[aprssig] Changing visibility Weather Symbols

[Robert Bruninga]

> Good start, but Bob, we all have a stake in this.

Yes, I may have got carried away.  As you can see from the
title, I only started that email to consolidate only the four
VISIBILITY symbols.  But then the more I got into it, it kinda
snowballed.  May as well look at all of them at once.  Now I
realize that such a change affecting the other more commonly
used WX symbols does make the problem bigger if we proceed.

Bob, WB4APR

> Robert Bruninga wrote:
> > WEATHER Groupies beware?
> > 
> > In the initiative to upgrade APRS symbols, we are wasting
some
> > very valuable OVERLAYABLE symbol subgroups with a few nailed
> > down legacy weather symbols.  We are proposing to
consolidate
> > some of these Weather symbols to open up much more space.
Since
> > this is the first time we have considered actually CHANGING
some
> > symbol definitions, this can cause problems out there for
some
> > users of some legacy systems.
> > 
> > That is why I am posting this plan to the APRS community.
If we
> > do this, XASTIR and UIVIEW will be able to download new
symbol
> > definitions.  But some legacy clients that do not operate
from
> > external symbol files will show the wrong symbols for these.
If
> > users of those systems forsee some serious problems with the
> > re-arrangement of these symbols, let us know the specific
impact
> > and your ideas for a workaround.. 
> > 
> > The symbols that are impacted are as follows:
> > 
> > First, consolidate all of the visibility symbols into the
old
> > SMOKE symbol and change its meaning to "VISIBILITY", and
then
> > differentiate them with the overlay characters.  
> > 
> > "\E"  (existing smoke) the symbol with no overlay
> > "HE"  (an H overlay) will mean Haze
> > "SE"  (an S overlay) will mean Smoke
> > "BE"  (a  B overlay) will mean Blowing Snow
> > "DE"  (a  D overlay) will mean blowing Dust or sand
> > "FE"  (an F overlay) will mean Fog
> > 
> > Another category is to expand the RAIN symbol to make it
kinda
> > like lots of angled dots coming from the sky, but with an
open
> > center so that we can use overlays for a number of common
> > PRECIPITATIONS.  The consolidations would be:
> > 
> > "\`" (existing Rain) would be the symbol with no overlay
> > "R`" (an R overlay) would mean Rain
> > "F`" (an F overlay) would mean Freezing Rain
> > "H`" (an H overlay) would mean Hail
> > "D`" (an D overlay) would mean Drizzle
> > "E`" (an E overlay) would mean slEEt
> > "S`" (an S overlay) would mean Snow
> > Etc. and other particulates coming from the sky
> > 
> > Next, I propose expanding the existing RAIN SHOWER "\I"
symbol
> > to look like some kind of cloud symbol with specks in it
that
> > can be overlayed. (It needs to look different from the next
> > CLOUD symbol). It can then consolidate these symbols:
> > 
> > "RI" (an R overlay) would mean Rain Shower
> > "SI" (an S overlay) would mean Snow shower
> > "LI" (an L overlay) would mean Lightening
> > Etc. and other things related to clouds
> > 
> > Next, I propose expanding the existing CLOUD symbol to allow
> > definition of any number of different types of cloud.  This
> > needs to also look like a cloud but a different shape and
allow
> > for overlays  (Maybe this cloud is clear):
> > 
> > "\(" is the existing cloud symbol (would have no overlay)
> > "P(" with P overlay would mean partly cloudy
> > "W(" with W overlay would be a wall cloud
> > "F(" would be Funnel cloud, but the original "\f" will also
be
> > retained for now
> > 
> > This free's up a lot of overlayable symbol GROUPS each of
which
> > can suport up to 36 different overlays in each group for the
> > future:
> > 
> > #H for 36 new Hazards (was only Hail)
> > #[ for 36 new human symbols (was only Wall Cloud)
> > #B was only blowing snow
> > #b was only blowing dust/sand
> > #{ was only fog
> > #* was snow only
> > #: was hail only
> > #D was drizzle only
> > #F was freezing rain only
> > #e was sleet only
> > #G was only Snow shower
> > #J was only Lightening
> > #p was only partly cloudy
> > 
> > Of course future code can fully draw each of these overlays
as
> > distinct special symbols in any way they want.  But Uiview
uers
> > are stuck with only seeing overlays on basic group shapes
for
> > now.
> > 
> > To keep the noise-to-signal rate down, I suggest replying
only
> > if you have something of significance that will be impacted
by
> > this proposal.  I especially want to hear from Dale Hugley
who
> > is a resource for weather, and Stephen Smith who will have
to
> > draw them for Uiview. And others with a stake in this...
> > 
> > Bob, WB4APR