Paul Henty Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 Hi Pete, I'm adding weather handling to my .NET DLL but I'm having a problem with writing metar strings. To test this I'm reading the current metar, changing the winds and visibility and writing it back. This is the write process I am doing: 1. Read the timestamp from C824 2. Write the Command to C800, the ICAO to C808 and the Metar string to B000 in one process call. 3. Read the timestamp again until it's changed (which it does). The weather does change - the altimeter changes indicating a change in pressure, but the new weather is nothing like the metar string I sent; more like it clears the weather. So I suspect the above process may be wrong. I've tried without writing the command to C800 but then nothing happens at all. Here's the weather log - My metar write is at 114365 (that's coming through as written by my dll)... At the same timestamp another metar string appears which is completely different. This is more like the weather that actually gets set. ********* FSUIPC4, Version 4.909 by Pete Dowson ********* Running inside FSX on Windows 7 Module base=0D0D0000 User Name="Paul Henty" User Addr="" FSUIPC4 Key is provided WideFS7 Key is provided 250 System time = 01/08/2013 00:19:49 266 FLT UNC path = "\\PJHLAPTOP\Users\Paul\Documents\Flight Simulator X Files\" 312 Trying to connect to SimConnect Acc/SP2 Oct07 ... 344 FS UNC path = "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\" 905 LogOptions=00000000 00000001 905 SIM1 Frictions access gained 905 Wind smoothing fix is fully installed 905 G3D.DLL fix attempt installed ok 905 SimConnect_Open succeeded: waiting to check version okay 905 Trying to use SimConnect Acc/SP2 Oct07 5164 Running in "Microsoft Flight Simulator X", Version: 10.0.61472.0 (SimConnect: 10.0.61259.0) 5164 Initialising SimConnect data requests now 5164 FSUIPC Menu entry added 5258 \\PJHLAPTOP\Users\Paul\Documents\Flight Simulator X Files\EGJJ.FLT 5258 C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\SimObjects\Airplanes\C172\Cessna172SP.AIR 14680 System time = 01/08/2013 00:20:03, Simulator time = 00:19:55 (22:19Z) 14680 Aircraft="Cessna Skyhawk 172SP Paint1" 15679 Starting everything now ... 17005 Advanced Weather Interface Enabled 105707 Sim stopped: average frame rate for last 76 secs = 204.6 fps 111307 LogOptions changed, now 00000000 00000003 111557 Weather Read request (At Aircrft) to area 4: Lat=49.21, Lon=-2.21, Alt=85.6, Req=2 111557 Weather Received (type 4 request, Interpolated): "????&A0 011145Z 00000KT&D0NG 100KM&B-448&D3048 2CU057&CU001FNMN000N 6CI393&CI001FNMN000N 14/04 Q1013 " 111557 WX Received in (0 mSecs), WX request type 4, Lat=49.2070, Lon=-2.2066, Alt=85.6m 113897 Weather Read request (Nr Station) to area 5: Lat=49.21, Lon=-2.21, Alt=0.0, Req=1 113897 Weather Received (type 5 request, Nearest): "EGJJ&A84 191859Z 00000KT&D0NG 27019KT&A1917NG 27024KT&A5917NG 100KM&B-532&D3048 2CU054&CU001FNMN000N 6CI391&CI001FNMN000N 15/05 Q1013 @@@ 66 15 270 19 | 197 15 270 24 | " 113897 WX Received in (0 mSecs), WX request type 5, Lat=49.2070, Lon=-2.2066, Alt=0.0m 113897 >Change: Pressure=1013.0 mb 113897 >Change: Surface wind: to alt=276ft, dir=0T, vel=0.0, gust=0.0, turb=0, shear=0, var=0.0 113897 >Change: Wind layer 1: to alt=19690ft, dir=0T, vel=0.0, gust=0.0, turb=0, shear=0, var=0.0 113897 >Change: Wind layer 2: to alt=22690ft, dir=270T, vel=24.0, gust=0.0, turb=0, shear=0, var=0.0 113897 >Change: Visibility[0]: range=62.1sm (100005m), from=-1460ft, to=8530ft 113897 >Change: Cloud[0]: type=9, from 5700ft to 9700ft (+/- 0ft), cover=2, turb=0, topshape=0 113897 >Change: Precip=0, base=0ft, rate=0, icing=0 113897 >Change: Cloud[1]: type=1, from 39300ft to 39500ft (+/- 0ft), cover=6, turb=0, topshape=0 113897 >Change: Precip=0, base=0ft, rate=0, icing=0 113897 >Change: Temperature[0]: alt=276ft, Day=14.0 C, NightVar=0.0 C, DewPt=4.0 C 113897 Results: FS98 Pressure=1013.1 mb 113897 Results: FS98 Wind0: ground (275ft) to 0ft AGL, dir 0M, vel 0, gust 0, turb 0 113897 Results: FS98 Wind1: 276ft to 19690ft AMSL, dir=0T, vel 0, gust 0, turb 0 113897 Results: FS98 Wind2: 19690ft to 22690ft AMSL, dir=270T, vel 24, gust 0, turb 0 113897 Results: FS98 Vis: range =62sm, (raw value=6214) 113897 Results: FS98 Cloud1: type=9, from 5700ft to 9700ft (+/- 0ft), cover 2, turb 0, ice 0 113897 Results: FS98 Cloud2: type=1, from 39300ft to 39500ft (+/- 0ft), cover 6, turb 0, ice 0 113897 Results: FS98 Temp0: to 276ft, Day 14.0C, NightVar 0.0C 113897 Results: FS98 CurrTemp at PlaneAlt=279: 14C 114365 Setting Metar: "EGJJ&A84 191859Z 06015KT&D0NG 06015KT&A1917NG 06015KT&A5917NG 50KM&B-532&D3048 2CU054&CU001FNMN000N 6CI391&CI001FNMN000N 15/05 Q1013 @@@ 66 15 270 19 | 197 15 270 24 | " 114365 NW_SETEXACT weather command received, ICAO=EGJJ 114365 >NewSet: **** New Weather being set: ICAO=EGJJ (Dyn=0) 114365 >NewSet: Pressure=0.0, Drift=0.0 114365 >NewSet: Visibility[0]: range=0.0sm (0m), from=0ft, to=0ft 114365 >NewSet: **** End of New Weather details for ICAO=EGJJ 114365 Setting Weather: "EGJJ 011145Z 00000KT 0050&B-84&D1 CLR 15/07 Q0000 " 114427 Weather Mode now = Custom 116221 Weather Read request (Global set) to area 1: ICAO="GLOB", Req=0 116221 Weather Received (type 1 request, (null)): "GLOB&A0 000000Z 00000KT&D985NG 27020KT&A2001NG 27025KT&A6001NG 100KM&B-448&D3048 2CU057&CU001FNMN000N 6CI393&CI001FNMN000N 15/05 Q1013 @@@ 66 15 270 20 | 197 15 270 25 | " 116221 WX Received in (0 mSecs), WX request type 1, ICAO=GLOB 116221 >Change: FS98 Pressure=846.0 mb 116221 >Change: FS98 Wind1: 276ft to 19690ft AMSL, dir=0T, vel 0, gust 0, turb 0 116221 >Change: FS98 Wind2: 19690ft to 22690ft AMSL, dir=270T, vel 24, gust 0, turb 0 116221 >Change: FS98 Vis: range =62sm, (raw value=6214) 116221 >Change: FS98 Cloud1: type=9, from 5700ft to 9700ft (+/- 0ft), cover 2, turb 0, ice 0 116221 >Change: FS98 Cloud2: type=1, from 39300ft to 39500ft (+/- 0ft), cover 6, turb 0, ice 0 116221 >Change: FS98 Temp0: to 276ft, Day 14.0C, NightVar 0.0C 116221 >Change: FS98 Dewpoint Control: disabled 116221 >Change: FS98 Precip Control: disabled 116221 Results: FS98 Pressure=846.0 mb 118561 Weather Read request (Nr Station) to area 5: Lat=49.21, Lon=-2.21, Alt=0.0, Req=1 118561 Weather Received (type 5 request, Nearest): "EGJJ&A84 011145Z 00000KT&D304NG 0050&B-84&D1 CLR 15/07 Q0846 " 118561 WX Received in (0 mSecs), WX request type 5, Lat=49.2070, Lon=-2.2066, Alt=0.0m 123148 LogOptions changed, now 00000000 00000001 137188 System time = 01/08/2013 00:22:06, Simulator time = 13:45:46 (11:45Z) 137188 *** FSUIPC log file being closed Average frame rate for running time of 95 secs = 196.0 fps G3D fix: Passes 1119, Null pointers 0, Bad pointers 0, Separate instances 0 Memory managed: 48 Allocs, 48 Freed ********* FSUIPC Log file closed *********** I'd be grateful for any pointers... Thanks, Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Dowson Posted August 1, 2013 Report Share Posted August 1, 2013 1. Read the timestamp from C8242. Write the Command to C800, the ICAO to C808 and the Metar string to B000 in one process call. 3. Read the timestamp again until it's changed (which it does). All you need to do for writing METAR strings is write them to B000. If you set a WRITE command in the C800 area it will instigate a New Weather Interface weather write, as you can see from the log -- the weather data is then taken from the FS9-compatible areas of C800-CFFF, which because you've not set them up look like, er, rubbish. I notice that the Offsets documentation for B000-B7FF is a little misleading. Sorry about that -- I'll fix it. It says "For GLOB or ICAO ID, set in C8xx area", which isn't necessary as the station ID is included in the METAR string. There's certainly no need to write a command or check any timestamps. That's all totally related to the NWI part, except for READING a METAR string, which is of course the same action as reading in the NWI (there's no other way of saying which weather you want. FSUIPC gets the string from SimConnect, dumps it in the B800 area and decodes it for the main NWI binary areas. The other thing to notice is tthat the format for Writing METARs is not completely identical to that for Reading them. Blame Microsoft. I think they had different programmers doing the two parts who didn't talk to each other! The only way to suss this out fully is to look at examples. Use Weatherset2 or ActiveSky or similar, nd do a SimConnect log so you can see the formats being read and written. I think you are only the second person to want to use the FSUIPC4 METAR string method instead of the FS9/FSX compatible NWI methods. Regards Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Henty Posted August 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2013 Thanks for your help Pete, It's working now. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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