Author Topic: Adjusting errorneous rainfall in VWS (file listings)  (Read 19763 times)

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Offline sam2004gp

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Adjusting errorneous rainfall in VWS (file listings)
« on: December 17, 2008, 07:57:27 AM »
I have seen many times in this forum and the defunct Ambient Support Forum, people ask how to fix an erroneous rainfall value in VWS.

Keep in mind that you should always backup your VWS folder and files before attempting to do this, in case you screw something up majorly.
I am not responsible if these adjustment screw up your station.  What you do choose to do and not to do, is on you.:!:

My method is done in relation to my OS-WMR968.  Other station hardware may be different and invite others to chime in here with their specific hardware variations.

I also invite others to chime in here with comments, suggestions, and easier methoods.



After I installed my rain collector heater, and got/caused some erroneous rainfall values so I had to do the following. 

1. Get a notepad and right down what the correct values for your rainfall should be.
2. You need to remove the error value from the "Rainfall Menu" and return your month and your year values back what they should be.
3. Then you will most likely need to adjust the "correction" in the  "calibration menu" so that your total shown on the Broadcast.jpg is correct.  This helps to offset the number that is contained in the OS-WMR968.  Do not clear out the rain total in your OS-WMR968 or then you will really have a mess of problems.
4.Then You need to edit the following:
   (to edit these, use the menu item "Recall Daily, Monthly, and Yearly Archive"in VWS) 
   BIN file for the year
   BIN file for the month
   BIN file for the day(that it occurred)

   (to edit these files you can just use Notepad in windows)
   NOAA report file for the month
   NOAA report file for the year
   Daily Summary File

{there are usually a "sort of daily temp file" and then the official file, for the next listed files, so sometimes it's two files or more for each}
   Daily Archive file for the day(that it occurred)
   Monthly Archive file
   Yearly Archive file

5. Also you can edit the dbase files for VWS, but if you are like me my updates occur every 1 minute.  So basically you have a ton of entries back to the time the error occurred to clean out.  My dbase file is 250 megs and Microsoft excell crashes when I open a file that big.  So perhaps I will have to come up with something else to edit it.  Also the dbase file has issues with how dates are used stored in it so be carefull (hopefully someone will tell us the fix for this).  But you do not have to edit the dbase file, to fix the major things. 

If you do the other edits(2,3,4) I listed above it should remove all traces of it except on any graphs you have displayed in VWS.  <<<and that will disappear once any graph scrolls past the event error. 
If you can perform or choose to edit #5, then all traces will be gone. :grin:


See how much fun this can be.  :shock: :roll: :twisted:
« Last Edit: December 17, 2008, 08:10:14 AM by sam2004gp »
SAM --->>> http://www.mountcrawfordweather.org
OS WMR-968 with a Dedicated PWS Weather Computer running VWS v13.01 p09


Offline racenet

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Offline sam2004gp

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Re: Adjusting errorneous rainfall in VWS (file listings)
« Reply #2 on: February 20, 2010, 10:56:39 AM »
Do you guys think this is worth being a sticky or not?  I still see posts from other members occasionally that get confused on how to remove erroneous rainfall values out of VWS.
SAM --->>> http://www.mountcrawfordweather.org
OS WMR-968 with a Dedicated PWS Weather Computer running VWS v13.01 p09


Offline racenet

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Re: Adjusting errorneous rainfall in VWS (file listings)
« Reply #3 on: February 20, 2010, 11:29:08 AM »
Do you guys think this is worth being a sticky or not?  I still see posts from other members occasionally that get confused on how to remove erroneous rainfall values out of VWS.

Done  ;)


Bob
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Offline killwilly

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Re: Adjusting errorneous rainfall in VWS (file listings)
« Reply #4 on: February 21, 2010, 02:55:06 AM »
I blamed VWS for regular erroneous rainfall, wind and temperature data when I ran my OS stations. However, since I had my Vantage Vue in early December, I haven't had one false reading, touch wood. Makes you wonder.  :?

Thanks for the sticky, that will be useful.

Alan
Alan

Offline Whuffo

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Re: Adjusting errorneous rainfall in VWS (file listings)
« Reply #5 on: July 04, 2011, 08:38:42 PM »
Thanks for the sticky! It saved me a lot of time in recovering from VWS and its broken rainfall calculations.
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Offline DaculaWeather

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Re: Adjusting errorneous rainfall in VWS (file listings)
« Reply #6 on: May 19, 2013, 01:37:12 PM »
When I go to change the current day values, it just ends up reverting back to what it was. Went to Settings, Rainfall. Ideas?

Offline SteveFitz1

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Re: Adjusting errorneous rainfall in VWS (file listings)
« Reply #7 on: May 19, 2013, 01:42:27 PM »
When I go to change the current day values, it just ends up reverting back to what it was. Went to Settings, Rainfall. Ideas?
It's been awhile since I made any changes to my VWS history, but if I remember correctly, today's rainfall values get picked up from the console. So any changes you make to your "history" today for today will not remain. You'll need to make the rain fall change on the console for the change to be reflected today or wait until after midnight before making the change.

Steve

Offline DaculaWeather

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Re: Adjusting errorneous rainfall in VWS (file listings)
« Reply #8 on: May 19, 2013, 01:43:22 PM »
Gotcha! Thanks!