VISUALWEATHER Weather Station Software

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1. If VisualWeather reports are filling up a hard drive, what can be done?

   If the computer’s hard drive is filling up, check the C:\\Campbellsci\\VisualWeather\\sys\\bin\\ogs folder. This folder contains the communication logs created by VisualWeather, which can grow quickly. All of the files in this folder can be deleted. To delete the files, it may be necessary to stop VisualWeather temporarily to prevent some files from remaining open.

   If the VisualWeather Reports folder (typically C:\\Campbellsci\\VisualWeather\\Reports) is filling up with old reports, delete any reports that do not need to be saved.

   To prevent automatic report creation, follow these steps:

   1. On the main VisualWeather screen, click the Reports menu and select Batch Reports….
   2. The Batch Report Schedule window will open. The batches listed here can be either manually run or run on a schedule. Batch reports are often used to add additional reports to a website generated by VisualWeather.
   3. The far right column of the table is labeled Next Report Time.
   • If there is a time stamp in the cell of this column, then the report is being run automatically.
   • If Manually Generated is displayed in the column cell, then the batch is only run when the Run button is clicked.
   4. For each listed batch report that is automatically run, select the report by clicking it.
   5. Click the Edit… button.
   6. The Batch Report Selection window will open. In the middle on the bottom, there is an area labeled Output As. These are the output options for the batch reports.
   • The batch reports that have the Web option checked are transmitted to the designated website.
   • The batch reports with the .bmp or .jpg boxes checked are created in the VisualWeather Reports folder. To prevent the batch from creating these reports when it is run, clear the .bmp and .jpg checkboxes.
   7. Click the Save Batch button.

   If all the .bmp and .jpg checkboxes are cleared, no reports should be saved in the VisualWeather Reports folder unless a batch is manually run.

2. What should be done in the VisualWeather program if the website data is not updating?

   Make sure that the station is set up to collect data automatically:

   • From the main VisualWeather screen, select the Collection Status link, and verify that automatic collection is set up.
   • Verify that the Pause Scheduled Data Collection for All Stations box is not checked.

   If data collection needs to be set up, edit the station using the Weather Station Network link on the main VisualWeather screen.

3. Where is there more information about setting up a website using the VisualWeather program?

   More information can be found by following these steps:

   1. On the main VisualWeather screen, click the Tools menu and select Web Output Options….
   2. Click the Help button at the bottom of the screen.
   3. The “Web Output Options” entry in VisualWeather Help will be displayed.
4. Using VisualWeather, how can more reports be added to the website of a weather station?

   Add reports by following these steps:

   1. On the main VisualWeather screen, click the Reports menu and select Batch Reports….
   2. On the Batch Reports Schedule screen, click the New… button.
   3. On the Batch Report Selection screen, select a weather station.
   4. Select a Report Type option.
   5. Select the Generate According To Schedule option.
   6. In the Interval field, set an interval, such as 1 hour.
   7. On the right side of the screen, checkboxes are selected based on what data is available from the station. Select or clear reports by checking the boxes.
   8. In the Output As: section, check the Web box.
   9. Click the Create Batch button.
   10. Enter a name for the batch.

   When the batch runs, files are created in the web folder, transferred automatically via FTP to the website, and added automatically to the web page. They are listed as additional options on the drop-down report that is displayed after clicking the weather station name in the top left corner.

5. What's new in VisualWeather 3.1?

   VisualWeather 3.1 includes the following enhancements from VisualWeather 2.3:

   • Compatibility with the ET107 and Toro T107

   • Enhanced station data screens

   • Improved web output compatibility

   • Improved FTP compatibility

   • Enhanced Station Status window

   • Changes to the database for faster report generation

   • Global Units option, which controls output units for reports and station data screens

   • Ability to set the units used for barometric pressure and wind speed
6. What determines which information is displayed on the active and passive screens?

   When a station is created in VisualWeather, either a station is selected that VisualWeather knows about or VisualWeather is told about a custom station that has been created. Part of this process involves telling VisualWeather what data is being collected at the station.

   Based on the station information, VisualWeather maps the data from the station to controls that can display that data. This data is displayed when the station data is viewed by either of these methods:

   • Connecting to the station and looking at Current Conditions (active monitoring)
   • Clicking the Station Data link on the main screen (passive monitoring) 
7. Where can version information for VisualWeather be found?

   For all versions of VisualWeather, the version information is displayed during startup. As an alternative, version information can be viewed through VisualWeather Help:

   1. On the main VisualWeather screen, click the Help menu and select About (VisualWeather versions 2.2, 2.3) or About VisualWeather (VisualWeather version 3).
   2. On the About screen, the version and build information are displayed.
   3. For version details about the VisualWeather components, click the Versions button.
8. How is it possible to modify what is displayed on the active and passive screens?

   The format and controls on the Active Monitoring and Passive Monitoring screens are saved in files. These files are stored in the RTMC folder in the VisualWeather directory (usually C:\\Campbellsci\\VisualWeather\\RTMC). The extension of these files is .rtmc2. These files can be edited and changed using the RTMC developer software that comes with LoggerNet or the stand-alone RTMCPro Real-Time Monitoring and Control Software.

   In the RTMC folder, there are two or more RTMC screens. One screen is named after the station (for example, VW_CR10X.rtmc2). The other screen is titled VW_MultiStation.rtmc2.

   The “Station Data” entry in VisualWeather Help offers the following: “Note: The data is displayed as a project developed with Campbell Scientific’s RTMC Pro Development software. The project file is VW_Multistation.rtmc2 and is saved in C:\\CampbellSci\\VisualWeather\\RTMC. If you have RTMC Pro, you may make changes to this project (that is, display additional components). Once you have made changes to the project, VisualWeather will not modify the project. If you want to revert to VisualWeather’s default project, you will need to delete the project file. VisualWeather will then recreate the project the next time Station Data is opened.”

   • Edits to the VW_MultiStation.rtmc2 screen are reflected in the Station Data screen (passive monitoring). This should also be the screen that is transferred to the Web via FTP.
   • Editing the station screen instead, such as VW_CR10X.rtmc2, is reflected when connecting to the station and looking at current conditions (active monitoring).

   Campbell Scientific recommends keeping a backup after each editing change to a screen.

9. Does VisualWeather work on Windows 7 (64 bit)?

   VisualWeather was tested on Windows XP, Vista, and 7. To date, there have been no reports of customers experiencing problems using VisualWeather on Windows 7 (64-bit).

   To test whether VisualWeather will work in a particular Windows environment, download the 30 day trial version in the Downloads section of the Support tab on the VisualWeather product page.

10. Will VisualWeather run on Windows Server 2008?

    Typically, Campbell Scientific software is not developed for, or extensively tested on, Windows Server computers. Because Windows Server installations are all uniquely configured, it is nearly impossible for our application engineers to replicate a customer’s implementation environment at our facility. Consequently, the support provided is limited.

    To test whether VisualWeather will work in a particular Windows Server environment, download the 30 day trial version in the Downloads section of the Support tab on the VisualWeather product page.