What is the difference between METAR and AUTO-METAR?

ezMETAR weather station with a MeteoShield® in the forefront above a small private airport

ezMETAR weather station with a MeteoShield® in the forefront above a small private airport

What does the word "AUTO" in a METAR message indicate?

  • The presence of "AUTO" in a METAR report message indicates a fully automated report with no human intervention.

  • Absence of AUTO indicates that the report is either a manual report or an automated report with an observer logged on to the system.
    (The report modifier group which contains the AUTO or COR modifiers does not appear in all reports.)

What does the word "COR" in a METAR message indicate?

  • Presence of "COR" in a METAR means that a corrected METAR or SPECI is being transmitted. "COR" report invalidates a previous message and replaces it with a "COR" message.

Can "AUTO" and "COR" be in a METAR message simultaneously?

  • "AUTO" and "COR" cannot be transmitted in the same METAR. Logic indicates that if the term "COR" is used, the observation cannot be "AUTO", because someone (observer) is correcting it.

  • Any automatic "AUTO" report generating system has no way of knowing that the previous message needs to be corrected since it was generated by the rules programmed into the system.

  • If an observer is not monitoring METAR observations from a weather station, than by default, the METAR report messages sent from the weather station must contain the modifier word "AUTO".

  • "AUTO" informs the pilot that the system is not being monitored by a human observer and the associated risks.

When is SPECI report generated and what is it?

  • SPECI is issued and transmitted when a significant change in weather conditions occurs (deterioration or improvement). Significant change in winds and gusts, visibility, cloud base height or occurrence of severe weather. It can be issued by an AUTO METAR generating system based on ICAO & WMO guidelines.

Paraphrased from: Aeronautical Information Manual Study Guide For The Private Pilot: 2013

For more information about the MeteoHelix®, ezMETAR airport weather stations and AUTO-METAR weather monitoring system please visit BARANI DESIGN website: www.baranidesign.com or visit us in person at Farnborough Airshow 2018 in hall 3, booth 3418. 


Basic AUTO-METAR example:

  • LZPH12345 112000Z AUTO 00000KT //// // ////// 26/16 Q1007

METARlogGSM sends a METAR report in the following format to any specified FTP server & port: 
METAR LZPH12345 112000Z AUTO 29006KT //// // ////// 26/16 Q1007=

Complex AUTO-METAR example:

  • EGLL 081420Z AUTO 29006KT 260V340 9999 VCTS SCT038/// //////CB 25/15 Q1023 TEMPO 4000 +TSRA


BARANI DESIGN TECHNOLOGIES IS A MANUFACTURER OF PROFESSIONAL WEATHER STATIONS AND METEOHELIX PERSONAL WEATHER STATIONS

BARANI DESIGN TECHNOLOGIES IS A MANUFACTURER OF PROFESSIONAL WEATHER STATIONS AND METEOHELIX PERSONAL WEATHER STATIONS

MeteoHelix® micro-weather stations for airstrips

MeteoHelix® micro-weather stations for airstrips

Wireless weather monitoring solution for small airports and heliports is set to be priced below 500 Eur, making it the most economical WMO compliant wireless weather station on the market for use on even the most cost conscientious airstrips.

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MeteoShield becomes part of an Award-nominated Precision Agriculture Solution by 30MHz HQ

MeteoShield® Professional in testing as part of 30MHz HQ Precision Agro sensor solution

MeteoShield® Professional in testing as part of 30MHz HQ Precision Agro sensor solution

BARANI DESIGN Helical MeteoShield® Professional has become an integral part of an award-nominated Precision Agriculture microclimate monitoring sensor solution for 30MHz HQ, a Netherland based precision agriculture company with worldwide reach. 30MHz HQ will exhibit at stand 08.429 at the GreenTech Expo & Horticultures ForeFront in RAI Amsterdam, Holland.

After initial testing and evaluation of the performance of the patented helical radiation shield design by BARANI DESIGN Technologies, a Slovakia based company with roots in the USA, 30MHz HQ has made it an integral part for their precision agriculture sensor solution. The patented helical radiation shield design enables internally mounted sensors to achieve accuracy superior to the best currently available ventilated sensor boxes at a fraction of the cost. The helical technology was featured in Meteorological Technology News and in greenhouse applications, it has shown temperature readings lower by multiple degrees Celsius in the sun as compared to the current state of the art.

This level of air temperature accuracy improvement enables significantly better climate control of greenhouses and accurate prediction of important plant growth parameters.

For more information visit the GreenTech EXPO on June 12-14 in Amsterdam, Holland or contact the companies below: 

 

GreenTech EXPO & Horticultures ForeFront 
Location: RAI Amsterdam, Holland.
Dates: 12 - 13 - 14 June 2018
Booth: 08.429

30MHz HQ
Moezelhavenweg 9
1043AM Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Contact:  contact@30mhz.com
Phone: +31 (0) 6 14551362
Web: www.30mhz.com

BARANI DESIGN Technologies s.r.o.
Klincova 35
82108 Bratislava
Slovakia
Contact:  sales@baranidesign.com
Phone: +421 (0) 948 067 125
Web: www.baranidesign.com