Winds aloft via PSX.NET

[Dispatcher]

Hello,
yesterday I installed PSX.NET because I'd like to upload the winds aloft from the planning software PFPX.
Everythng was going fine; PFPX generates the WX file for the specific flight plan; PSX.NET gets the wind info from that file and shows me the winds, and they match perfectly the ones on the flighplan; I load the flight plan on PSX via the Dispatcher section, then I load that plan on the MCDU, and when I request the wind upload the info are correctly loaded and they also match with the winds of the flight plan. So the MCDU is uploading correctly.
The problems come when I'm airborne: the winds I read on the ND don't match at all compared to the flighplan / MCDU loaded. I'm talkingf about high level winds, so for example if the FPL reports at FL320 160°/13kts for a specific waipoint, the ND shows 270/50.
It looks like the MCDU reachs the data from the flighlan but the actual winds outside the cockpit are still the one generated by the Weather generator of PSX.
I'm probably missing something on my configuration but honestly I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong....
Any help will be appreciated...

[G-CIVA]

It looks like the MCDU reachs the data from the flighlan but the actual winds outside the cockpit are still the one generated by the Weather generator of PSX.

This is probably the issue.

Within PSX the wind modelling is based upon surface TAF & METARS - a user can select downloadable live weather.

However, this live weather is only accurate up to 20000ft amsl.  Above that height there is no live downloadable modelling of upper wind & temperatures in PSX.

Above that height the user has 2 options:

Option 1

Via the Situation>Weather>Planet menu tabs you can 'manipulate' the global jet stream model using real world upper wind charts to give a 'representation' of where the main jets streams are above the earth & what the temperatures are doing.  This is a static situation & it will not vary through your flight.

Some users report that they can get accurate results.  If you are using any kind of decent dispatch software (sounds like you are) you will run into issues since these types of software generally rely on real world upper wind & temperature sources & of course these sources are able to 'predict' with a fair level of accuracy how the upper wind & temperature picture will change & develop & produce this information in an actionable format that gives the dispatcher & pilot the necessary information to conduct the flight safely - landing with the correct amount of fuel amongst a myriad of other things that I wont go into here.

Option 2:

Are you using PSX as a 'standalone' simulator?

The only way to really get the results you are looking for is to connect your PSX to a running Microsoft Flight Simulator that also has a Weather Engine 'injecting' live weather into it, such as Active Sky.   Many PSX users use this method to utilise these flight simulators as 'scenery generators'.

Several Forum members here have developed freeware & payware applications which can 'extract' the wind & temperature data created by a MS flight simulator weather engine out of the MS Flight Simulator & 'inject' it into PSX - above 20000ft amsl.

http://aerowinx.com/board/index.php?topic=3629.0

http://aerowinx.com/board/index.php?topic=4558.0

https://flightsim.garryric.com/

Some users have both PSX & FSX or p3D installed on the same computer, whilst others opt to install the MS Flight Simulator onto another computer.  The options are almost endless & budget dependant.

The links are worth a good read before taking the plunge.

[Dispatcher]

Thanks for your answers. I took a read of those posts.
Of coursse, the native weather generator for PSX, with the Jetrstream drawings, is a masterpiece as it's able to reproduce a weather model for the Whole planet.
As already told several times, unfortunately for long flights it's sometime hard to predict burnoff fuel due the difference between planning software and weather generator.
I thought that PSX.net was able at least to provide PSX the wind aloft (in a static manner) using the WX file generated by PFPX (I wonder why the MCDU is loading the WX winds ?). So if this is not true (and please confirm that), I understand that I need to use FSX; actually i can run both FSX and Active Sky Next; in this case, will PSX.NET be able to do the job? I only care about winds/weather, I don't need visuals.
Thanks

[G-CIVA]

I thought that PSX.net was able at least to provide PSX the wind aloft (in a static manner) using the WX file generated by PFPX (I wonder why the MCDU is loading the WX winds ?). So if this is not true (and please confirm that)

This is true but I think you are misunderstanding the purpose.

PFPX will create a .wx file that can be converted into a format that can be then exported to the PSX FMS to simulate the uplink of Waypoint Wind & temperatures.

This is only half of the story.

You also need to match this with accurate wind and temperature data INSIDE the PSX environment itself.  The PSX FMS is basically a complex computer ... you put in some numbers & figures which it compares to a set of stored figures & databases & it then updates its results & outputs with inputs from external sensors taking into account the ambient conditions.

The data PFPX uses to create the .wx file is taken from real world source.

Without a similar type of real world source of weather injected into the PSX weather environment clearly the information appertaining to the waypoint winds & temperatures is going to be divergent from the actual conditions encountered at each waypoint inside PSX.  Hence the gross errors which explain the issue you are seeing.

I understand that I need to use FSX; actually i can run both FSX and Active Sky Next; in this case, will PSX.NET be able to do the job? I only care about winds/weather, I don't need visuals.

BACARs will do the job with p3D (unsure of FSX compatibility) provided Activesky is also running & 'injecting' live weather into p3D since BACARs now does the job because it contains the wind module required to facilitate the injection of wind & temperature outputs from p3D (originating from the co dependant WX engine) into PSX).

[Dispatcher]

Thanks,
now I figured out how it works!

I only need to see if BACARS Wind option will work with FSX...... anyone already knows that? I hope it does, I wouln't buy P3D (200 bucks!!!) just for this pourpose...

And no way to inject winds trough Xplane 10/11 and the NOAA Weather plugin?

P.S. As already told I really appreciate the weather model on PSX, I think is one of the plus of this simulation, with possibility to get CAT and to blend with the lower weather based on real METARS etc.
To be honest, I tried some long haul flights (Atlantic routes) using just the PSX original weather system, and trying to drawing the jetstreams as close as possible to the real world situation; in some cases I got an accettable situation and the fuel burned was almost compatible to the flighplan (but rarely within values I'd accept in real life planning), in other cases absolutely not due to the complex jetstreams situations on the real planet, not possible to reproduce on the PSX weather model how it is now.

About this I'd like to ask Hardy if you should give more options to draw the jets more freely (for example letting the jets to exceeed their standard latitudes  or invert their motion, or define the altitude beside the speed) in order to match as close as possible the real situation.

Thanks a lot.

Marco

[Gary Oliver]

The BACARS Winds feature only intercepts and changes the PSX winds Uplink to match the the Winds from the Flight plan generated by the dispatch centre.  If you are using PSX weather you may as well disable this feature.

Without this enabled you will just use the standard PSX winds when you request an uplink, therefore matching the PSX weather model.

However if you wanted to keep the features above, you could use one of the other winds aloft inputting programs to insert winds in the PSX weather Module.  JP744 did you have a free app that did this for FSX already?

Cheers
Gary

[G-CIVA]

I wouln't buy P3D (200 bucks!!!) just for this pourpose

There is a much cheaper option regarding p3D which I & many others have been using hassle free since its inception ... the Academic Version ($59.95) is perfectly adequate for your requirements.

Indeed it is the one I use as a scenery generator for my PSX setup.

The price of progress I guess, at least it is supported - unlike FSX which past SP1 was never touched again by MS.

As Gary has hinted JP created a very simple free app called PSXAloft .... unfortunately the links to this are all dead now ... this is his only option available now which unlike Garys software is not freeware:

http://widesimulation.com/products/

[Dispatcher]

... this is his only option available now which unlike Garys software is not freeware:

http://widesimulation.com/products/

Well, before to get P3D i'm gonna try this (there's also a free trial, nice!) with my old FSX / ASN and I'll see.

As far I understand widePSX will inject just the aloft weather/Winds; so I guess the lower weather will be still generated by PSX original weather engine?

[G-CIVA]

As far I understand widePSX will inject just the aloft weather/Winds; so I guess the lower weather will be still generated by PSX original weather engine?

Correct - PSX downloads METARS from a real world source at regular intervals & sets WX zones according to the flight track so long as the user has the box ticked on the Situation>Weather page.

This then populates the WX inside the PSX environment up to FL200.  Is it a WX Engine?  I am not so sure that is the correct terminology?  But in essence you are correct.