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Information courtesy of Michael Poe.

ETA and RUC are two different models run by NOAA's NCEP (National Center for Environmental Prediction) and intended for slightly different purposes.  BLIPMAPs post-process the output from each to forecast parameters which are more useful to gliding pilots than the standard meteorological parameters. 

The principal differences between the models are given below, the most salient being that if you are looking for a forecast for other than the "current day" then you must choose the ETA model.  Although the models use the same basic methodology there are differences, notably in the simplifications used when processes are too complex to be treated exactly, so differences between the ETA and RUC forecasts do occur.  This is acerbated by the sensitivity of such models to uncertainties in our knowledge of the full 3D state of the atmosphere at any time. 

Here are the only links you need for flying in our region.

http://www.drjack.info/cgi-bin/FORECAST/SUBSCRIBE/auth_subscribe.pl  Hit this link to subscribe to the service. Worth every penny of the $20 per year.  Go ahead and sign up for RUC and ETA, total = $20 / Year.

http://www.drjack.info/BLIP/ETA/SC/index.html  Use this forecast for planning a few days ahead

http://www.drjack.info/BLIP/RUC/SC/index.html  Use this link for today’s soaring conditions

http://www.drjack.info/BLIP/RUC/SPOT/FCST/eagleville_tn.txt  This is a special forecast for Puckett Airport.  Very useful for those who don’t want to leave the airfield.  It’s  a textual forecast not graphical but the parameters are the same and it gives 1300 and 1600 local time forecasts including wind directions / speeds from the ground up to 74,000 feet.  I use this forecast to study if cloud bases will rise, if lift becomes stronger or weaker during the day, etc.