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1994-02-13
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************************************************************
* *
* The Weather Board (R) Weather Forecast Retrieval System *
* *
* *
* Copyright (c) 1993-94 By Rhino Ware *
* *
************************************************************
The Weather Board Weather Forecast Retrieval System 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
-----------------
TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................ 1
COPYRIGHT NOTICE ................................. 2
WARRANTY ......................................... 2
TRADEMARKS ....................................... 2
INTRODUCTION ..................................... 2
Feature Summary .............................. 3
HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS ............................ 5
INSTALLATION ..................................... 5
Basic Setup for Weather Board ................. 5
The Configuration File ........................ 6
Color Codes ................................... 6
About Modem Settings .......................... 7
HOW IT WORKS ..................................... 8
REGISTRATION INFORMATION ......................... 9
How to obtain your Registered Version ......... 9
Registration Policy ........................... 10
WEATHERMATION NUMBERS ............................ A-1
CONFIGURATION EXAMPLES ........................... B-1
SPECIAL NOTES TO DESQVIEW USERS .................. C-1
WEATHER REPORTING STATION CITY CODES ............. D-1
REGISTRATION FORM ................................ E-1
The Weather Board Weather Forecast Retrieval System 2
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
----------------
Weather Board is a copyrighted program being distributed under the
shareware concept. As such, you may operate Weather Board for a
period of 30 days without registering the software. After the 30 day
evaluation period, you must register your copy of Weather Board or you
will be in violation of United States and International copyright
laws.
As a shareware program, Weather Board may be freely distributed
through a BBS. Shareware distributors may distribute copies of
Weather Board on disk for a modest disk duplication charge not to
exceed $6 per disk.
It is a violation of the Weather Board license agreement to modify the
EXE file in any way.
WARRANTY
--------
Weather Board is distributed without warranty. In no event will Joe
Rhinehart or Rhino Ware be liable to you for damages, including any
loss of profits, lost savings, or other incidental or consequential
damages arising out of your use of or inability to use the program,
even if Joe Rhinehart, Rhino Ware or an authorized representative has
been advised of the possibility of such damages. Joe Rhinehart or
Rhino Ware will not be liable for any such claim by any other party.
Once the program has been registered, there will be NO REFUNDS of the
registration fee. It is the user's responsibility to be certain that
Weather Board runs on their system, and meets their needs, BEFORE they
register!
TRADEMARKS
----------
Weather Board is a registered trademark of Joe Rhinehart and Rhino
Ware. All other brand and product names mentioned in this manual are
trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
INTRODUCTION
------------
Welcome to Weather Board! To many people's surprise, a BBS Sysop can
provide callers with the local weather forecast. The whole process is
very low cost, possibly free! Many airports around the country run a
system which provides weather information to pilots, called
Weathermation. Although the service is mainly for pilots, to assist
them in filing flight plans, etc., anyone is permitted to access the
information.
The Weather Board Weather Forecast Retrieval System 3
The Weathermation system has many options, one of which is called
Metro Weather. This option produces a plain English weather forecast
for any area of the country, based on the three letter airport ID that
you supply. Weather Board will call the airport's Weathermation
number, select the Metro option and write an editied text file
containing your local area's forecast.
The National Weather Service updates the forecast about every six
hours. The appoximate times are 9:00 am, 3:00 pm, 9:00 pm and 3:00
am. This varies, up to plus or minus 45 minutes. Of course, if the
weather changes profoundly between normal update times, the NWS will
issue "updated" or "corrected" reports. These can become available at
any time.
You'll have to call the closest airport to get your local
Weathermation number, if its not in the list that is presented later
in this document. Ask for their airport ID also, if you don't already
know it. Bear in mind that the closest Weathermation system may still
be a long distance call for you. That's why I said it is very low
cost and POSSIBLY free. There is no charge for the service, but you
may have to pay long distance telephone charges. Typically, you can
capture the forecast in less than a minute, so even if you do have to
call long distance, your cost for providing this service should be
minimal.
One of Weather Board's chief design goals is ease of installation and
use. It is designed specifically to be run from a batch file, called
as an event from a BBS program or front end mailer. Thus, it can run
completely unattended. If desired, it can also be run manually from
the Dos prompt, or under a multi tasker.
Feature Summary
---------------
Although Weather Board is a relatively new program, it comes equipped
with many powerful features.
* - The program transforms the output file into upper / lower case,
and removes many of the unnecessary or unsightly items from the raw
Weathermation capture file. It also checks for incomplete and garbled
weather reports. Some blank lines are added for improved readability
of the output files.
* - Weather Board can make use of "primary" and "secondary" telephone
numbers. The primary number is the number you perfer to call most
often. The secondary number is a "backup" number, in case the primary
number is down, busy, etc. The program will automatically switch to
the secondary number if the forecast can't be obtained from the
primary Weathermation site. You can disable this feature if you wish.
* - You can customize screen colors, the modem initialization string,
Tone or Pulse dialing, communications port and baud rate,
Weathermation phone numbers, number of busy retries and output files.
All this is done in a plain text configuration file, which is similar
in layout to one used in a BBS door.
The Weather Board Weather Forecast Retrieval System 4
* - Error level support for batch files:
0 - Normal Completion. The weather information was retrieved.
1 - Minor Error: Shareware version of the program has expired.
3 - Minor Error: Weather Information not retrieved. Program restart
is possible, depending on the batch file setup.
5 - Major Error: Weather Information not retrieved. Program restart
is not possible.
* - There is a sound option that will make the program beep once for a
return code of 0, and three and five times for error codes 3 and 5,
respectively.
* - Multiple Forecasts to let you do two local city forecasts and two
state summary forecasts with one run of the program. If you put CMH
LAX in line 4 of WB.CFG, you'll get the reports for Columbus and Los
Angeles in the local forecast output file. If you put OH CA in line
8, you'll get the state summaries for Ohio and California in the state
summary output file.
Here's the neat part. If you put OH CA in line 4, you'll get a local
forecast output file that contains forecasts for most major cities in
both states. What cities you get will depend on where the National
Weather Service offices are in that state. Couple this with OH CA in
line 8, to get the state summaries, and you'll obtain a wealth of
weather information for a fairly wide area. This is handy for people
that live near state borders and need weather reports for both states.
See the Configuration Examples section for details.
* - Edit Mode. There are two options for Edit Mode, FULL and JET.
FULL edit does lower case translation, and capitalization all over the
place, as required. It doesn't get everything all the time, but it
handles about 98% of the situations it encounters. But this takes
time. JET bypasses the lower case phase of the editor. It also will
not add blank lines in quite as many places as FULL does. However,
the same file size that takes FULL 10 minutes can be done by JET in
about 25 seconds.
If you are getting forecasts for one city and state, or at least not
very many cities and one state, use FULL. It doesn't take very long
on small capture files, and it will make your output files look the
best. If you need reports for a large area, or the reports you ask
for tend to generate large capture files, use JET. Your output files
will be in upper case, and they might not look quite as nice as with
FULL, but your BBS will come back up a LOT faster with JET. You'll
just have to experiment and see which option is right for you.
* - State Summary File. The program will get the weather summary for
the state(s) of your choice and place it in a file name of your
choice.
* - There is a log file so you can see what went on during a batch
run. You can turn logging off if you don't want it.
* - Most Dos error codes are handled by name, and clear error messages
are printed, explaining what went wrong. If an error code pops up
that isn't recognized, it is printed also.
The Weather Board Weather Forecast Retrieval System 5
* - The program will check for the modem responses of OK, CONNECT,
BUSY, ERROR, NO DIAL TONE, NO CARRIER, NO ANSWER, VOICE and RING.
* - You can control whether the program takes the modem offhook during
its file edit phase or not.
* - Weather Board should run under any operating system that supports
MS-Dos applications. I developed it under Windows 3.1.
HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
----------------------
Weather Board has very small hardware requirements. It will run on an
IBM PC or compatible computer with 640K of memory, a 100% Hayes
compatible modem, monochrome monitor and a 360k floppy drive.
INSTALLATION
------------
The first step in using any computer program is to install it.
Weather Board was designed with the Sysop in mind. So, if you've
ever installed an online door, you should have no difficulty
installing Weather Board.
Basic Setup For Weather Board
------------------------------
Typically, Weather Board is set up as an external event to be run from
a BBS or front end mailer package. Weather Board should run with any
program that supports external events. After step 3 below, you can
run Weather Board standalone, from a Dos session, by typing Z. Step 4
is just for event setup.
1. Create a directory for Weather Board, usually C:\WB, and move all
files in the Weather Board archive to it.
2. Edit the WB.CFG file for the correct com port, and other options.
The init string should turn off your modem's error correction and put
the phone back on the hook, if its off hook. The default
configuration file is set up to call the Virginia Tech number and get
the forecast for Columbus, Ohio. Change it accordingly for your area.
See the following sections for more details on this subject.
3. Edit the copy statements in the Z.BAT file so the program output
files will be copied to one of your BBS's display or bulletin files.
The default batch file is set up for the Wildcat BBS package.
4. Set up an external event in your BBS or front end mailer program
to run at the appropriate time(s). Make sure the event is set to
"forced", "non sliding", "hard" or whetever your package needs to
ensure that the event runs on time.
The Weather Board Weather Forecast Retrieval System 6
To run Weather Board under Windows, copy WB.PIF to your main Windows
directory, then add a program item for Weather Board to any program
group that you choose. See the Windows online help for more
information on this procedure.
To run Weather Board with Front Door, add the contents of the
FDBBS.TXT file to your main Front Door batch file, in the proper
places. Set up an eXternal event in Front Door to run Weather Board
at the appropriate time(s). The default error level in FDBBS.TXT is
45.
NOTE: Some Front End / Fossil driver combinations leave the driver
active when they shell out to run external events. While I have not
found this to be a problem with Front Door and X00, some problems have
been reported with other combinations. If Weather Board can't open the
comm port, or send the init string to the modem, you will have to
temporarily disable the fossil driver before WB is started. Then
reenable it before you restart your front end or BBS.
The Configuration File
----------------------
Weather Board uses a configuration file to govern its appearance and
operation. Its name is WB.CFG, and it must exist in the Weather Board
directory for the program to run. Below is the format for the file.
Lines can be in upper or lower case, but all of them must be present.
See the Configuration Examples section for setup help.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
1. The communications port (COM1: or COM2:)
2. The baud rate (9600 maximum, 1200 - 2400 usually)
3. The airport ID(s) for the local forecast(s) (See examples)
4. Complete output file name for the local area forecast(s)
5. Phone number of the Primary Weathermation System (no dashes)
6. Tone / Pulse dialing string (ATDT or ATDP)
7. Modem init string or NONE
8. State code(s) for the state summary forecast(s) (See examples)
9. COLOR or MONO screen attributes
10. Foreground color (0 - 15)
11. Background color (0 - 7)
12. Number of dial retries (0 - 32767) 3 to 6 usually
13. Log Status - LOG or NOLOG
14. Sound Option - BEEP or NOBEEP
15. Phone number of the Secondary Weathermation System or NONE
16. Edit Mode - FULL or JET
17. Complete output file name for the state summary forecast(s)
18. Modem Hook Control - YES or NO
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Color Codes
-----------
The following is a list of DOS color codes. The "Blink" background
means that the foreground character will blink on and off when the
background is set to one of the background color codes 8 through 15.
The Weather Board Weather Forecast Retrieval System 7
The "Blink" codes are not supported by Weather Board.
Background Color Foreground Color
--------------------------------------------------
0 - Black 0 - Black
1 - Blue 1 - Blue
2 - Green 2 - Green
3 - Cyan 3 - Cyan
4 - Red 4 - Red
5 - Magenta 5 - Magenta
6 - Brown 6 - Brown
7 - White 7 - White
8 - Black Blink 8 - Dark Grey
9 - Blue Blink 9 - Light Blue
10 - Green Blink 10 - Light Green
11 - Cyan Blink 11 - Light Cyan
12 - Red Blink 12 - Light Red
13 - Magenta Blink 13 - Light Magenta
14 - Brown Blink 14 - Yellow
15 - White Blink 15 - Bright White
----------------------------------------------------
To add color to your display file or bulletin, edit the WTOP.ASC and
WBOT.ASC files. Add whatever codes are recognized by your BBS package
to activate color. For Wildcat 3.x, it would be something like this:
@06@ at the beginning of the bar in WTOP
@0B@ at the end of the bar in WTOP
@06@ at the beginning of the bar in WBOT
@0F@ at the end of the bar in WBOT
B and F are Wildcat's codes for 11 and 15.
For BBS packages that use straight Ascii to generate color, you would
need to add the Ansi escape sequences manually, with a text editor, or
with an Ansi editor, such as The Draw.
About Modem Settings
---------------------
Weather Board will run only on com port 1 or 2. Its maximum connect
rate is 9600 baud. Standard IRQ settings should be used. Also, the
Weathermation software does not get along with error correcting
modems. In order for these modems to connect and retrieve the weather
forecast properly, you need to temporarily disable your modem's error
correcting feature. This is done with the Init String option in the
WB.CFG file. The string must start with the letters AT followed by
whatever command disables the feature for your modem. Here are some
examples:
USR Sportster : AT&M0 USR Courier HST : AT&M0
Cardinal 9600 : AT\N0 Intel 144I : AT\N0
Digicom Scout + : AT*E0 Boca 14.4k : AT&Mn
Compucom Champ : AT&F\N0
The Weather Board Weather Forecast Retrieval System 8
Using the above strings will not write the setting into your modem's
NRAM. See your modem manual for the setting you need. It should be
listed under something like "error control" or "error correction".
This explanation only applies to error correcting modems. If you are
running a modem that does not support /ARQ or /MNP connections, you
can use the word NONE in the Init String line of WB.CFG, and get a
proper connection to Weathermation.
Another use for the Init String is to disable call waiting service, if
you have it. If your computer is using a phone line that has this
service, and a call comes in, your modem will be disconnected. For
touch tone telephones, use AT*70, for pulse (rotary) systems, use
AT1170. This will disable call waiting for the current call only.
The service will reactivate when the current call ends.
One other use for the Init String is to increase the intelligence
level of your modem, by adding an X value. Most BBS packages set the
X value to X1, which provides minimum modem capabilities. For Weather
Board, you should use the highest X value that your modem supports.
This is usually between X4 and X7.
Another interesting note is that some modems return a result code of
RINGING while the remote telephone line is ringing. This will give
Weather Board fits, because the code will be taken as a RING, or
incomming call. If your modem returns RINGING, reduce the X value to a
number that will disable the RINGING result code.
Special note to users of the new USR HST Dual Standard 16.8k modem:
You may need to add an &F as the first command of your init string.
Also, if you are running with an X value of X7 and experience
connection problems with the Weathermation system, try a more
conservative setting, like X4. It seems that these modems tend to
"outsmart" themselves, and these two changes usually fix the problem.
HOW IT WORKS
-------------
Here's an overview of Weather Board in operation. First, it calls the
Weathermation number listed in the Primary Number line of WB.CFG. If
there is no answer, the number of busy retries is exceeded, etc., then
the Secondary number is called. The connection attempt process is
repeated. If Weather Board still can't connect, it gives up and exits.
If a connection is made to either number, Weather Board attempts to
get two weather reports: The local Metro forecast, and the State
Summary forecast. The uneditied capture file names are as follows:
The local forecast file is made up of the entry on line 3 of WB.CFG
plus "L.DAT". Example: CMH on line 3 creates CMHL.DAT. The state
forecast file is made up of the entry on line 8 of WB.CFG plus "S.DAT".
Example: OH on line 8 creates OHS.DAT.
The Weather Board Weather Forecast Retrieval System 9
The editied display file names are as follows:
The local forecast file is made up of the entry on line 4 of WB.CFG.
The state forecast file is taken from the entry on line 17. You must
specify a full filename and extension on both of these entries.
At present, there isn't an option to get one report or the other, but
provisions have been made to allow the display of either or both
reports, via the Z.BAT file. Here's how:
In the example configuration files, the editied forecasts are stored in
CMH2.DAT and OH2.DAT. The batch file simply appends these files
together with the WTOP.ASC, WMID.ASC, and WBOT.ASC files and copies
them to the proper places. So, depending on how you set up the copy
statements in Z.BAT, you can dispplay either or both forecast files in
one or more bulletins or display files.
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
------------------------
Skeptical about registering Weather Board? Its understandable. I want
to say right up front that I'm not one of those "grab the money & run"
guys. Running a BBS and doing PC programming is my main hobby. Its
the thing that I do with my spare time. I've been a Sysop since 1986,
and I intend to be one for a long time to come. I'm no 90 day wonder
kid either. As of this writing, I'm closing in on age 40, and have
been in data processing for over 20 years. So, when I tell you that
you're going to get certain things in exchange for your money, you can
believe it!
Registration of Weather Board is $10.00. Payment must be made in US
funds, drawn on a US bank. Check or Money Order is accepted, made
payable to Joe Rhinehart. The registration form is on page E-1.
Mail to:
Rhino Ware
c/o Joe Rhinehart
760 Cherryhurst Drive
Columbus, Oh 43228-2795
How to obtain your Registered Version
--------------------------------------
Once you're sent in the completed registration and payment:
1. Allow a few days for the mail to reach here.
2. Call The Comm * Port at 1-614-870-6544 (14400)
3. When you log on, from the Main Menu, pick M to go to the message
section. Then select R to read messages, and U for unread personal
messages. Press enter to search selected conferences. Be sure to use
the same name on the BBS that you used on your registration form. If
you send in the form using Charles Smith, then log onto the BBS as
Chuck Smith, you won't find your message!
The Weather Board Weather Forecast Retrieval System 10
4. Your registered copy of Weather Board will be attached to your
personal message. Select D to download it.
That's it. I think you'll find this a faster, less complicated way to
get your registered copy. You won't have to wait to get a return
package, or have it get lost in the mail. And I can put your message
& file online within minutes of receiving your payment.
Registration Policy
--------------------
What do you get when you register? Ok, let's say you register version
1.00. First, you get a registered program that will never expire, or
display any shareware "nag" messages to you or your users. The
shareware version expires every 60 days. Next, you'll be entitled to
all minor updates (1.01 to 1.xx) free of charge. After you obtain your
first registered copy, I'll upgrade your security so you will have
access to a special Weather Board conference and file area on my BBS.
That way, you can get all future file updates and ask questions about
Weather Board. You can also get help on setup or other program related
matters.
If there is a major update (1.xx to 2.00), then you'll have to pay for
it. But, since you are a registered user, your cost is only $5.00 as
opposed to the $10.00 for a new registration. Then, any minor updates
(2.01 to 2.xx) will once again be free. I'll notify everyone about
major updates via message in the Weather Board conference, or the BBS
newsletter file.
I hope you enjoy using Weather Board!
The Weather Board Weather Forecast Retrieval System A-1
WEATHERMATION NUMBERS
----------------------
These are all of the WeatherMation numbers I know about. If you
find any more numbers, let me know. I'll update this list ASAP!
California: 2400 baud
Fresno (209) 498-1027
Michigan : 2400 baud
St. Joseph (616) 927-6007
Minnesota: 2400 baud
Minneapolis / St. Paul (612) 941-0312
Nebraska : 1200 baud
North Platte (308) 532-1625 (2400)
Beatrice (402) 223-2479
Fall City (402) 245-5963
Lincoln (402) 471-4567
Ohio: 1200 baud
Columbus (614) 889-5803
Pennsylvania:
Pittsburgh (412) 466-7232 (9600 Baud)
Allentown (610) 791-2904 (2400 Baud)
Erie (814) 833-1180 (1200 Baud)
Virginia: 2400 baud
Abingdon (703) 628-9764
Lonesome Pine (703) 328-8616
Manassas (703) 369-7209 or (703) 369-2474
Mountain Empire (703) 686-6534 or (703) 783-8114
New River Valley (703) 674-1518
Roanoke (703) 362-1151
Shannon (703) 899-0574
Shenandoah Valley (703) 234-9175
Virginia Tech (703) 231-5001
Winchester (703) 662-5645
Accomack (804) 787-7301
Charlottesville (804) 973-3518
The Weather Board Weather Forecast Retrieval System A-2
Chesapeake (804) 421-4361
Chesterfield (804) 271-7139
Danville (804) 799-5028
Emporia (804) 634-0602
Hampton Roads (804) 488-7817
Lynchburg (804) 237-5721
Mecklenburg (804) 729-2216
Norfolk (804) 857-0941
Petersburg (804) 861-5559
Richmond (804) 236-3644
Suffolk (804) 539-0827
Williamsburg (804) 220-8810
If you have a problem with any Virginia number, call the VA Depertment
of Aviation at (804) 236-3624.
Washington 2400 baud
Seattle (206) 767-3950
Spokane (509) 536-5614
Yakima (509) 453-5052
Wisconsin: 2400 baud
Appleton (1) (414) 735-7003
Appleton (2) (414) 738-3035
Brookfield (414) 781-8377
Burlington (414) 763-9564
Fond Du Lac (414) 922-6551
Green Bay (414) 498-4891
Hartford (414) 673-4571
Juneau (414) 386-2418
Kenosha (1) (414) 658-0870
Kenosha (2) (414) 656-0587
Manitowoc (414) 683-4599
Milwaukee (1) (414) 747-0510
Milwaukee (2) (414) 747-4864
Milwaukee (3) (414) 462-6528
Oconto (414) 834-3454
Oshkosh (1) (414) 231-4764
Oshkosh (2) (414) 426-4905
Oshkosh (3) (414) 231-7596
Racine (414) 631-5639
Sheboygan (414) 467-3841
Sturgeon Bay (414) 743-2820
Sylvania (414) 886-1688
Watertown (414) 262-0808
Waukesha (414) 549-3189
Waupaca (414) 867-2490
West Bend (414) 334-3617
Wilmot (414) 862-6933
Madison (608) 267-9180
Wisconsin Rapids (715) 423-9121
The Weather Board Weather Forecast Retrieval System B-1
Configuration Examples
----------------------
Here are some examples of WB.CFG to show you what Weather Board can
do. Take note of lines 3 and 8 in each example.
1. The "basic" setup. Get the local forecast for one city and the
state summary for one state. In this case, Columbus, and Ohio. Enable
the sound option an do full editing with hook control on.
COM1:
2400
CMH
CMH2.DAT
17032315001
ATDT
AT&M0
OH
COLOR
15
3
3
LOG
BEEP
18044214361
FULL
OH2.DAT
YES
2. Get the local forecast for several major cities in one state and
the state summary for one state. In this case, all of Ohio. No sound
and full editing without hook control.
COM1:
2400
OH
CMH2.DAT
17032315001
ATDT
AT&M0
OH
COLOR
15
3
3
LOG
NOBEEP
18044214361
FULL
OH2.DAT
NO
The Weather Board Weather Forecast Retrieval System B-2
3. Get the local forecast for several major cities in two states and
the state summary for two states. In this case, Ohio and West
Virginia. Use sound, and Jet editing with hook control. Use the
Monochrome screen settings.
COM1:
2400
OH WV
CMH2.DAT
17032315001
ATDT
AT&M0
OH WV
MONO
15
3
3
LOG
BEEP
18044214361
JET
OH2.DAT
YES
4. Get the local forecast for two cities in two states and the
state summary for two states. In this case, Columbus, Ohio and
Phoenix, Arizona. No sound, and Jet editing without hook control.
COM1:
2400
CMH PHX
CMH2.DAT
17032315001
ATDT
AT&M0
OH AZ
COLOR
15
3
3
LOG
NOBEEP
18044214361
JET
OH2.DAT
NO
Note that you can only specify a maximum of two report areas for both
the local and state forecasts. If you need more, you'll have to
modify the batch file to do multiple runs of the program. This is due
to Dos file naming conventions. Sorry, fortunes of war.
The Weather Board Weather Forecast Retrieval System C-1
Special Notes to Desqview Users
--------------------------------
Several people who use Desqview as a multitasker have said that Weather
Board will not run in that environment. Well, it will, if you do it a
certain way.
The most common complaint is a DEVICE UNAVAILABLE error at line 900.
This is where WB attempts to open the communications port. The problem
is usually caused by spawning to another DV window, and trying to run
WB while the BBS node or front end mailer is still up. In this case,
the program in the original window still controls the com port. In
order for WB to work, it MUST be able to get exclusive control of the
port while it is running.
This can be accomplished by having the BBS or front end shell to Dos in
the original window, and run Z.BAT from that window. This should cause
the calling program (and DV) to temporarily release the port, so WB can
have it. Then, WB in turn will release the port when it ends, allowing
DV and the calling program to reclaim it.
Here's something else to check. You must have the USES SERIAL PORTS
setting in the .DVP set with the COM # or Y, like this:
Options:
Writes text directly to screen.......: [Y]
Displays graphics information........: [Y]
Virtualize text/graphics (Y,N,T).....: [Y]
===>> Uses serial ports (Y,N,1,2)..........: [1] or 2 or Y
Requires floppy diskette.............: [N]
The line marked above MUST have one of the choices I've outlined, but
never " N ". Otherwise Weather Board will not find the port. I'm
not sure why it works like this, but many door programs have the same
trouble. It may be because Weather Board doesn't have (or need) fossil
driver support.
If you still experience problems running Weather Board from your BBS
under Desqview, try these tests before spending money to call for help.
1. Shut Desqview down, and try running Z.BAT from native DOS. Once
you get that going, go to step 2.
2. Bring up DV, but shut down ALL nodes of your BBS / mailer. Start
up one DV window, and run Z.BAT from there. If this works, try step 3.
3. Bring up all BBS / mailer nodes, EXCEPT the node that runs on the
same port as WB. IE, if you use COM1: for WB, leave the BBS node that
uses COM1: down. Now run Z.BAT from its own window. If this works,
go to step 4.
4. Re-check the settings for the node that uses the same port as WB.
Be sure that Z.BAT is set to run as an external event, and that the BBS
/ mailer shells out to Dos, or leaves memory in some other way, so that
the port and other resources of the DV window are released, BEFORE the
WB program begins to run. Be sure the DV Pif is correct.
The Weather Board Weather Forecast Retrieval System C-2
If the full setup still doesn't work, give my BBS a jingle, and leave
me a message. Please attach a ZIP file to the message, that contains
your WB.CFG and WB.LOG file. That way, I can get an idea of what is or
isn't happening when you run the program.
The Weather Board Weather Forecast Retrieval System D-1
Weather Reporting Station City Codes
-------------------------------------
AIRPORT STATE CITY AIRPORT STATE CITY
-------------------------------------------------------------------
YYC AB Calgary YOD AB Cold Lake
YEG AB Edmonton YPY AB Fort Chipewyan
YMM AB Fort MacMurray YQU AB Grande Prairie
YOJ AB High Level YLB AB Lac La Biche
YQL AB Lethbridge YLL AB Lloydminster
YXH AB Medicine Hat YPE AB Peace River
YQF AB Red Deer YRM AB Rocky Mt. House
YZH AB Wagner YZU AB Whitecourt
Z60 AK Ambler ANC AK Anchorage
ANI AK Aniak BRW AK Barrow
BTI AK Barter Island BET AK Bettles
BTT AK Bettles BIG AK Big Delta
5BI AK Big River Lakes Z68 AK Cantwell
CSP AK Cape Spencer CRC AK Circle City
CDB AK Cold Bay CDV AK Cordova
SCC AK Deadhorse DLG AK Dillingham
Z56 AK Dolly Vard Platform DUT AK Dutch Harbor
2Z0 AK Emmonak FAI AK Fairbanks
FYU AK Fort Yukon GAM AK Gambell
GKN AK Gulkana 5HR AK Hayes River
HOM AK Homer ILI AK Iliamna
JNU AK Juneau ENA AK Kenai
KTN AK Ketchikan AKN AK King Salmon
9Z1 AK Klawock ADQ AK Kodiak
OTZ AK Kotzebue 5WO AK Lazy Mountain
MCG AK McGrath MYU AK Mekoryuk
MDO AK Middleton Island MHM AK Minchumina
ENN AK Nenana IKO AK Nikolski
OME AK Nome ORT AK Northway
PAQ AK Palmer 5PX AK Paxson
PSG AK Petersburg PTH AK Port Heiden
PTI AK Puntilla SNP AK Saint Paul
SDP AK Sand Point 5WD AK Seward
SHH AK Shishmaref SIT AK Sitka
SGY AK Skagway SKW AK Skwentna
5SZ AK Slana KSM AK St Marys
TKA AK Talkeetna TAL AK Tanana
UMT AK Umiat UNK AK Unalakleet
VWS AK Valdez WSO 5WT AK Whittier
Z22 AK Willow CYT AK Yakataga
YAK AK Yakutat
BHM AL Birmingham CKL AL Centerville
DHN AL Dothan HSV AL Huntsville
MOB AL Mobile MGM AL Montgomery
ELD AR El Dorado FYV AR Fayetteville
FSM AR Fort Smith HRO AR Harrison
HOT AR Hot Springs JBR AR Jonesboro
LIT AR Little Rock LZK AR Little Rock RDR
PBF AR Pine Bluff TXK AR Texarkana
The Weather Board Weather Forecast Retrieval System D-2
AIRPORT STATE CITY AIRPORT STATE CITY
-------------------------------------------------------------------
DUG AZ Douglas/Bisbee GBN AZ Gila Bend
GCN AZ Grand Canyon IGM AZ Kingman
PGA AZ Page PHX AZ Phoenix
PRC AZ Prescott E74 AZ Safford
TUS AZ Tucson INW AZ Winslow
NYL AZ Yuma
YXX BC Abbotsford YCJ BC Cape St James
YCG BC Castlegar YQQ BC Comox
YXC BC Cranbrook YEP BC Estevan Point
YYE BC Fort Nelson YXJ BC Fort St John
YHE BC Hope YKA BC Kamloops
YYF BC Penticton YZT BC Port Hardy
YXS BC Prince George YPR BC Prince Rupert
YQZ BC Quesnel YZP BC Sandspit
YYD BC Smithers YXT BC Terrace
YVC BC Vancouver YYJ BC Victoria
YWL BC Williams Lake
ACV CA Arcata BFL CA Bakersfield
BIH CA Bishop BLH CA Blythe
NID CA China Lake DAG CA Daggett
FOT CA Fortuna FAT CA Fresno
IPL CA Imperial WJF CA Lancaster
LAX CA Los Angeles MRY CA Monterey
PRB CA Paso Robles RBL CA Red Bluff
SAC CA Sacramento SAN CA San Diego
SFO CA San Francisco NSI CA San Nicolas Is
SBA CA Santa Barbara TRM CA Thermal
NXP CA Twentynine Palms UKI CA Ukiah
AKO CO Akron ALS CO Alamosa
ASE CO Aspen COS CO Colorado Springs
CEZ CO Cortez CAG CO Craig
DEN CO Denver FCL CO Fort Collins
GJT CO Grand Junction GUC CO Gunnison
HDN CO Hayden LHX CO La Junta
4LJ CO Lamar LIC CO Limon
MTJ CO Montrose PUB CO Pueblo
SBS CO Steamboat Springs TAD CO Trinidad
HVN CT New Haven BDL CT Windsor Locks
DOV DE Dover AFB
AQQ FL Apalachicola CTY FL Cross City
DAB FL Daytona Beach FMY FL Fort Myers
JAX FL Jacksonville EYW FL Key West
MLB FL Melbourne MIA FL Miami
PBI FL Palm Beach PFN FL Panama City
NPA FL Pensacola PIE FL St Petersburg
TLH FL Tallahassee TBW FL Tampa Bay
The Weather Board Weather Forecast Retrieval System D-3
AIRPORT STATE CITY AIRPORT STATE CITY
-------------------------------------------------------------------
ABY GA Albany AHN GA Athens
ATL GA Atlanta AGS GA Augusta
CSG GA Columbus MCN GA Macon
RME GA Rome SAV GA Savannah
AYS GA Waycross
2XG GM Gulf of Mexico 4J3 GM Gulf of Mexico
H51 GM Gulf of Mexico H52 GM Gulf of Mexico
H61 GM Gulf of Mexico T01 GM Gulf of Mexico
T06 GM Gulf of Mexico T07 GM Gulf of Mexico
H39 GM High Island A572C SAWRS oil rig station
ITO HI Hilo HNL HI Honolulu
OGG HI Kahului K53 HI Kailua-Kona
JHM HI Kapalua KOA HI Ke-ahole
P63 HI Kilauea Point LNY HI Lanai City
LIH HI Lihue MKK HI Molokai
1Z2 HI Upolu Point Ln MUE HI Waimea-Kohala
BRL IA Burlington CID IA Cedar Rapids
DSM IA Des Moines DBQ IA Dubuque
FOD IA Fort Dodge 3OI IA Lamoni
MCW IA Mason City OTM IA Ottumwa
SUX IA Sioux City 3SE IA Spencer
ALO IA Waterloo
BOI ID Boise PIH ID Pocatello
27U ID Salmon
CMI IL Champaign ORD IL Chicago OHare
DEC IL Decatur JOT IL Joliet
MMO IL Marseilles MLI IL Moline
MVN IL Mount Vernon PIA IL Peoria
UIN IL Quincy RFD IL Rockford
SPI IL Springfield
BMG IN Bloomington EKM IN Elkhart
EVV IN Evansville FWA IN Fort Wayne
GYY IN Gary GUS IN Grissom AFB
IND IN Indiana LAF IN Lafayette
SBN IN South Bend HUF IN Terre Haute
CNU KS Chanute CNK KS Concordia
DDC KS Dodge City EHA KS Elkhart
EMP KS Emporia GCK KS Garden City
GLD KS Goodland GBD KS Great Bend
HYS KS Hays HLC KS Hill City
HUT KS Hutchison LBL KS Liberal
MHK KS Manhattan P28 KS Medicine Lodge
RSL KS Russell SLN KS Salina
TOP KS Topeka ICT KS Wichita
The Weather Board Weather Forecast Retrieval System D-4
AIRPORT STATE CITY AIRPORT STATE CITY
-------------------------------------------------------------------
BWG KY Bowling Green HOP KY Fort Campbell
JKL KY Jackson LEX KY Lexington
LOZ KY London SDF KY Louisville
PAH KY Paducah 5I3 KY Pikeville
ESF LA Alexandria BTR LA Baton Rouge
LCH LA Lake Charles MLU LA Monroe
MSY LA New Orleans SHV LA Shreveport
SIL LA Slidell
BOS MA Boston CHH MA Chatham
CBE MA Cumberland ACK MA Nantucket
ORH MA Worcester
YBR MB Brandon YYQ MB Churchill
YDN MB Dauphin YGX MB Gillam
YYL MB Lynn Lake YNE MB Norway House
YPG MB Portage La Prairie YQD MB The Pas
YTH MB Thompson YWG MB Winnipeg
APG MD Aberdeen Proving Gnd HGR MD Hagerstown
NHK MD Patuxent River SBY MD Salisbury
BGR ME Bangor CAR ME Caribou
LIZ ME Loring AFB PWM ME Portland
RKD ME Rockland
APN MI Alpena BTL MI Battle Creek
DTW MI Detroit CMX MI Houghton
HTL MI Houghton Lake IWD MI Ironwood
SAW MI KI Sawyer AFB LAN MI Lansing
MTC MI Mount Clemens MKG MI Muskegon
OSC MI Oscoda ECK MI Peck
MBS MI Saginaw TVC MI Traverse City
AEL MN Albert Lea AXN MN Alexandria
BJI MN Bemidji BRD MN Brainerd
DTL MN Detroit Lakes DLH MN Duluth
ELO MN Ely FRM MN Fairmont
FBL MN Faribault P61 MN Grand Marais
HIB MN Hibbing INL MN Int'l Falls
MKT MN Mankato MML MN Marshall
MSP MN Minneapolis/St Paul PKD MN Park Rapids
RWF MN Redwood Falls RST MN Rochester
STC MN St Cloud TVF MN Thief River Fls
D45 MN Warroad OTG MN Worthington
CGI MO Cape Girardeau COU MO Columbia
TBN MO Forney AAF JLN MO Joplin
AIZ MO Kaiser MCI MO Kansas City
MKC MO Kansas City IRK MO Kirksville
UMN MO Monett P02 MO Poplar Bluff
GVW MO Richards Gebaur AFB STJ MO Saint Joseph
STL MO Saint Louis SGF MO Springfield
The Weather Board Weather Forecast Retrieval System D-5
AIRPORT STATE CITY AIRPORT STATE CITY
-------------------------------------------------------------------
VIH MO Vichy SZL MO Whiteman AFB
BIX MS Biloxi GWO MS Greenwood
JAN MS Jackson MCB MS McComb
MEI MS Meridian HEZ MS Natchez
TUP MS Tupelo
BIL MT Billings BTM MT Butte
DLN MT Dillon GGW MT Glasgow
GTF MT Great Falls HVR MT Havre
FCA MT Kalispell LWT MT Livingston
MLS MT Miles City MSO MT Missoula
YCH NB Chatham
AVP NC Asheville HAT NC Cape Hatteras
CLT NC Charlotte RDU NC Raleigh/Durham
ILM NC Wilmington
BIS ND Bismarck DVL ND Devils Lake
DIK ND Dickinson FAR ND Fargo
RDR ND Grand Forks AFB JMS ND Jamestown
P67 ND Lidgerwood MIB ND Minot AFB
ISN ND Williston
ANW NE Ainsworth AIA NE Alliance
BIE NE Beatrice BBW NE Broken Bow
CDR NE Chadron OLU NE Columbus
FNB NE Falls City GRI NE Grand Island
IML NE Imperial LNK NE Lincoln
MCK NE McCook MHN NE Mullen
OFK NE Norfolk LBF NE North Platte
OMA NE Omaha ONL NE ONeill
ODX NE Ord BFF NE Scottsbluff
SNY NE Sidney VTN NE Valentine
CON NH Concord EEN NH Keene
LEB NH Lebanon
ACY NJ Atlantic City WRI NJ McGuire AFB
ABQ NM Albuquerque CVS NM Cannon AFB/Clovis
CNM NM Carlsbad CAO NM Clayton
4CR NM Corona 4SL NM Cuba
DMN NM Deming FMN NM Farmington
GUP NM Gallup HOB NM Hobbs
HMN NM Holloman AFB LVS NM Las Vegas
4MY NM Moriarty ROW NM Rowlett
SRR NM Ruidoso SAF NM Santa Fe
SKX NM Taos TCS NM Truth or Conseqs
TCC NM Tucumcari ZUN NM Zuni/Pueblo
YHZ NS Halifax
The Weather Board Weather Forecast Retrieval System D-6
AIRPORT STATE CITY AIRPORT STATE CITY
-------------------------------------------------------------------
YBK NT Baker Lake YUK NT Byron Bay
YCB NT Cambridge Bay YTE NT Cape Dorset
YVN NT Cape Dyer ZUE NT Cape Parry
YUI NT Cape Young YCS NT Chesterfield Inlt
WXK NT Clinton Point YUH NT Clinton Pt
YCY NT Clyde YCO NT Coppermine
YZS NT Coral Harbour WUW NT Dewar Lakes
WEU NT Eureka WJC NT Ennadai Lake
YGH NT Fort Good Hope YJF NT Fort Liard
ZFM NT Fort McPherson YFL NT Fort Reliance
YFS NT Fort Simpson YSM NT Fort Smith
YFB NT Frobisher YHK NT Gjoa Haven
WGZ NT Grise Fjord YUX NT Hall Beach
YHY NT Hay River YHI NT Holman
YGT NT Igloolik YEV NT Inuvik
YUJ NT Lady Franklin Pt YLC NT Lake Harbour
YUV NT Longstaff Bluff YWO NT Lupin
YMD NT Mould Bay YSR NT Nansivik
WRP NT Nicholson Penin. YUC NT Nicholson Penin
YVQ NT Norman Wells YXP NT Pangnirtung
YPC NT Paulatuk YBB NT Pelly Bay
YIO NT Pond Inlet YRT NT Rankin Inlet
WTD NT Robertson Lake YRB NT Resolute Bay
YSY NT Sachs Harbour YSK NT Sanikiluaq
YUS NT Shepherd Bay YYH NT Spence Bay
WTW NT Tuktoyaktuk YUB NT Tuktoyaktuk
YXN NT Whale Cove YWY NT Wrigley
YZF NT Yellowknife
BAM NV Battle Mt FD B23 NV Battle Mt Sfc
P38 NV Caliente DRA NV Desert Rock/Merc
EKO NV Elko ELY NV Ely
P68 NV Eureka NFL NV Fallon NAS
LAS NV Las Vegas LSV NV Nellis/Las Vegas
RNO NV Reno TPH NV Tonopah
WMC NV Winnemucca
ALB NY Albany BGM NY Binghampton
BUF NY Buffalo ELM NY Elmira
JHW NY Jamestown MSV NY Monticello
JFK NY New York City NYC NY New York City
POU NY Poughkeepsie ROC NY Rochester
SLK NY Saranac Lake SYR NY Syracuse
ELZ NY Wellsville FOK NY Westhampton Beach
HPN NY White Plains
CAK OH Akron CVG OH Cincinnati
CLE OH Cleveland CMH OH Columbus
DAY OH Dayton FDY OH Findlay
MFD OH Mansfield ZZV OH Zanesville
The Weather Board Weather Forecast Retrieval System D-7
AIRPORT STATE CITY AIRPORT STATE CITY
-------------------------------------------------------------------
ADM OK Ardmore BVO OK Bartlesville
CSM OK Clinton CSM OK Clinton
FSI OK Fort Sill GAG OK Gage
HBR OK Hobart MLC OK McAlester
OKC OK Oklahoma City PNC OK Ponca City
TUL OK Tulsa END OK Vance AFB
YYW ON Armstrong YIB ON Atikotan
WCI ON Caribou Island YLD ON Chapleau
YXR ON Earlton YGQ ON Geraldton
YYU ON Kapuskasing YQK ON Kenora
YGK ON Kingston YXU ON London
YMO ON Moosonee YQA ON Muskoka
WNZ ON Nagagami YYB ON North Bay
YOW ON Ottawa YWA ON Petawawa
WPL ON Pickle Lake YRL ON Red Lake
YAM ON Sault Ste Marie YXL ON Sioux Lookout
YSB ON Sudbury YQT ON Thunder Bay
YTS ON Timmons YYZ ON Toronto
YTR ON Trenton WTL ON Trout Lake
YVV ON Wiarton YQG ON Windsor
AST OR Astoria BNO OR Burns
IMB OR Kimberly LKV OR Lakeview
MFR OR Medford OTH OR North Bend
PDT OR Pendleton PDX OR Portland
RDM OR Redmond P88 OR Rome
SLE OR Salem
ABE PA Allentown AOO PA Altoona
BID PA Block Island BFD PA Bradford
DUJ PA DuBois ERI PA Erie
FKL PA Franklin MDT PA Harrisburg
LBE PA Latrobe PHL PA Philadelphia
AGC PA Pittsburgh PIT PA Pittsburgh
RDG PA Reading RVL PA Reedsville
IPT PA Williamsport
YBG PQ Bagotville YBC PQ Baie Comeau
YBX PQ Blanc Sablon WTB PQ Border
YMT PQ Chibougamau YGP PQ Gaspe
YGR PQ Grindstone Is YPH PQ Inukjuak
YVP PQ Kuujjuaq YGW PQ Kuujjuarapiq
YAH PQ La Grande IV YEO PQ Lac Eon
YGL PQ Lac Grande Rivie YMW PQ Maniwaki
YNM PQ Matagami YYY PQ Mont Joli
YUL PQ Montreal Dorval YNA PQ Natashquan
YNI PQ Nitchequon YPN PQ Port Menier
YQB PQ Quebec YRI PQ Riviere D Loup
YRJ PQ Roberval YUY PQ Rouyn
YKL PQ Schefferville YZV PQ Sept Iles
YSC PQ Sherbrooke YVO PQ Val D'or
The Weather Board Weather Forecast Retrieval System D-8
AIRPORT STATE CITY AIRPORT STATE CITY
-------------------------------------------------------------------
CHS SC Charleston CAE SC Columbia
FLO SC Florence GSP SC Greenv/Spartanbg
ABR SD Aberdeen BKX SD Brookings
9V9 SD Chamberlain 0V1 SD Custer
HON SD Huron Y22 SD Lemmon
Y26 SD Mobridge PIR SD Pierre
RAP SD Rapid City FSD SD Sioux Falls
YKN SD Yankton
YDR SK Broadview YVT SK Buffalo Narrows
WFN SK Cree Lake YFN SK Cree Lake
YEP SK Estevan YVC SK La Ronge
YLJ SK Meadow Lake YMJ SK Moose Jaw
YQW SK North Battleford YPA SK Prince Albert
YQR SK Regina YXE SK Saskatoon
YYN SK Swift Current WDC SK Uranium City
YQV SK Yorkton
TRI TN Bristol CHA TN Chattanooga
CSV TN Crossville DYR TN Dyersburg
MKL TN Jackson TYS TN Knoxville
MEM TN Memphis BNA TN Nashville
ABI TX Abilene AMA TX Amarillo
AUS TX Austin BPT TX Beaumont
BRO TX Brownsville CDS TX Childress
CLL TX College Station CRP TX Corpus Christi
COT TX Cotulla DHT TX Dalhart
DAL TX Dallas DFW TX DFW Intl Airport
DRT TX Del Rio ELP TX El Paso
GRK TX Ft Hood GLS TX Galveston
T04 TX Georgetown GVT TX Greenville
GDP TX Guadalupe Pass HRL TX Harlingen
HDO TX Hondo HOU TX Houston Hobby
IAH TX Houston Intctl JCT TX Junction
LBX TX Lake Jackson LRD TX Laredo
DLF TX Laughlin/Del Rio GGG TX Longview
LBB TX Lubbock LFK TX Lufkin
MRF TX Marfa MAF TX Midland/Odessa
OCH TX Nacogdoches PSX TX Palacios
SJT TX San Angelo T98 TX San Marcos
SAT TX SanAntonio P07 TX Sanderson/Dryden
F39 TX Sherman/Denison SEP TX Stephenville
TYR TX Tyler VCT TX Victoria
ACT TX Waco SPS TX Wichita Falls
INK TX Wink
The Weather Board Weather Forecast Retrieval System D-9
AIRPORT STATE CITY AIRPORT STATE CITY
-------------------------------------------------------------------
4BL UT Blanding BCE UT Bryce Canyon
CDC UT Cedar City U24 UT Delta
U28 UT Green River 4HV UT Hanksville
LGU UT Logan PUC UT Price
PVU UT Provo SLC UT Salt Lake City
VEL UT Vernal ENV UT Wendover
LYH VA Lynchburg ORF VA Norfolk
RIC VA Richmond ROA VA Roanoke
SHD VA Staunton VQN VA Volens
IAD VA Washington Dulles
BTV VT Burlington
SEA WA Seattle GEG WA Spokane
YKM WA Yakima
EAU WI Eau Claire GRB WI Green Bay
LSE WI La Crosse LNR WI Lone Rock
MSN WI Madison MTW WI Manitowoc
MKE WI Milwaukee EEW WI Neenah
OSH WI Oshkosh RHI WI Rhinelander
RIE WI Rice Lake SUE WI Sturgeon Bay
VOK WI Volk Field AUW WI Wausau
BKW WV Beckley CRW WV Charleston
EKN WV Elkins HTS WV Huntington
PKB WV Parkersburg HLG WV Wheeling
CPR WY Casper CYS WY Cheyenne
COD WY Cody CZI WY Crazy Woman
GCC WY Gillette LND WY Lander
LAR WY Laramie RWL WY Rawlins
RKS WY Rock Springs
WZW YT AUTO Teslin YDB YT Burwash
YDA YT Dawson ZFA YT Faro
YAJ YT Komakuk Beach YMA YT Mayo Landing
YOC YT Old Crow YUA YT Shingle Point
YZW YT Teslin YQH YT Watson Lake
YXY YT Whitehorse
Note that forecasts for some of these city codes may be unavailable
from Weathermation. This is due to the "county zone forecast" change
that the National Weather Serivce made in some states on 10/1/93.
The Weather Board Weather Forecast Retrieval System E-1
Weather Board Registration Form
Version of Weather Board requested: DOS ___ OS/2 ___
Name: _______________________________________________________________
(First) (Last)
Address: ____________________________________________________________
City: _______________________ State: _______ Zip: ___________________
Telephone Number: Day: _________________ Night: _____________________
BBS Name: ___________________________________________________________
BBS Phone Number: ___________________________________________________
Modem: ____________________ Maximum Baud Rate: ______________________
Did you have to alter the default initialization string? ____________
If yes, your initialization string: _________________________________
Did you use a Weathermation number that was not in the list? ________
If yes, please answer these questions, so I can update the list:
City: ____________________________ State: ________
Area Code & Telephone Number: ______________________________
Comments: ___________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
THANK YOU for registering Weather Board!