On 2013-08-21 08:34:28 +0000, Metman2012 said:

On 20/08/2013 19:02, Paul wrote:
The 'new code' came in in the early nineties. I was an assistant at
Rheidhalen at the time and plotting charts. On January 1st there was a
mixture of old and new being used. The old was quicker to hand plot.
with the new code you had to remember to check if there was any present
weather after plotting the vis and to leave enough room for weather
symbol.

Plotting Tephis used to be tricky at times when new radio sondes came
as the messages had so many special points.

The good old days!

Hmm, I thought that it was in the early 80s, but I'm not going to
argue, especially as I can't find any details via a Google search. I
left Heathrow in 81 and my memory is that the new code came in not long
after. I can still easily 'read' the old codes (thanks to plotting
charts for ten years!) but can only do it slowly on the 'new' code (no
longer using it daily, being at Bracknell in research). Can anyone
confirm the date?

Well, I am with you on this. I was observing in the early 1980s and I
have a memory of something big happening which involved the issue of
new Daily Registers. I assumed that was the change to the SYNOP code,
but it may have been something else.

Surely there must be someone in MO Archives who can make a quick check?
I thought the registers were stored indefinately.

On 21/08/2013 10:11, yttiw wrote:
On 2013-08-21 08:34:28 +0000, Metman2012 said:

On 20/08/2013 19:02, Paul wrote:
The 'new code' came in in the early nineties. I was an assistant at
Rheidhalen at the time and plotting charts. On January 1st there was
a mixture of old and new being used. The old was quicker to hand
plot. with the new code you had to remember to check if there was any
present weather after plotting the vis and to leave enough room for
weather symbol.

Plotting Tephis used to be tricky at times when new radio sondes came
as the messages had so many special points.

The good old days!

Hmm, I thought that it was in the early 80s, but I'm not going to
argue, especially as I can't find any details via a Google search. I
left Heathrow in 81 and my memory is that the new code came in not
long after. I can still easily 'read' the old codes (thanks to
plotting charts for ten years!) but can only do it slowly on the 'new'
code (no longer using it daily, being at Bracknell in research). Can
anyone confirm the date?

Well, I am with you on this. I was observing in the early 1980s and I
have a memory of something big happening which involved the issue of new
Daily Registers. I assumed that was the change to the SYNOP code, but it
may have been something else.

Surely there must be someone in MO Archives who can make a quick check?
I thought the registers were stored indefinately.


I'll see if I can organise myself into a visit to the archives. I last
went to them at Bracknell, when they were at Eastern Road. I have a
hankering to see my obs in the daily registers for Kew Observatory and
Heathrow (for some weird reason).

Metman2012 wrote:

On 20/08/2013 19:02, Paul wrote:
The 'new code' came in in the early nineties. I was an assistant at
Rheidhalen at the time and plotting charts. On January 1st there was a
mixture of old and new being used. The old was quicker to hand plot. with
the new code you had to remember to check if there was any present weather
after plotting the vis and to leave enough room for weather symbol.

Plotting Tephis used to be tricky at times when new radio sondes came as
the messages had so many special points.

The good old days!

Hmm, I thought that it was in the early 80s, but I'm not going to argue,
especially as I can't find any details via a Google search. I left Heathrow
in 81 and my memory is that the new code came in not long after. I can still
easily 'read' the old codes (thanks to plotting charts for ten years!) but
can only do it slowly on the 'new' code (no longer using it daily, being at
Bracknell in research). Can anyone confirm the date?


The 'new' SYNOP code, i.e.the one in present use, came into operation in 1981,
though I'm not sure which month.

--
Norman Lynagh
Tideswell, Derbyshire
303m a.s.l.

On 2013-08-21 12:39:23 +0000, Norman said:

Metman2012 wrote:

On 20/08/2013 19:02, Paul wrote:
The 'new code' came in in the early nineties. I was an assistant at
Rheidhalen at the time and plotting charts. On January 1st there was a
mixture of old and new being used. The old was quicker to hand plot. with
the new code you had to remember to check if there was any present weather
after plotting the vis and to leave enough room for weather symbol.

Plotting Tephis used to be tricky at times when new radio sondes came as
the messages had so many special points.

The good old days!

Hmm, I thought that it was in the early 80s, but I'm not going to argue,
especially as I can't find any details via a Google search. I left Heathrow
in 81 and my memory is that the new code came in not long after. I can still
easily 'read' the old codes (thanks to plotting charts for ten years!) but
can only do it slowly on the 'new' code (no longer using it daily, being at
Bracknell in research). Can anyone confirm the date?


The 'new' SYNOP code, i.e.the one in present use, came into operation in 1981,
though I'm not sure which month.

Thanks for that.

For a while there, I thought my brain was failing me.

Sorry about causing confusion. I was working in Germany from July 79 to July 84 so it must have happened in early 80s. A bit of a senior moment!
Paul

On 21 Aug 2013 12:39:23 GMT, "Norman" wrote:
The 'new' SYNOP code, i.e.the one in present use, came into
operation in 1981,
though I'm not sure which month.

It was 1st January 1982.

--
Freddie
Castle Pulverbatch
Shropshire
221m AMSL
http://www.hosiene.co.uk/weather/
http://twitter.com/PulverbatchWx for hourly reports

On 21/08/2013 19:49, Freddie wrote:
On 21 Aug 2013 12:39:23 GMT, "Norman" wrote:
The 'new' SYNOP code, i.e.the one in present use, came into
operation in 1981,
though I'm not sure which month.

It was 1st January 1982.

Good old Freddie putting us right! Though you can't have been very old
when it happened, eh?

On Wed, 21 Aug 2013 20:35:50 +0100, Metman2012
wrote:
On 21/08/2013 19:49, Freddie wrote:
On 21 Aug 2013 12:39:23 GMT, "Norman"
wrote:
The 'new' SYNOP code, i.e.the one in present use, came into
operation in 1981,
though I'm not sure which month.

It was 1st January 1982.

Good old Freddie putting us right! Though you can't have been very
old
when it happened, eh?

Haha thanks Malcolm - I was 14 then :-) The reason I remember is
because of the interesting winter of 81/82 - and looking at SYNOP
reports through the winter months at a later date. I could understand
the SYNOP reports for January 1982, but not December 1981. That fact
always sticks in my memory :-)

--
Freddie
Castle Pulverbatch
Shropshire
221m AMSL
http://www.hosiene.co.uk/weather/
http://twitter.com/PulverbatchWx for hourly reports