Author Topic: VWSaprs version 2 has been released  (Read 77539 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Meteorologica

  • Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 106
VWSaprs version 2 has been released
« on: January 18, 2011, 04:09:33 PM »
Just to let everyone know that we have released a new version of VWSaprs. You can download it from http://www.meteorologica.co.uk/APRS/VWSaprs.zip

Most importantly is the fact that this version will run with any edition of VWS, not just the Internet edition. This should allow even more people to be able to send data to the CWOP network.

This new version is Vista and Windows 7 friendly and can save configuration data without needing to be run as an administrator.

It also adds a number of new functions that weren't available in previous versions:

1) Pressure sent by Davis weather station owners is now QNH rather than the Davis calculated QFF, and is therefore more accurate for users at altitude reporting to CWOP.
2) You can now remove specific sensor information from the data stream so broken sensors now don't send bad data.
3) Luminosity can be added to the data stream.
4) Its now possible to send data every 5 minutes
5) The number of weather station types has been increased
6) The weather station type is now sent in clearer English rather than the archaic and unreadable coded method previously used.
« Last Edit: January 18, 2011, 04:39:09 PM by Meteorologica »

Offline George Richardson

  • WxElement panel
  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 1391
    • Smith Mountain Lake Weather
Re: VWSaprs version 2 has been released
« Reply #1 on: January 18, 2011, 05:35:19 PM »
"1) Pressure sent by Davis weather station owners is now QNH rather than the Davis calculated QFF, and is therefore more accurate for users at altitude reporting to CWOP."

Would you please define "QNH" and "QFF".

Thank You.

George


Offline Meteorologica

  • Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 106
Re: VWSaprs version 2 has been released
« Reply #2 on: January 18, 2011, 06:06:01 PM »
QFF is the method used by Davis to calculate sea level pressure. It involves temperature and humidity to calculate the weightof air. MADIS prefer to use a simple adjustment using a standard air weight for their sea level data, this is QNH, also known as Altimeter Pressure. These two sea level pressure values becomes quite different for users as altitude increases. Now, for Davis users, we are finally sending the required pressure value to CWOP. Other stations types don't calculate QFF so this doesn't matter to them.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qff and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QNH


Offline Andy Thompson

  • Southern Minnesota Live Weather
  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 374
  • Madelia and Thompson Farms
    • Southern Minnesota Live Weather
Re: VWSaprs version 2 has been released
« Reply #3 on: January 18, 2011, 06:25:39 PM »
Why isn't there that option to automatically start this program at Windows start up?
Regards,
Andy Thompson
www.somnwx.com



Offline hanford

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 17
    • WA4LZC  ORLANDO  WEATHER
Re: VWSaprs version 2 has been released
« Reply #4 on: January 18, 2011, 07:51:27 PM »
Hi Tim
There seems to be a bug because my Temp and Dewpoint have gone wacko  Temp is reading 327 instead of 64 degrees F. :shock:
http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/wxpage.cgi?call=WA4LZC&last=24          http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/wx.cgi?call=WA4LZC


Best Regards
Hanford R Wright  wa4lzc  AP-520
P.S. everything disappeared but you still get the box with the tabs but there is nothing else showing and to get it back you have to stop then restart VWSaprs......
« Last Edit: January 18, 2011, 08:53:47 PM by hanford »

Offline Andy Thompson

  • Southern Minnesota Live Weather
  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 374
  • Madelia and Thompson Farms
    • Southern Minnesota Live Weather
Re: VWSaprs version 2 has been released
« Reply #5 on: January 18, 2011, 08:17:48 PM »
Same here. I'd recommended that you go back to using the wxreport.txt file because I only update my database every 30 minutes. I do not want to increase that rate as it will  eventually fill VWS's database up to its max and then it will quit running properly. I also have the same problem with all of the tabs displaying nothing. Just a blank space. I then have to keep restarting the program to bring back the displays.
Regards,
Andy Thompson
www.somnwx.com



Offline kray1000

  • Purveyor of wry
  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 1336
    • http://www.roanokevalleyweather.com
Re: VWSaprs version 2 has been released
« Reply #6 on: January 18, 2011, 08:47:36 PM »
I do like the fact that we're trying to add the CWOP functionality to the base edition.  Using the dbase file seems to be the only way to do it without upgrading.

Perhaps we could have a choice of using either the dbase method or the wxreport file.

Offline hanford

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 17
    • WA4LZC  ORLANDO  WEATHER
Re: VWSaprs version 2 has been released
« Reply #7 on: January 18, 2011, 08:56:35 PM »
Why isn't there that option to automatically start this program at Windows start up?

Andy
You can fix that by putting a VWSaprs icon in your startup folder.  At least it is working for me........

Offline racenet

  • Moderator
  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 1306
    • NH Weather Data
Re: VWSaprs version 2 has been released
« Reply #8 on: January 18, 2011, 10:25:30 PM »
Same problms here. Once the program is started and then when you open it back up, all the data screens are blank. Nothing but tabs showing.

Also, it only sent an update once and then stopped. Restarted the program, it would send 1 update and then none after that.

Fell back to the old version and all is working fine.

I'm liking the direction this is headed, but there seems to be a few bugs to work out.


Bob
www.theamericanflagstore.com - The American Flag Store



www.nhweatherdata.com - NH Weather Data

Offline Andy Thompson

  • Southern Minnesota Live Weather
  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 374
  • Madelia and Thompson Farms
    • Southern Minnesota Live Weather
Re: VWSaprs version 2 has been released
« Reply #9 on: January 18, 2011, 10:31:38 PM »
One thing I noticed, since they don't use the wxreport.txt file anymore and they instead use the database file, VWSaprs sends an update every time my VWS database updates (which is every 30 minutes). I suggest that they go back to using the wxreport.txt file. It all worked fine before they changed it.
I also don't understand how to use that calculator thing for the latitude and longitude.
« Last Edit: January 18, 2011, 10:40:22 PM by Andy Thompson »
Regards,
Andy Thompson
www.somnwx.com



Offline Meteorologica

  • Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 106
Re: VWSaprs version 2 has been released
« Reply #10 on: January 19, 2011, 02:16:47 AM »
I'm sorry but we will not be going back to using the wxreport file, the data it contains is not correct.

As for people having issues, could you please specify what operating system you are using along with your VWS database timer settings and the interval you have set in VWSaprs. We also need to know which version of VWS you are using. We've tested it extensively on different machines and haven't had any problems this end so we need to see what commonality there is.
« Last Edit: January 19, 2011, 04:57:32 AM by Meteorologica »

Offline Meteorologica

  • Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 106
Re: VWSaprs version 2 has been released
« Reply #11 on: January 19, 2011, 02:25:19 AM »
Hi Tim
There seems to be a bug because my Temp and Dewpoint have gone wacko  Temp is reading 327 instead of 64 degrees F. :shock:
http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/wxpage.cgi?call=WA4LZC&last=24          http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/wx.cgi?call=WA4LZC


Best Regards
Hanford R Wright  wa4lzc  AP-520
P.S. everything disappeared but you still get the box with the tabs but there is nothing else showing and to get it back you have to stop then restart VWSaprs......

Hanford, would you mind sending over a copy of the last couple of days worth of data from your dbase.csv file please? You can simply open it in notepad, remove everything except the last few days and save as a new name like test.csv.


That will help us identify what is happening.

Offline Andy Thompson

  • Southern Minnesota Live Weather
  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 374
  • Madelia and Thompson Farms
    • Southern Minnesota Live Weather
Re: VWSaprs version 2 has been released
« Reply #12 on: January 19, 2011, 07:13:57 AM »
I run a Windows 7 Home Premium, VWS database timer interval: 30 minutes, VWSaprs interval: 5 minutes, VWS Version 14.01p33 Internet Version.
I would still like help understanding how to use that calculator thing in VWSaprs for getting my minutes. Because my location is way off of where it should because you now only let us enter Degrees and Minutes, and not Deg. Min. Sec.
« Last Edit: January 19, 2011, 07:18:07 AM by Andy Thompson »
Regards,
Andy Thompson
www.somnwx.com



Offline Meteorologica

  • Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 106
Re: VWSaprs version 2 has been released
« Reply #13 on: January 19, 2011, 07:18:19 AM »
Okay, we've released a temporary update to try to identify and fix some of the problems you are having. Please download the latest version from http://www.meteorologica.co.uk/APRS/VWSaprs.zip

1) We have altered the page repaint so if you were having problems with the tabs appearing empty after you restore the program from its minimised state can we see if this behaviour has altered in any way please?

2) For those that it only sent the data once, we need to identify if the problem lies with how your computer writes the modify date to the dbase.csv file or something else is happening. On the third tab there is temporarily a coloured blob below the data string. Can you watch this and see if it changes from red to green at the interval you have set in VWSaprs. It should stay green for a few seconds then revert to red. Please let us know what happens.

Thanks

Offline Meteorologica

  • Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 106
Re: VWSaprs version 2 has been released
« Reply #14 on: January 19, 2011, 07:20:53 AM »
I run a Windows 7 Home Premium, VWS database timer interval: 30 minutes, VWSaprs interval: 5 minutes, VWS Version 14.01p33 Internet Version.
I would still like help understanding how to use that calculator thing in VWSaprs for getting my minutes. Because my location is way off of where it should because you now only let us enter Degrees and Minutes, and not Deg. Min. Sec.

The reason we no longer accept seconds per se is because thats not how the data is formatted for CWOP. However, there are 60 seconds in a minute so divide the number of seconds you have by 60 and add this to the minutes to get your location eg 34 mins 53 seconds would become 34+(53/60)=34.88

Offline Andy Thompson

  • Southern Minnesota Live Weather
  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 374
  • Madelia and Thompson Farms
    • Southern Minnesota Live Weather
Re: VWSaprs version 2 has been released
« Reply #15 on: January 19, 2011, 07:28:40 AM »
Thank you. Yes, and that red dot does exactly what you said it should do. Bu that display problem is back too.
« Last Edit: January 19, 2011, 07:30:17 AM by Andy Thompson »
Regards,
Andy Thompson
www.somnwx.com



Offline Meteorologica

  • Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 106
Re: VWSaprs version 2 has been released
« Reply #16 on: January 19, 2011, 07:32:46 AM »
Andy, ignoring the display issue. Does your version send okay to CWOP and continue sending after the first packet?

Offline Andy Thompson

  • Southern Minnesota Live Weather
  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 374
  • Madelia and Thompson Farms
    • Southern Minnesota Live Weather
Re: VWSaprs version 2 has been released
« Reply #17 on: January 19, 2011, 07:40:47 AM »
Well I know how to use that calculator after you helped me. It sends data packets every 30 minutes because of my database settings, so I can't really tell right now if its working right or not.
Regards,
Andy Thompson
www.somnwx.com



Offline Meteorologica

  • Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 106
Re: VWSaprs version 2 has been released
« Reply #18 on: January 19, 2011, 07:51:08 AM »
Well I know how to use that calculator after you helped me. It sends data packets every 30 minutes because of my database settings, so I can't really tell right now if its working right or not.

What is your CWOP ID?

Offline racenet

  • Moderator
  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 1306
    • NH Weather Data
Re: VWSaprs version 2 has been released
« Reply #19 on: January 19, 2011, 09:30:29 AM »
Tim,

I will give the updated version a try when I get home this evening and report what happens.


Bob
www.theamericanflagstore.com - The American Flag Store



www.nhweatherdata.com - NH Weather Data

Offline Meteorologica

  • Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 106
Re: VWSaprs version 2 has been released
« Reply #20 on: January 19, 2011, 09:45:04 AM »
Okay, we've identified that this blank tabs problems seems to be on Windows 7 machines. We managed to replicate the problem here and are looking at a solution.

Offline Meteorologica

  • Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 106
Re: VWSaprs version 2 has been released
« Reply #21 on: January 19, 2011, 10:44:46 AM »
The blank tabs appears to be linked to the minimize to taskbar function. We've disabled it and uploaded a newer version. This newer one seems fine on our Win7 machines. Once we have solved other issues we can return to the minimize function.

Offline DaculaWeather

  • WxElement panel
  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 3206
    • North Georgia Weather
Re: VWSaprs version 2 has been released
« Reply #22 on: January 19, 2011, 12:10:39 PM »
I'm curious, if the data I'm sending with the old version is spot on with CWOP, why would I upgrade?

Offline dasman

  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 491
    • Wx Peotone
Re: VWSaprs version 2 has been released
« Reply #23 on: January 19, 2011, 12:13:40 PM »
I have the same question as Steve!  Why upgrade?
Dave Sommerfed
Peotone Illinois USA
CW7762, KILPEOT1
NWS COOP, CoCoRaHS, Spotter Network

Offline racenet

  • Moderator
  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 1306
    • NH Weather Data
Re: VWSaprs version 2 has been released
« Reply #24 on: January 19, 2011, 12:19:28 PM »
Okay, we've identified that this blank tabs problems seems to be on Windows 7 machines. We managed to replicate the problem here and are looking at a solution.

XP machines also.  ;)

www.theamericanflagstore.com - The American Flag Store



www.nhweatherdata.com - NH Weather Data

 

anything