WeatherFax ...

[vagspel]

Latest plugin for OpenCPN Weatherfax1.9.5.15.
When starting WF no problems to quit the first menu by clicking X
When staring capture mode and clicking X that does not work.
When starting Wf again it goes directly into capture mode.
To end I have to click "cancel"
A bit confusing as X works in the first meny but not in the capture mode menu.

Question: When having downloaded a fax via HF Radio Schedules where is that file saved when received?

//Gunnar

[rgleason]

Gunnar,

It's great that you are testing/reporting about the sound capture side. I am most familiar with the Internet Retrieval of Weatherfaxes features.
I hope you will stick with us as we work through this.
1. From the menu Retrieve > Capture
2. A menu opens which has some control settings but the scan of the sound retrieval starts immediately, showing the image.
3. After the weatherfax is retrieved you hit Next
4. Another menu opens and select the type of projection for the fax, you then must enter coordinates of the fax. You will determine the right coordinates from study of the scanned in fax. Select one corner, enter in the lat/long, then select the opposite corner and enter the lat/long

5. Then you select next and the fax is overlaid on the charts.

6. I believe the file is saved under the user directory under plugins, for example for Windows: C:\ProgramData\opencpn\plugins\weatherfax
the same place the downloaded weatherfax files are saved.


Note that this scan and upload is bogus and just for illustration, because I am not recieving a weatherfax.

Originally Posted by vagspel

Latest plugin for OpenCPN Weatherfax1.9.5.15.
When starting WF no problems to quit the first menu by clicking X
When staring capture mode and clicking X that does not work.
When starting Wf again it goes directly into capture mode.
To end I have to click "cancel"
A bit confusing as X works in the first meny but not in the capture mode menu.

Question: When having downloaded a fax via HF Radio Schedules where is that file saved when received?

//Gunnar

[vagspel]

Thank you gleason :-)
I will test this when on the boat asap.
Doing a lot of beta testing together with a Swed: Håkan
.
So far everything works very good. Like the new plugin feature :-)
Did you notise the differens in exiting the two menues?
No time to hit the bunk!
//Gunnar

[rgleason]

Will have another minor version shortly, but it will have the same basic code, Just adds another environment.



Yes, I notice that, perhaps at some point we can get it working consistantly.

[SCarns]

Hi Rick,

Just a quick update:

I've been testing O5.1.*** on my Mac with OS Catalina. Weatherfax showed up in the Plugin Manager. Installed. Works great so far!!!

Thanks. This is one I've been waiting for for a while.

Steve

[SCarns]

Discovered some weirdness in the preference panel on macOS Catalina. See attachment.

[rgleason]

Scarns, weatherfax has been updated to 1.9.5.17 with plugin manager changes it is now in the master catalog. You probably want to use the current unstable Opencpn beta with it due to some new plugin checking and verification.


The ubuntu xml error is still there when first opened. That is due to copying the xml file over to the user directory I believe.
Opening it the second time and subsequent works better.

[Dsanduril]

Originally Posted by rgleason

... Meanwhile the UK Meto server has great potential for good color and b&w faxes, we just have to figure out the naming sequence and respond in the weatherfax program. Someone here may recognize how they are naming these images. Please advise how these numbers are created and assigned for this sequence of faxes.. Look at the file names (first the number and then I have added the Date & UTC to help. How is the fax number created? Someone may know this. Thanks....

I saw your post, and having an interest in that specific product I undertook some correspondence with the Met Office. The final result was this response:

Dear Don

We cannot support reverse engineering of the public website in this way.

However, DataPoint (A Met Office service) will provide you with the same product with a determinable URL. Please follow these steps:

Sign up: https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/services/data/datapoint
Read the documents: https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/service...-documentation
You will end up with these URLs:
http://datapoint.metoffice.gov.uk/pu...abilities?key= and http://datapoint.metoffice.gov.uk/pu...imestep=0&key=
The URL requires a key which you will get when you sign up.

If you have any further queries or need additional information, please contact our Weather Desk on +44 (0)1392 88 5680 where one of our advisors will be happy to help. The number is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year and it will help us if you can quote the reference number given above (CS0034897).

I went through the process (some of which was buried), got the API key and was able to retrieve B&W surface pressure charts as GIF files from current out to 120 hours (in the very last URL "timestep=0" can be replaced with 12/24/36...)

The most useful information is the API reference, Registration Page, and Product List.

Don't know if that's too much trouble for the plugin, but would at least allow individuals to sign up and use a determinable URL if they desired.

[Edit] in the final URL there is a "gif" entry, I was able to change this to both jpg and png and retrieve the image in different file formats[/Edit]

[rgleason]

Don,
Thank you for following through on metoffice.
I think it is very possible to have an entry for the metoffice api number and then use those urls for access to the surface charts. Squiddio_pi has this feature for their website and so does VFkaps_pi so some form of that could be used.


I will do a step by step description of how to sign in and get the API and then we'll try to find someone to do the programming.


I am assuming that the API number is supposed to be for individuals and not Opencpn.

[Dsanduril]

It's interesting, they described the API as being suitable for web developers, which means they expect the information, at least, to be shared, even if not the key. So I think it's a bit of a grey area whether or not the key should be shared. And the terms of use are silent on the subject. They do say "fair use" is under 100,000 requests/day and 1,000 requests/minute

If it could be embedded into the application I suspect that's fine, if it is easily obtainable then not so clear.

[Edit] take a look, if it seems useful I don't mind putting together the signup details/screenshots in the manual.[/Edit]

[rgleason]

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/service...-data-tutorial

Via the Javascript API

1. Call the metoffice.forecast.surfacePressure.getCapabilities method to check whether the data has been updated since it was last requested
2. If so, retrieve the surface pressure synoptic chart from the url specified as the value of ProductURI within the BWSurfacePressureChart object in the data retrieved by calling the metoffice.forecast.surfacePressure.getCapabilities method. For the analysis chart the value of the ForecastPeriod element is zero

More details https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/service...-documentation

[rgleason]

Sean's Weatherfax v1.9.9.0 is now on the Plugin Manager 'master' catalog for 13 environments.

[JamesFields]

greetings i have installed the wetherfax in my Open CPN however every thing i try to retrieve internet info it says an error to check internet connection or the web URL.

the internet is working and the URL is programmed in the plug in

so im lost how to make it work any suggestions on this bug

thank you
James

[transmitterdan]

Originally Posted by JamesFields

greetings i have installed the wetherfax in my Open CPN however every thing i try to retrieve internet info it says an error to check internet connection or the web URL.

the internet is working and the URL is programmed in the plug in

so im lost how to make it work any suggestions on this bug

thank you
James

James,

What version of OpenCPN and what computer and operating system?

[rgleason]

Those are probably url's that have been dropped. What stations?


You should try the Noaa stations first, Noaa Boston, New Orleans, Hawaii, Alaska, etc.
These should all work.


The weatherfaxinternetretrieval.xml should be updated I did a lot last year and Hans and David Burch (Starpath) did some work too.. It needs to be done again. We need to know which stations are no longer working, in a list. Thats to start with, but I am doing somethiing else right now with my spare time. With a little effort Users can learn to maintain these files. It really isn't that hard, but it needs to be done to keep up with the changing inet terrain.