reading obtained by FSMeteo are wildly different, then this could easily happen.

FSMeteo 6 is setting not THE weather at the aircraft, but the weather at sepcific stations all around you, progressively further away. You can check the weather AT the aircraft using my own WeatherSet2. That utility can also read he weatyher at each individual weather station. Check things that way.

If you want to revert to have only one world-wide weather being changed asyou fly, as in previous versions of FS, then I'm sure you can do this -- either by reverting to an earlier version of FSmeteo or, probably, by parameter settings in FSMeteo 6. (I'm not sure about the latter, you'd need to check). But I think you'd be missing a lot.

In summary, what FSUIPC can do, on behalf of weather programs, is set theweather appertaining to specific fixed places, known as weather stations. What then happens between those is up to FS2004.

When I set my weather as "user-defined", and then change the visibility settings in FSUIPC, the simulator visibility does not change. (In other words, if FS vis is 20 miles, and I set FSUIPC to 10 miles with clear/overcast/rainy/etc., the vis still stays 20 miles.)

Not sure what you mean here. FSUIPC's weather filters only apply to global weather set through FS itself, which is actually quite difficult to do. You first would need to clear all weather completely (FSUIPC's hot key or button would do this), then set the weather explicitly to be applied to all stations. If you set local weather, FSUIPC stays out of the way.

Pete

[esabdulh]

Thanks for your quick reply.

I took your advice and clicked the "Clear Weather" button. I don't have Dynamic Weather Changes selected now, but I may have when the winds were swinging wildly. With that off, I'm no longer having these wild wind changes.

I tried using FSMeteo 6.0 once again at Sea-Tac (KSEA), which is a weather reporting station. Interestingly, the clouds load perfectly, the baro pressure changes properly, and the wind speeds at the surface and the wind speeds aloft are all correct. For some reason, though, they are exactly 20 degrees off with the heading. (Forecast 340 is set in sim at 320, forecast aloft @ 6000 ft is 260 and set in sim @ 240.)

Given this, it most likely is not an FSUIPC issue (unless you can come up with an explanation). I'll just wait to hear back from Marc.

Once again, thanks for your help and the terrific program!

Emil

[Pete Dowson]

I tried using FSMeteo 6.0 once again at Sea-Tac (KSEA), which is a weather reporting station. Interestingly, the clouds load perfectly, the baro pressure changes properly, and the wind speeds at the surface and the wind speeds aloft are all correct. For some reason, though, they are exactly 20 degrees off with the heading. (Forecast 340 is set in sim at 320, forecast aloft @ 6000 ft is 260 and set in sim @ 240.)

Guess what the Magnetic Variation is at KSEA?

All written METAR wind information is in degrees TRUE, not Magnetic.

Pete

[esabdulh]

You're right. That explains it because when I go to other airports, the winds are off by the Mag Variance.

Thanks for your help, and pardon my ignorance! Didn't realize METAR's were True, not Magnetic.

Emil