The terrain display is just a display, it's not a radar at all but reads from a database of world wide terrain data and matches that with the aircraft's position. The real aircraft draws it using the sweep just like PMDG do, but it's still a database. PMDG also use a database and don't scan anything.
Speaking of the MSFS WX radar, in default aircraft, does it allow you to adjust the tilt? Can it *see* past obstacles and mountains? I never really got a chance to play around with it. Curious how "far" the simulation goes in this regard.
I'd love to see WX radar in the sim. However, I have never seen a simmer who would deviate, offset, or go to alternate due adverse weather painted on WX radar LOL Most of us like "oh look red spot we just go through that stuff" LOL
To add to what's already been said - if you do not see precipitation on AS16's map view, then there will be nothing on the airplane's ND either. ASN/16 outputs a 3D precipitation model that our radar uses - not a map of clouds. Real weather radars will show absolutely nothing unless there's actual precipitation within the clouds or falling from them. In addition, the tilt of the radar and the gain also play into what is shown - if you point the radar vertically in a place where there's no precip, you won't see anything, even if there's precip above or below that slice of space. Turn the gain down and the radar will start to filter out weak returns too, think of it like a squelch control on a radio.
I have a question regarding using the radar in the PMDG 737NGX. According to the manual, it states that Active Sky is required to make the radar images display weather, and I assume it would display on the ND. Will it also work using the Rex WX Advantage Radar? After installing the Rex WX Advantage Radar, I've noticed that it has it's own radar gauge and the weather is displayed on it instead of the ND in the PMDG NGX, which is what I prefer. But I don't know if the WX Advantage Radar works with the PMDG 737NGX in that way. But it has it's own gauge. At the time of release of the 737 NGX, the Rex WX Advantage Radar had not been released. So, I'm wondering if the Rex WX Advantage Radar will work, or display the radar images on the 737 ND as it should. If I were to get the Active Sky, would the radar images display on the 737 ND or would it have it's own gauge as the Rex WX Advantage Radar did?
If I get the one for FSX, it would be the Active Sky 2016? That's the only one I see for that platform. So, will that one place the radar image on the ND, or the aircraft that I'm flying equip with a radar? I think it comes with the WX radar, but I want my radar to show up on the aircraft's ND that I'm flying and not a pop-up radar gauge. Also, I've been hearing about this Active Sky Next. What is the difference between Active Sky 2016 and Active Sky Next, and is one better than the other? I also have P3Dv4, but it would cost about $95.00 or $100.00 to get both.
They have been working on bringing forward new features that are now possible with SU11, such as a weather radar, but the results are not yet up to the expected standard, thus still under development. A short list of other minor fixes follows down below:
We have seen now that PMDG has been able to use ASN to show a very good weather radar on their 777. I just wonder if this same method can be used in ES to bring weather radar to our scopes. The implementation of radar on the scope and in the aircraft would really add a lot to the Vatsim environment if this could be done.
Just my 2 cents. The problem that aircraft developers have had to face to bring a realistic weather radar to FSX does not apply to the kind of weather radar used on radar software. The problem faces there was mainly about a realistic 3D model for precipitation so the position of the aircraft relative to the precipitation was able to be seen properly by the radar return and the tilt to work properly. This does not apply to the top-down kind of radar that is shown on radar screens around the world. It is a fixed, or animated image but with no tilt function and the radar station is in a fixed position.
There is however a problem. ASN creates a proper weather model for radar but it does not sync it between all clients. So a weather cell may be in a place in one simulator while in another it may be 10 miles north and lighter. So in that way the radar couldn't help controller any to estimate deviations because what he would see would not be the same to what each pilots sees, because every pilots sees something different and will be deviating differently.
Virtual ATCo's using the Radar software and as pilots own ASN could possibly then interface ASN with weather feed in to their radar scopes and get weather (that ASN on line flying pilots will face) displayed in their radar just like in real systems.
Nowadays most of the "advanced" Flight Simulator aircraft add on's have weather radar feeds in their Navigation Display directly from Active Sky precipitation data or via simulator's cloud data (which is very close to Active Sky data since all come from real world current weather with a small delay to p[Mod - Happy Thoughts] and propagate through the Internet).
Pending future updates to the PMDG 737-700: The PMDG EFB (cockpit tablet) is still in development and will be added in a future free update. High-resolution cabin models and landing gear bay interiors for all 737 variants are in development and will be made available during maintenance updates. New features added to Microsoft Flight Simulator will be added within the 737 via free updates (weather radar, for example).
The PMDG 737 is an incomplete product. They promised to finish it in due time. The most important issues are the precision of LNAV/VNAV and the ground steering. They work on it, they say. The missing EFB will also be added. Some issues, like the missing WX radar or the flickering PFD, are Asobo's fault, they say. Some unimportant details of the outside model have not been completed. Overall, it is a rushed publication, probably due to the appearance of the Fenix A320. All I heard and saw about this plane is fantastic. It could well be a reason to switch to MSFS.
PMDG has announced through a forum post that a further update for the Boeing 747 has been made available for Prepar3D V4 and V5. This release corrects various bugs, and introduces the compatibility with the REX Weather Radar and the ActiveSky Engine compatible with V5 launched last week. The choice of weather radar is done through a menu in the FMS.
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