Re: Processing NAM BUFR sounding files with NAMSND

• To: gembud@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
• Subject: Re: Processing NAM BUFR sounding files with NAMSND
• From: "Schroeder, Joshua" <jj.schroeder@xxxxxxxxxxx>
• Date: Mon, 8 Jan 2007 13:23:51 -0700

I have encountered a similar problem with NAMSND (called from MODSND)
aborting in Linux.  The problem seems to be unique to GEMPAK 5.9.x, as I
don't get the error when running from 5.8.

Josh Schroeder
----------------------------------------------------------
Joshua J. Schroeder
Meteorologist
CSTE-DTC-WS-RO-DA-F
White Sands Missile Range, NM  88002

Comm:  (505) 678-2963
DSN:  258-2963

I regularly process NAM soundings from the NCEP FTP server (path:
pub/data/nccf/com/nam/prod/nam.YYYYMMDD/bufr.HHz) with NAMSND. I have found
that in order to process them, $GEMTBL/pack/snclass1.prm needs to be modifed
as follows:
change the line
TKEL 0. 40. .01
to
TKEL 0. 40. .01 1. IMXR

As this modification needs to be done each time a new version of GEMPAK is
enabled, can this change be added to future distributions?


Also, while NAMSND works fine on Sun Solaris, it always aborts on Linux:

SNBUFR    BUFR model sounding file          bufr.725180.2006120512

SNOUTF    Output sounding file              06120512_nam.snd

SFOUTF    Output surface file               06120512_nam.sfc+

SNPRMF    Sounding parameter packing file   snclass1.prm

SFPRMF    Surface parameter packing file    sfclass1.prm

TIMSTN    Times/additional stations         120/200

Parameters requested: SNBUFR,SNOUTF,SFOUTF,SNPRMF,SFPRMF,TIMSTN.

GEMPAK-NAMSND>r

**************BUFR ARCHIVE LIBRARY ABORT*****************
BUFRLIB: OPENBF - ERROR READING INPUT FILE CONNECTED TO UNIT 14 WHEN
CHECKING FOR 'BUFR' IN FIRST 4 BYTES OF RECORD
**************BUFR ARCHIVE LIBRARY ABORT*****************

Finally, is there another model sounding/BUFR program that I should be using
instead of NAMSND?


Thanks!

Kevin