Author Topic: Time to end Des Moines Weather  (Read 2068 times)

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Offline Aardvark

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Time to end Des Moines Weather
« on: December 16, 2018, 08:51:33 PM »
I WILL BE DISCONTINUING THIS WEBSITE AS OF Thursday Jan 17th, 2019 . I HAVE BEEN KEEPING DATA ON HOW MANY PEOPLE ACTUALLY REFER TO THIS SITE FOR WEATHER AND FRANKLY, THE NUMBERS ARE WAY DOWN COMPARED TO OTHER SITES. DES MOINES, IA HAS A LOT OF WEATHER INFORMATION AVAILABLE. I HAVE HAD THE SITE GOING SINCE 1995.

My daily hits have been less and less.  No one is really interested in the weather in my backyard.    Des Moines has many good sources of weather (and some terrible).  I still will send data to WeatherUnderground, APRS, Globe.Gov and i will be on the weatherlink site (if they ever make it public again)/

I figured what my costs would be and since being retired,  I can spend that money on Miralax.     I still will be on the forums offering my advice.
It is tough like giving up coffee (which is my only vice) to stop this.  I have been tracking for some time where visitors are coming from and a get a lot of bots and just one person from Steelville Missouri. 
It costs 211 for the site, that includes the site, the secure Https and then another 80 for the domain name.

Considering I get maybe 30 hits a month including bots, the person from :  Malatya, Turkey;Bigastro, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain; andKlimkovice, Moravskoslezsky kraj, Czech Republic   will have to look else where with their one second on site visits.
« Last Edit: December 17, 2018, 07:09:27 AM by Aardvark »

Offline CSB

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Re: Time to end Des Moines Weather
« Reply #1 on: December 17, 2018, 07:50:27 AM »
It was a long run.

Offline Aardvark

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Re: Time to end Des Moines Weather
« Reply #2 on: December 17, 2018, 07:58:54 AM »
now to figure out what and who needs to be notified.  arghhhhh   

Offline miraculon

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Re: Time to end Des Moines Weather
« Reply #3 on: December 17, 2018, 08:04:57 AM »
It is (was) a nice site. Sorry that you need to close it down, but I understand the reasons.

Greg H.


Blitzortung Stations #706 and #1682
CoCoRaHS: MI-PI-1
CWOP: CW4114 and KE8DAF-13
WU: KMIROGER7
Amateur Radio Callsign: KE8DAF

Offline miraculon

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Re: Time to end Des Moines Weather
« Reply #4 on: December 17, 2018, 08:13:17 AM »
Quote
another 80 for the domain name

I just checked my account on HostDime and Hosting24. I pay between $8-11 on Hosting24 (but this might be due to having hosting through them). I pay $28 on HostDime, but that is just a redirect from sunrisesideweather.com to rogerscityweather.com. I don't know why the variation in price at Hosting24. It used to be free with hosting, but they recently started charging extra for it.

$80 for domain name registration seems kind of high...

Greg H.




Blitzortung Stations #706 and #1682
CoCoRaHS: MI-PI-1
CWOP: CW4114 and KE8DAF-13
WU: KMIROGER7
Amateur Radio Callsign: KE8DAF

Offline Aardvark

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Re: Time to end Des Moines Weather
« Reply #5 on: December 17, 2018, 08:32:58 AM »
Quote
another 80 for the domain name

I just checked my account on HostDime and Hosting24. I pay between $8-11 on Hosting24 (but this might be due to having hosting through them). I pay $28 on HostDime, but that is just a redirect from sunrisesideweather.com to rogerscityweather.com. I don't know why the variation in price at Hosting24. It used to be free with hosting, but they recently started charging extra for it.

$80 for domain name registration seems kind of high...

Greg H.

I went with HostMonster.  a very good company, no down time and anytime I had a question or problem, they fixed it right away.  Unlimited bandwidth was a big incentive.   I stuck a visible web counter to the first page of my site to show the deplorable results.  Anywya with the extra money, I can buy more thing for my station or invest in an apple Homepod to blast my music and scare the dog
« Last Edit: December 17, 2018, 08:35:35 AM by Aardvark »

Offline chief-david

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Re: Time to end Des Moines Weather
« Reply #6 on: December 17, 2018, 08:46:01 AM »
That stinks. I get it. Still stinks.



You can't phase me-I teach Middle School.
It's not you-It's WU.

Offline Aardvark

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Re: Time to end Des Moines Weather
« Reply #7 on: December 17, 2018, 08:54:30 AM »
That stinks. I get it. Still stinks.
well, it is time.  287 on a retired teachers salary is one of those all at once expense.  I still will have my WL2.0 account.  :(

Offline PaulMy

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Re: Time to end Des Moines Weather
« Reply #8 on: December 17, 2018, 09:35:36 AM »
Quote
and then another 80 for the domain name.
For how long?
I just renewed at $14.99 for one year for my .com and $16.99 for .ca names with GoDaddy.  Am I missing out on something?


Enjoy,Paul

Offline Bushman

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Re: Time to end Des Moines Weather
« Reply #9 on: December 17, 2018, 10:40:46 AM »
Tough decision (I know, I did it  a few years back and now just point my domain name - ~10 bucks USD a year - to WU where Meteobridge loads the data.) but understandable.  Enjoy retirement - you will have lots of other things to do I am sure.  And TBT, I don't think there is that much interest in good local weather any more - not when every phone has it on the home screen. Alas...
Need low cost IP monitoring?  http://wirelesstag.net/wta.aspx?link=NisJxz6FhUa4V67/cwCRWA or PM me for 50% off Wirelesstags!!

Offline Aardvark

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Re: Time to end Des Moines Weather
« Reply #10 on: December 17, 2018, 11:07:38 AM »
*   17 Jan 2019 - 12.00 Months Plus Hosting @ $179.88/12 Months
*   17 Jan 2019 - 1.00 Month Dedicated IP @ $5.99/Month
*   17 Jan 2019 - 12.00 Months Site Backup Pro @ $35.88/12 Months
ESTIMATED TAX: $0.00
TOTAL:   $287.64


and :   
PositiveSSL Certificate :   year   1   49.99

I can understand that if it is a small community, school or business  people might be interested in the local conditions and other goodies.  But Des Moines is well over 350K with 3 Universities close by, suburbs,  4 local TV stations and the NOAA  a mile out, no one would be interested with the exception of those doing research on microclimates,cocorahs.org, APRS, Globe.gov and others.

Yes, I do remember getting 40 hits and pages pirated in the past.   Now all I have to do is yell at my phone , "Hey Siri!  what the weather for today?"  and I have it in a jiffy.

Retired?   Well  I pick up my granddaughter from school 3 days a week, and some times take her to work and home when her dad craps out.   I go to the grocery store now and then,  I make pDf's of student work for my college prof wife.   I take the dog out for a deturding in the yard.  Of Late I go to the doctors a lot.   my tail bone area causes me extreme weakness after sitting and trying to walk, and my shoulder is acting up.  So I go for shots and acupuncture.    Then I happen to scour the weather forums for something to read and roll my eyes at,  deciding whether or not to jump in and help or just let it go.

I won't be gone, I just won't be sending data to my site.  I will, however be sending data to my Weatherlink 2.0.  Unfortunately Centurylink has no vanity web pages like AOL and the local cable company used to have. 

funny thing, since I announced I am ending on Jan 17,  I have had more hits.   Reminds me of the local store that had a huge going out of business sale.  It was so good they restocked everything and continued their going out of business sale, until after a year, someone investigated and gave them 2 weeks to end it all.     




Offline Bushman

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Re: Time to end Des Moines Weather
« Reply #11 on: December 17, 2018, 11:36:14 AM »
Not to be critical, but for the edification of others in the same boat....  hosting  in Canada runs 4-9 bucks a month and SSL is often included.

As for retirement, I get ya - been in and out of it myself and I swear  I need a full-time job to get some rest.  The amount of stuff there is to do.... <sigh>.  Anyway, stay well!
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Offline ocala

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Re: Time to end Des Moines Weather
« Reply #12 on: December 17, 2018, 06:57:45 PM »
23 years is a long time. You should be proud of that but  I also understand why.
Heck I only managed to keep mine going for 3 years.
Enjoy the retirement and try to stay healthy.
The blues had a baby and they named it Rock & Roll

Offline Aardvark

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Re: Time to end Des Moines Weather
« Reply #13 on: December 17, 2018, 09:01:10 PM »
23 years is a long time. You should be proud of that but  I also understand why.
Heck I only managed to keep mine going for 3 years.
Enjoy the retirement and try to stay healthy.
Stay Healthy?  from your mouth to God's Ear.   I have had trouble with my lumbar spine, tail bone,  steroid injections , acupuncture, Chinese Herbs.  OY   I am just hoping the station continues to work.   Walking is a chore,  it feels like someone kicked me in the hind end, and the feeling keeps on giving.

So..   I just didn't think it would pay out , I've had more hits since I am going out of business than before.

Offline CW2274

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Re: Time to end Des Moines Weather
« Reply #14 on: December 17, 2018, 09:19:14 PM »
23 years is a long time. You should be proud of that but  I also understand why.
Heck I only managed to keep mine going for 3 years.
Enjoy the retirement and try to stay healthy.
I've had more hits since I am going out of business than before.
Well, ya just got another. UU

Offline DRoberts

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Re: Time to end Des Moines Weather
« Reply #15 on: January 07, 2019, 10:10:06 AM »


Aardvark, I know what you mean about teaching salary. How many years? I put in about 40 I think and in Kansas, which isn't noted for high teaching salaries. Retired now too, and it seems you are staying busier than I am.

I have pretty well decided not establish my own website, but I plan to join CWOP as soon as the govt reopens. Catch you later. I need to go dig up one of my mayo jars full of money.

Best to you!