How to Use the Weather Radar in PMDG 737 NGX

The PMDG 737 NGX is one of the most popular and realistic add-ons for Microsoft Flight Simulator. It features a fully functional weather radar that can display precipitation, turbulence, and windshear around the aircraft. However, many users are confused about how to use the weather radar correctly and what settings are required to make it work. In this article, we will explain how to use the weather radar in PMDG 737 NGX and what you need to know before you fly.
Requirements
Before you can use the weather radar in PMDG 737 NGX, you need to have a few things installed and configured on your system. First, you need to have a weather engine that can provide realistic weather data to the simulator. The weather radar in PMDG 737 NGX is compatible with Active Sky, which is a popular and advanced weather engine that can create dynamic and realistic weather scenarios. You can get Active Sky from https://hifisimtech.com/. You need to have the latest version of Active Sky for your simulator platform (FSX, P3Dv4, or MSFS).
Second, you need to have the latest version of PMDG 737 NGX installed on your simulator. You can get it from https://pmdg.com/. The weather radar feature was added in a later update, so make sure you have the latest version available. You can check your version by opening the FMC and going to MENU > PMDG SETUP > ABOUT.
Third, you need to have some settings enabled in your simulator and Active Sky. In your simulator, you need to have detailed clouds enabled in your graphics settings. This will allow the weather radar to detect precipitation and turbulence in the clouds. In Active Sky, you need to have Enhanced Turbulence enabled in your options. This will allow the weather radar to detect windshear and microbursts near the ground.
Operation

Once you have everything installed and configured, you can start using the weather radar in PMDG 737 NGX. The weather radar is located on the Navigation Display (ND) on the left side of the cockpit. You can control the weather radar using the EFIS panel on the glareshield. Here are the steps to use the weather radar:
- Turn on the weather radar by pressing the WXR button on the EFIS panel. This will display a green WXR label on the ND.
- Select a range for the weather radar by pressing one of the range buttons on the EFIS panel. You can choose from 5 nm to 320 nm. The range will be displayed on the top left corner of the ND.
- Select a tilt angle for the weather radar by rotating the TILT knob on the EFIS panel. You can choose from -15° to +15°. The tilt angle will be displayed on the bottom left corner of the ND.
- Select a mode for the weather radar by pressing one of the mode buttons on the EFIS panel. You can choose from WX (weather), WX+T (weather and turbulence), or MAP (map). The mode will be displayed on the bottom right corner of the ND.
- Adjust the gain for the weather radar by rotating the GAIN knob on the EFIS panel. You can choose from AUTO (automatic) or MAN (manual). The gain will be displayed on the top right corner of the ND.
- Observe the weather radar display on the ND. The weather radar will show different colors depending on the intensity of precipitation and turbulence. The colors are as follows:
- Green: light precipitation or turbulence
- Yellow: moderate precipitation or turbulence
- Red: heavy precipitation or turbulence
- Magenta: severe precipitation or turbulence
- White: windshear or microburst
The weather radar will also show symbols for different types of precipitation and turbulence. The symbols are as follows:
- C: convective activity
- T: thunderstorm
- H: hail
- S: snow
- R: rain
- I: