Please note, this is NOT an official FSElite review. Today I'm taking RealAir's Beech Duke through some rain. For those who have wanted a weather radar in place of the WX500 that doesn't work in FSX:SE or P3D, there is a choice, only if you use Active Sky Next! Using the Weather Radar VC/Pop-Up gauge by Roland Herblot, we have a functional radar in the Moo! At this moment I dont hacve ASN.

WX Advantage Weather Radar

Introduction

It has long been the desire of many flight simulation enthusiasts to have a functioning weather radar panel in their cockpits, no matter what aircraft they fly. That has now come to fruition, thanks to the collaboration of two of the smartest companies in the flight sim world.

Milviz and REX Simulations have partnered to solve the difficult challenges related to a fully functional weather radar - combining a modernised airborne radar with sophisticated digital signal processing, resulting in a superior multi-functional hazardous weather detection and avoidance system.

Installation

The download and installation procedure is quick and simple, although there are a couple of suggestions that should be followed and these are:

WX Advantage Radar requires .net Framework 4.5 to be installed. If it is not found or has not been installed, the installation wizard will automatically download and install it for you.

Do not install the software into the Program Files or Program Files(x86) folders as this may cause issues with the operation of the radar.

Following on from these two items the installation is a matter of a few clicks with the mouse and you are ready to start installing the WX Advantage Weather Radar Gauge into your aircraft.

The only tiresome task is having to install the gauge into one aircraft at a time, there is no 'select all' option which can be tedious.

You must install the WX Advantage Radar System on the same computer that the flight simulator is installed on. You cannot install the software on a client machine within a network setup.

Features

This advanced radar system includes unique cloud scan and precipitation sync features which will dynamically sync precipitation. Never experience precipitation falling outside indicated radar echoes.

The radar includes a new wet runway feature. Though there may be radar echoes nearby, the runways near precipitation will appear as if rain had just fallen. The system continuously measures four levels of precipitation: green for light precipitation, yellow for moderate, red for heavy, and magenta for severe precipitation and turbulence. Because the system will continuously measure and sync precipitation, you will receive realistic and accurately placed radar echoes that precisely match depicted atmospheric conditions.

Turbulence intelligence is built-in to isolate potential radar echoes that may contain moderate to severe turbulence.

The WX Advantage Radar System includes full TILT functions to analyse the complete scale of storm structures in real-time and accurately represents the effect of radar attenuation when larger more dense cells are in front of other cells causing a rain shadow effect. High resolution precipitation cell data based on cloud density and other weather parameters at the location of each cloud and has precise control of ambient precipitation in the region of the aircraft.

An intuitive, simple to use Aircraft Gauge Management Tool is also included. This tool allows the installation, editing, and removal of the 2D weather radar gauge for any default or 3rd-party aircraft within a few simple steps.

The Aircraft Gauge Management Tool includes four different types of 2D gauges: Dark and Clean, Dark with Dirt, Light and Clean, and Light with Dirt. You may select which version best represents the cockpit you are flying in as well as easily adjust the aspect ratio, size, and location of the radar gauge prior to opening the flight simulator. The WX Advantage Radar also supports multiple 2D screens which can be undocked and placed on a second window.

The radar features a high resolution 3D precipitation density map, which takes advantage of video hardware acceleration for greater performance and level of detail.

The radar has a full active transmitter/receiver range up to 160nm. (FSX and Prepar3D do not support ranges greater than 160nm), it also includes gain features to help differentiate between weather and ground clutter.

Finally, the system includes test/diagnostics, WX (general weather), and WX/T (weather/turbulence) modes.

Display

There are basically four types of display on the gauge and these are shown below pictorially below. There is the Test Screen which runs through the test functions to determine if the radar is functioning correctly. The colour codes on the display are attributed to the various precipitation levels as follows:

Setting the dial to WX turns on the radar receiver to receive precipitation echoes. Turn the dial to WX/T and the radar will receive precipitation echoes coupled with potential areas of turbulence. Turning the dial to MAP is none functional at the moment but in future it will turn on a background mapping system. (Coming Soon) - As published in the user manual.

The TCAS and MSG buttons are also non-functional at the time of writing this review but I have been informed that they may be implemented in a future upgrade/version. As this version has been modelled on a real world weather radar, I can understand the inclusion of these two buttons onto the panel if only for the aesthetic value, so don’t be too disappointed to find they are non-functional. It doesn’t stop the radar from doing its job and it is something to look forward to in a future release.

There are also four different facia panels to choose from when installing the Weather Radar.

Having just these four variations allows you to use the gauge in whichever genre or age of aircraft and have it look quite at home. The weathering detail on the dirty panels gives them that well-used look, typical of an aged aircraft. It is even possible to use it with BOB from Orbx. A novel idea I know, but it proves you can install the Weather Radar into any default or third party aircraft.

Resizing the gauge to place it where you prefer is simple but I found that by doing so turned the radar screen black. This is remedied by simply right clicking on the screen again.

Functionality

The function of the WX Advantage Radar is to report precipitation and in this case, turbulence also. Although turbulence detection requires the presence of precipitation, therefore, using the turbulence option on this radar will not report any clear air turbulence. As you can see from the images, turbulence is displayed in magenta and is supported by the presence of precipitation. Another point to make here is that turbulence depiction is limited to the first 40nm. It is advised that all areas displayed in red or magenta, whether turbulence or weather should be avoided if possible. Venturing in to these weather patterns is only going to make your flight extremely uncomfortable and that of your passengers of course.

The following diagram illustrates the different radar knobs and their functions.

The best way to identify storms that pose the best threat for dangerous weather is often indicated by the shapes of the radar echoes.

Using the WX Advantage Weather Radar in a cross section of the aircraft in my hangar did not affect the frame rates whilst flying. Format laporan keuangan sekolah excel 2016. There is absolutely no hit on frame rates in FSX or P3D using this radar.

For this review I was using Active Sky Next as my weather engine and this gauge works perfectly in sync with it. It is also mentioned in the comprehensive user manual that it is compatible with any 3rd party weather engine but I was unable to verify this as I use Active Sky Next exclusively for generating my weather.

There are some aircraft developers which either have, or are going to be, integrating this gauge in to their aircraft, although names are not yet available due to ongoing discussions, so watch this space. I unfortunately don’t own the aircraft which already include this gauge, so I cannot comment.

Milviz have upgraded three of their aircraft to include the radar as shown here. Click the links to visit the respective pages on-line.

There are other developers who have already begun the process of integrating the radar in to their aircraft and these are:

TFGi Design: Aircraft: Boeing 717 Website: //tfdidesign.com/717.php

Flysimware: Aircraft: TBA Website: http://flysimware.com/website .

Value for Money

At the time of writing this review the price was US $24.95, or the equivalent on currency cross rates.
If weather avoidance is one of your priorities when setting up your flight plan, this gauge is ideal for you. Being able to use this gauge in all default and third party aircraft and positioning it wherever you wish, either on screen or within the cockpit, constitutes very good value for money in my opinion. You could quite easily pay a lot more for a gauge for one type of aircraft, but by purchasing this gauge you are buying a gauge for all the aircraft in your hangar. It would however be even better if all the buttons were active.

Conclusion

After my initial concerns with P3D compatibility and the subsequent release of an update, this weather radar does what it says on the box.I believe that once all the features on the radar panel are fully functional, the WX Advantage Weather Radar will be the best weather gauge on the market for flight simulation

Verdict and Scores

AS16 for FSX is for the FSX and FSX:SE flight sim platforms

Active Sky 2016 (AS16) for FSX represents the culmination of 16 years of weather simulation engine development! New In-Cloud Motion Effects, Weather Scenarios System, Airborne Weather Radar, Navigraph Data Integration, Re-designed Map-based Custom Weather Editing System, Universal Web Companion App, an Improved Mapping System and a High-Latitude Cloud Squeeze Fix are just a few of the new features to debut in this brand new version of Active Sky.

Beyond the many new features, AS16 also extends and improves all aspects of weather simulation and depiction, from data parsing, to synthesis, interpolation, depiction, performance, and everything in-between, your entire weather experience will be more realistic than ever before.

AS16 also incorporates full integration with Active Sky Cloud Art (ASCA), our brand new graphics add-on for both FSX and P3D. ASCA includes cloud textures, sky textures, and brand new 3D cloud models to transform your skies, while also debuting a ground-breaking new feature when used in combination with AS16: Real-Time Dynamic Cloud and Sky Textures! This enables realistic weather-influenced texture variation that reloads throughout your flight without needing to shut down and restart your simulator. You can use any graphics add-on(s) with AS16, but dynamic texture reloads require the AS16+ASCA combination.

Now available is SP1 for AS16 which incorporates significant enhancements, adjustments, fixes and tweaks to further increase realism, immersion and functionality. Highlights include cloud motion effect improvements, improved restricted visibility depiction, new jet-stream and wind-layer shear turbulence influence effects, interpolation improvements, generation depiction improvements, additional API functionality and much more.

SP1 upgrade is available absolutely free of charge to all existing AS16 users. Visit our downloads page to download right now!

Active Sky Products are offered via several authorized re-sellers. Authorized re-sellers include: SimMarket, Just Flight, Aerosoft, Flight1, FSPS Store and FlightSim.com Store. Notice: Purchasing from an unauthorized re-seller may result in modified pirate software and/or malware and will result in that product/license being deactivated and unable to be used. Please purchase only through the authorized re-sellers.

Please click on your desired preferred re-seller:

*** Resellers may offer different base currency, policies and effective pricing. Check with your reseller for details ***

Feature Highlights
Additional Features
Requirements
Buy Now
Screenshots
Frequently Asked Questions

Feel the speed of motion while flying through clouds

Enhanced weather gauge with included realistic airborne radar mode

Challenge yourself with several scenarios including a Microburst Encounter, Gusting Winds, Wake Turbulence, and more

Fly high-latitude areas without stretched clouds

AS16 works with any texture/graphics add-ons (including default graphics), but when combined with ASCA, real-time texture dynamics and automatic wx-influenced selections are enabled

Remotely view and control weather using any device on your local network with new webserver/browser technology

Vector Background Options and New Overlays

Airports, Navaids and Fixes now provided by Navigraph! A complimentary expired database is included with AS16, and regular AIRAC cycle updates are available with a Navigraph subscription

AS16 for FSX supports Flight Simulator X (Boxed) versions SP2 or Acceleration and FSX:Steam Edition

Award-Winning Active Sky Weather Simulation Engine – Enhanced Further!

We’ve been enhancing and growing Active Sky since 2000, and this new version expands our weather engine even further than ever before

Enhanced Thunderstorm Effects

Thunderstorms are now very dangerous, as they are in the real world, and require avoidance, in most cases, to ensure safe and successful completion of your flights – Flying into heavy cells can result in loss of aircraft control and even airframe stress overload

Performance-Focused Design

We’ve taken the previous codebase for Active Sky and re-factored it, tuned it, and re-designed many core areas for increased performance and usability

User Interface Improvements

We’ve incorporated user feedback and made dozens and dozens of improvements throughout the entire UI

Hybrid Weather Depiction Technology

AS16 uses multiple integration and depiction methods to provide realistic, smooth and correct weather and ambient conditions at all times, while also providing full cloud position awareness to enable advanced cloud-synchronized radar, precipitation and air effects

High-Fidelity Data Resolution and Coverage

Active Sky 16 includes enhanced global gridded weather data, global sigmets and airmets, global surface data and global aloft data for much improved realism and coverage for all kinds of conditions in all areas without relying strictly on METAR reports

High-Fidelity Air Effects

Wake Turbulence, Microbursts, Downdrafts, Updrafts, Terrain-influenced Drafts, Thermals and more!

Smooth Transitions

Cloud formations, wind, temperature, visibility and every other aspect of your weather is smoothed, transitioned and interpolated for the ultimate in realism

Private Server Network

AS16 utilizes the high-performance and high-availability HiFi DataNet weather network with multiple servers in multiple regions around the world, providing high-resolution weather data and historical data archives for the past 2 years

Online Historical Data with Playback

Fly in weather at any date/time up to 2 years in the past and have weather update realistically throughout your flight according to hourly-archived conditions

Active Sky API

AS16 utilizes an extended version of the Active Sky API, allowing 3rd party developers to integrate and take advantage of advanced radar, icing, wind shear, weather data and weather controlling extensibility

Much More!

AS16’s full feature list is too numerous to list here, but we invite you to TRY AS16 FREE for yourself and experience all it has to offer!

While ASCA and AS16 work great together, they are also fully compatible (either alone or together) with any other graphics add-on and weather add-on. You have full flexibility to mix and match any aspect and selectable feature set within these add-ons.

Windows Vista or later

Microsoft Flight Simulator X with SP2 or Acceleration or FSX:Steam Edition

2GHZ processor or better

2GB RAM or better

1GB available hard drive space

Minimum monitor resolution to access all user interface features: 1024×768

Sound device (for sound and voice features)

Requires an online internet connection for normal usage. Online activation is mandatory. License is valid for one computer/installation only. Moving software to another computer will deactivate the previous computer. 10 automatic reactivations are permitted. Multiple-computer installations will require an individual AS16 license for each computer that it is installed on.

Recommended

3.0GHZ Processor or better

4GB RAM or better

Broadband high-speed internet connection

1280×800 or better resolution

Here is a comprehensive list of changes and additions in Service Pack 1!

AS16 for FSX Service Pack 1

Enhancements:

– Added new warnings option for “prompt on exit”
– Added increased occasional light chop turbulence in clear air
– Added boundary/jet-aware aloft clear air turbulence influence
– Added new cloud sprite->radar echo randomization processes to cumulus clouds for better radar visuals and less patterns
– Improved cloud motion effect for increased apparent speed, better positioning and better detection
– Added new night-based lighted cloud motion effect when landing light is on
– Added new geographic influence capability with ASCA integration for latitude-based sky color influence
– Added additional Navigraph options for NDB
– Updated Audio Engine for better performance and compatibility
– Added new option “Use Navigraph data for VORs and NDBs” allowing user to disable navigraph data for VOR/NDB stations, utilizing legacy database and allowing user customization (i.e. for adding historical/fictional navaids) – default ON
– Added new option “Show connection lost messages” which will prevent pop-up messages (that may cause loss of simulator focus at critical times) and instead show these error connection messages in-sim when connected to sim and AS16 is not in focus – default ON
– Implemented better handling of stalled/error of ASCA installation during theme reload, so that AS16 weather will not stall (and an error message will be shown indicating ASCA error, while weather depiction continues)
– Updated documentation, Performance Considerations chapter, to mention CLOUD_SHADOW_TEXTURE_SIZE setting recommendation of 256 (vs 512) to improve performance
– Added new Warnings option for cloud density slider setting warning
– Attempted wake encounter filtering when flying helicopters, using ATC aircraft ID against known helicopter ICAO types (requires aircraft to use proper ICAO types, and not all add-on helicopters do)

Fixes:

– Fixed lingering crash on sim exit issue
– Corrected ENFB data station location
– Fixed an issue with dynamic CDD reverting to 60 with a low cloud strain score
– Fixed an issue preventing SimConnect from reconnecting in a networked configuration when sim restarted
– Fixed a corrupt interpolation data message possible in conditions screen in some cases
– Fixed an issue with “Disable Winds Aloft” option not being respected
– Fixed issue related to flight plans with airports as intermediate waypoints
– Fixed rare ASConnect load issue + ambients error related to some Vista installations
– Adjusted installer update processes to not launch “delete saved data” routine in update packages, but only in original installation item, to attempt avoiding looping uninstall process
– Adjusted icing depiction to allow icing in precipitation when precipitating clouds themselves have no icing (i.e. freezing rain, inversion layers)
– Updated XGauge docs section (titles and organization)
– Small adjustments to reduce high altitude CU frequency (unless convective activity is present)
– Fixed gusting winds issue where gusts would not be depicted above a 1kt gust factor in some cases
– Added a filter for light chop above 40kft, to prevent excessive turbulence
– Added a filter for cirrus clouds to prevent unexpected “thin line” depiction when flying above in some cases
– Fixed issue with VOR showing as User waypoint when attempting to add a waypoint in Flight Plan screen

API Improvements:

– Added new configurable location-based effects using userEffects.xml definitions for thermals, drafts, windshear and thermals
– Extended GetAtmosphere C++ API function
– Added GetAtmosphere HTTP function
– Added GetMetarInfoAt HTTP function
– Added Wx Mode get/set HTTP functions
– Added ability to set custom wx by passing xml definition directly through URL
– Added custom effects setting HTTP function
– Added GetCurrentConditions HTTP function
– Added GetClosestStationWeather HTTP function
– Added LoadFlightPlan HTTP function
– Added export of clientIPaddress and httpPort through dll API vars + updated API docs
– Updated API Documentation

Yes! The Active Sky API has been improved but remains fully backward-compatible with all current ASN integration techniques!

No, AS16 is compatible with all graphics including default graphics. AS16 can be combined with ASCA for real-time dynamic texture reloads, but this feature is not required. Feel free to use your favorite graphics add-ons with AS16 just as you have been able to with ASN!

No, AS16 for FSX and other products are separately licensed, separately developed and separately maintained (with separate price points).

Feature Highlights
Additional Features
Requirements
Buy Now
Screenshots
Release Status
Frequently Asked Questions