SV: SV: Funny chars in metar?

[Funder, J. O. <jh...@NA...>]

I'm sorry, but I'm not able to make an exact reference as I do not have the
relevant document, being the WMO publication No. 306, Manual on Codes (ICAO
Annex 3 only states how to create a METAR). I talk from 30 years of
experience with OPMET codes.

I don't know where your item 12.5 comes from, but I'm sure that omitting eg.
the windgroup will cause a lot of trouble in all systems decoding the METAR
except phpweather - this is because phpweather just identify each group
without any form of validation. When we use these data for aviation purposes
we also check the validity of the contents of the METAR. This includes that
a windgroup must be found, a cloudgroup must be found (CAVOK and SKC
regarded as cloudgroups). Checking that the dewpoint is lower than the
temperature aso. aso. - I could go on for ages.

.....and by the way, I have never seen a METAR without a windgroup.

rgds
Johnny Funder


-----Oprindelig meddelelse-----
Fra: Ray van Beek [mailto:r_v...@ho...]
Sendt: 28. februar 2002 09:40
Til: jh...@NA...; php...@li...
Emne: Re: SV: Funny chars in metar?


>The ///// indicates that the item could not be measured for one reason or
>another (typically instrumentfailure).


In some way, it seems logical, *BUT* this is not according to the metar 
specification:

   "12.5 Coding Missing Data in METAR/SPECI

    When an element does not occur, or cannot be observed, the
    corresponding group and preceding space are omitted from that
    particular report."

Do you have a specification that describes the use of '/////' ?

If is specified, I think that the script should be modified to add support 
the '/////' notation.

Greetz,

Ray




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