Summary of Contents for L3 comminications Series II
- Page 1 User’s Guide User’s Guide for the for the Stormscope Stormscope ® ® Series II Weather Mapping Sensor Series II Weather Mapping Sensor Model WX-500 Model WX-500...
- Page 2 ® Stormscope System Advantages Welcome vionics ystems, one of the world’s most experienced L-3 A companies in airborne thunderstorm avoidance instruments, is pleased to welcome you to the family of tens of thousands of pilots who are enjoying the benefits of safer flight with a ®...
- Page 3 User’s Guide for the Stormscope ® Series II Weather Mapping Sensor Model WX-500 Methods and apparatus disclosed and described herein have been developed solely on company funds of L-3 Communications Avionics Systems, Inc. No government or other contractual support or rela- tionship whatsoever has existed which in any way affects or mitigates proprietary rights of L-3 Commu- nications Avionics Systems, Inc.
- Page 4 Safety Summary These warnings and cautions appear later in this guide and are repeated here for emphasis: Never use your tormscope system to attempt to penetrate a WARNING thunderstorm. The dvisory ircular, ubject: hunder- FAA A page 4-1 storms, and the irman’s nformation anual (...
- Page 5 Important Notice tormscope ® functions are controlled through WX-500 various ulti- unction isplays ( s). The many capabili- ties of the allow manufacturers to create WX-500 screens compatible with the various functions of their display. The display screens illustrated in this guide are intended to be characteristic of a group of s that are configured to work with the...
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Page 7: Table Of Contents
Table of Contents Section Page List of Illustrations ......vi List of Tables ........vi Chapter 1, System Description ... 1-1 General Description ............... 1-1 Processor ................1-2 Antenna ................. 1-2 Functional Description ............1-2 Cell Data ................1-3 Strike Data ................1-3 Strike Rate ................ - Page 8 List of Illustrations Figure Title Page WX-500 Major Components ............1-1 WX-500 Functional Diagram ............1-2 Electrical Discharges in Thunderstorms .......... 2-1 Discharge Rate a Function of Wind Shear ........2-2 Airspace Diagram ................4-1 Three Clusters Within 200 nmi ............. 4-3 Range Changed to 100 nmi ............
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Page 9: Chapter 1, System Description
C h a p t e r 1 System Description General Description ® tormscope eries eather apping ensor, model II W (figure ) detects electrical discharges from WX-500 thunderstorms within a nmi radius of the aircraft. This information is then sent to an external ulti- unction isplay (... -
Page 10: Processor
Major Components Chapter 1 – System Description Processor This compact, tray-mounted computer processor receives electrical discharge information from the antenna, processes it to determine range and azimuth, processes the heading input, then forwards the information for presentation on the . The processor may be installed almost anywhere in the aircraft. -
Page 11: Cell Data
Functional Description Chapter 1 – System Description The antenna detects the electric and magnetic fields gener- ated by intra-cloud, inter-cloud, or cloud-to-ground electri- cal discharges that occur within a nmi radius of the aircraft and sends the resulting “discharge signals” to the processor. -
Page 12: Features
Features Chapter 1 – System Description Features • Detects and plots intra-cloud, inter-cloud, and cloud-to- ground electrical discharges • Operates passively requiring no transmitter • Allows total control through the • Detects discharges up to nmi away • Outputs cell and strike data to the •... -
Page 13: Chapter 2, Storm Mapping Principles
C h a p t e r 2 Storm Mapping Principles Anatomy of a Thunderstorm is intended to help pilots avoid the dangers WX-500 associated with thunderstorms (convective wind shear, lightning, icing, tornadoes, etc.). The locates WX-500 thunderstorms by detecting the electrical discharges that thunderstorms always generate. -
Page 14: Discharge Rate A Function Of Wind Shear
Anatomy of a Thunderstorm Chapter 2 – Storm Mapping Principles b.The friction between the opposing air currents causes electrical charges in the area to separate. As positive (+) and negative (–) electrical charges are separated, they accumulate in masses of similar charges (positive charges near the top of the cloud and negative charges near the bottom). -
Page 15: Stages Of A Thunderstorm
Stages of a Thunderstorm Chapter 2 – Storm Mapping Principles tive wind shear turbulence present. In fact, as convective wind shear increases, the rate of electrical discharges increases at an increasing rate. This relationship means that if you find the electrical discharges, you’ve found the wind shear. -
Page 16: The Wx-500 & Weather Radar
Storm Mapping Technology Chapter 2 – Storm Mapping Principles The WX-500 & Weather Radar The storm mapping technology used in the WX-500 fundamentally different than the technology used in weather radar. Weather radar operates by transmitting radio waves in the direction of interest and then receiving echoes from water droplets, whereas the operates by WX-500... -
Page 17: Chapter 3, Operation
C h a p t e r 3 Operation Introduction controls the functions. Refer to your WX-500 ircraft light anual upplement ( ) and the docu- AFMS mentation supplied with the for detailed operating instructions. This chapter provides supplemental informa- tion. -
Page 18: Clear All Discharge Points
Clear All Discharge Points Chapter 3 – Operation Clear All Discharge Points Clearing the discharge points periodically while you’re monitoring thunderstorms is a good way to determine if the storm is building or dissipating. Discharge points in a building storm will reappear faster and in larger numbers. Discharge points in a dissipating storm will appear slower and in smaller numbers. - Page 19 Error Messages Chapter 3 – Operation Table 3-1. Error Messages Error Fault Source Type* Recommended Action Error 01 Main processor Turn off the unit and see your Processor Fault dealer for service. Errors 05 thru 08 Main processor Turn off the unit and see your Processor Fault memory dealer for service.
- Page 20 Error Messages Chapter 3 – Operation Table 3-1. Error Messages (Continued) Error Fault Source Type* Recommended Action Error 23 No 400 Hz NF/R Continue without heading Invalid Synchro Ref reference stabilization. See your dealer for service. Error 24 Mic key (inhibit NF/R Check your microphone key to Mic Key Stuck...
- Page 21 Error Messages Chapter 3 – Operation Nonfatal Faults If a nonfatal fault occurs, all functions not directly affected by the fault continue to operate. See your authorized tormscope dealer as soon as possible to correct the fault. Recoverable Faults A recoverable fault is one that allows the affected functions to automatically resume proper operation after the fault goes away.
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Page 23: Chapter 4, Weather Display Interpretation
C h a p t e r 4 Weather Display Interpretation Never use your tormscope system to attempt to penetrate a WARNING thunderstorm. The dvisory ircular, ubject: hunder- FAA A storms, and the irman’s nformation anual ( ) recom- mend that you “avoid by at least miles any thunderstorm identified as severe or giving an intense radar echo.”... -
Page 24: Radial Spread
Radial Spread Chapter 4 – Weather Display Interpretation square in the grid represents a nmi area. A circle represents the area monitored by your . Areas of gray WX-500 or black indicate thunderstorms. The darker the area, the greater the rate of electrical discharge activity. detects electrical discharges and sends the WX-500 processed information to the... -
Page 25: Typical Patterns
Typical Patterns Chapter 4 – Weather Display Interpretation Typical Patterns Three Clusters within 200 nmi Figure shows the ° weather view at the nmi range. Using this knowledge, the three clusters of discharge points on the left-hand screen (cell display mode) can be inter- preted as representing three thunderstorm cells at the following azimuth and range: Cluster... -
Page 26: Range Changed To 100 Nmi
Typical Patterns Chapter 4 – Weather Display Interpretation mine the severity of thunderstorms based strictly on the number of discharge points. For example, in the western nited tates, a severe thunderstorm may only have a few electrical discharges. When the range is changed to nmi (figure ), only cluster... -
Page 27: Two Clusters Within 200 Nmi
Typical Patterns Chapter 4 – Weather Display Interpretation Two Clusters within 200 nmi Figure illustrates the ° weather view at the range. Using this knowledge, the two clusters of discharge points on the screen can be interpreted as one thunderstorm cell at , about nmi from the aircraft, and another cell... -
Page 28: Mapping Headings Past Thunderstorms
Mapping Past Storms Chapter 4 – Weather Display Interpretation Mapping Headings Past Thunderstorms Figures through and the following paragraphs show the progression of an aircraft past several thunderstorms. Range Set at 200 nmi Figure shows the ° weather view at the nmi range. -
Page 29: Aircraft Progresses 100 Nmi
Mapping Past Storms Chapter 4 – Weather Display Interpretation Aircraft Progresses 100 nmi Figure shows that the aircraft has maintained its heading and progressed nmi. The two thunderstorms off the nose of the aircraft appear to have expanded horizontally on the screen. -
Page 30: Range Changes To 100 Nmi
Mapping Past Storms Chapter 4 – Weather Display Interpretation Range Changes to 100 nmi Figure shows the screen a short time later in the ° weather view at the nmi range. The thunderstorms at are not visible in this view but the thunderstorms off 8:30 the nose of the aircraft appear in greater detail as two separate thunderstorms (at... -
Page 31: Aircraft Turns To Avoid Thunderstorms
Mapping Past Storms Chapter 4 – Weather Display Interpretation Aircraft Turns to Avoid Thunderstorms Figure shows the screen a short time later after the aircraft has turned to the right to avoid the thunderstorms. When connected to a compatible heading system, the automatically rotates new discharge points to their correct position relative to the new heading. -
Page 32: Randomly Scattered Discharge Points
Special Patterns Chapter 4 – Weather Display Interpretation Special Patterns Randomly Scattered Discharge Points Atmospheric instability associated with cumulus clouds, or developing or dissipating thunderstorms could cause randomly scattered discharge points as shown in figure Random discharge points are more likely to appear in the strike display mode than in the cell display mode due to the cell display mode’s clustering algorithm. - Page 33 Special Patterns Chapter 4 – Weather Display Interpretation Rate Rate CELL STRIKE 25nm 25nm Figure 4-10. Cluster & Splattering Within 25 nmi Continue to head away from the main cluster. While the main cluster should be your primary concern, you should also avoid any groups of discharge points within the range.
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Page 34: Discharge Points Off The Aircraft's Nose
Special Patterns Chapter 4 – Weather Display Interpretation Discharge Points Off Aircraft’s Nose Figure shows the ° weather view at the 4-11 range. The discharge points ahead of the aircraft could be caused by a strong thunderstorm just beyond the range. -
Page 35: Line Of Discharge Points While Taxiing
Special Patterns Chapter 4 – Weather Display Interpretation Line of Discharge Points While Taxiing Passing over a cable beneath the taxiway can cause a line of discharge points across the screen as shown in figure 4-12 Similar concentrations of discharge points across the screen may appear while taxiing due to electrical signals from nearby equipment such as arc welders or subway rails. -
Page 36: Developing Cluster Within 25 Nmi
Special Patterns Chapter 4 – Weather Display Interpretation Developing Cluster Within 25 nmi Figure shows a developing thunderstorm nmi from 4-13 the aircraft. If you see a screen such as this with a developing cluster within nmi, you should change course to avoid the storm and continue to monitor the Stormscope sensor information displayed on the Rate... -
Page 37: Chapter 5, Specifications
C h a p t e r 5 Specifications Table 5-1. WX-500 Specifications* Part Number Definition: 805-11500-001 – WX-500 processor 805-10930-001 – NY-163 antenna, white 805-10930-002 – NY-163 antenna, black Features: Cell or Strike mode 200 nmi range Built-in self tests Automatic heading stabilization Microphone inhibit line Integrity indicator... -
Page 38: Wx-500 Specifications
WX-500 Specifications Chapter 5 – Specifications Table 5-1. WX-500 Specifications* (Continued) Electrical Characteristics: Input voltage: 11 to 32 V dc Current: 0.82 A max @ 12 V dc 0.38 A max @ 28 V dc RTCA Compliance: Processor Environmental: DO-160C: F2-BA(NBM)XXXXXXZ(AB)ABZTZAZEZXX Processor Software: DO-178B Level D Antenna:... - Page 39 Record of Important Information Dealer Information Name _________________________________________ Address ________________________________________ City, State, Zip __________________________________ Telephone ______________________________________ Equipment Information Date of Purchase _________________________________ Installation Date _________________________________ Processor: Model Number _______________________________ Part Number ________________________________ Serial Number _______________________________ Mod Letter __________________________________ Firmware Version _____________________________ Antenna: Model Number _______________________________ Part Number ________________________________...
- Page 40 This technical data is controlled under the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and may not be exported without proper authorization by the U.S. Department of Commerce. 009-11501-001 (Rev. C, 12/05/03) L-3 Communications Avionics Systems, Inc. Stormscope WX-500 ® 5353 52nd Street, S.E. Grand Rapids, MI 49512 USA (800)253-9525 www.L-3com.com/as...