WXADV Tutorial

Written by Bob Bobic rbobic@ix.netcom.com

I'm enjoying curt's automatic weather generating program and wanted to offer some simple instructions to newbie's. First of all download the "weather adventure" program not the "real weather" program. I orginally thought if I use the FSFS "weather adv" program I'd have to use it with an adventure i.e. have to design a adventure then be under the control of a controller. This is not the case; by using the "weather adventure" you can fly anywhere, do anything, without a controller telling you what to do.

First of all go to curt's weather home page and download:

WXADV Program -- http://www.menet.umn.edu/~curt/weather/progs/wxadv2.zip
USA weather data -- http://www.menet.umn.edu/weather/ (click on left hand column)

Next go to your machine and make a directory: c:\tmprwx

Unzip wxadv.zip in this directory and you will get:

all.rwx--a sample weather data that you want to delete right away
real_wx.txt a sample weather "adventure" that you want to delete right away also
wxadv.txt--instructions
wxadv.exe--the program
inc.txt--the file that you add 3-letter airport names that you want current up to date weather
stnlist.txt-- a list of a couple of hundred 3-letter airport codes that you can use with the program

Next move the usa weather data (I believe called usa.rwx) into C:\tmprwx and rename it "all.rwx" (C:\tmprwx> REN usa.rwx all.rwx)

To keep things simple you can delete wxadv2.zip from C:\tmprwx so the only files you have in this directory are:

all.rwx (the usa.rwx that you downloaded and renamed)
wxadv.txt--instructions
wxadv.exe--program
inc.txt
stnlist.txt

Now open the inc.txt and add a few 3-letter airport codes that you'd want currect weather for i.e. LAX LAS JFK ORD SFO SAN than close and be sure to save your changes to the file

Next make an WIN95 icon for "wxadv.exe"

Go to desktop win95
Click Start
Then Settings
Next Taskbar
Click Start Menu Program
Add
Browse
Select tmprwx (from c:\tmprwx)
Click Open
Click wxadv.exe
Click Open again
Then Next (and you are ready to go)

Now click your shortcut icon by START--PROGRAMS--WXADV

This will generate a new file called "real_wx.tx" (that is in C:\tmprwx)

Put this file in C:\fltsim5\adv

You can open this directoy (c:\fltsim5\adv dir/w/p) and you will find "aplc.exe" and "real_wx.txt"

Run the aplc program by typing "aplc.exe real_wx.tx" then ENTER at the c:\fltsim5\adv> prompt

You generate "real_wx.adv"

Now Start FS5 and go into Options Then Adventures and click on "real_wx.adv" (with no title in the left hand column)

You will now have currect weather 3hrs old for the 3-letter airports that you typed in the inc.list. You can fly anywhere, use any airplane and even fly the different situations you setup with current weather or even the flight challenges i.e. F-18 chase from carrier in San Francisco.

Bob Bobic rbobic@ix.netcom.com