Users manual
Contents
1. Bit7 Bit6 Bit5 Bit4 Bit3 Bit2 Bit1 BitO Window Range2 Range1 Range0 OFP ON GCS Mode Mode 0 active ON Status ModeO Mode1 00 OFF 01 WX 102 WX T GCS ON 0 GCS OFF 1 GCS ON OFP ON 0 OFP OFF 1 OFP ON Range Range Bit4 2 Bit5 4 Bit6 Range 1 2 3 4 5 6 equals 10 20 40 80 160 320 NM Window active 0 not active 1 active Tilt Window at 0x6D03 Bit7 Bit6 Bit5 Bit4 Bit3 Bit2 Bit1 BitO Tilt7 Tilt6 Tilt5 Tilt4 Tilt3 Tilt2 Tilti TiltO TiltO Tilt7 signed byte in 0 25 steps so to get the tilt angle multiply the signed byte value with 0 25 If you read 40 then the tilt would be 40 0 25 10 Bitmap export offsets 0x6D04 4byte signed long Latitude of exported bitmap in deg 1000000 Ox6DO8 4byte signed long Longitude of exported bitmap in deg 1000000 Ox6DOC 4byte signed long Heading of exported bitmap in deg 65536 N and E is positive S and W is negative if a image is drawn at N47 6542 W11 5422 and Heading 250 then following signed long values would be present 0x6D04 Ox6D08 11542200 47654200 http members chello at addongauges Page 18 AOG AOG SA_WXR Users Manual Revision 1 6 Ox6DOC 16384000 7 4 FSUIPC registration If you have unregistered Version of FSUIPC please register the software manually with sa wxr exe andthe key NQIwWBxJU6M88 8 Product Licensing After successful purchase at simmar2. As found some troubles reading the PM Range variable in some PM configurations you can override it here and set the range manually with the assigned keys or LSK s Simulate current PM WX Mode 1 If you want to make the WXR Image make visible in your Project Magenta Navigation Display then set this Flag to 1 Additionally set the Bitmap Export Directory entry described above to the NetDir of your Project Magenta Network Set PM Update Rate 7 This parameter sets the update rate of the PM exported image in refresh cycles One refresh cycle is about 8 seconds so expect 56 sec updates as default Making the value smaller results in more updates but also in more glass cockpit stutter Find a usable setting for your GC CPU but 6 7 is a practical value 3 3 SA WXHR embedded in Project Magenta Navigation Displays You have the possibility to make the weather radar image visible in the Project Magenta Software Navigation Displays Although there are a few limitations you will get a very realistic weather display experience Until now the Project Magenta System uses Satellite images for weather data Now the SA WXR http members chello at addongauges Page 5 AOG AOG SA_WXR Users Manual Revision 1 6 exports the its weather radar data think this combination is the best solution for airliner weather radar simulation Since the transfer of the image data is done via a data file in the PM NetDir folder there is following limitat
3. Green weak density Yellow 2 moderate density Red high density Light magenta moderate velocity changes turbulence Intense magenta high velocity changes serve turbulence http members chello at addongauges Page 7 AOG AOG SA_WXR Users Manual Revision 1 6 4 2 The Beam Beam Rotation Angle 160 positive tilt angle LL zen tilt angle negative tilt Beam Tilt angle from 15 up to 15 in 0 25 steps cn Beamwiath is 3 5 1 759 http members chello at addongauges Page 8 AOG AOG SA_WXR Users Manual Revision 1 6 The beam is rotated by 160 from left to right and back and while rotated it sends continuously pulses out and receive them So the beam covers a large lateral area in front of the aircraft This movement can not be controlled by the pilot The speed of the movement depends on the range and sensitivity settings The beam tilt angle need to be set by the pilot Only in OFP Mode the tilt is swept automatically see later The tilt is independent of the pitch angle that is automatically compensated The beam is not ideally focused for Collins WXR2100 the beamwidth is 3 5 You will see all reflections within this beam triangle a triangle is only a simplified 3db slope 4 3 Weather attenuation and PAC It is very important to know that the radar signal gets weaker with increasing distance from the aircraft Additional the signal is attenuated by the reflection and temperature
4. This BFMSCDU is valid for the PM Boeing Captain FMS for example This tells the Program that it should switch to the Window called BFMSCDU when not active You find out the string when running any target application and enter the Taskmanager Alt Ctrl Del and see how the target application is named there Type this string exactly in here and it would work http members chello at addongauges Page 4 AOG AOG SA_WXR Users Manual Revision 1 6 TitleBar visible 1 This entry shows 1 or hides 0 the tile bar of the application Focus Change Event 0 0 means use the SA WXR FSUIPC location see end of document 1 means use the PM TCAS Flag TCAS On to display the WXR if the selected event location is toggled the radar switches between the window mentioned in the Alternate Window Name entry and itself Bitmap Export Directory You can specify an bitmap export directory here If a path is entered here gt gt C radarexport lt lt for example then a 256x256 pix large bitmap wx bmp is exported every time the radar refreshes This feature can be used to import radar images into navigation displays See the FSUIPC section of this document also Leave blank to disable this function Disable Output when in Bitmap Export Mode 0 If previous path is supplied then you can additionally disable the radar image display output by setting this Flag to 1 This option saves power on the PC Get PM Range O0
5. absolute tilt value write positive values only To control SA WXR functions write following commands to 0x6D00 in FSUIPC When the command is processed the 6D00 is cleared to 0 Then you can write the next command Tilt value at Ox6D01 is used for Tilt setting Command Value Function Remarks 1 RADAR OFF 2 RADAR ON MODE WXR 3 RADAR ON MODE Warmup phase initially WX T 5 GCS OFF 6 GCS ON 7 OFP ON 8 OFP OFF 9 RANGE 10NM 10 RANGE 20NM 11 RANGE 40NM 12 RANGE 80NM 13 RANGE 160NM 14 RANGE 320NM 15 RANGE increase 16 RANGE decrease 17 SET Tilt of 0x6D03 0 40 equals 0 15 deg in positive 0 25 deg steps 18 SET tilt of 0x6D03 0 40 equals 0 15 deg in negative 0 25 deg steps but is written negative then Examples Switch radar on Write 2 to Ox6D00 wait until 0x6D03 is cleared afterwards Set 160NM range Write 13 to Ox6DOO wait until Ox6D03 is cleared afterwards Set Tilt of 2 25 degrees Write 9 to Ox6D03 2 25 0 25 9 Write 17 to 0x6D00 set 2 25 of Tilt http members chello at addongauges Page 16 AOG AOG SA_WXR Users Manual Set Tilt of 5 25 degrees Write 21 to Ox6D03 5 25 0 25 21 Write 18 to Ox6D00 set 5 25 of Tilt 7 3 Control via FSUIPC Bit manupulation Two words are used Revision 1 6 Control Word at Write 0x6D00 as long as Bit 7 0 which means toggle mode Bit7 Bi
6. and so on That means that at high distance a thunderstorm seems to produce less reflection as in near distance You can see that reflections getting more intense as coming closer to the object of interest The radar can compensate this effect within 80NM of range that means within this range reflections are true an will not change any more due to the attenuation effects This range is called the Path Attenuation Compensation PAC range A warning is displayed when operating in ranges higher than 80NM to be aware of this effect Radar setup 320 NM with a single thunderstorm coming toward for attenuation demonstration Tilt is adjusted to sense the lower third of the thunder cloud weak reflections 320NM away reflections get more intense as getting closer http members chello at addongauges Page 9 AOG AOG SA_WXR Users Manual Revision 1 6 In 120 140NM distance first red re And true image is drawn within the flections 80NM PAC range 4 4 Ground clutter reflections As the beam is hits the ground it is very well reflected from water metal concrete and so on So ground reflections are mostly shown as yellow and red reflections In the example above the Thunderstorm is sensed by the radar but it is also surrounded by red and yellow reflections from the mountain So increasing the tilt would solve the problem But as you see later thunderstorms are only visible at the lower 2 3 of the cloud the top 1 3 is invisible for
7. not becoming simplified with growing age It is the weather radar The usage of a weather radar needs to understand the technical principle of a radar as well as a good meteorological basics And you have to consider all these principles when changing any parameter or when you interpret the displayed image A weather radar really increases the workload and so the fun while flying the simulator Realizing a weather radar for MSFS is not as simple as any other avionic because there is no reasonable way to find out the position of single clouds But the distributed weather station principle of the MSFS9 opens the way to display certain areas where a certain weather is present And if this area consists of clouds and many more meteorological data that would generate weather radar reflections on a real weather radar a typical realistic reflection image is drawn at this area For wider range and strategic weather avoidance this is far enough But flying through single red areas would not be realistic and would not make sense because they are not representing a single thunder cloud But as you use the AOG SA WXR you will see this is far enough for good weather radar operation and simulation The many different simulated controls and realistic graphic and meteorological parameters gives you a real weather radar experience The number of home cockpit builders is steadily increasing and me is also flying with a semi professional partial homebuilt And my
8. take off directly into thunderstorms near the field if possible request turns immediately after take off to avoid If yellow reflections are present check the turbulence with WX TURB mode and check Taking off in heavy turbulence may causes stall speed exceeding in initial climb out During climb try to set the tilt around your actual Flight Path angle PM draw it into the artificial horizon when enabled Let the OFP switched on during the whole flight the GCS will become interesting during descent During Level flight you can leave the tilt neutral but check the OFP is on Else you may be surprised by a tall thunder cloud When entering the descent phase turn GCS on So ground clutter is mostly suppressed Here it is up to you to find out good tilt values You may set it to your Flight Path Angle as during climb or you can set it to find out weather to any other point of interest IAF rwy threshold etc 7 FSUIPC Control 7 1 Control variations Since it is difficult to fit all cockpit builders concepts had three different variations in controlling SA_WXR 1 Command based control recommended implemented since SA_WXR 1 2 4 Similar to Project Magenta s ND commands Bit toggle based communication Bit state based communication http members chello at addongauges Page 15 AOG AOG SA_WXR Users Manual Revision 1 6 7 2 Command based communication Write to Ox6D00 1 byte for commands Write to 0x6D01 1 byte for
9. target was to create a realistic and professional weather radar for those advanced sim users So let this documentation tell you the principles of weather radar about the realization for MSFS with AOG SA WXR and how to install and run in connection with Project Magenta much fun with the docu and finally with the AOG SA WXR Florian Praxmarer http members chello at addongauges Page 2 AOG AOG SA_WXR Users Manual Revision 1 6 2 Contents MEE cin tye tere nen ner tet 2 MEME C PUE TUS 3 3 Setup and CoODfQuralloo aeneo esee ioo tirare ede Sond e En Sua erp ode UE Edu s EAD D S LErEUE 4 314 2 4 0pm E E area eevee ele eee nce 4 22 The config file esten iui pe tuoi ee See artum testatus ei ee tcn Enide e 4 3 SA WXR embedded in Project Magenta Navigation Displays 5 4 Weather radar basics oreet teret iere tuse ee opos tegere duae poena Doa sspe Us puse e osos UE uie 7 4 1 Principles of operation eL 7 42 INe Beam rs e e ea a Ree mesa a 8 43 Weather attenuation and PAC vcs ccsscesecdvertucrauenseertiexsrentexvexerOveubeneduenteceausese 9 4 4 Ground clutter reflections ccccccccccceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeseaeeeeeeeeeeeeees 10 45 Meteorological Basics eiecti eene ise ese eet Spe R expe suu Dd 11 4 6 Turbulence Detection sicot oae Ett IHE ERE esti Pede io oee b es eeu aea 13 5 Limitations and simplifications sssssssseeeeeeennnnn 13 6 USI NS PAA asa sat
10. AOG AOG SA_WXR Users Manual Revision 1 6 SA_WXR as WXR 2100 simulation The stand alone weather radar for MS FS9 A detailed simulation of the Collins WXR2100 used in all major airliners Features Weather radar operation in WXR WXR T Realistic beam simulation with tilt of 15 3 5 beam with and Multiscan simulation Weather attenuation simulation with 8ONM Path Attenuation Compensation PAC and corresponding alert PAC ALERT Large clouds divided into sub clouds to display a realistic reflection image for different altitude parts of the cloud Overfly Protection OFP extended thunderstorm visibility Ground Reflection Simulation with simplified ground elevation model so weather can be hidden within ground reflections Ground reflections compensation mode GCS for hiding ground reflections No need to set 3D clouds and image is not affected by limiting the cloud visibility or density Is able to export Project Magenta WXR Data to include Radar image into the PM Navigation Displays http members chello at addongauges Page 1 AOG AOG SA_WXR Users Manual Revision 1 6 1 Introduction Modern cockpits are more and more plug and play able mean that the pilot needs not to understand many of the technical basics and principles that are used for building avionics Compare the complete checklist procedures from a 747 200 and a A340 Hmm think the airbus pilot is much faster But there is one avionic which is
11. f the three precip parts but reflections are only in the green and yellow range Lower cumulus clouds also can create reflections because they consist of water drops anyway But density and turbulence is much lower than in thunder clouds Additional low sized clouds nimbostratus and similar that consist of raindrops also generate reflections In most cases there is also downpour below them Thunder cloud sensed through the thunder cloud sensed through bottom third the mid far reflections not seen because of the tilt angle http members chello at addongauges Page 12 AOG AOG SA_WXR Users Manual Revision 1 6 Thunderstorm sensed through the top OFP is on bottom image is only weak green reflections drawn although beam goes through the top of the cloud Image is limited to 80NM since PAC 4 6 Turbulence Detection The intensity of turbulence within clouds can also be displayed The turbulence is calculated out of the velocity changes for the reflections This turoulence can only be measured within clouds that generate normal reflections So only precipitation based turbulence can be displayed gusty winds and other air turbulence can not be displayed Following color code is used dark magenta means moderate turbulence intense magenta means serve turbulence The turbulence image is an overlay to the normal weather radar image so if no turbulence is measured the normal RGB WX image is drawn The turbulence detection is
12. inate this effect ground clutter at LOWI when looking eastern heading some stations are higher Tilt 1 75 so it will only hit that ground that is higher as LOWI 6 Using the radar After this introduction lets go to the practical part now Your are on the ground now and want to start your flight Let the radar switched off at the gate check the FMC Display Radar Display toggle when used The weather information is refreshed every 1 minute at least depending on range and CPU speed But image is recalculated after every beam refresh cycle So if you manually change the weather completely then wait at little to let the weather refresh The lower the range the faster is the refresh time If a yellow PAC string is visible then you have selected a range that is out of the PAC range that means reflections over 80NM are not accurate The colored boxes on the top of the radar show you the colors used for drawing the image with the actual settings http members chello at addongauges Page 14 AOG AOG SA_WXR Users Manual Revision 1 6 When beginning taxi roll switch the radar to WXR and let it warm up Depending on your processor speed this could take one to two minutes Set tilt up to 1 75 degrees to eliminate ground reflections Range is taken from the ND when used else set 40NM 80NM initial The picture is refreshed every 8 10 seconds depending also on your processor speed but this is also a realistic value Do not
13. ion The radar image displayed in the ND can not be updated every 8 seconds since this would make the PM GC stuttering because of the many file accesses It is reloaded every 1min But the image is moved along with the aircraft translation and rotation this does not generate any offsets And whenever a change in the settings is done the image is also updated within the next beam rotation Following setup should be done for proper PM interfacing Download the newest GC Version of your Product Do not install the SA_WXR and the GC on the same PC it is best to install the SA_WXR on the FMC PC anyway Make following SA WXR cfg setup Bitmap Export Directory gt gt enter your PM NetDir here lt lt Enter the NetDir without last Backslash C PmNetDir for example Disable Output when in Bitmap Export Mode 1 You should disable the SA WXR display output since it only costs performance and will not be useful for you in this mode Get PM Range 1 So you lock the WXR Range to the ND range Simulate current PM WX Mode 1 Bring the SA WXH to PM Export mode Set PM Update Rate 7 Set the update rate as best working for you 6 7 as default works in most configurations PM displays now the WXR image and the tilt angle but the tilt setup and the OFP and GCS function have to be set on the SA WXR screen or via FSUIPC as described below http members chello at addongauges Page 6 AOG AOG SA_WXR Users Manual Revision 1 6 4 Wea
14. ket etc you can download the whole installation package there After successful installation run the sa wxr program After a few seconds and Dialog appears with a all your installed MAC Addresses of your computer Copy and paste them into a e mail and send to florian praxmarer direkt at Then a license is sent to you within 24hrs Attention when changing network adaptor you have to be relicensed of course free 9 System requirements Minimum System requirements are PII 200Mhz or better More than 64MB free memory 3D Graphics board but can be on PCI WideFS and FSUIPC gt 3 0 FS2004 on the server PC 1 installed and activated Ethernet board for licensing http members chello at addongauges Page 19
15. limited to a Range of 40NM 5 Limitations and simplifications A few simplifications were necessary for weather radar display in FS9 First of all is the cloud position In reality red drawn holes are at same position as the cloud of course As have found no reasonable solution for finding out the randomly positioned clouds can only render a exact area where a certain cloud type and other meteorological data is present More than 12000 areas cover the whole world Out of many parameters the exact weather area is drawn with typical reflections for the weather situation As you use the radar you will see that it is far enough for save flight operation But keep in mind that flying through exact red holes does not avoid flying through a thunder cloud The other limitation is the ground elevation model that is used covers only elevations of stations and calculates ground reflections out of that Mountains etc are not modeled http members chello at addongauges Page 13 AOG AOG SA_WXR Users Manual Revision 1 6 LSZS 1600m LSZH 428m LIPB 237m So flying over LSZH Zurich Swiss when heading direction LIPB Bolzano Italy the LSZS Samedan Swiss will bring you ground reflections because it crosses the beam path As GCS is switched off a possible thunderstorm in Bolzano is hidden or better embedded between the LSZS Ground reflection and the LIBP ground reflection Increasing the tilt and or enabling the GCS function would elim
16. m third of a cloud http members chello at addongauges Page 11 AOG AOG SA_WXR Users Manual Revision 1 6 As you increase the tilt and your beam cross the mid third of the cloud where the up moving raindrops freeze you have also good reflections but the area is much smaller than in the bottom third This because of the shape of a thunder cloud At the top this of a thunder cloud hardly no reflections are generated because it consists only of dry hail up there As thunderstorm can reach high altitudes they may grow up into your flightlevel But there you will only cross the top third of the cloud which will not be displayed on the radar when flying with neutral tilt But tops of thunderstorm should be avoided because of the turbulent air above them and the hail particles within them Therefore Collins has included the thunderstorm OverFly Protection OFP This function continuously changes the tilt and looks for high reflective thunderstorm bodies bottom third s Independed of where your set tilt crosses the thunderstorm now it always draws the saved bottom image instead So you always see great red areas where storms are present even if they would not create reflections with your current settings This function is only available with in the PAC range that is fixed to 80NM Other clouds than thunderstorms may also create reflections Towering cumulus clouds have the same characteristics as thunderstorms also consists o
17. radar So a tilt increase would maybe also eliminate the storm on the display Collins found out a algorithm to compensate the ground reflection and so make only weather data visible This mode is called the Ground Clutter Suppression GCS http members chello at addongauges Page 10 AOG AOG SA_WXR Users Manual Revision 1 6 hmm find the storm in the ground Here it is switch on GCS clutter 4 5 Meteorological Basics What can be displayed on the radar As said above only wet particles raindrops wet hail produce good reflections Now it is time to interpret different precipitation densities and reflections Aviation based weather radars are as sensible to show only reflections that are relevant for flight operations Meteorological weather radars are much more sensitive which may display nearly everything that s in the sky But Aviation related weather phenomena are of course thunderstorms due to their high turbulence inside and the relative heavy ice particles hail Also clouds that may develop to a storm Other clouds are not really a hazard for aircrafts and most of them do not generate any reflections To find out thunderstorms on the radar it is important to know that such a cloud has three precipitation stages altitude The lowest third of the cloud consist of turbulent and fast moving heavy raindrops They are of course producing very good reflections So you see a red area when your beam crosses the botto
18. s ct wectinacts m 14 7 FSUIPC Conn E 15 7 1 Control variations esses ssc ethos cette o oS 15 7 2 Command based communication ecce ropes prn aue GC ati vedcnattncttatuebeeateeetenanieto 16 7 3 Control via FSUIPC Bit manupulatlon coronare 17 7 4 PSUIPC registration iure erneuert traer usto ete 19 8 Product Licensing ME m ERE 19 9 System FOQUINGING IS ceci oe aee no ceceveeateeececececceceecessvewe caeeceeremceeecenteveen 19 http members chello at addongauges Page 3 AOG AOG SA_WXR Users Manual Revision 1 6 3 Setup and Configuration 3 1 Key assignment Function Key m Remarks Position Radar Cursor Keys None uem Zoom Radar Num Num None pin pee fast ORE WE PEE F1 FMC LSK1L WARMUP Initially Toggle OFP F2 FMC LSK2L Toggle GCS F3 FMC LSK3L Only available in Refresh PM ND F4 FMC LSK4L ue M Tilt Increase F7 FMC LSK1R Tilt Reset to 0 F8 FMC LSK2R Tilt decrease F9 FMC LSK3R Rang increase decrease R T or F5 F6 FM ada aL 320NM affected E config file entry The position setup is saved as the program is closed and is used next time started again 3 2 The config file In the sa wxr cfg some user defined configurations have to be set Keep the same order as here listened else you will get a configuration file error Do not delete any items only change the parameters First is the alternate window entry Alternate Window Name BFMSCDU
19. t6 Bit5 Bit4 Bit3 Bit2 Bit1 BitO Toggle Range Range Toggle Toggle Setto 1 Toggle Switch dec inc OFP GCS Mode select 0 Bit15 Bit14 Bit13 Bit12 Bit11 Bit10 Bit9 Bit8 Res Res Res Res Toggle Tilt dec Tilt reset Tilt inc Window Whenever you write here set bit 1 to 1 else the radar would ignore the requests These bits are toggled that means setting a bit to 1 would request the action at the radar if recognized it is set back to 0 Multiple requests are possible BitO witches through the Modes OFF WX WX T or WARMUP initially Control Word at Write 0x6D00 as long as Bit 7 1 which means switch mode Bit7 Bit6 Bit5 Bit4 Bit3 Bit2 Bit1 BitO Toggle Range2 Range1 Range0 OFP ON GCS ON Mode 1 Mode 0 Switch select 1 Bit15 Bit14 Bit13 Bit12 Bit11 Bit10 Bit9 Bit8 Tilt7 Tilt6 Tilt5 Tilt4 Tilt3 Tilt2 Tilt1 TiltO ModeO Mode1 00 OFF 01 WX 10 WX T GCS ON OFP ON Range 0 GCS OFF 1 GCS ON 0 OFP OFF 1 OFP ON Range Bit4 2 Bit5 4 Bit6 Range 1 2 3 4 5 6 equals 10 20 40 80 160 320 NM http members chello at addongauges Page 17 AOG AOG SA_WXR Users Manual Revision 1 6 TiltO Tilt7 signed byte in 0 25 steps so to get the tilt angle multiply the signed byte value with 0 25 If you write 40 then the tilt would be 40 0 25 10 Status Byte at Read 0x6D02
20. ther radar basics 4 1 Principles of operation The target of a weather radar is to display the pilot hazardable and turbulent meteorological areas A ideal weather radar would display following hazards as dense precipitation hail turbulent precipitation moves updrafts within thunderstorms thunderstorms itself low visibilities wind shears any clouds etc The real solution is limited to only display precipitation density density of ice water particles So a real weather radar does not display clouds fog winds storms etc it only displays the density of precipitation in the air around you A weather radar transmits a focused microwave pulse into the sky A part of the microwave energy sent out is similar to light reflected when it hits a particle Some particles reflect more for light this would be a mirror some reflect very few energy glass for light The microwave from a weather radar is reflected best when hitting water rain or wet hail and is very weak reflected from drizzle and snow general ice particles After the radar has sent out a pulse it now measures how long it takes until a part of energy is received it measures the amount of the energy and the frequency shift of the received signal Out of this data following can be obtained Time amp Reflection Energy Distance amp Density of the particles Frequency Shift Velocity of the particles This data is then displayed on the radar in three colors
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