Topic: WU - Let us know your issues

[Jack Bowman]

Sad day for sure. The Apps are not even comparable. Really bad move! Thanks for the heads up on RadarScope.

Unfortunately it looks like the WU Storm App is completely being phased out. I got a message to upgrade to the Weathwr Cbannel Storm App Version by May 24th. I think the writing is on the wall. They will eventually mothball WU and everything will be merged into weather.com. The weather.com Storm App leaves a lot to desired. It’s more or less an everyday casual weather user. The old app has lots of helpful features.

I went ahead and paid for RadarScope and paid the extra 9 bucks annual fee to get some enhanced features.

Darn shame. WU was a great thing at its peak. They’ve gutted it now and it’s only a matter of time.

[thstaff]

You bet. RadarScope is very good. But I still liked some of the basic tracking features on the old WU Storm App. If you’re a soccer mom it won’t matter. But for those of us that want a bit more it’s a significant loss. The new WC Storm app isn’t even in the same universe.

[WheatonRon]

You bet. RadarScope is very good. But I still liked some of the basic tracking features on the old WU Storm App. If you’re a soccer mom it won’t matter. But for those of us that want a bit more it’s a significant loss. The new WC Storm app isn’t even in the same universe.

I agree wholeheartedly. When I received the alert that WUStorm app would no longer be supported use the replacement, Storm Radar, I was very disappointed. What used to be a good app doesn’t apply to Storm Radar-it is missing great features like identifying a NOAA radar site and then viewing its radar real time as well as projected radar in 1 hour, then separately 5 hours. Does Radar Scope have similar features?

[thstaff]

RadarScope is pretty close to a pro tool. It has many pro features for checking storms and differing winds. Etc. it has a storm track feature but unlike WU app it doesn’t show towns affected. But does have times of General areas affected. The WC storm app redo is a pretty big fail in my opinion.

 (See attachment from a RadarScope storm I recently followed in TN) gives you an idea of what it looks like.

[DoctorKnow]

WGHP MY FOX 8 weather uses weatherscope and this is where I go for the best live radar scans. Put it in expert mode, and you get all the beam tilts from the radars.http://myfox8.com/weather/severe-weather-radar/

[WheatonRon]

WGHP MY FOX 8 weather uses weatherscope and this is where I go for the best live radar scans. Put it in expert mode, and you get all the beam tilts from the radars.http://myfox8.com/weather/severe-weather-radar/

Is there an app for this?

[thstaff]

That's a good feature to have on the tilt and RadarScope allows the same. Myself and some of the other weather guys at the CBS in Charlottesville use this when we aren't in house.

[chief-david]

Still have not reactivated my webcam. Emailed. No response.
kmnminne28

[Eno]

That's a good feature to have on the tilt and RadarScope allows the same. Myself and some of the other weather guys at the CBS in Charlottesville use this when we aren't in house.

I've been using wX lately, I think it's android only. Free, open source. 4 tilts, screen recorder, SuperRez Reflectivity and Velocity, Echo Tops, Vertically Integrated Liquid, Differential Reflectivity, Correlation Coefficient, Specific Differential Phase, Hydrometeor Classification, Storm Relative Mean Velocity, Digital Storm Total Accumulation, Digital Accumulation Array, VAD wind profile, all GOES 16 bands imagery, Observations, and it has Soundings. I don't think it does the projected radar though.

[CW2274]

http://weather.cod.edu/satrad/

[ocala]

That's a good feature to have on the tilt and RadarScope allows the same. Myself and some of the other weather guys at the CBS in Charlottesville use this when we aren't in house.

I've been using wX lately, I think it's android only. Free, open source. 4 tilts, screen recorder, SuperRez Reflectivity and Velocity, Echo Tops, Vertically Integrated Liquid, Differential Reflectivity, Correlation Coefficient, Specific Differential Phase, Hydrometeor Classification, Storm Relative Mean Velocity, Digital Storm Total Accumulation, Digital Accumulation Array, VAD wind profile, all GOES 16 bands imagery, Observations, and it has Soundings. I don't think it does the projected radar though.

I have been using wX for some time now and in my opinion it has no equal.
I think it has just about every product that NOAA puts out and is very customizable. SP?
With so much to offer there is a learning curve but once you get it set up to your liking it's pretty awesome.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=joshuatee.wx

[Intheswamp]

Is wX put out by Hunter Research and Technology?  I see a "Wx" app listed for iOS, but not "xW"...???  Seems some of the reviewers are talking about older versions, too, so possibly this is not the app that ya'll are referring to.  Just curious.

[Reelhouse]

   Hello guys! KSCGOOSE15 here!  So, am I reading all this right?? It seems like WU is going to be mothballed and eaten up by big daddy TWC?? Sorry I'm so late to this game, I've been sending data to WU since 2002-2003ish and have had quite a few emails back and forth with Sean over the years.
This is really sad... I hope someone finds all this work useful and not just in a corporate $$$$$ sort of way.

I figured once TWC bought everything something bad was going to happen.....

SEAN! I'm still waiting on my WU coffee mug celebrating 10+ years of good data dammit!!!!!

Lane
https://www.wunderground.com/personal-weather-station/dashboard?ID=KSCGOOSE15
 

[WSWeather]

I figured once TWC bought everything something bad was going to happen.....

You're one purchase behind...IBM owns WU now (they bought The Weather Company) and all they are interested in, ironically, is the PWS data.

[jas340]

TWC has lost it's way. They don't know what their purpose is or why they even exist. This slow death of WU is excruciatingly slow. I loved the Weather Channel back in the 1980's and WU up until about 2014 or so.

[Intheswamp]

(Sorry, this is duplicate post...posted it in another thread and thought it was this thread.  Ed )

 I wonder if us boycotting WU and CWOP will really make a difference.  I may be wrong, but do most PWS stations (Accurite, Davis, etc.,) come with software pre-focused on sending data to WU and a few other places.  I would think the majority of PWS stations do not have personal websites such as most of us here on the forum and simply enjoy having "their" data presented on WU's nice website...they're probably tickled to tell friends about their weather station being on WU.  So, they don't need access to the WU products...they're just happy to see their data online.  Depending on how many of these WU-dependent PWS owners there are WU may very well have enough data input to tell all of us to "take a hike".  I don't think they're too concerned with actual accuracy as they are with numbers to show their advertisers and investors.  Losing a few independent weather stations/websites (like us) that report to them won't harm them too much, I would think.   In doing so they take away some independent competition that was using "their" products.  It's a money-move for them, always has been.  I just think they're seeing us as a thorn in the side and that it's time to scrap us to clean up their "image".

I've been neutral during their pangs and problems.   I always figured I'd keep sending my data to them as long as they were there in an attempt to give them data to use in overcoming issues that we thought were plaguing them.  My neutrality has shifted slightly negative at this point and I will be watching.  The first verified denial of a product for use on my website (which I'm not sure what is other than a radar image on my front page which updates every *30* minutes  ) and my data will no longer be going to them.  I feel pretty sure that I've helped them more than they've helped me through the years.  I'm not the sharpest blade in the drawer, but I know how to uncheck that little button beside WU's name in Cumulus. 

Looking at things, I'm sad to say that I will most likely be unchecking that button.  No tears for WU, but I do wish them and the lemmings well...nothing personal towards the lemmings, of course! 

[konz]

  Hello guys! KSCGOOSE15 here!  So, am I reading all this right?? It seems like WU is going to be mothballed and eaten up by big daddy TWC?? Sorry I'm so late to this game, I've been sending data to WU since 2002-2003ish and have had quite a few emails back and forth with Sean over the years.
This is really sad... I hope someone finds all this work useful and not just in a corporate $$$$$ sort of way.

I figured once TWC bought everything something bad was going to happen.....

SEAN! I'm still waiting on my WU coffee mug celebrating 10+ years of good data dammit!!!!!

Lane
https://www.wunderground.com/personal-weather-station/dashboard?ID=KSCGOOSE15
 

Appears that your coffee mug contains a stout bit of 5-year old foreshadowing.   

[thstaff]

Hi Ed,

Like many of us, I share your frustration. I was a contract on air reporter for Weather Channel in the old days. Mid 90s until 2004 when I left the biz. WX channel was a good operation back then and didn’t own WU in those days either. WU did a great job at weather. As did Weather Channel. Once NBC Universal and ultimately IBM got hold of WU the writing has been on the wall. We first saw a glimpse of that with webcams last fall but the pushback was too great and they reversed. The ultimate goal IMHO is for them to shutter WU and bring it all under the WX CH flag. I see the IBM side (Watson) when I still do occasional on air weather in Charlottesville. Essentially IBM owns everything now. Except AccuWeather.

It’s my hope some other group of folks eventually comes along and creates something like WU originally was. Weather info. Weather enthusiasts. Not entertainment and drama as Weather
Channel and its affiliates have become these days.

[konz]

Hi Ed,

Like many of us, I share your frustration. I was a contract on air reporter for Weather Channel in the old days. Mid 90s until 2004 when I left the biz. WX channel was a good operation back then and didn’t own WU in those days either. WU did a great job at weather. As did Weather Channel. Once NBC Universal and ultimately IBM got hold of WU the writing has been on the wall. We first saw a glimpse of that with webcams last fall but the pushback was too great and they reversed. The ultimate goal IMHO is for them to shutter WU and bring it all under the WX CH flag. I see the IBM side (Watson) when I still do occasional on air weather in Charlottesville. Essentially IBM owns everything now. Except AccuWeather.

It’s my hope some other group of folks eventually comes along and creates something like WU originally was. Weather info. Weather enthusiasts. Not entertainment and drama as Weather
Channel and its affiliates have become these days.

So, question - is CWOP the best alternative to upload data?...or does Blue have their tentacles in that too?  Any long-time users have recommendations for contributing to something worthwhile?  Where does wX get their data?  Even WeatherBug is going with CWOP now, according to an email I received from them.  Is WU doing the same thing?  It would drastically cut their overhead, by removing the direct user data ingestion part of this site and transfer that to CWOP.

TIA.

[ocala]

Is wX put out by Hunter Research and Technology?  I see a "Wx" app listed for iOS, but not "xW"...???  Seems some of the reviewers are talking about older versions, too, so possibly this is not the app that ya'll are referring to.  Just curious.

No it was developed by a guy named Joshua Tee.  The Android version has been around for a while and I know he was beta testing an IOS version but since I use Android I haven't followed the IOS development.
Also that app is called Wx. This one I'm referring to is wX. Not too confusing eh.

[Intheswamp]

I think they're teasing the dyslectics with those two names.   

[Intheswamp]

Hi Ed,

Like many of us, I share your frustration. I was a contract on air reporter for Weather Channel in the old days. Mid 90s until 2004 when I left the biz. WX channel was a good operation back then and didn’t own WU in those days either. WU did a great job at weather. As did Weather Channel. Once NBC Universal and ultimately IBM got hold of WU the writing has been on the wall. We first saw a glimpse of that with webcams last fall but the pushback was too great and they reversed. The ultimate goal IMHO is for them to shutter WU and bring it all under the WX CH flag. I see the IBM side (Watson) when I still do occasional on air weather in Charlottesville. Essentially IBM owns everything now. Except AccuWeather.

It’s my hope some other group of folks eventually comes along and creates something like WU originally was. Weather info. Weather enthusiasts. Not entertainment and drama as Weather
Channel and its affiliates have become these days.

Ah well, I used to refer to "Corporate America", but I think these days "Corporate World" is a better description.  Seems the $$$ ring is in all of their noses.  As for losing WU, no biggie for me, I've sent my data to them as favor to them and whoever wishes to view it...and wouldn't lose a bit of sleep if I stop that flow. 

[Intheswamp]

Btw, my new status message on WU...

Status: WeatherUnderground will begin charging me and other PWS contributors to use their data for our websites. WU's local graphs and other data are created from *our* PWS data input. WU is unfair to take but not to give. If and when WU enacts this policy I will turn my data stream off to them.

https://www.wunderground.com/personal-weather-station/dashboard?ID=KALRUTLE2&cm_ven=localwx_pwsdash

I'm not sure how many users will go to the "second" page to read this, and I don't have that many users really using the WU page.  Within a rough 35-40 mile radius I have around 15 other stations reporting to WU.  I don't know of any of those stations having a website, so will I even be noticed?  One thing that I've had since I set the WU feed up is that I have my website's URL in the "Name" field and clicking on it opens up to BeeWeather.com  .  I'm not sure if it's worth it to keep it going just for the advertisement or not...both my website and the WU page doesn't get a lot of hits, but I have a few users that have let me know that they use the website...I've never heard anything from a WU user, though.

[ocala]

I guess I missed that. Was that part of their new privacy policy?
I can't imagine why they would do that, but that is surely one of the final nails in the coffin.

[Intheswamp]

You know something, I really don't know what WU's intentions are.  I'll wait and see, as I mentioned above.  I just feel that if WU withholds data from PWS owners and those users are contributing to data to them that would be a very unfair arrangement.  But, again, I really don't know what's going on...just chatter on the boards.  So, to keep things more "fair"(?) I did change my "status" message on WU. 

Status: There are rumors that WeatherUnderground will be making changes that adversely affect my PWS website, www.BeeWeather.com. Should this actually come to fruition I will discontinue streaming my data to WU. Local conditions, NWS forecasts, Weather Cam, ect., will still be found at BeeWeather.

I think my first one was just a knee-jerk reaction.