I have just learned from the Met Office that use of the SYNOP code will cease
in November this year and land surface observations will be distributed in BUFR
format only from then.

Other Category 1 messages (SYNOP MOBIL, PILOT, PILOT MOBIL, TEMP, TEMP MOBIL,
TEMP DROP, CLIMAT) will migrate to BUFR in Nov 2014.

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

Norman

As far as I knew SYNOP hasn't existed for quite a while, internally the Met Office were using BUFR and then converting it to SYNOP for other countries that hadn't made the switch. It's a great shame though because SYNOPs were easy to read and the format is nice and compact. One of the reasons (at one time of day) for changing to BUFR was that it could be compressed but with memory (RAM and hard disks) being so cheap and comms being so fast that's not such a great reason to "encrypt" observational data and squirrel it away on data servers where it will never be seen again - at least not by the general public.

I will certainly miss them in if this does happen and FSU does close its doors. In around about 4 seconds I can download just under a megabyte of SYNOPs and have the whole world plotted - over 6,500 land and sea observations.

The same is true for TEMP messages...

It had to happen eventually I suppose, but it's just another avenue being closed off to what after all should be freely available data. But on the bright side we can always rely on the WOW site to provide us with good quality observational data that we can all trust!

Bruce.

On 09/08/2013 15:28, Norman wrote:
I have just learned from the Met Office that use of the SYNOP code will cease
in November this year and land surface observations will be distributed in BUFR
format only from then.

Other Category 1 messages (SYNOP MOBIL, PILOT, PILOT MOBIL, TEMP, TEMP MOBIL,
TEMP DROP, CLIMAT) will migrate to BUFR in Nov 2014.

This is sad news Norman.

Does anyone know if amateurs will be able to access it ? I guess it
needs a decoder assuming you can get the data....

Phil
Guildford

On 09/08/2013 17:34, Phil Layton wrote:
On 09/08/2013 15:28, Norman wrote:
I have just learned from the Met Office that use of the SYNOP code
will cease
in November this year and land surface observations will be
distributed in BUFR
format only from then.

Other Category 1 messages (SYNOP MOBIL, PILOT, PILOT MOBIL, TEMP, TEMP
MOBIL,
TEMP DROP, CLIMAT) will migrate to BUFR in Nov 2014.

This is sad news Norman.

Does anyone know if amateurs will be able to access it ? I guess it
needs a decoder assuming you can get the data....

Phil
Guildford
I've asked the question of the Met Office and will post any answer I
might get.

On Friday, 9 August 2013 15:28:38 UTC+1, Norman wrote:
I have just learned from the Met Office that use of the SYNOP code will cease

in November this year and land surface observations will be distributed in BUFR

format only from then.



Other Category 1 messages (SYNOP MOBIL, PILOT, PILOT MOBIL, TEMP, TEMP MOBIL,

TEMP DROP, CLIMAT) will migrate to BUFR in Nov 2014.



--

Norman Lynagh

Tideswell, Derbyshire

303m a.s.l.

Ouch, that'll finish me off :-(
Mind you I remember this being stated in 2006 ?

Keith (Southend)
http://www.southendweather.net
"Weather Home & ABroad"

On 09/08/2013 15:28, Norman wrote:
I have just learned from the Met Office that use of the SYNOP code will cease
in November this year and land surface observations will be distributed in BUFR
format only from then.

Other Category 1 messages (SYNOP MOBIL, PILOT, PILOT MOBIL, TEMP, TEMP MOBIL,
TEMP DROP, CLIMAT) will migrate to BUFR in Nov 2014.

Just had a reply from the Met O. I'm told the BUFR data can be obtained
from the same source as the SYNOP - but as I don't know where you guys
get SYNOPs from, I can't confirm this. However, by going to
http://www.ecmwf.int/products/data/d/check/ you can convert the BUFR
code to SYNOPs. I also found
http://www.ecmwf.int/products/data/s...load/bufr.html, which
could be a source to run a decoder on a Windows PC (amongst others), but
you will have to read it for more info. I suspect that good ole Bruce
(exmetman) is clever enough to set something up, eh Bruce?

On 2013-08-20 14:43:16 +0000, Metman2012 said:

On 09/08/2013 15:28, Norman wrote:
I have just learned from the Met Office that use of the SYNOP code will cease
in November this year and land surface observations will be distributed in BUFR
format only from then.

Other Category 1 messages (SYNOP MOBIL, PILOT, PILOT MOBIL, TEMP, TEMP MOBIL,
TEMP DROP, CLIMAT) will migrate to BUFR in Nov 2014.

Just had a reply from the Met O. I'm told the BUFR data can be obtained
from the same source as the SYNOP - but as I don't know where you guys
get SYNOPs from, I can't confirm this. However, by going to
http://www.ecmwf.int/products/data/d/check/ you can convert the BUFR
code to SYNOPs. I also found
http://www.ecmwf.int/products/data/s...load/bufr.html, which
could be a source to run a decoder on a Windows PC (amongst others),
but you will have to read it for more info. I suspect that good ole
Bruce (exmetman) is clever enough to set something up, eh Bruce?

I remember being on duty the day they changed from the old SYNOP code
(the one that had the first group as the total cloud amount and wind
speed/direction, and pressure/dry bulb were together in another group I
think) to the 'new' one. That caused a lot of problems initially,
although it did get rid of the head scratching for human chart plotters
when an observation came in with a group missing.

I have been trying to remember what year that was. I think that it was
early 1980s.

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!

Was at Rheindahlen in Germany
Paul

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?