What Did You Do Today???

[RandyDSok]

@Rob Lancaster

Personally, I prefer to use an app or program to view radar data since they usually provide more options that websites ( by anyone ). The following is more info than you need but it gives some of the options available.

The first one I'll mention is called MyRadar, which is free for Android, IOS and Windows, isn't the best at radar but it is a good general overview type of app and does provide a nice mosaic that you can include a lot of other weather related data... Things like a wind graphic that indicates direction and speed, cloud cover, fronts, SPC outlooks, temps, hurricane info, wildfire, air quality and a crap ton of other info. Additional options like single site radar info is available for a subscription fee. As a general overview of radar and weather, it can't be beat for the price.

The next one I can't ignore is Radarscope. It's a single site radar app available on most platforms except Linux... so Android, IOS, Mac and Windows. It's a single charge for the basic app ( $9.99 ) with additional data available for subscriptions ( what they call Level 1 for $9.99 a year and Level 2 which is about $100 per yr ). On the basic app you have all of the level 3 radar products available as well as what they call SuperRes for both the reflectivity and velocity products. SuperRes is basically level 2 ( higher resolution ) data that is precompiled for the device so a large amount of data download isn't required making it nice on portable devices like smartphones.

The last 3 products are from a company called GrLevelx and are professional level products. Two of them are radar based, one for the standard definition level 3 radar products and one for the high definition level 2 products. You can use customized color tables ( the other products above do not allow customization on these ) and they allow what is called placefiles to add additional data to the radar data as overlays. Some of the placefiles I use have weather data like temps, wind speeds, humidity, lightning data and just about anything else that is available as a data feed. In addition you can also add GIS data for more detail maps of roads, railways, riverways and the like. GrLevel3 is $79.95 and GrLevel2 Analyst is $250.00 ( both are at v2.x currently ). The 3rd product is more for weather analysis with the latest weather data ( not real time), access to the forecast models and also including a radar mosaic on a national level ( CONUS ) and some additional worldwide data as well and the data feed for it is provided by a 3rd party company that requires a yearly subscription of $180.00 per year. They also still list their plain Grlevel2 ( that isn't the Analyst version ) but it has been discontinued, it's still there to allow the owners that had purchased it, to re-download it again if needed.

 

[Rob Lancaster]

Here's the best loop I could find.. Hawaii Weather Radar Loops

And your right, I meant pretty much the speed or pause settings. And back ground, and roads and counties and the ability to go to the bottom of the page a go to any radar in the country. Oh and the clock is only UTC, I want local time the way it was... I don't know, I'm disappointed in the new setup...

I've seen many other radar products from the news and other private sources and I always came back to the NOAA site. Oh I almost forgot, the old site had auto-update and it worked great.. Actually I have more complaints but you get the gest.. You got-ah know the old site I'm talking about; right?

 

[Rob Lancaster]

@Rob Lancaster

Personally, I prefer to use an app or program to view radar data since they usually provide more options that websites ( by anyone ). The following is more info than you need but it gives some of the options available.

The first one I'll mention is called MyRadar, which is free for Android, IOS and Windows, isn't the best at radar but it is a good general overview type of app and does provide a nice mosaic that you can include a lot of other weather related data... Things like a wind graphic that indicates direction and speed, cloud cover, fronts, SPC outlooks, temps, hurricane info, wildfire, air quality and a crap ton of other info. Additional options like single site radar info is available for a subscription fee. As a general overview of radar and weather, it can't be beat for the price.

The next one I can't ignore is Radarscope. It's a single site radar app available on most platforms except Linux... so Android, IOS, Mac and Windows. It's a single charge for the basic app ( $9.99 ) with additional data available for subscriptions ( what they call Level 1 for $9.99 a year and Level 2 which is about $100 per yr ). On the basic app you have all of the level 3 radar products available as well as what they call SuperRes for both the reflectivity and velocity products. SuperRes is basically level 2 ( higher resolution ) data that is precompiled for the device so a large amount of data download isn't required making it nice on portable devices like smartphones.

The last 3 products are from a company called GrLevelx and are professional level products. Two of them are radar based, one for the standard definition level 3 radar products and one for the high definition level 2 products. You can use customized color tables ( the other products above do not allow customization on these ) and they allow what is called placefiles to add additional data to the radar data as overlays. Some of the placefiles I use have weather data like temps, wind speeds, humidity, lightning data and just about anything else that is available as a data feed. In addition you can also add GIS data for more detail maps of roads, railways, riverways and the like. GrLevel3 is $79.95 and GrLevel2 Analyst is $250.00 ( both are at v2.x currently ). The 3rd product is more for weather analysis with the latest weather data ( not real time), access to the forecast models and also including a radar mosaic on a national level ( CONUS ) and some additional worldwide data as well and the data feed for it is provided by a 3rd party company that requires a yearly subscription of $180.00 per year. They also still list their plain Grlevel2 ( that isn't the Analyst version ) but it has been discontinued, it's still there to allow the owners that had purchased it, to re-download it again if needed.

Yeah it looks like this might be the only way to get a decent view...
Thanks buddy!...

 

[Tony]

I'm pretty sure it is easier to learn how to fly a CCPM helicopter all over again rather than learning this new router config! There is most definitely a steep learning curve in learning this new equipment, and I have not even began working on SSH... That is going to bring a whole new level of "learning curve" to this stuff lol.

 

[Rob Lancaster]

I'm pretty sure it is easier to learn how to fly a CCPM helicopter all over again rather than learning this new router config! There is most definitely a steep learning curve in learning this new equipment, and I have not even began working on SSH... That is going to bring a whole new level of "learning curve" to this stuff lol.

I hartley agree with you on that Tony. Maybe someday more of that computer jargon might sink in, ha!

In the mean time I flew my Trex 450 3 times a couple of days ago. She flies great! Wish I had more room. Anyway my lawn here is rough, even when cut. So take offs and landings are sketchy. Even the tail rotor is cutting grass. Sometimes the rear skids dig in at take off and oh boy that's a pucker factor event! I love the Trex 450 Pro but the stock skids aren't very wide at the skid pipes so it ain't stable and the tail rotor clearance to ground is to low...

Sooooooo,,, here's what I'm working on.
My nephew in California has a 3D printer so I thought this would be the perfect time learn more about that and use the technology to manufacture some new skids. He said no problem! Alright! Let's rock!! Ha!

So far I finished the new measurements with photos and I just sent them to him. I'm sure they'll need tweaking but the ball is rolling. I also want to add heal pads to the rear of the skids. Like the MD500D uses. He said we can look over a 3d illustration before it's printed out and make sure everything is kosher.. WILD!!

Good luck on your new venture Tony, I'm having fun here...

 

[RandyDSok]

I'm pretty sure it is easier to learn how to fly a CCPM helicopter all over again rather than learning this new router config! There is most definitely a steep learning curve in learning this new equipment, and I have not even began working on SSH... That is going to bring a whole new level of "learning curve" to this stuff lol.

Hopefully you are regularly saving your configs as you go... in the event that you take a mis-step and need to revert to an earlier one without having to completely reset and start over.

 

[leedude1]

Hola folks, been a while.

Think we'll get to see a few fun flies this year people?

I'm going friggin stir crazy here in Montreal. Things are a little tighter with imposed curfews and all kinds of stuff going on, but another lost summer of fun flies will be tough pill to swallow.

 

[Fly-n-Low]

I hartley agree with you on that Tony. Maybe someday more of that computer jargon might sink in, ha!

In the mean time I flew my Trex 450 3 times a couple of days ago. She flies great! Wish I had more room. Anyway my lawn here is rough, even when cut. So take offs and landings are sketchy. Even the tail rotor is cutting grass. Sometimes the rear skids dig in at take off and oh boy that's a pucker factor event! I love the Trex 450 Pro but the stock skids aren't very wide at the skid pipes so it ain't stable and the tail rotor clearance to ground is to low...

Sooooooo,,, here's what I'm working on.
My nephew in California has a 3D printer so I thought this would be the perfect time learn more about that and use the technology to manufacture some new skids. He said no problem! Alright! Let's rock!! Ha!

So far I finished the new measurements with photos and I just sent them to him. I'm sure they'll need tweaking but the ball is rolling. I also want to add heal pads to the rear of the skids. Like the MD500D uses. He said we can look over a 3d illustration before it's printed out and make sure everything is kosher.. WILD!!

Good luck on your new venture Tony, I'm having fun here...

I have a 500 Trex, after a few close calls I installed a 600 gear set on it... which I think is the same as the 700? Anyway the 3D thing doesn't work for you, this might.

 

[Rob Lancaster]

I have a 500 Trex, after a few close calls I installed a 600 gear set on it... which I think is the same as the 700? Anyway the 3D thing doesn't work for you, this might.

That's an interesting approach, I never thought of it. Anyway the 3D printer approach turns out to be unbelievable. The first proto type is finished and installed on the aircraft already. I didn't weigh it yet but they seem similar in weight all though the new skids are bigger.. The reason their orange is because that's the color of the filament chosen for its chemical makeup. You know weight, strength and UV resistance. There's different colors for different applications. Awesome ah..

As it is, I don't want Magnum P.I. orange on the chopper so black it is. I had some black spray paint so here we are. Although it took almost 3 days for the paint to dry because of the high humidity; its looks much nicer now.. These new skids are way better but because I can easily run off another proto type, I will be making some minor changes. Including adding some heal plates to the skids heals. You just use a certain computer draw program to design the model. Then feed it into the printer and BOOM! It's freaken magic!! LOL!!

Paul, send me some photos of your setup... I'd love to see them.

 

[Fly-n-Low]

Never thought about LEDs on one. That should help with orientation for sure. I know mine has gone down more than once because I lost it!

 

[Rob Lancaster]

Oh man I know what you mean about orientation. I'm kind of Dyslexic and sometimes my brain freezes up longer that I'd like.

Never thought about LEDs on one. That should help with orientation for sure. I know mine has gone down more than once because I lost it!

View attachment 23379

I know what you mean about orientation. I have a Dyslexic problem and sometimes my brain just freezes up. I'm looking right at it but are confused as to its orientation. I also have a problem with depth perception. The chopper has to move a few feet to and from me before I can see the movement. Nice hah...

I wish the guy that made my LED controller was still in business. His website (punkrc.com) went dark years ago. The LED controller I got from him is a very versatile unit. It has 16 channels and each can be programmed 10 different ways. But wait that's not all, ha! It's made to work with a three position switch. That means 16 channels can have 3 preprogramed settings. Just flip the switch to change between the 3 settings..

For example I programmed pos 0 for all channels off.

Pos 2 is set to operate the landing light, the two nav lights on the skids and two red alternate double blinking lights. One on the front canopy and one on the tail fin.

Pos 3 is set to operate all the above mentioned but adds two alternate quick triple white strobes to the mix. Again one is on the canopy and the other in mounted on the tail fin. It looks very nice and civilized. Have a look at this link. It's Robin explaining the programming options of my controller. PunkRC Micro Light Controller Programming Demo - YouTube ..

My brother is a electrical tech guy but says we need the exact parts list to make another one because there's no markings on the electrical components to identify them. We can reproduce the double sided printed circuit board but obviously need the correct components to complete the unit. I wonder if there's a way to track this guy down and maybe score the plans for the unit. If successful; you guys will be the first to know ...

 

[Fly-n-Low]

Wow!!! Pretty complicated set up, but I like it!!! I have one of these from Detrum that is so simple. You plug in one bank you get flash, the other constant.

Not bad for 11 bucks with leds and 8 bucks without.

Detrum LED driver with LED lights

North America Dynam, Detrum and TomCat distributor

www.bitgohobby.com

Detrum airplane LED driver

North America Dynam, Detrum and TomCat distributor

www.bitgohobby.com

 

[Rob Lancaster]

Wow!!! Pretty complicated set up, but I like it!!! I have one of these from Detrum that is so simple. You plug in one bank you get flash, the other constant.

Not bad for 11 bucks with leds and 8 bucks without.

Detrum LED driver with LED lights

North America Dynam, Detrum and TomCat distributor

www.bitgohobby.com

Detrum airplane LED driver

North America Dynam, Detrum and TomCat distributor

www.bitgohobby.com

Last time I looked I didn't see these things.

I was playing with my LED controller's programming last night. Very cool device for sure. I really love it.

 

[Fly-n-Low]

Freezing my a** off!!! I am in NE Louisiana right across the MS River from Vicksburg... And we are NOT used to this cold! 28 here right now and the high today was 33. They dropped forecasted the low to 6F Monday night. If it makes it that low, it will break a record from 1960! I have never seen it that cold here. There are gonna be some pipes a bustin' under them shacks in town!!! Good thing I have 30 gallons of water in jugs. Also have a propane heater if/when the power fails. They are saying up to a 1/2 of ice. I hope we don't get that! Then it is suppose to snow Sunday, Monday, and pretty much off and on really getting bad Wednesday night into Thursday.... WTH? Global what?

 

[RandyDSok]

Temp-wise... you ain't seen nothing yet... lol.

Were Tony and I area at... Currently we are at 12° F with Monday's high forecasted to only be around 4° F by the NWS. We've been below freezing since Tuesday so far. Today we've had pretty light snow, moderate at times in a few locations but it's currently not really collecting anywhere but on the grassy areas. The roads have been clearing during the days but getting icy at night. The NWS forecast of snow for Sunday and Monday has us on the line between the 6"-8" and the 8"-12" areas, thankfully that is down from when some were forecasting up to 16" in our area. Then around Tues-Weds, another round of snow with about 3"-6" is being talked about.

Whatever happens, where ever you are in this area and to the east of us... I think this one may be another one for the books.... The last time we got about this amount ( amount currently forecasted ) was in 2009 with OKC seeing around 14" total.

 

[Rob Lancaster]

Ok, living in Hawaii most of my life,, I can't imagine low temps like that. Now I've seen videos of snow and blizzards on the mainland but could all those videos be just fake CGI?? HA!! My mom insists that it's not because she grew up in the Midwest. Really!? For real!?? Like they say here, lol....

All kid'n aside,, that's burrrr city man! Here we've be going down into the upper to mid 60s at night and man my knees don't like that at all. Over there I'd be a frozen show man! Where's my freaken heated wheel chair?! Oh jeezo man!........... Keep the home fires burning...........

 

[D.O.G.]

Mother nature isn't happy with us. My body, with all the abuse I took while young, can't handle the cold either. That's one reason I moved to Florida back in 86. That front is going by us now but not that freezing cold weather but that nasty rain. Yesterday, when I went flying was around low 80's. With this front and the temperature we been having all week, our weather should be bright. With all the lighting from the thunder storm and heavy down pour, plus high gusty winds, it's the right ingredients for a ugly weekend . Good day to work on my RC vehicles .

 

[leedude1]

Yeah, we were sitting at -26 this morning here in Montreal, so that's about -7 or so for you guys, we're a little more accustomed to the colder temps and the normal at this time is -13 /14 but this is still brutal then add the wind and ..."no nice" (like my grandma would say) ..."no nice at all". lol should be settling back over the next few days... but the trip to the woodpile this morning was not pleasant at all.

 

[Fly-n-Low]

Our houses aren't up to snuff insulation wise. Neither is my HVAC. Heat pump looses efficiency at about 45F and starts going backwards much below 20. If not for propane, I would be in a fix. If we make it past the ice, I can deal with snow. Monday earlier they were saying 5-6" of snow... Now they are back to 1/2 to 3/4" ice/rain.... So they don't know what the heck it is going to do. We haven't had significant snow fall since around '72.

And heck yea, the c-old hurts! LOL!!! My hands are what get me. I need some heated mittens because nothing else will work for long.

BTW I was thinking of my Kingfisher because it came with skis!

 

[Fly-n-Low]

Never broke 22F today. Now they are saying 7 for tonight -2 wind chill. I could hear the sleet hitting my windows last night. I think we received 4-5" of sleet. It drifted up on my garage door about 10". It is covering all the roads. At least it isn't freezing rain/ice. So far I still have water and power.

I had to put the skis on. Wind was gusting 20-25mph so photo op only.