Topic: Question to RapidFire Users

[NorthNJwx]

Hi All,

I've been sending my data to from my VP2 to Weather Underground since 2/6/2006, using WeatherLink with the old module on a 10-minute update schedule - I also used WxSolution, the primary software I use, for 10-min WU uploads for a while as well. I use this update interval for the wind data: my 10-min dominant wind directions, 10-min average winds, and 10-min peak gusts are all uploaded to WU. This data makes for beautiful graphs and smooth wind data, which I value greatly. While I have always been aware of RapidFire and it has existed since around the time I put my station online, I've never really wanted to sacrifice my smooth wind data/wind graphs for it.

However...

I'm going away to college in August, which means I can't see that up-to-the-(2.5) second data on the station console anymore. I've also had some weird issue with WeatherLink falling behind an update and posting my data 10 minutes late each time it uploads to WU, causing some frustration on my end about my current WU upload scenario. So, I'm wondering if RapidFire is the way to go for when I go away. I'd love to see that instantaneous data while I'm gone, but my smooth wind data and graphs from my WU archive might be too much for me to give up. The wind data/graphs archived on WU while running RapidFire looks like a simple, meaningless instantaneous value to me - not really useful for what I'm looking for.

If anyone who uses RapidFire has any suggestions or feedback for me as to whether or not it is worth it to use RF, that would be greatly appreciated. The program I would use for RapidFire would be WxSolution, which I'm currently testing the RF feature of - it seems to do a great job of getting the vast majority of the data packets uploaded. If there were any way a program could perform RF updates, while using some kind of average wind/peak gust for the data archive on WU, that would be the perfect compromise - but unless anyone knows of a program that does so, I don't think any such option exists.

[d_l]

I have my Meteohub set to give 2-minute rapid fire updates to WU (and WU reports that my station is in rapid fire mode); however, WU only posts/records data in the archive at 5 minutes (sometimes 6 minutes) intervals.

I think the primary purpose of a frequent rapid fire update is for the rapid fire flash view graphic.

[NorthNJwx]

I have my Meteohub set to give 2-minute rapid fire updates to WU (and WU reports that my station is in rapid fire mode); however, WU only posts/records data in the archive at 5 minutes (sometimes 6 minutes) intervals.

I think the primary purpose of a frequent rapid fire update is for the rapid fire flash view graphic.

My WxSolution software did the same when I had it on RapidFire - it archived data at 5 minute intervals.

The flash view graphic is the advantage to RF, but I can't find any software that actually archives some kind of average wind and peak gust for that 5-min interval that it archives at while it RF updates are ongoing. That's the huge advantage to the older WeatherLink module for me - it archives the 10-min average/peak wind data with dominant direction, while using RF just archives an instantaneous wind value.

[W Thomas]

I have kept the Rapid Fire Updates active to WU for the main reason of being able to see near real time data from a remote location using the Flash Applet on the WU page. I hope to eventually rework the complete web site to use a quicker update method for data updates but for the time being this is a good
compromise for me anyway    I did have some trouble with VWS and it's upload method falling behind if the the network connection was interrupted and re established. Instead of Rapid Fire the best it could do was 10 minutes until I restarted the program. Updating VWS and some changes made on the WU side shortly thereafter seems to have eliminated that almost entirely...knock on wood 

[NorthNJwx]

I have kept the Rapid Fire Updates active to WU for the main reason of being able to see near real time data from a remote location using the Flash Applet on the WU page. I hope to eventually rework the complete web site to use a quicker update method for data updates but for the time being this is a good
compromise for me anyway    I did have some trouble with VWS and it's upload method falling behind if the the network connection was interrupted and re established. Instead of Rapid Fire the best it could do was 10 minutes until I restarted the program. Updating VWS and some changes made on the WU side shortly thereafter seems to have eliminated that almost entirely...knock on wood 

Thanks for the response. This is also my motivation behind wanting the real-time data: it can be seen from a remote location, which is a big plus.

I was able to find an excellent solution, though. I discovered Cumulus, which has the awesome ability to provide real-time wind speed & direction data to a website. I incorporated the Cumulus real-time wind displays on my site - they work great! While it's nice to have all of the parameters in real-time on RapidFire and other apps, wind is the only weather parameter that really changes that often on a regular basis, so the Cumulus data is the perfect fit for me.

[W Thomas]

Good Find!!!!
I have Cumulus here also but I admit I haven't had much of a chance to play with it to any extent.
Seems to be supported fairly well too..

Glad your problem rectified!