Radarscope & Icons

[Francis]

Does anyone know how to have Radarscope display hail icons & meso icons? I have PYKL3 on my android and it displays these. Customer support told me Radarscope doesn't show these icons with or without data (Like allisonhouse or wtv). Just wondering if anyone figured a way around that? Seems the software is not very useful without icons right? I should of just used www.chasertv.com for free instead of buying that.....at least they display icons lol. I guess I will have to use PYKL3 & Radarscope simultaneously to know what the storm characteristics are. Anyone have any idea? Keep in mind that this is for MAC.

 

[Jason Boggs]

I may be wrong, but I don't think there is a way around it. Icons are useful, but not necessary for radar interpretation.

 

[Brett Roberts]

I have both PYKL3 and RadarScope on my phone, and as far as I've been able to tell, products like MEHS and meso/TVS (as well as METARs and detailed roads) are simply missing in RadarScope, limiting its practicality for chasing purposes. For Mac, perhaps you could run GRLevel3 via some type of VM software, or dual boot Windows?

Overall, the native radar software options for Apple (iOS and OS X) seem to be less chaser-friendly than those on Android and Windows.

 

[Marcus Diaz]

It doesn't have them. But then again if I'm chasing a supercell I'm most likely using my eyes to judge the storm. The hail sizes on the radar is usually exaggerated. Then again if it won't bust my windshield, I dont mind being in it. To me the extra icons on PYKL3 are merely extra things for my data to load. Sometimes a simple radar with GPS tracking is all you want.

 

[Dave Gallaher]

It doesn't have them. But then again if I'm chasing a supercell I'm most likely using my eyes to judge the storm. The hail sizes on the radar is usually exaggerated. Then again if it won't bust my windshield, I dont mind being in it. To me the extra icons on PYKL3 are merely extra things for my data to load. Sometimes a simple radar with GPS tracking is all you want.

One of many great things about PYKL3 is being able to turn off this stuff through four Viewsets. You can just have what you want on display, and it loads fast on my Motorola droid. It also loops up much more quickly than anything I've seen for phones.

 

[Marcus Diaz]

Yeah I hardly run Viewset 4 at all. Mostly just 2 and 3. For me, I think Radarscope runs faster on my phone than PYKL3. But the big advantage to PYKL3 is the streets it displays in the background. That helps a lot when it cones to marking where the storm is.

 

[Francis]

This is the official reply from the Radarscope app developers for your information:

"We always appreciate feedback from our users and we appreciate you being a RadarScope customer. Our application is designed to display advanced radar data in a format that can be easily interpreted by the user.
You are a storm chaser and we know advanced users in the field, like yourself, can discern, by looking at radar data, what type of storm is displayed and the direction a storm is moving - so we did not include meso icons or direction indicators. We also know you would rather look at VIL products to determine hail fall location and potential size, not an icon based on a non-human algorithm.
We continuously develop RS to meet the needs of weather enthusiasts & meteorologists. We hope you'll continue to use our product and wish you the best of luck in the field!"


So I guess this answers my question. And thanks for everyone for commenting! I will use both PYKL3 & Radarscope in the field and I'll see how it goes. Also, I was going for the Verizon Jetpack (mobile WiFi hotspot) with the 1 month plan, what do you suggest?

 

[Rob H]

While POH/POSH (hail markers) from SCIT are notoriously inaccurate, some other pieces of data can be useful. I don't know anyone that looks at VIL to determine hail location and potential size. HCA is a much better indicator of location, if the app supports Dual Pol products.

 

[Brett Roberts]

The argument that L3 algorithms are useless and one should interrogate several tilts and products is well and good -- in an NWS office, perhaps. When you're the driver of a vehicle bumping down a minimum-maintenance road on the fringe of a core with in-and-out 3G, the cost-benefit analysis comes out much differently, in my opinion; you literally need all your information at a glance.

I'm a graduate student in meteorology and have no qualms using MEHS and other algorithm-based L3 products as very rough proxies for hail potential, updraft intensity, etc. in the heat of the chase. There's a big difference between "useless" and "sub-optimal." L3 data in and of itself falls into the latter category to begin with, given L2 is freely available to the public. But less-than-ideal situations change the equation, and chasing is one of those. Personally, I'll choose my chase software priorities for myself rather than having them dictated to me.

 

[Francis]

Hey does anyone know how to activate GPS tracking on my MAC for Radarscope or is this only available on the phone? Since the new OS they introduced maps with GPS tracking on your computer, so I'm guessing Radarscope should have GPS right?

 

[montanastorms]

Hey does anyone know how to activate GPS tracking on my MAC for Radarscope or is this only available on the phone? Since the new OS they introduced maps with GPS tracking on your computer, so I'm guessing Radarscope should have GPS right?

I have a feeling it's not possible. I haven't plugged in my USB GPS yet to find out though.