| General Information |
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| What is PWSweather.com? Why would I want to send my data to PWSweather.com? What do I need to post my data to PWSweather.com? Are there any costs involved? I live outside of the United States. Can I still post my weather data to PWSweather? |
| Registration |
| How do I register? I'm already registered to post my data to another weather service. Can I still post my data to PWSweather? Do I still need to register with PWSweather if I'm already registered with another weather service? Can I use my same username and password associated with my registration with another weather service? Can I use the same station ID that I use at another weather service? Can I register more than one weather station? |
| PWS Setup |
| Now that I have signed up, how do I start posting to PWSweather? Do I need to leave my computer connected to the Internet all day, every day so it can post data to PWSweather? How often should I post to the PWSweather servers? I'm sending data, but it's not appearing on WeatherForYou.com. Why? How soon should my data appear on PWSweather.com? Why isn't my data appearing on HAMweather.com or HAMweather.net? |
| Adding PWS Data to Your Web Site |
| What can I do with my data now that it is being sent to PWSweather? How can I add a weather image of my current conditions to my web site? Can I display the data of other stations on my web site? Is there a list of other stations who are also sending their data to HAMweather? Can other sites display my data? Is the data being archived? |
| Interfacing PWS Data with Your HAMweather Installation |
| I have HAMweather installed on my server. Can I allow it to access my weather station's data? Can my HAMweather installation use my station information for forecasts by default? Can my HAMweather installation access other stations' data? Can my HW3image installation generate custom images of my and/or other stations' data? Can I display my station's archived data on my web site? |
| General Questions |
| Who is HAMweather anyway? Who is Weather For You? My question is not addressed here. How can I find out more information? |
| General Information |
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What is PWSweather.com?
PWSweather.com is a partnership between HAMweather, LLC and weatherforyou.com, LLC. The purpose of the program is to bring together data from personal weather stations worldwide, display it and make it available for other purposes.
Why would I want to send my data to PWSweather.com?
When you send your data to PWSweather.com it is displayed with graphs and tables which can be easily accessed by anyone on the Internet. The information is also archived so weather history is available. Local forecasts on WeatherForYou.com will include your data and a link back to your web site (if available). If your server supports PHP, you can install the HAMweather scripts to display your data with the look and feel of your site along with providing other important weather information such as forecasts, radar, satellite and more. Local and regional weather networks have and can be formed with data being shared among sites.
What do I need to post my data to PWSweather.com?
First, you need a weather station that supports computer connections. Click here for a selection of weather stations that support our services from Ambient Weather.
Next, you'll need software to process data from the weather station and send it to the Internet. Currently software that supports posting to PWSweather include...
- Virtual Weather Station - http://www.ambientweather.com - Weather Display - http://www.weather-display.com - FreeWX - http://www.freewx.net - Weather Solution - http://www.thunderheadtech.com/WxSolution/ - Weather View 32 - http://www.weatherview32.com/ - WUHU - http://home.comcast.net/~wuhu_software/ - wview - http://www.wviewweather.com/
There are also stand-alone units (not requiring a computer) which supports sending data...
- HauteWind - http://www.hautespot.net/products/es.html - Meteohub - http://www.meteohub.de
If you have software that supports this feature, or would like to add this capability to your software, contact us for more information. And, finally, you need to register at PWSweather.com to post your data. Are there any costs involved? No, this service is free of charge thanks to the combined efforts of HAMweather and WeatherForYou. I live outside of the United States. Can I still post my weather data to PWSweather? Yes, users from around the world are encouraged to post their weather station data to PWSweather. |
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| Registration |
| How do I register? Visit our registration page and complete the user information. Once you have created your account, you can then login and begin adding your personal weather stations. I'm already registered to post my data to another weather service. Can I still post my data to PWSweather? Most weather station software will allow you to post your data to multiple weather services. Do I still need to register with PWSweather if I'm already registered with another weather service? Yes. If you want to post your data to the PWSweather servers you will also need to register with us. The process of signing up to post to PWSweather is quick and easy, just visit our registration page for more details. Can I use my same username and password associated with my registration with another weather service? When you register with us, you will be able to provide a username and password of your choice. Can I use the same station ID that I use at another weather service? After you register with us, you will then be able to add weather stations to your account. When you add a new station, you will be allowed to request a station ID of your choice, which can be the same ID used with another weather service. However, if the station ID you requested has already been reserved for another station, we will suggest a unique station ID for you. Can I register more than one weather station? Yes, we allow you to assign multiple weather stations under a single account. Once you have signed up for the service, you can manage all of your weather stations very easily from within our user's area. |
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| PWS Setup |
| Now that I have signed up, how do I start posting to PWSweather? Instructions for sending and uploading data vary by the software being used, so consult your software's documentation and/or support for more information. In general, you should look for information on servers, HAMweather, WeatherForYou, PWSweather and/or some combination of these. You will need to provide your station's ID and password after which you will be able to set an update schedule. Remember to enter your station ID, not your user ID, in your software. Do I need to leave my computer connected to the Internet all day, every day so it can post data to PWSweather? Posts of current observations will only occur while your software is running. If you are on a dial-up connection, your software should automatically connect as necessary according to your scheduled upload times to send your data. How often should I post to the PWSweather servers? Typically official National Weather Service (NWS) stations update every half-hour or every hour. While the software can upload more often and our servers will allow updates as often as your software will allow, a half-hour upload schedule is suitable. I'm sending data, but it's not appearing on WeatherForYou.com. Why? The database at WeatherForYou.com is manually updated when new stations are found to be sending data. These updates occur about every 48 hours, usually sooner. If your data isn't showing with local forecasts on WeatherForYou.com within 48 hours feel free to e-mail support@weatherforyou.com for information. How soon should my data appear on PWSweather.com? Once you begin sending data, it will show up almost immediately at PWSweather.com. If your data is not showing after about an hour, double check your weather station's settings for sending data. Also it is sometimes necessary to close the program and re-open it before the settings will update and begin sending data. If after trying this and waiting about another hour you still don't see your data, feel free to report it through our support system. Why isn't my data appearing on HAMweather.com or HAMweather.net? The HAMweather sites demonstrate the standard capabilities of the HAMweathe scripts which can be used to display weather information in a way that matches the look of the host site. Since including personal weather station data is an optional feature, only data from METAR stations is displayed on the HAMweather sites. |
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| Adding PWS Data to Your Web Site |
| What can I do with my data now that it is being sent to PWSweather? You can do many things with your data once it is successfully being sent to our servers, such as: Display yours and other users' data on your web site Link to your data on PWSweather.com Add weather images of your and other users' data to your web site using the HAMweather scripts Add "Weather Snapshots" of your and other users' data to your web site using images available at http://www.weatherforyou.com/pwstools/ Allow other web sites to add stickers of your data Setup your HAMweather installation to access your and other users' data How can I add a weather image of my current conditions to my web site? WeatherForYou.com has provided a couple samples at http://www.weatherforyou.com/pwstools/. Custom versions can be made by request to support@weatherforyou.com. Can I display the data of other stations on my web site? Yes, visit the PWS tools page and follow the instructions for adding weather stickers of other users to your page. If you use the data of another station, please give them credit by linking the image back to their site. Is there a list of other stations who are also sending their data to HAMweather? Yes, those stations who have opted to have their station IDs publically listed are available on our PWS community page. Can other sites display my data? Yes, other sites will be able to use weather stickers and Javascript snippets to display your station's data if you have opted for your station ID to be publicly listed in our community. The data can also be displayed through any HAMweather3 installation. Is the data being archived? Yes, HAMweather will be archiving your data as it is posted. This data will be made available on the HAMweather site and there are plans to release a plug-in for HAMweather 3 that will allow you to display archived data on from your HAMweather 3 installation. |
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| Interfacing PWS Data with Your HAMweather Installation |
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I have HAMweather installed on my server. Can I allow it to access my weather station's data?
Yes, as a PWS user who sends data to us you will have free limited access to allow your HAMweather installation to access your station's data on the HAMweather servers.
For HAMweather 3: 1. Open your /configs/fc_metar.ini file* with a raw text editor (i.e. Notepad, BBEdit, TextMate, TextPad, etc). 2. Change the [URLs] section to read as follows: metar_url=www.hamweather.net|weather.noaa.gov|weather.noaa.gov metar_prefix=/weather/current/%%find_place%%|/pub/data/observations/metar/decoded/%%find_place%%|/weather/current/%%find_place%% metar_postfix=.html|.TXT|.html Once the above file has been updated, your HAMweather installation will now use the HAMweather METAR mirror for all current observations. To access your station's data, simply browse to your HAMweather installation and viewing the METAR forecast type for your station's ID: hw3.cgi?forecast=metar&icao=KVABLACK1 NOTE: Review our License and Usage Agreement you agreed to when registering for more information on the use and restrictions regarding the use of the HAMweather METAR mirror. Can my HAMweather installation use my station information for forecasts by default? Yes, you can change the METAR station associated with your city to your unique station ID. Review the appropriate HAMweather 3 documentation or KnowledgeBase for further instructions on changing a location's altplace information. Can my HAMweather installation access other stations' data? Yes, once you have applied the HAMweather configuration modification described above, it will be able to display data for other stations as well. Simply set the forecast type in HAMweather to metar and set the ICAO to the station's ID you want to display. Can my HW3image installation generate custom images of my and/or other stations' data? Yes, once you follow the HAMweather METAR configuration modification described above, then your HAMweather and HWimage plug-in will be able to display your and other stations' data. Can I display my station's archived data on my web site? Unfortunately not at this time. A future plug-in is planned for HAMweather 3 that will allow you to display your station's archived data within your own HAMweather installation. |
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| General Questions |
| Who is HAMweather anyway? HAMweather, LLC is the company that has brought you the HAMweather suite of products and services that allow you to easily add weather data and forecasts to your own web sites. Who is Weather For You? Weather For You was created to increase awareness about independent weather stations and the role they play in reporting information from areas where official NWS reporting stations don't currently exist. One of their goals from the beginning was to bring together information from a wide range of private weather stations to a single resource. They also provide support and services to personal weather stations to enhance their web sites with various forecast and weather information products. My question is not addressed here. How can I find out more information? Please fill out our contact request form with your information and inquiry and we will get back to you. Alternatively, you can visit the HAMweather support forums and search or post your question in the appropriate Personal Weather Stations forum. |
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