ALDARS

15 Minutes after thunder is heard?

In all seriousness if you're working at a manned station turn aldars off. If you don't have a dedicated ltg detection network/software/website/pay service for your station keep aldars on until it detects ltg. Its a great tool if you don't have anything and gives you a heads up. If you're at a location with bad sight lines or can't hear anything keep it on till it wants to go VCTS. In the manual I think it states if ltg detection detects ltg 10 miles or in then the TS is on station. Augment it to TS. On the second edit page turn off lightning so you can go with your own remarks.

Not necessarily an SOP just a rule of thumb. It'll take a bit to get the hang of it and how to figure out how not to fight the ASOS but again it's better than not having any lightning detection and still allows you to control the TS

My SOP says that after the midnight hourly goes out, the observer turns on ALDARS and then he can log off ASOS and whatever the ASOS wants to carry it can. It is not our responsibility anymore after we are scheduled to close. I do have an SOP for the morning shift to QC the information that the ASOS generates while we are closed though to see how it matches up with the last observation and the first one. So far since Feb. 1, 2013 when we went part-time, the ASOS has had many issues overnight that are very suspicious of inaccuracies in the weather info.

Sorry...still getting accustomed to the forum.

[0001]=LTG within 5SM

I don't have ALDARS at my site. Help me understand what is going on
at these places:

KFXE 201553Z 10003KT 10SM -TSRA FEW025 SCT047 OVC090 25/23 A3007 RMK AO2 TSB20E26B27 SLP185 P0050 T02500233=

KOPF 201753Z 11010G20KT 10SM TS FEW029 SCT050 27/21 A3006 RMK AO2 TSB30E43B44 SLP179 T02670211 10306 20267 55000=

Are controllers turning ALDARs on during the middle of a TS, producing a) TS that last less than 15 minutes, and b) restarting the TS 1 minute after ending them?