L3 Stormscope II Series User manual

User’s Guide
For the
Model WX-500
Aviation Products
Series II Weather Mapping Sensor
Stormscope®

iStormscope®WX-500 User’s Guide
Welcome
L3 Aviation Products one of the world’s most experienced companies
in airborne thunderstorm avoidance instruments, is pleased to
welcome you to the family of tens of thousands of pilots who are
enjoying the benets of safer ight with a Stormscope®weather
mapping system.
Fly with Greater Condence
You now own one of the leading instruments in the world for airborne
detection and mapping of thunderstorms. Unlike other products, your
new Stormscope sensor will enable you to make better informed
thunderstorm avoidance decisions so you can y more safely and
with greater condence than ever before.
The Original
Don’t be fooled by Stormscope system lookalikes. There is only
one Stormscope system, and only one company that makes the
Stormscope line of weather mapping systems. The Stormscope
system, the original, most accurate weather mapping system is
manufactured by L3 Aviation Products
Stormscope®System Advantages
Convenient Features
The advanced, patented technology in your new Stormscope sensor
was developed over many years and is so unique, so revolutionary, it
surpasses all others. Here are some of its features:
• Precisely maps electrical discharges up to 200 nmi away
• Provides for a 120° forward view and a 360° view of the
surrounding airspace
• Outputs both cell and strike data

ii Stormscope®WX-500 User’s Guide
Methods and apparatus disclosed and described herein have been
developed solely on company funds of L3 Aviation Products. No
government or other contractual support or relationship whatsoever
has existed which in any way affects or mitigates proprietary rights of
L3 Aviation Products in these developments. Methods and apparatus
disclosed herein may be subject to U.S. Patents existing or applied
for. L3 Aviation Products reserves the right to add, improve, modify,
or withdraw functions, design modications, or products at any time
without notice.
L3 Aviation Products
5353 52nd Street, S.E.
Grand Rapids, MI 49512 USA
Customer Support [phone]
International [phone]
FAX [phone]
www.L3aviationproducts.com
User’s Guide
WX-500
Document Part No. 009-11501-001, Revision D
Model: WX-500
© Copyright 2017
L3 Aviation Products
All Rights Reserved
Aviation Products
Distributed by:
Export Notice
This technical data is controlled under the Export Administration
Regulations (EAR) and may not be exported without proper
authorization by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Stormscope®is a registered trademark of L3 Aviation Products

iiiStormscope®WX-500 User’s Guide
Document Precedence
This User’s Guide provides general information about the operation
of the WX-500 and the weather display. Refer to your FAA-approved
Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) and its ight manual supplements for
information specic to your aircraft. If there is conicting information
between the AFM and this guide, the AFM takes precedence over
this guide.
CAUTION
WARNING
Never use your Stormscope system to attempt to
penetrate a thunderstorm. The FAA Advisory Circular,
Subject: Thunderstorms, and the Airman’s Information
Manual (AIM) recommend that you “avoid by at least
20 miles any thunderstorm identied as severe or
giving an intense radar echo.”
Safety Summary
These warnings and cautions appear later in this guide and are
repeated here for emphasis:
There are several atmospheric phenomena other
than nearby thunderstorms which can cause isolated
discharge points in the strike display mode. Clusters
of two or more discharge points in the strike display
mode however do indicate thunderstorm activity
when they reappear after clearing the screen. Avoid
the clusters and you’ll avoid the thunderstorms. In
the cell display mode, even a single discharge point
may represent thunderstorm activity and should be
avoided.
Page 4-1
Page 4-1

iv Stormscope®WX-500 User’s Guide
Important Notice
All Stormscope® WX-500 functions are controlled through various
Multi-Function Displays (MFDs). The many capabilities of the WX-
500 allow MFD manufacturers to create screens compatible with the
various functions of their display. The display screens illustrated in
this guide are intended to be characteristic of a group of MFDs that
are congured to work with the WX-500. The examples are intended
to assist the pilot in interpreting lightning data output by the WX-500.
Each MFD shows the information consistent with the capabilities of
that particular display.
Revision Highlights
This revision D of the user’s guide updates the company name,
email/web addresses, and some format changes.

vStormscope®WX-500 User’s Guide
Table of Contents
Section Page
List of Illustrations ......................................................................................... vi
List of Tables ................................................................................................. vi
Chapter 1, System Description
General Description ....................................................................................1-1
Processor ...................................................................................................1-2
Antenna ......................................................................................................1-2
Functional Description ................................................................................1-2
Cell Data .....................................................................................................1-3
Strike Data ..................................................................................................1-3
Strike Rate ..................................................................................................1-3
Features . ....................................................................................................1-4
Chapter 2, Storm Mapping Principles
Anatomy of a Thunderstorm .......................................................................2-1
Stages of a Thunderstorm ..........................................................................2-3
The WX-500 & Weather Radar ...................................................................2-4
Chapter 3, Operation
Introduction .................................................................................................3-1
Power-Up.................................................................................................... 3-1
Continuous & Operator-Initiated Self Test ..................................................3-1
Clear All Discharge Points ..........................................................................3-2
Heading Stabilization ..................................................................................3-2
Error Messages ..........................................................................................3-2
Chapter 4, Weather Display Interpretation
Introduction .................................................................................................4-1
Radial Spread .............................................................................................4-2
Typical Patterns . .........................................................................................4-3
Mapping Headings Past Thunderstorms ....................................................4-6
Special Patterns ...................................................................................... 4-10
Chapter 5, Specications .........................................................................5-1

vi Stormscope®WX-500 User’s Guide
List of Tables
List of Illustrations
Table Title Page
3-1 Error Messages....................................................................................3-3
5-1 WX-500 Specications .........................................................................5-1
Figure Title Page
1-1 WX-500 Major Components .................................................................1-1
1-2 WX-500 Functional Diagram ................................................................1-2
2-1 Electrical Discharges in Thunderstorms ...............................................2-1
2-2 Discharge Rate a Function of Wind Shear ...........................................2-2
4-1 Airspace Diagram .................................................................................4-1
4-2 Three Clusters Within 200 nmi ............................................................ 4-3
4-3 Range Changed to 100 nmi ................................................................. 4-4
4-4 Two Clusters Within 200 nmi ................................................................4-5
4-5 Range Set at 200 nmi ...........................................................................4-6
4-6 Aircraft Progresses 100 nmi .................................................................4-7
4-7 Range Changes to 100 nmi ..................................................................4-8
4-8 Aircraft Turns to Avoid Thunderstorms ................................................. 4-9
4-9 Randomly Scattered Discharge Points ...............................................4-10
4-10 Cluster & Splattering Within 25 nmi...................................................4-11
4-11 Discharge Points Off the Aircraft’s Nose............................................4-12
4-12 Line of Discharge Points While Taxiing ............................................4-13
4-13 Developing Cluster Within 25 nmi ....................................................4-14

Stormscope®WX-500 User’s Guide 1-1
CHAPTER 1
SYSTEM DESCRIPTION
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The Stormscope®Series II Weather Mapping Sensor, model WX-500
(gure 1-1) detects electrical discharges from thunderstorms within
a 200 nmi radius of the aircraft. This information is then sent to an
external Multi-Function Display (MFD) that plots the location of the
thunderstorms.
The WX-500 is a passive sensor that listens for electromagnetic
signals with a receiving antenna. There’s no transmitter and no harmful
transmissions. The WX-500 works as well on the ground as it does in
the air, thereby giving the pilot important planning information before
takeoff.
Figure 1-1: WX-500 Major Components

Stormscope®WX-500 User’s Guide1-2
Chapter 1 - System DescriptionMajor Components
Figure 1-2. WX-500 Functional Diagram
Discharge
Signals
Test Strike
Control
Heading Input
Antenna
Power
±12 V dc
External
Clear
Input
Comm
Mic
Inhibit
Processor
WX-500
Power
Input
11–32 V dc
Heading Valid Input
Electromagnetic Signals Radiating from Atmospheric
Electrical Discharges Associated with Thunderstorms
Antenna
RS-232
or
RS-422
MFD
PROCESSOR
This compact, tray-mounted computer processor receives electrical
discharge information from the antenna, processes it to determine
range and azimuth, processes the heading input, then forwards the
information for presentation on the MFD. The processor may be
installed almost anywhere in the aircraft.
ANTENNA
This combined crossed-loop and sense antenna is sealed in an
aerodynamic at-pack and mounted on the outside of the aircraft
where it detects electrical discharges associated with thunderstorms.
Stormscope thunderstorm detection systems can correlate the
electric and magnetic signatures of lightning strikes better than
other systems due to their patented sense channel technology. The
antenna is designed to help lter out pulsed noise from sources other
than atmospheric electrical discharges.
FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION
Figure 1-2 and the following paragraphs describe how the major
components of the WX-500 connect to each other and to other aircraft
systems.