Stormscope
®
WX-1000 Pilot’s Guide
1-2
Chapter 1 – System Description
The
WX-1000
is a passive system so there is no transmitter
and no harmful transmissions. The system operates as well
on the ground as in the air, thereby giving the pilot impor-
tant planning information before takeoff.
Processor
This compact, tray-mounted computer processor receives
electrical discharge information from the antenna, processes
it to determine range and azimuth, then forwards the
information for presentation on the cockpit display. The
processor may be installed almost anywhere in the aircraft.
Antenna
This combined loop and sense antenna is sealed in an
aerodynamic flat-pack and mounted on the outside of the
aircraft where it detects electrical discharges associated with
thunderstorms. The antenna is available in black or white.
Display
The display (figures
1-2
and
1-3
) is a self-contained,
3-ATI-
sized unit with a high resolution, green monochrome
C
athode
R
ay
T
ube (
CRT
) display. The bezel contains four
momentary contact push-button switches and an on/off/
brightness knob. The display provides control and display
functions for the processor. The display’s bezel is available in
black or gray. The display is not required if you have the
EFIS
option. (See appendix
C
.)
Functional Description
Figure
1-4
and the following paragraphs describe how the
major components of the
WX-1000
connect to each other
and to other aircraft systems.
The antenna detects the electric and magnetic fields gener-
ated by intra-cloud, inter-cloud, or cloud-to-ground electri-
cal discharges that occur within a
200
nmi radius of the
aircraft and sends the resulting “discharge signals” to the
processor. The processor digitizes, analyzes, and converts the
Major Components
