Post date: Nov 22, 2016 10:00:18 PM
This week I connected my new weather station to the internet.
This involved plugging a tiny computer into the display console of the weather station, plugging that computer into my Internet router, and registering my weather station (actually the connecting tiny computer) with the WeatherLink web site.
All that went relatively smoothly. The biggest hitch involves the assumption that everyone will have a Windows computer connected to the internet. Well, I have an old Windows box, but because the operating system is out of date, I don’t connect it to the internet because I cannot protect it from malware.
So I went back and forth a few times with Davis (the weather station maker) technical support to try to get the parallel software running on my Macintosh. After several tries, including downloading an update to the Mac software, then the original software, then installing the drivers, testing it and installing an old version of the Java runtime software, making an adjustment to the install to run it in 32-bit mode, I got the software running.
Even when it ran, it gave strange error messages such as configuring the serial port — which I don’t use because I connect via the internet. Turns out that old Mac software does not work and is not needed. I can configure everything I need directly on the console, and read every bit of data over the internet in my browser.
But my main goal was achieved: I had a weather station that my neighbors could read over the internet. A secondary objective was to get the weather reported on Weather Underground (now Wunderground).
So I set up a Wunderground account and registered that account with WeatherLink. Within a few minutes my readings were showing up on the Wunderground site, albeit with a strange location and temperature readings for tonight.
Seems I had set the clock to PM when it should have been AM. Also, trying to locate my house on the map I had it off by about two miles. After making a few configuration adjustments my readings now appear on Wunderground, complete with forecast.
The last hurdle is reporting my weather to NOAA. Their software is considerably older and less refined. I have registered with their Citizens Weather Operator Program. It took about four hours before they had my weather. Supposedly they integrate my readings with other to make better forecast.