Real-Time U.S. Composite Satellite Imagery: Large Animation

[Craig Funston[_3_]]

I don't know if anyone else is using this site, but it's nice to see the US weather patterns in a visual summary.

https://www.ssec.wisc.edu/data/us_comp/large/

Craig
JN

[Eric Greenwell[_4_]]

Craig Funston wrote on 6/2/2020 9:29 AM:
> I don't know if anyone else is using this site, but it's nice to see the US weather patterns in a visual summary.
>
> https://www.ssec.wisc.edu/data/us_comp/large/
>
> Craig
> JN
>
I like this site because it offers CONUS down to state level views, with better
than 1km resolution, so I can see even small cu.

https://weather.cod.edu/satrad/?parms=subregional-Pac_NW-02-24-1-100-1&checked=map&colorbar=undefined

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to email me)
- "A Guide to Self-Launching Sailplane Operation"
https://sites.google.com/site/motorgliders/publications/download-the-guide-1

[Kerry]

Great point. Been using the last 2 GOES hi-res satellites since, I think, Walt Wx posted them. Some beta sites for those are still active and offer additional weather and navigational overlays.

Any cleaver techies out there that could find a way to stream this product into a glider at altitude? I looked into Stratus, Sirius and direct satellite (ADS-B?) but don't see they offer this.

[Eric Greenwell[_4_]]

Kerry wrote on 6/2/2020 10:50 AM:
> Great point. Been using the last 2 GOES hi-res satellites since, I think, Walt Wx posted them. Some beta sites for those are still active and offer additional weather and navigational overlays.
>
> Any cleaver techies out there that could find a way to stream this product into a glider at altitude? I looked into Stratus, Sirius and direct satellite (ADS-B?) but don't see they offer this.
>
I sometimes get my referenced high resolution satellite image website in the air
on my phone, but Verizon isn't always available, or isn't fast enough (though
texts might still work).

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to email me)
- "A Guide to Self-Launching Sailplane Operation"
https://sites.google.com/site/motorgliders/publications/download-the-guide-1

[[email protected]]

On Tuesday, June 2, 2020 at 7:50:40 PM UTC+2, Kerry wrote:
> Great point. Been using the last 2 GOES hi-res satellites since, I think, Walt Wx posted them. Some beta sites for those are still active and offer additional weather and navigational overlays.
>
> Any cleaver techies out there that could find a way to stream this product into a glider at altitude? I looked into Stratus, Sirius and direct satellite (ADS-B?) but don't see they offer this.

You can already get the realtime GOES high-res satellite photo on an LX9000 (with the wifi module, tethered to your phone) via the SkySight integration.

Even if the signal is very poor, it will keep trying until it gets through. Don't put your phone in the side pocket against your carbon fuselage though, mount it somewhere clear of the canopy rail.

[[email protected]]

Fine subscription product, but it also relies on the same cell phone reception which is, at best, iffy above ~4,000ft agl. One can buy small cell "booster" units that marginally improve reception. Ideally, you'd want a satellite phone or small sat receiver that can process the raw GOES data on board.. Unless someone knows that Stratus/Siriius already provides this capability. And, yes, I would pay a chunk of money to know if that cumulus street I'm in extends more than the couple miles I can see ahead. Wouldn't have to worry so much about firing up the turbo.

[[email protected]]

On Wednesday, 3 June 2020 02:33:24 UTC+2, wrote:
> Fine subscription product, but it also relies on the same cell phone reception which is, at best, iffy above ~4,000ft agl. One can buy small cell "booster" units that marginally improve reception. Ideally, you'd want a satellite phone or small sat receiver that can process the raw GOES data on board. Unless someone knows that Stratus/Siriius already provides this capability. And, yes, I would pay a chunk of money to know if that cumulus street I'm in extends more than the couple miles I can see ahead. Wouldn't have to worry so much about firing up the turbo.

Iffy is typically enough - really, try mounting it above the canopy rail and you'll see reception frequently enough to download a satellite image in almost all flying sites every half hour.

I've heard all manner of theories as to why it doesn't work in region X because the cell phone towers point down or there's too many cells etc etc, but the majority report it actually does work when they actually no longer keep their phone in the side pocket or only pop it out occasionally, see no signal then put it back.

In some regions I've had better results disabling 2G on my phone (4G/3G only).

Tested personally in Europe at FL200, in Namibia/South Africa/Minden at FL180, in Australia at FL160.

Some users have bought satellite wifi units but they're prohibitively expensive unfortunately.
I hope that in the future we'll see decent 4G antennas in the tail plumbed directly to instruments so that this isn't an issue any more.

A ground-based ADS-B solution would be great but will likely only ever be a regional setup.

[5Z]

On Tuesday, June 2, 2020 at 11:41:59 PM UTC-7, wrote:
> Some users have bought satellite wifi units but they're prohibitively expensive unfortunately.

Maybe a Starlink base station will be compact enough to carry in the glider...

https://www.starlink.com/

5Z

[5Z]

https://spacenews.com/spacex-plans-to-start-offering-starlink-broadband-services-in-2020/

On Thursday, June 4, 2020 at 1:14:11 PM UTC-7, 5Z wrote:
> On Tuesday, June 2, 2020 at 11:41:59 PM UTC-7, wrote:
> > Some users have bought satellite wifi units but they're prohibitively expensive unfortunately.
>
> Maybe a Starlink base station will be compact enough to carry in the glider...
>
> https://www.starlink.com/
>
> 5Z

[Nick Kennedy[_3_]]

Hey Craig and Eric
Thanks for posting those links to those satellite images.
I've added both to my bookmarks and I really like them!
Nick
T

[Nick Kennedy[_3_]]

Hey 5Z
Do you have In cockpit Satellite images now ?
Is there any reasonably affordable options out there today for Great Basin / Utah / Colorado flying?
I'd love to have this stuff in my plane too!
I think you'd need a quite bright screen to read it in the sunlight.
Or maybe you'd need to build a sunshade shroud around your device?
Nick
T

[5Z]

On Friday, June 12, 2020 at 8:49:39 AM UTC-7, Nick Kennedy wrote:
> Hey 5Z
> Do you have In cockpit Satellite images now ?
> Is there any reasonably affordable options out there today for Great Basin / Utah / Colorado flying?
> I'd love to have this stuff in my plane too!
> I think you'd need a quite bright screen to read it in the sunlight.
> Or maybe you'd need to build a sunshade shroud around your device?
> Nick
> T

Heh, missed this message before today. Nope, just LOW (Look Out Window). But you can get Sirius weather for aircraft. :-)

5Z