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1996-07-05
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This is a "freeware" version of AutoWeather for the Ultimeter
500 and Ultimeter 2000. It does not have all the latest
features and fixes but is fully functional and will allow you to
see if the program fits your needs. If you would like the
latest version, see the order information at the end of this
file.
AutoWx is in use by over 100 hams in the U.S. and is also used
for special projects by several government sites.
A version for the Ultimeter II is on the ARRL BBS. It's named
AUTWX63x.ZIP
AW2Kx.EXE (AutoWeather 2000)
(C) 1994,95,96 N5KOA
VER 2.x 04/96
INTRODUCTION
AutoWeather 2000 is a PC compatible packet program that accepts
weather data from the Ultimeter 2000 or Ultimeter 500 home
weather stations and makes the data available on packet by
directly connected requests and/or via automatic beacons (in
APRS beacon format). To take full advantage of AutoWx you
should read ALL the documentation. Read the version updates at
the end of this documentation carefully - sometimes that is the
only hint of new features until the documentation is updated.
AutoWeather was written to run in DOS. The idea was for
AutoWeather to use a minimal personal computer, including only
640K RAM and an XT-type processor. This should allow more
people to leave their AutoWeather node on full-time without
tying up their "good" computer. I use an A/B serial switch to
switch my tnc to my other computer if I want to do packet
keyboarding using a communication program with more features,
like paKet 6.1 by Tony Lonsdale (VK2DHU). AutoWeather will
continue to monitor and log weather data while the tnc is
switched out as long as the Ultimeter weather station is
attached.
If you don't want a fulltime, stand-alone packet weather
station, there is an alternative. paKet 6.1 by Tony Lonsdale
(VK2DHU) is an excellent shareware packet program and I have
written KWeather to support paKet. KWeather, by way of paKet's
script facility allows remote users to access weather
information from the Ultimeter home weather station. Please
remember that shareware users are expected to support by
registering. KWeather can also be used with pk/kaGOLD.
Page 1
Features of AutoWeather 2000:
Split-screen display shows weather data, including APRS
weather beacons from other stations, for past 40 minutes on
bottom - packet on top.
Creates binary log files compatible with the Ultimeter Data
Display software.
Displays Hi/Lo Temperatures and Hi Wind with the time of
day.
Records and shows the highest wind speed for each 5 minute
interval.
Indicates pressure change; rising, falling or steady.
Shows Hi/Lo Barometer for the day
Allows packet stations to connect and request current
weather conditions, including rain, and highs and lows for
the date and longer terms.
Indicates rainfall for hourly, daily, monthly and annual
periods.
Sends weather beacons in APRS format.
Logs weather beacons from other AutoWx or APRS stations.
Creates ASCII text file showing highs and lows for the date.
Serves as a simple packet terminal program.
Runs on a minimal computer system
AutoWx assumes that your computer has COM1 and COM2
serial ports available. One must be used for the tnc and
the other for the Ultimeter.
Thanks to the many users of AutoWx around the country who have
offered suggestions, comments and compliments! A special thanks
to Mr. Bill Peet at Peet Bros. for providing a "loaner"
Ultimeter 2000 for software development because I gave the
AutoWx program away and couldn't afford an upgrade.
Page 2
STARTUP / CONFIGURATION Parameters
The following describes the setup necessary to begin using
AutoWeather:
The Ultimeter 2000 MUST be in COMPLETE RECORD LOGGING mode prior to
starting the AutoWeather program. Press and hold (CLEAR + RAIN)
keys for three seconds. Also, if you have a rain guage
attached, make sure the Ultimeter display reflects the
appropriate measurement: 10ths or 100ths
---------------------------------------------------------------
= THE ULTIMTSR PROGRAM SHOULD NOT BE USED WHILE AW2K IS RUNNING =
---------------------------------------------------------------
The tnc must be in terminal mode - not KISS or HOST mode.
ECHO should be ON, AUTOLF OFF, CSTAMP ON and MAXUSERS 1. If you
are running a very slow 8088 machine, see the Tips section.
Upon starting AutoWx the first time, you must enter some
configuration parameters. They are listed here along with
information to help you identify the proper responses:
The COM port of the TNC must be identified as (COM) "1" or "2".
The other COM port will automatically be assigned to the
Ultimeter 2000. AutoWeather does not support COM3 or COM4 at
this time.
Supported baud rates for the TNC port are: 1200,2400,4800 & 9600
If you need a different baud rate supported, contact me for a
custom version.
Your station's latitude and longitude are necessary to beacon in
a format recognized by the Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS
by WB4APR). There is very little error validation in the entry
of the coordinates so be very careful that they are entered in
the format shown at the config prompt. Null entries at the
Latitude and Longitude prompts will result in "0000.00N" and
"00000.00W". The entry for 31d 52m 40s North would be 3152.66N
A temperature adjustment value is included because the Ultimeter
2000 temperature sensor can, in rare cases, be affected if
additional lengths of cable are attached to it. The default
value for the temperature adjustment is 0 which will be correct
if the display on the U-2000 is correct.
If you prefer, you can have weather data displayed in METRIC
values. Kilometers-Per-Hour for wind, temperatures in Celsius
Page 3
and rain in millimeters.
When prompted for the Log File Name, your entry should NOT
include an extension. The extension .LOG is automatically
added.
After the configuration information is entered, it is written to
the ASCII file 2KWX.CFG. The .CFG file is an ASCII text file
and is pretty self-explanatory. You can view or edit it to make
changes as long as you adhere to proper syntax.
If you want Month-To-Date and Year-To-Date rainfall amounts to
be indicated, you must manually create a plain text data file
named YTD.DAT. You can quickly create this file from DOS using
the command: COPY CON YTD.DAT<enter>
1.2<enter>
3<enter>
<ctrl-z><enter>
This example assumes MTD rain at 1.2 inches and YTD at 3 inches.
(Note that the COPY CON command cannot be used to edit the file
- only to create a new file.) If you don't create YTD.DAT and
place it in the AutoWx directory only current rainfall amounts
will be transmitted.
You should also include information in the tnc CTEXT to instruct
users how to access the weather information. For example,
include in your CTEXT something to the effect of,
Type //WX for weather information. //Bye to disconnect...
Don't forget to turn CMSG ON so that users see this CTEXT when
they connect.
One more thing... check and/or set your computer's time clock
with the DOS Date and Time commands. AutoWx will use both and
the Ultimeter clock should be set at least 30 seconds slow or
your computer clock should be set at lease 30 seconds fast.
Otherwise, AutoWx may read the peak windspeed immediately after
the Ultimeter resets it to zero each five minutes.
At this point, AutoWx should be ready and running. Other users
can connect for weather information, the bottom half of the
display will begin showing weather values every five minutes and
values will be logged to the binary log file. If that's not the
case, see the Trouble Shooting section near the end of this
documentation. If you've made an error in the configuration
entries, it may be easier to delete the file 2KWX.CFG and start
over than to try and figure out how to make corrections.
Page 4
A list of available commands and functions are available on-line
by typing ALT-H.
Page 5
WEATHER NODE (connected requests)
A connected packet station can send any of the valid commands:
//WX for current weather values
The response from AutoWeather will be:
03-18-1996 15:53
TEMP 62.9 F
HI 64.3 15:19
LO 39.6 06:46
WIND NW 12.9 MPH
HI NNE 27.7 MPH 10:20
BAROMETER 30.07s
RAIN TODAY 0.00
YEAR 0.30
AutoWx Ver 2K2.7
If you have the optional outdoor humidity sensor
attached, the response will also include humidity and
dewpoint.
If you are using the Ultimeter 500, which has no
barometer, the BAROMETER line will be omitted.
If you have not created the YTD.DAT file, the
Year-to-date rainfall will be omitted.
If you have toggled the WxNode OFF with ALT+X, the
remote user will see the response:
"Wx information temporarily unavailable..."
//yes for yesterday's weather values.
The AutoWeather response will be:
Yesterday's weather...
HI Temp 73.9 F 13:55
LO Temp 45.7 F 07:29
Hi Wind ENE 17.8 MPH 13:21
RAIN 0.0
AutoWx Ver 2K2.3
//bar for the barometer values
The AutoWeather response will be:
Page 6
3 hour Barometer change is -0.08 inHg.
Hi is 30.18 inHg at 10:50
Lo is 29.84 inHg at 00:00
The Hi and Lo values are for today. See the Ultimeter
documentation for details on the 3-hour change.
//long for the long-term weather values
The AutoWeather response will be:
Long Term Hi's/Lo's...
HI Temp 91.8 F 14:10 02/21/1996
LO Temp 14.1 F 06:30 02/03/1996
Hi Wind W 43.7 MPH 16:23 02/18/1996
Hi Barom 30.70 inHg 01:07 03/08/1996
Lo Barom 29.49 inHg 17:49 03/17/1996
Hi Rain 0.3 03/21/1996
AutoWx Ver 2K2.7c
(yes, these are actual values in West Texas)
See the Ultimeter documentation for details on how to
clear and/or set the long term values.
//help to send the contents of the optional HELP.AWX file
If you have the optional HELP.AWX file present in the
AutoWeather directory the connected user can send //HELP
to see the contents of that file. (If the file is not
present, the user will see the message: "No help
available..."
The HELP.AWX should be kept as short as possible,
especially considering that a user may be connected via
a network or several digis. The sample HELP.AWX file on
the distribution disk should be edited to reflect your
own callsign and any other information specific to your
station if you plan to use it.
//BYE to disconnect
Commands can be entered in upper or lower case and anywhere on
the packet line. AutoWeather must see the *** CONNECTED TO
message before considering the // commands valid.
While a station is connected, the weather Beacon is suspended.
Also, if UPDATES are OFF (ALT-U) a connected user will see the
message, "Weather data temporarily not available...".
The last ten stations that connected can be viewed by pressing
Page 7
the PgDn key. (You MUST have CSTAMP turned on to see the
Connect Log with PgDn.)
If you enter a "greeting" with ALT-G, the message will be sent
to connected users immediately after the CTEXT (if any) is
transmitted. You might use this to notify users to check the
mailbox for bulletins, etc. Remove the greeting message by
entering a null response to the ALT-G prompt.
DISPLAYS and FUNCTIONS
The hi's and lo's for the current date are displayed in the
status line at the bottom of the screen.
ALT+B toggles the APRS beacons ON/OFF. When toggled ON the
user is prompted for the time interval and any message to
be appended on the end of the beacon. The status lines at
the bottom of the screen will indicate whether the beacon
is OFF or ON and, if ON, will show the interval.
Beacons can also be turned off/on and interval selected
remotely with the //BEACON and //BT commands documented
elsewhere in this text.
ALT+C will copy the WX.HST, xxxx.LOG, and WX.ERR files to floppy
disk drive A: (or drive B: if you started AutoWx with the
/B: switch). There will be no WX.ERR file unless an error
is generated from within AutoWx.
ALT+D will "shell" to DOS. This function allows you to perform
some DOS commands. Type EXIT at the DOS command prompt to
return to AutoWeather. It will take a few seconds for the
Ultimeter data stream to be read and parsed so be patient.
Shelling to DOS may cause "bad things" to happen, Man.
Don't make a habit of using it. Just quit AutoWeather for
your DOS tasks unless they are very brief and require very
little memory.
ALT+G allows you to enter a one-line Greeting message. This
message will be sent immediately after any CTEXT message.
ALT+H will display a Help Window
ALT+L will display long term values
ALT+M does various things. Among them are:
Sends the TNC.AWX file to the tnc. If you happen to be
connected or in CONVERSE mode at the time ALT+M is
pressed, you will have to manually return to the
Page 8
CONVERSE mode after the TNC.AWX file is sent to the tnc.
This is because AutoWeather will send a CTRL+C before it
reads the TNC.AWX file. IF YOUR TNC IS ONE THAT WILL
REACT VIOLENTLY TO THE CONTROL-C CHARACTER, DO NOT USE
ALT+M
Edit the TNC.AWX file to be sure that it contains only
commands that are valid for your tnc.
This function also causes AutoWeather to forget that a
station is connected. This means the beacon will beacon
at it's pre-determined time (if it's turned on).
Generally you should not use ALT+M while a station is
connected.
ALT+R inhibits the logging of rainfall amounts to the binary log
file and causes a -1 to be displayed with each update.
This feature is pretty useless right now because the
rainfall amounts are not logged anyway. See the ERRORS
section later in this document.
ALT+S clears the scroll back buffer
ALT+T causes an APRS beacon to be sent immediately. If beacon
is ON, the interval timer will be reset.
ALT+U Toggles UPDATES ON/OFF. I forgot why I put this in but it
will stop logging to the screen and to the binary log
file. As a matter of fact it's probably useless except to
cause problems somewhere.
ALT+W turns on Weather beacon logging. That means that any APRS
or AutoWeather weather beacons seen will be logged in the
bottom half of the display and to a plain text file named
WX.LOG
ALT+X will toggle the WxNode function OFF/ON as indicated at the
bottom of the screen.
ALT+Y will display yesterday's information in a pop-up window.
ALT+Z will allow you to change the time on your computer. It
was originally a programmer tool I used to test with and
it was (and still is) pretty primitive. I did find it
handy though so I decided to leave it in.
You MUST enter the time in the format indicated (no
commas, colons, etc.) and if you enter a time prior to the
current time, it might cause the AutoWx update to wait for
Page 9
24 hours. (If in doubt, quit and then restart
AutoWeather.)
A null response to the prompt leaves the time unchanged.
PgDn will show the last ten stations that connected to you if
you have CSTAMP turned on.
PgUp will display the last few pages of screen. Press the
ESCape key to abort the display.
All screens called or popped up for functions will return to the
main AutoWeather screen after a period of time or you can press
any key to return to the main screen. (Except when in the
scroll back screen.)
I just realized that some of these functions were present but
never documented in earlier versions. Oh well...
Page 10
LOGGING
AutoWeather also maintains a binary log of weather conditions
for every five minutes. This feature was necessary because the
Terminate-Stay-Resident software that is available with the
Ultimeter (ULTIMTSR) does not share the serial port. In other
words, if you are running the TSR and then try to read the
serial port with another program, the TSR quits logging.
Besides, if you want to keep the log up-to-date, you have to
leave your computer on all the time. Running a dedicated
computer for the weather and sharing it with other packet users
makes more sense.
The log file will be named whatever you specified during the
configuration of AutoWx. It can be read, exported or
graphically displayed with the Data Display software available
from Peet Bros. (You can also read U-II log files with the
U-2000 display software.)
At midnite on the last day of each month AutoWx will create a
new log file. The old log file will be named MMYY.LOG where MM
= month and YY = year. Log files can be appended by using the
DOS Copy command as it applies to binary files. For example, to
combine the monthly files 0196.LOG and 0296.LOG into a new file
named 2MOS.LOG, use the DOS command:
COPY /b 0196.LOG+0296.LOG 2MOS.LOG
The original files are not altered. After March, you could add
the 0396.LOG file to create 3MOS.LOG using:
Copy /b 2MOS.LOG+0396.LOG 3MOS.LOG
See your DOS manual for more details on combining binary files.
The U-2000 Data Display program assumes that all log entries are
at five minute intervals. Therefore, if you suspend logging for
more than a couple of minutes, the Data Display program will be
reading data that was logged after the time displayed in the
Data Display program. For example: If you suspended the logger
with ALT-U at 10:28 and did not resume logging until 10:58, the
Display program will show the data logged at 11:00 as if it were
logged at 10:30 and there will be thirty minutes of no data at
the end of the day.
If you plan to NEVER use the log files you can delete it/them as
often as you like. Just remember... NEVER is a long time; you
might change your mind someday. Besides, you will probably get
a year's data on a 360K floppy so the log files don't take up
much disk space.
Page 11
NOTE: The logging of data to the log file is suspended if you
toggle Updates OFF (ALT-U).
Page 12
APRS Beacons
When an AutoWx user beacons in APRS format all local APRS
users will see the AutoWx station on their maps just as
if the AutoWx user was running APRS. You MUST include APRS in
your tnc UNPROTO parameter. (i.e. UNPROTO APRS VIA DIGI1)
The beacon will be digi'd through any valid path specified in
the UNPROTO tnc parameter. UNPROTO should be set to APRS or to
APRS VIA xxxx in order to be identified by stations running
APRS.
The APRS beacon format is:
/Txxx = current temperature
/Rxxx = Rain since top of the hour
/Pxxx = Current rainfall total (as indicated by the
Ultimeter 2000)
/Bxxx = Barometer
/Hxxx = Humidity ( ... if no sensor attached)
Automatic beacons can be toggled ON/OFF with ALT-B. When Beacon
is toggled ON, the user is prompted for the interval (in
minutes; default = 30 minutes) and for any text to be tagged on
the end of the weather data. The Beacon time will be in the
nearest 5-minute increment regardless of the value entered; for
example, if you enter 9 minutes, the actual beacon time will be
10 minutes. Beacons are transmitted only when the log file is
updated.
The beacon will automatically include the Longitude and Latitude
from the config file. If you enter text to be appended to the
beacon (Btext), it will be limited to 30 characters.
The Beacon can be forced to xmit immediately by typing ALT-T.
After using ALT-T, the beacon timer (if Beacon is ON), restarts.
The Beacon can be turned off/on remotely with //BEACON. Make
sure that you have the correct path specified in UNPROTO prior
to turning the beacon on. The default time for beacons turned
on REMOTELY is 20 minutes. You can change this by starting
AutoWeather 2000 with the /RB switch. You will be prompted for
the new interval. The new time will remain in effect until the
program is stopped.
If you enable Weather Beacon Logging with ALT-W the program will
capture any monitored APRS-type weather beacons and save them to
an ASCII text file named WX.LOG. While Weather Beacon Logging
is enabled, an asterisk (*) will appear to the left of the UPDATE
status at the bottom of the screen. Weather Beacon Logging may
not be compatible with slower 8088 class computers and/or you may
Page 13
have to use a slower baud rate to the tnc. (See Tips)
AutoWeather also looks for the APRS command string ?WX? when you
are monitoring other packets. If this weather query is detected
AutoWeather will send an APRS beacon automatically. This can be
disabled by starting AutoWeather with the /NOWX switch if you do
not want AutoWeather to respond to APRS weather queries.
AUTOWEATHER USERS MUST INCLUDE "APRS" IN THEIR UNPROTO COMMAND
FOR THEIR BEACONS TO BE LOGGED BY APRS AND/OR AUTOWEATHER.
APRS is a map-based packet program by WB4APR, Bob Bruninga,
Annapolis, MD
UPDATE
An "update" occurs when the program is started, every five
minutes, and when a connected (//WX) request is received. When
a timed update occurs (every 5 minutes), the data is logged to
disk. The U-2000 data is read continuously and logged to disk
every 5 minutes. Whenever the data is updated, it is also
printed on the lower portion of the screen. Updates can be
toggled off with ALT-U but this will also disable the logging of
data to the log file. If you are going to disconnect or
otherwise disable the weather input, toggle the updates off with
ALT-U to keep the program from hanging up during the update
sequence. While the UPDATEs are toggled OFF, connected requests
for weather (//wx) will receive a message stating that "Weather
data is temporarily unavailable...".
When UPDATE is toggled off, the timer is not reset; when UPDATE
is toggled back ON, if the programmed time (5 min.) has passed
while UPDATE was OFF, the update will be performed immediately.
RAIN
There is no setting in AutoWeather 2000 for rain gauge
increments. If you have the gauge that measures in 100ths, set
your Ultimeter 2000 for that measurement. The Ultimeter 2000
allows you to set rain measurement on the keyboard. See your
U-2000 instruction manual.
Rain amounts, in tenths of an inch, are beaconed in the /R000
Page 14
(hourly) and /P000 (daily) format. The hourly amount is
calculated from the top of the hour. (Beacons show rain in
10ths inches even if you have the 100ths rain gauge. 100ths are
rounded up to the nearest 1/10th.
Updates on the screen show the amount of rain since the top of
hour along with the amount of rain for the day in the format:
(hour ->) 0.00 / 0.00 (<- day)
Connected weather requests (//WX) show hourly, daily, and
optionally, month-to-date and year-to-date rainfall.
TERMINAL Mode
If you use the program as a packet terminal to connect to other
stations, temporarily turn the Beacon OFF (ALT-B). If UPDATEs
are left ON, the logger will continue to log data and the lower
half of the screen screen will continue to receive updated data
every five minutes without interferring with your keyboard QSO.
The program will ignore the //wx request if you disable it with
the ALT-X toggle.
For the older Ultimeter II, use AutoWx.EXE as available on the
ARRL BBS. Look for AUTWXxxx.ZIP where xxx indicates the version
number. (Search for AUTOWX or ULTIM) As of January 1996, the
older program is probably AUTWX63.ZIP.
The Ultimeter can be used with paKet 6.1 or the pk/kaGOLD
programs with my KWeather.exe program. If you received AutoWx
from me, the KWeather program and documentation are included on
your disk.
Page 15
NOTES:
AutoWeather 2000 is released for the use by other licensed
amateur radio operators and no payment or registration fees are
required although donations are accepted and appreciated. The
program is copyright protected and I choose to retain all rights
to the code. AutoWeather 2000 may NOT be distributed with any
commercial merchandise without written permission from the
author.
Ultimeter home weather stations are products of Peet Bros., Inc.
Peet Bros. is not affiliated with the author of AutoWeather 2000
and does not warranty or promote the use of the program. (In
other words, don't blame Peet Bros. if AutoWeather does not work
like you think it should. They have been very supportive of my
project and of the ham population in general. They have offered
help and encouragement for amateur applications beyond that of
any other home weather station manufacturer.)
Page 16
Errors/Bugs and other annoyances...
As of this release the logging of rain to the binary log file
is disabled. Apparently a bug in the Peet Bros. Data Display
software inhibits the correct display of rain data and causes
incorrect readings of other values when rain is logged.
If you start AutoWeather 2000 WITH A FLOPPY DRIVE, make sure the
startup floppy is in it's drive all the time. If the diskette
is not in it's drive when the write buffer is flushed the
program will endlessly loop. Also, do not attempt to use the
ALT-C copy feature when running from a floppy; the log file is
already on the diskette and a file cannot be copied onto itself!
HF transmissions can interfere with the U-2000 and bad data can
be passed to the AutoWeather program. The use of an rf filter
is highly recommended. (A 30 db filter is available from PEET
BROS.) AutoWeather 2000 attempts to detect and discard invalid
data before it is displayed or logged however, the long term
values in your Ultimeter can be wiped out by rf.
The National Weather Service calculates wind speed using a
2-minute average of sustained wind. AutoWeather 2000 records
the highest wind speed during a 5-minute period. The HI
WindSpeed indicated by AutoWeather 2000 is closer to a "gust"
windspeed if you want to be technical.
I don't particularly like Windows myself but many users have
indicated they use or plan to use AutoWx under windows. I have
included an icon, aw2000.ico and a .PIF file. If you create an
effective .PIF file, send it to me and I'll include it on the
distribution disks. I find it interesting that AutoWx runs well
on an XT but really drags down a 386-40mHz running Windows 3.1
What does that tell you?
Page 17
TIPS
If you use the TNC Command that inhibits the display of incoming
characters while you type (FLOW), turn it off. Better yet, make
sure you hit the ENTER key the last thing after using your
keyboard. After hitting ENTER the cmd: prompt should appear on
the screen to let you know that there are no characters in the
tnc buffer.
Turn off your computer monitor and leave it off when not sitting
at the keyboard. (The screen will burn in the image of the
weather data over time.)
Import the WX.HST file to a database program and create custom
statistical reports and graphs. The WX.HST file is easy to
import as a "comma-delimited ASCII file" into most popular
database programs and many spreadsheet programs.
If a BBS in your town supports modem connections, consider
leaving your weather node on the BBS frequency (or a gateway
port) so the node can be accessed by telephone, too.
An ASCII error log file (WX.ERR) is created if an error is
generated by AutoWeather 2000. If this file appears in your
directory you can look at and/or delete it. Just make sure it
doesn't get big enough to eat up disk space.
Use BUDCALLS and BUDLIST to minimize traffic on the screen.
This is highly recommended if you are running an 8088 computer
and want to leave MONITOR ON. Even callsigns that are not
included in the BUDCALLS will can still connect to you (at least
on the Kantronics tncs - I'm not sure about others). For
example, if you want to monitor only the local packet stations
that are sending APRS weather beacons, include them in the
BUDCALLS and set BUDCALLS to FROM or BOTH. You'll see their
beacons and anybody else can connect to AutoWx and get weather
info. Using BUDLIST also maximizes the use of the
"scrollback/review" buffer. Connected users can leave msgs or
notes for you while they are connected and you can scrollback
through to read them.
If you use a plain text file named HELP.AWX do not include the
// commands in their unique syntax. When the HELP.AWX file is
sent, AutoWeather will see the command as a request to send
information. See the sample HELP.AWX for format.
The plain text file TNC.AWX should contain only valid tnc
commands. See the sample TNC.AWX file.
Page 18
The UPDATE.DOC file has details on how to get the latest version
of AutoWx by phone modem.
Page 19
Log File Notes
The binary log file is much like the one created by the
Ultimeter Data Logger and is very efficient. You can probably
get a whole year's data on a 360K floppy. The AutoWX program
must run for at least ten minutes before any useable data is
logged. Also, starting and stopping the AutoWX program before
any useable data is logged can cause errors in the display. The
Peet Data Display program reads a file header in the log file to
determine the starting date and time but all data entries
between headers are assumed to be in five minute intervals. The
AutoWX program writes a new date/time header each time it starts
but if logging is suspended by the ALT-U toggle, the data may
miss the 5 minute interval and therefore be incorrectly
displayed by the U-II Data Display program. If the logger is
suspended for more than 10 minutes, quit the AutoWX program and
restart it to avoid the problem. Although data may be missing
for the suspended period, the data logged will be displayed with
the correct time if you follow this procedure.
If you want to build up same data fast but don't care if it's
accurate, start AutoWx and then change the computer time after
every update. For example: start AutoWx at 13:03, then after an
update, change the time to 13:09. At 1310 another update will
occur and be logged. Then bump the time up 4 minutes again,
etc. Be sure to set the clock back to the correct time when you
finish experimenting. You can use ALT-Z to change the time.
Page 20
AutoWeather 2000 Quick Guide
ESC Clear Screen
PgDn Show last 10 connected stations
PgUp Scroll back buffer for packet screen (?)
ALT - B BEACON on/off
ALT - C Copy data files to Floppy
ALT - D Shell to DOS
ALT - G Enter GREETING message for additional "connect text"
ALT - H Help Window
ALT - L Long Term display
ALT - M Initialize TNC with TNC.AWX
ALT - Q Quit
ALT - R Inhibit rain logging - (no effect in this release)
ALT - S Clear scrollback buffer
ALT - T Xmit Beacon
ALT - U UPDATES off/on
ALT - W Wx Beacon logging (shows * near UPDATE when on)
ALT - X Wx Node off/on
ALT - Y Yesterday's display
ALT - Z Check/Set TIME clock
Startup Options:
/B: Copy data files to DRIVE B: instead of DRIVE A: when
using ALT-C
/NOWX Inhibit the AutoWeather response to ?WX? from APRS users
/RB Change remote beacon time (default = 30)
Files:
2KWX.CFG AutoWeather 2000 configuration data.
WX.HST Data file showing Hi's/Lo's for each date
WX.ERR Data file created only if program generates an error.
(This file can be deleted at any time.)
#5 - Illegal function call #64 - Bad file name
#11 - Division by zero #68 - Device unavailable
#24 - Device timeout #69 - Communications-buffer overflow
#55 - File already open #71 - Disk not ready
#57 - Device I/O error #72 - Disk media error
#61 - Disk full #75 - Path/File access error
#62 - Input past end of file
Page 21
2KWX.LOG Data file of any APRS beacons recorded from other
stations. (MONITOR must be on)
Page 22
Help
PROBLEM: When I start AutoWx, it says it can't see my Ultimeter on the
COM port.
SOLUTION: Look at the 2KWX.CFG file and verify that TNC=COM1
or TNC=COM2. If the tnc is on COM1, the Ultimeter must be on
COM2 (and vice-versa).
PROBLEM: I see nothing but BAD DATA errors.
SOLUTION: The Ultimeter has to be in Complete Record mode. Maybe you
changed modes at the Ultimeter display. Set it back to Data
Logging Mode. (CLEAR + RAIN)
PROBLEM: My display shows "-1" every time the weather info updates in
the bottom half of the screen.
SOLUTION: You have toggled the Rain Ignore switch. Toggle it back with
ALT-R. While the Rain Ignore is toggled on, AutoWeather
inhibits rain logging by the Ultimeter to the binary log
file.
PROBLEM: When I use PgDn to see the last ten connected stations, there
is nothing there.
SOLUTION: Make sure the CSTAMP (or equivalent) parameter is
ON. AutoWx looks for the date and time in brackets ([]) to
identify a connected station's callsign. If there is no Date
and Time in brackets with the ***CONNECTED msg, there will be
nothing in the PgDn list. (If you are using a tnc that does
not use the square brackets around the date & time, let me
know and we'll fix it in AutoWx.)
PROBLEM: When I start AutoWx I see the weather data but I can't seem to
control my tnc.
SOLUTION: The tnc MUST be in terminal mode - not KISS or HOST mode. Run
a terminal program such as ProComm or QModem to verify correct
operation of the tnc. You should see the cmd: prompt if the
tnc is in terminal mode. Make sure the baud rates of AutoWx
and the tnc match.
PROBLEM: When I try to type in my CTEXT to say: TYPE //WX for WEATHER
The program keeps trying to send the weather information and
messing up my screen.
Page 23
SOLUTION: Hit ALT-X and try again. Then turn the weather node back on
with ALT-X when you finish entering your CTEXT. (Weather node
status is noted at the bottom of the screen.) At version 2.7,
the tnc must be CONNECTED to another station or // commands
are ignored.
PROBLEM: I am sending the weather beacon but APRS users are not seeing
me on their map.
SOLUTION: Make sure your tnc UNPROTO parameter begins with "APRS". (No
quotes, of course.) Example: APRS V DIGI This will cause the
beacon to digipeat thru DIGI with the required syntax to be
recognized by APRS stations.
PROBLEM: I want to leave AutoWx running to keep my binary log file up-
to-date while I run APRS but APRS uses Data Logging Mode and
AutoWx uses Complete Record Mode on the Ultimeter 2000.
SOLUTION: AW2K1s.EXE is now included on the distribution disk. This
version of AutoWx uses the Ultimeter's Data Logging Mode.
With two data cables (using a telephone duplex plug) you can
run APRS and AutoWx at the same time, maintaining the binary
log file. (AW2k1s is an early version of AutoWx 2000 and does
not include all the features of the 2k2_ versions but does do
logging.)
Les Blalock, N5KOA lcb911@apex2000.net
1711 Pagewood
Odessa, TX 79761
(915) 332-7112 day
332-1942 fax
367-0408 eve after 6 pm CST
Page 24
Ver 2k2.x Uses Complete Record Mode
2.2 Fixed duplicate display of Barometer
Added //BAR
2.3 Added //YES
Write WX.HST with other files upon ALT-C
ALT-S clears scollbak buffer
Minor tweaks
2.4 Fixed the accumulated .04 rain amounts in /Rxxx
and displayed as hourly rain. Added following:
//YES shows yesterday's data (ALT+Y at keyboard)
//BAR shows 3-hour pressure change
2.5 Fixed barometer values in binary log file
Show f/s/r on barometer relative to last 5-minute value
Minor tweaks
2.6 Fixed APRS windspeed value (was 10x in first couple
of copies sent out)
Added today's Hi/Lo Barometer on //BAR
2.7 Sends the contents of TNC.AWX to the tnc when you hit ALT+M
Place a valid tnc command on each line with a plain text
editor. If you have problems, delete the TNC.AWX file from
the AutoWx directory.
2.7a Fixed Barometer display in APRS beacon
Fixed temperature rounding error in APRS beacon
2.7b Added HELP.AWX file for //HELP
2.7c Added //LONG and ALT+L
Fixed Yesterday's Wind Direction
2.7d More accomodations for no barometer on Ultimeter 500 output
2.7e Fixed some rounding errors
2.7f Fixed APRS beacon - rounding of rainfall
Fixed logging of U-II type beacons
Fixed display of multiple ///'s in APRS beacons
2.7g Tweaked beacon logging routine
Tweaker other parsing routines
2.7i A cleaned up (inside) version of 2.7g-gb
Page 25
The latest version of AutoWx is available for a $20 registration fee.
Registration ensures that you get the latest version of AutoWx and the
related Ultimeter programs and files. Along with AutoWx, you will
receive:
KWeather - This program allows users to access the Ultimeter if you are
running paKet 6.1 or the ka/pkGOLD terminal programs.
WxRead - If you do not have the Peet Bros. Data Display software, this
program will read and export the binary log file created by AutoWx
and/or the Peet Bros. ULTIMTSR program
Some of the newest features of AutoWx include:
Users can leave messages
An integrated file viewer
Remote status function
Rain logging has been fixed
APRS beacon logging has been cleaned up considerably
Les Blalock, N5KOA
1711 Pagewood
Odessa, TX 79761