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Weather Radar Training

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mike1mc

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 3, 2002
Posts
575
Anybody know of any websites where one can get some useful info on using weather radar. I know about Archie Tremmel (?) and his course, but I'm looking for something free (of course).
 
What do you want to know? Seems like you have a good resource right here.

Nothing is free.
 
Looing for any operational tips (how to use tilt, gain, etc.). I'm new to the whole radar thing (been flying an old Baron), but now I get to see what I'm about to fly into :D Any help is appreciated.
 
Mike,

The first thing to know about radar is that it won't tell you what you're about to fly into. If properly used, it can tell you about liquid precipitation. It can also be used for terrain information. However, radar does have it's limitations, not the least of which is shadowing due to attentuation...that means that one return can mask another behind it, and what looks clear can really be something else entirely.

Frozen precipitation shows weak returns, and sometimes no returns at all. A t-cell poking hail will show moisture where it's liquid, but the hail may not show up at all, or may have very little reflectivity, and relatively little attenuation.

If you can obtain or view the Trammel course, it's very dry, but worth the time. There's a lot of information you'll never remember, but it's still good to go through.
Several books are available on the subject, too.

Tilt management is about pointing the radar where it can do the most good, for what you're trying to accomplish. That depends on what you want it to do. Before departing an airport, having the radar tilted upward allows you to see what's above. This tells you what weather may be above you. As precip falls down, it tells you about convective weather with active vertical precip...thunderstorms being the most critical. You see it above, and it extends down.

When enroute, you tilt both up and down occasionally; you're looking for weather that may be above you, as it can affect you beneath it. You're looking for weather below while preparing to descend; you may have a storm beneath that is of concern.

You can determine the approximate height and other information based on your tilt management; that gets a little more complex.

As a general rule, when enroute, set your radar at the 40 nm setting, and tilt down until just a little ground clutter appears at the top of the screen. This is the bottom of the radar beam, 40 nm out. This gives you a good picture of what lies ahead, remembering that you must occasionally sweep high as well as simply ahead or low. By altering the amount of tilt you have on your antenna, you can also use it for ground mapping; you can see reflections indicating terrain such as mountains, and even bodies of water. This can also be useful, so long as you don't try to predicate terrain avoidance on weather radar.

Radar should be used all the time, not just when there is weather to be encountered enroute. Use of radar is necessary for the longevity of the radar unit. Some folks believe that the unit shouldn't be used unless it's necessary, and that's really the opposite of the truth. It should be used all the time; you can't wear it out during the typical operational life of the unit. It's longevity is not only a use issue, but a callendar issue, and it's unlikely you'll use it enough to come close to wearing it out during it's callendar life. Conversely, not using it can drastically reduce radar life.

Mike, repost this question on the general board; you'll get a wide variety of responses, hopefully, with some discussion and valueable information. I believe this site has a search feature, too. I know some good discussions about weather radar and it's useages have been here before.
 
Radar should be used all the time, not just when there is weather to be encountered enroute. Use of radar is necessary for the longevity of the radar unit. Some folks believe that the unit shouldn't be used unless it's necessary, and that's really the opposite of the truth. It should be used all the time; you can't wear it out during the typical operational life of the unit. It's longevity is not only a use issue, but a callendar issue, and it's unlikely you'll use it enough to come close to wearing it out during it's callendar life. Conversely, not using it can drastically reduce radar life.

AVBUG, WHATS THE REFERENCE FOR THIS? NOT SAYING YOUR WRONG< JUST WANT TO READ IT MYSELF
 
Avbug, Question...

You're not answering my PMs, so I gotta post...

Do you have a specific reason for saying not to use the Weather RADAR for ground mapping?

Fly SAFE!
Jedi Nein
 
Actually, I don't believe I ever advocated not using radar for ground mapping. I simply said not to predicate terrain avoidance on weather radar. That's not the same thing as saying don't use it for ground mapping.

Radar is useful for ground mapping purposes, and should be used. But one should NEVER predicate terrain avoidance on weather radar.

Use it for identifying ground features, and it can be used as a safety device to provide a heads-up on terrain, but don't rely on it, or predicate descent or flight profiles on the use of weather radar for ground avoidance.

As far as general use, leaving a radar unit off longer than 30 days can have definite harmful effects on the longevity of the unit. For best service and longest life, the unit should be used frequently; there's little reason not to have it on during every flight.
 

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