Congratulations to Tom Talbert and the TobaccovilleWeather.com Weather Station in Tobaccoville, NC, for your selection as WXForum.net’s Featured Weather Web Site for Fall, 2007!
Tom has had a weather web site for about 4 years. The current incarnation went live in January of 2006. His site averages 4000+ visitors per month and has around 300,000+ hits per month.
Tom's main weather station is a Davis VantagePro 2 6153 (FARS) with a 6332 remote anemometer transmitter kit. He says it's "excellent quality for the price". He also uses an OS WMR-968 for inside readings.
The main weather software is Davis Weatherlink, because "It is simple, powerful and extremely stable". He also uses VWS for collecting data from the OS WMR-968. Other software in use includes GRLevel3 for NEXRAD radar, Image Salsa and Lightning/2000 software (for the Boltek Lightning Detector). Tom has his own satellite receiver for NOAA satellite data and processes the images for his website using WXtoImg software. His website also features multiple webcams.
He uses Dreamweaver 8 and various text and photo editors to maintain his weather website.
Tom says about his interest in publishing his weather data online that he enjoys tinkering with the technology, and his family and friends find the weather data useful.
Tom doesn't plan to significantly expand the weather data portion of the site, but he does plan to add more "about" information and an amateur radio section as time becomes available.
Tom's weather information is sent to Weather Underground, but he muses "I don't know why I waste the bandwidth to do it".
His interest in the weather started with his father many years ago. His father "liked to compete with the TV weatherman when snow was in the forecast".
The most rewarding aspect of his weather website is "Positive comments from users. Also, having my site selected as the "official" current conditions for Village of Tobaccoville on the Tobaccoville web site".
Tom's advice to someone wanting to get started in weather watching as a hobby is: "Get a basic weather station, manual or electronic, and use it for a while to see if you really want to participate in the hobby. Join the various weather forums.
(ed. note: we kinda like this one) A lot of good info and help is available. If you like the hobby then the sky (literally) is the limit".
His advice to offer someone wanting to either start a new weather web site or
improve the one they already have is: "Keep it simple. Lots of original content. Include an "About" page that describes your set-up."
Tom is 55 years old and works in the engineering department of a local manufacturing company doing process control engineering, design and programming. He will be retiring later this year.
(ed. note: you'll really like that.. I retired in 2004 and love it 
)Tom is an Amateur radio operator. His call is WB4SNA (soon to be W4SNA). He holds an Amateur Extra class license. He's currently upgrading his Amateur station equipment and rebuilding his antenna system.
He enjoys casual bird watching and maintains a bird sanctuary in his back yard.
(ed. note: with great live webcams to watch the birds)Tom thanks everyone that has taken the time to visit his site and is greatly honored at his selection.
Congratulations, Tom and the TobaccovilleWeather.com Weather Station, for being selected by your peers as WXForum.net’s Featured Weather Web Site for Fall, 2007!
Congratulations also, to all our outstanding nominees -- your efforts have not gone unnoticed!
