[wxqc] Rainfall Reporting from Weatherlink

Tue Mar 14 15:23:35 EST 2006

Weather Display has added a number of features.  *In my view* most of what was said in the reviews you saw remains true, with a couple of notable exceptions.  Your email prompted me to finish off my refresh of the reviews, and updated reviews of all the software are now up at www.weatherforum.net, those "cons" I perceived at my former review that have been corrected have been so noted; those that are still present remain as such in my new reviews.

A couple of things.  Depending on your archive interval you're using with WeatherLink, you certainly have some "safe" windows to try out other software.  For instance, if you're logging at five minute archive intervals, the datalogger will store about 7 1/2 days worth of data.  So, you could run any other weather software safely for, say, six days.  Then stop that "new" software long enough to open WeatherLink, dump the dataloggers contents - taking less than 5 minutes - then reopening the "new" weather software again, or trying a different one, all with no loss to your WeatherLink records.

Secondly, you could try the very excellent VirtualVP software that was just released, which does a remarkable job of allowing up to four different weather software packages to communicate with your VantagePro sharing a single serial port.  You could *really* do a side by side comparison that way, having multiple software applications all simultaneously processing the same data - you could really see which sotware was doing what with your raw data.  VirtualVP can be downloaded at http://www.pensom.org/weather/virtualvp/.

But do what makes you happy; that's what this is all about.  I'm just trying to offer some helpful tips based on my five years experience test driving all the VP software.  Best of luck!

Gary
gary.oldham(at)adelphia.net

---- Dennis Maier <ddmaier at gmail.com> wrote: 

=============
Hasn't Weather Display changed considerably? Haven't most or all of the
Con's in the review been changed to Pro's? I only viewed it for a short time
and not connected to my Davis Vantage Pro.

I understand how important it is for an individual to try then judge how
well a software product performs to their own needs and appreciate software
companies offering free trials. The problem I have is, since only one
program can communicate on the com port at one time. In order to evaluate
how well other software works with my VP, I have to shutdown WeatherLink and
thus interrupt 2.5 years of continuous data logging. I know the other
software products do their own way of logging, but I will still have a void
in my WeatherLink data file while I try to decide.

I would rather, based on others feedback, decide on a software product
(right now hedging towards Weather Display) purchase and install it, convert
my WeatherLink Logs to it's own format, then be done (and hopefully) happy
with it. I just don't want to lose my data.

Dennis
CW4869

> -----Original Message-----
> From: gary.oldham at adelphia.net [mailto:gary.oldham at adelphia.net]
> Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2006 2:21 PM
> To: Dennis Maier
> Subject: RE: [wxqc] Rainfall Reporting from Weatherlink
>
> As to the agricultural module, I got that information
> directly from Russ Heilig, Davis' VP of Sales, and if need
> be, can dig up an old email to that effect, as I have it in
> writing.  Do note - the reviews bear careful reading - that
> you must be able to prove ownership of WeatherLink version
> 5.4 or earlier in order to be eligible to get the
> agricultural module at no cost.  If your initial version of
> WeatherLink
> is 5.4 or later, yes, you'll have to buy the ag module if you
> want it.   You may want to try calling them again and
> invoking Mr. Heilig's name.
> 
> The best piece of advice in my reviews remains true and
> probably always will - each software application is offered
> with at least a 15 day free trial, most longer - give them
> each a spin to see which works for you.  Also visit the
> support forums for the software that have them, and get a
> feel for how complicated, buggy, or stable each is.
> 
> I'm updating my reviews currently, but worth noting is that
> there has not been a full new release of VWS since my
> December 2004 review, and that there is a full new version of
> WeatherView 32 (now version 7), which I have yet to receive
> or test.  Looking over those 15 month old reviews, I am
> stricken by how relatively few things have changed with most
> of the software packages, all of which I actively and
> regularly use.  Watch for updated copies of the reviews over
> the next few days.
> Gary
>
> gary.oldham(at)adelphia.net
>
> ---- Dennis Maier <ddmaier at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> =============
> Thanks again Gary,
>
> I purchased WeatherLink at version 5.3 I have my receipt and
> original CD, but Davis didn't care. The only way to get the
> module was to buy it.
>
> PS; After I hit send on my last note I noticed it was sent to
> you personally instead of to the forum so I sent it a second
> time to make it available to all.
>
> Dennis Maier
> 9543 Point Charity Drive
> Sand Point,  MI  48755-9604
>
> (989) 856-3765
>
> ddmaier at gmail.com
>
> 
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: gary.oldham at adelphia.net [mailto:gary.oldham at adelphia.net]
> > Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2006 1:41 PM
> > To: Dennis Maier
> > Subject: RE: [wxqc] Rainfall Reporting from Weatherlink
> >
> > As to the agricultural module, I got that information directly from
> > Davis' VP of Sales, and if need be, can dig up an old email to that
> > effect, as I have it in writing.  Do note - the reviews
> bear careful
> > reading - that you must be able to prove ownership of WeatherLink
> > version 5.4 or earlier in order to be eligible to get the
> agricultural
> > module at no cost.  If your initial version of WeatherLink
> is 5.5 or
> > later, yes, you'll have to buy the ag module if you want it.
> >
> > The best piece of advice in my reviews remains true and probably
> > always will - each software application is offered with at
> least a 15
> > day free trial, most longer - give them each a spin to see
> which works
> > for you.  Also visit the support forums for the software that have
> > them, and get a feel for how complicated, buggy, or stable each is.
> >
> > Gary
> > gary.oldham(at)adelphia.net
> >
> > ---- Dennis Maier <ddmaier at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > =============
> > Thanks Gary,
> >
> > I had read and appreciate your reviews, however they are
> over a year
> > old, and with the newer versions from the software makers
> available no
> > longer accurate from what I can tell. As a matter of fact
> immediately
> > after reading them a week or so ago I called Davis Tech Support
> > regarding your note on their Agricultural Module, and flat
> out told I
> > had to buy it for $95. When I mentioned I had read the
> contrary in a
> > forum I was told that the information was incorrect.
> >
> > Regards
> > Dennis
> >
> > Dennis Maier
> > 9543 Point Charity Drive
> > Sand Point,  MI  48755-9604
> > (989) 856-3765
> > ddmaier at gmail.com
> >
> > 
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: gary.oldham at adelphia.net [mailto:gary.oldham at adelphia.net]
> > > Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2006 12:34 PM
> > > To: Discussion of weather data quality issues
> > > Cc: Dennis Maier
> > > Subject: RE: [wxqc] Rainfall Reporting from Weatherlink
> > >
> > > You may want to check my reviews of all Windows-based
> > software for the
> > > Vantage Pro at http://www.weatherforum.net/reviews.html.
> > >
> > > Gary
> > > CW0146
> > > gary.oldham(at)adelphia.net
> > >
> > > ---- Dennis Maier <ddmaier at gmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > =============
> > > I'm getting more and more disappointed in WeatherLink,
> > primarily the
> > > "Upload Progress" window now that I'm uploading every 5
> > minutes, but
> > > because of some of the items mentioned below. However I
> do like the
> > > quick response to the changing weather data.
> > >
> > > What are good software alternatives to WeatherLink (hope
> > its ok to ask
> > > on this forum) for the Davis Vantage Pro?
> > >
> > > Dennis Maier
> > > CW4869
> > >
> > > 
> > >
> > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > From: wxqc-bounces at lists.gladstonefamily.net
> > > > [mailto:wxqc-bounces at lists.gladstonefamily.net] On Behalf Of
> > > > dshelms at comcast.net
> > > > Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2006 11:49 AM
> > > > To: Discussion of weather data quality issues; Discussion
> > > of weather
> > > > data quality issues
> > > > Cc: James.Dudley at noaa.gov
> > > > Subject: Re: [wxqc] Rainfall Reporting from Weatherlink
> > > >
> > > > Hi Jim,
> > > >
> > > > Davis says they will support 1 hour and 24 hour precip
> > > reporting for
> > > > the VP systems. I not sure about the WMII support.
> > > >
> > > > Dave
> > > >  -------------- Original message ----------------------
> > > > From: James.Dudley at noaa.gov
> > > > > Dave,
> > > > >
> > > > > I'm not sure if I heard this from the group or not. Is
> > > > Davis planning
> > > > > any updates to Weatherlink precipitation reporting.
> > > Currently, the
> > > > > precipitation reported by Weatherlink to APRS/CWOP is a
> > > > running total
> > > > > from midnight to midnight and it only updates once an
> > > hour. I have
> > > > > noticed that other software updates at more frequent
> > > intervals. Is
> > > > > Davis working on something?
> > > > >
> > > > > Jim Dudley
> > > > > CW2553 Hanford Ca
> > > > >
> > > > >
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