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Frequently Asked Questions about ADDS Please look for your answer here, before contacting the developers. |
Where can I get help using the ADDS web site? Each ADDS product page has an "FYI/Help" link located in the upper right hand corner of the page. The associated help pages are very informative and often give information on how to use the web pages, as well as the science behind our products. Does ADDS have archived data? ADDS is a realtime aviation weather site and does not offer archived data. The source for archived NWS data is the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) The Java Tools don't load, what am I doing wrong? One troubleshooting tip we can offer is to ensure you have the most recent version of the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) from the Sun Java web site. If you've installed the latest JVM and are still having trouble using the java tools, follow these steps to ensure a clean reload,
If you are still having trouble using the Java Tools email the developers, or use the Feedback form to contact us. For a quick response, please tell us the name and version numbers of both your OS and browser, and copy and paste the contents of the java console into your message. I can't read your maps. What do the symbols mean? Where are the legends? Each page contains an "FYI/Help" page in the upper right hand corner. These pages often contain links to the symbols used on the maps, along with instructions on how to read the legends included on most maps. Please thoroughly read the help pages before contacting the developers. Why aren't the data updating? If you are viewing a static graphic, the page will not automatically update. Instead you must hit the "Refresh" or "Reload" button in your broswer. If using a Java Tool, choose the "auto update feature" and the data will automatically update as new data become available. To determine the frequency at which the data should update, please read the associated help page for each product by clicking the "FYI/Help" button on the product page. How do I print METARs and TAFs? The first step is to get the data you are interested in. Go to the METARs or TAFs page, enter a station ID in the text box, and press "Get METARs/TAFs." Once the query returns the text, you have several options: To print them select "Print" from the "File" menu in your browser. To save them to a file highlight the text data with your mouse, select "Copy" from the "Edit" menu of your browser, open the file you want to save them to with an editor, and "Paste" them into the file. How do I print from the Java Tools? A number of ADDS users have requested the ability to print from the Java Tools (METARs, Flight Path, TAFs, etc.). Unfortunately, Java cannot gain access to all areas of a computer system (including printing). This is part of Java's security limitations known as the "sandbox". The newest release of Java (version 1.2) does solve this issue, however, current browsers do not support Java1.2. We could offer Applets developed for Java1.2 but the Applets would not work on current browsers. Instead we offer an alternative: we are currently developing Java Applications (in contrast to Java Applets) which can be downloaded once and configured to print properly. The static graphics look cluttered. How am I supposed to read the data? The static graphics are designed for users with low bandwidth connections, or for a quick glance at conditions in the area. To get more detailed information about specific regions, use the Java Tools. Go to the Java Tools page and read the descriptions to find the right tool for the data you are interested in. Once you have loaded the tool, zoom in on the region you wish to view in detail. How do I zoom using the Java Tools? Once you have loaded the Java Tool, click and hold the left mouse button and drag the mouse (creating a rubber band) over the area where you wish to zoom in. Release the button and the map will redraw to the area you have selected. Why isn't a particular station available on the METARs and TAFs pages? New stations are added as quickly as we can add them, but we often rely on users to let us know about these new stations. If you are aware of a new station, or one that has a new name, please email the developers or use the Feedback form. Why are some VOR sites missing from the Java Tools? ADDS does not have a full list of all VORs. What we term VORs are actually just a subset of "high-level waypoints" and are the sites which the Aviation Weather Center uses for the points to describe AIRMETs and SIGMETs (and the same points the Storm Prediction Center uses to describe convective outlooks and severe weather watches). It is on our todo list to get a full list of VORs. Are your depictions of turbulence for category II aircraft, or is the data simply displayed as reported from the PIREP? Please read the "FYI/Help" page associated with the turbulence page (button on upper-right). The general answer to your question is no. We do not make any different products for "Cat II" aircraft from others. The PIREP (turbulence) plots simply show any reports of turbulence as filed to FSS or ARTCCs (and subsequently distributed by the National Weather Service). As for our turbulence products called "GTG," you should read the associated help page. Why does clicking on a thumbnail image produce a larger image for a moment, and then revert to a smaller sized image? You are probably using Internet Explorer to browse to ADDS, and it includes an undesirable feature that is enabled in the default settings. It can be disabled by following these instructions:
Why aren't NOTAMs included in ADDS? NOTAMs are not part of our data sources at this time. We are weather gurus and NOTAMs are not distributed along with weather data. Why doesn't ADDS include more international data? The METAR and TAF Java Tools include an "Overview" button that provides access to a domain selector with which you can choose to view METARs from regions around the world. In addition, the METAR and TAF text retrieval tools return international reports if the appropriate identifier is entered in the text box. It is a long term goal of ADDS to provide world-wide data, however this is a monumental task that will take several years to be completed. Raw METARs and TAFs are very difficult to read. What do all of those jumbled letters and numbers mean? A good way to learn the METAR and TAF code is to retrieve selected reports from the "Latest METAR Text" option on the right side of the ADDS METARs or TAFs page. By selecting the "Translated" version instead of the "Raw Format" the output will be translated to plain English, with the raw code included at the top of the output. By viewing the translated and raw code together, you may be able to learn to decipher a raw report. If using this data on an intermittent basis, then one might also benefit from using the Java METAR, TAF, or Flight Path tools, with which you can plot the METAR and TAF graphics, then pass the mouse cursor over individual stations to display the raw coded text. The format of METAR and TAF reports is decided by international agreement (ICAO). Any changes to the code impacts users worldwide. Countless software decoders would have to be rewritten. Recently, the U.S. converted from SAO surface data format to METAR to become consistent with the rest of the world. It's doubtful that there will be any changes to the way surface weather data is transmitted in the near future. METAR code is complex, and the Quick Reference Guide, available at the NWS is a great tool. |
Turbulence Icing Convection Winds/Temps Progs Java Tools
METARs TAFs PIREPs AIR/SIGMETs Satellite Radar
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