[ferret_users] Save/append problem

[jimmyc@xxxxxxxxxxx]

Hi All-
I am merging a bunch of netcdf files together:

use blah.nc

save/append/file=spd.nc/clobber var[i=30:40,j=30:40,l=1:2000]
save/append/file=spd.nc var[i=30:40,j=30:40,l=2001:4000]
save/append/file=spd.nc var[i=30:40,j=30:40,l=4001:6000]
save/append/file=spd.nc var[i=30:40,j=30:40,l=6001:8000]
cancel data/all
cancel var/all
**repeat over next file**

I can do this for 49972 or so time steps, but when I go to add the last 
5000 
time steps, the error:
Illegal axis coordinates: ...
Variable not found: ...

comes back. The files are identical. I am using ferret 5.70.

I tried using ferret 6.0 but it wont open these files (2.334 GB per file).

Is there a limit as to  number of times that ferret can append to a netcdf 
file that ferret generates (keep in mind the Time dimension is unlimited).

Thanks for any insight!
jimmyc

PS. Here is the output file from ncdump -h:
dimensions:
        XC = 11 ;
        YC = 11 ;
        TIME = UNLIMITED ; // (51673 currently)
        XC130_40 = 11 ;
        YC130_40 = 11 ;
variables:
        double XC(XC) ;
                XC:point_spacing = "even" ;
                XC:axis = "X" ;
        double YC(YC) ;
                YC:point_spacing = "even" ;
                YC:axis = "Y" ;
        double TIME(TIME) ;
                TIME:units = "days since 1979-01-01 00:00:00" ;
                TIME:time_origin = "01-JAN-1979 00:00:00" ;
                TIME:axis = "T" ;
        float SPD(TIME, YC, XC) ;
                SPD:missing_value = -1.e+34f ;
                SPD:_FillValue = -1.e+34f ;
                SPD:long_name = "(UAS[D=uas_MM5I_1979010103]^2 + 
VAS[D=vas_MM5I_1979010103]^2)^0.50" ;
        double XC130_40(XC130_40) ;
                XC130_40:point_spacing = "even" ;
                XC130_40:axis = "X" ;
        double YC130_40(YC130_40) ;
                YC130_40:point_spacing = "even" ;
                YC130_40:axis = "Y" ;
        float LAT(YC130_40, XC130_40) ;
                LAT:missing_value = -1.e+34f ;
                LAT:_FillValue = -1.e+34f ;
                LAT:long_name = "latitude" ;
                LAT:history = "From vas_MM5I_1979010103" ;
                LAT:units = "degrees_north" ;
        float LON(YC130_40, XC130_40) ;
                LON:missing_value = -1.e+34f ;
                LON:_FillValue = -1.e+34f ;
                LON:long_name = "longitude" ;
                LON:history = "From vas_MM5I_1979010103" ;
                LON:units = "degrees_east" ;

// global attributes:
                :history = "Tue Jul 10 14:08:53 2007: ncrename -v 
YC30_40,YC spd.nc\n",
                        "Tue Jul 10 14:08:52 2007: ncrename -v XC30_40,XC 
spd.nc\n",
                        "Tue Jul 10 14:08:52 2007: ncrename -d YC30_40,YC 
spd.nc\n",
                        "Tue Jul 10 14:08:52 2007: ncrename -d XC30_40,XC 
spd.nc\n",
                        "FERRET V5.70   10-Jul-07FERRET V5.70   11-Jul-07" 
;
}

--
James Correia, Jr. PhD.
Email: jimmyc @ iastate.edu
Email: jimmyc42 @ gmail.com
Web: http://bruce.agron.iastate.edu/jimmyc/
*********************************************

"Wisdom. Strength. Courage. Generosity. Each of us are born with one of
these. We must find the other three inside of us."
from "Into the West"