BEST darn desktop wx program is free!

[Scott_inVA]

Folks,

Would like to invite cutting edge enthusiasts to check out Weather Exchange (WxEx), new from Ambient Weather.

WREL is a beta tester and we have ~45 people running the app right now. This, IMO, blows away WeatherBug, Weather1, TWC and all the others. No spyware, pop ups or tracking crap...just free weather.

I have no connection w/the program other than being one of the testers (it isn't in final public release but is very stable and is being tweaked as development goes along).

I invite you to DL and run for your own area. WxEx uses reliable personal wx stations and METAR data to provide more locations than any other app.

We are only offering it ATTM to people on our wx email Update list but I have a basic page that describes the app:

http://www.wrel.com/wxex.htm

Again, you are not required to ingest WREL's data (you're welcome to but why would you unless you live here ). Put in your own zip code and see how it runs.

More complete info...download...and the forum... is here:
http://www.ambientweather.com/AmbientForum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3191&FORUM_ID=53&CAT_ID=20&Forum_Title=The+Weather+Exchange&Topic_Title=WxEx+Beta+is+Available%21

Beta testers are needed over the next couple months and you folks would be a great addition.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks.

Scott
WREL Radio
Lexington, VA

[/url]

[Colin]

Just downloaded it....looks pretty good!!

[Stormsfury]

Too bad I do not have a personal weather station (surprise, everyone) that I could actually broadcast conditions across the net with ... just the basics ... mini/max mercury thermometer, 11" rain gauge (1" inner tube, and 10" outer cylinder), etc., etc., etc. ...

But I did download it (since I saw no spyware, pop-ups, etc...) and it's looks really good ... A LOT better than many of the other Wx applications for real-time current Wx ...

SF

[StormCrazyIowan]

I wish I had a wx station! I have a thermometer on my back porch and a rain gauge in the backyard, and that's all!! lol

I just might have to give that a try!

[ColdFront77]

I just downloaded and installed it as well. Thank you, Scott.

I have a couple digital thermometers, it didn't take too long to figure out that one is more accurate than the other. Sometimes the newer one is two or so degrees warmer. Surprisingly, it was actually two degrees cooler, a couple evening's ago.

[stormraiser]

Downloading it now. I will let you know what I think. It has to be better than Weatherbug.

[CaptinCrunch]

I downloaded it and installed it, it looks pretty good and I will use it along with the Weatherbug for all my weather needs here at work.

Can WxEx be better? yes it can
Can I recommend it to my friends? I sure can
Is it better than The Weatherbug? I'll let you decide.

[southerngale]

I downloaded it and I really like the program, but dern it, the only Beaumont station it uses is 23 miles away. Weatherbug has several near me, one about 4 miles away and several less than 10 miles away. However, I don't use Weatherbug because I can't stand what comes with it so I have been accessing KFDM Instaweather which gives me limited current conditions. I think I'll keep this because I do like it and just hope they get a station reporting closer to home.

Thanks Scott!!

[chadtm80]

Thanks Scott, ill run over and check it out, but wanted to just drop in my two cents about "Weatherbug" If you got it, and you are having computer problems, then there is about a 99% chance that is whats causing it Not just out right bashing the program.. It is a good one, but they need to Fix it before this guy will use it, and before I will reccomend it to anyone

[Scott_inVA]

Thanks Scott, ill run over and check it out, but wanted to just drop in my two cents about "Weatherbug" If you got it, and you are having computer problems, then there is about a 99% chance that is whats causing it Not just out right bashing the program.. It is a good one, but they need to Fix it before this guy will use it, and before I will reccomend it to anyone

Bug is a killer with Windows 98 and ME. My problem with it they want $$$ to display wx obs that we've invested thousands of dollars to provide for free.

If one installs Weatherbug and then runs Spybot, one will be amazed at then junk one has in their 'puter. No thanks. Too bad as it's a neat app. WxEx provides tons more stuff we geeks like (who else cares about jet stream loops and METAR and much tropical info next year ). After it goes into public release out of beta, you can skin it yourself and include your own logo, graphics and other goodies. If you have any type of wx station and upload to Wunderground, you'll be part of the network. Pretty exciting.

Thanks for giving it a whirl and comments are most welcome on the Ambient forum (link above)

[stormraiser]

Well, I tried it. Yes, the closest Station is 18 miles away, unlike 4 for WB. But, it doesn't load down my memory, slow down my dialup connection and splash all kinds of junk across my screen. I hope more stations become available, but it is still nice.

[Scott_inVA]

Well, I tried it. Yes, the closest Station is 18 miles away, unlike 4 for WB. But, it doesn't load down my memory, slow down my dialup connection and splash all kinds of junk across my screen. I hope more stations become available, but it is still nice.

WB certainly has more stations at this time. I know both Ambient and WUnderground are attempting to add reliable PWS locations along with the METAR now ingested.

Thanks for testing WxEx and for the comments. Nice to see others notice this is cleaner, faster and less intrusive than the Bug.

Scott

[weatherbugjay]

Scott, you are correct that of all the dozens of great spyware detection programs, Spybot, a german company, is INCORRECTLY listing WeatherBug as something it is not.
http://ww3.weatherbug.com/aws/defaultx.asp?cid=306

this is our spyware page- we actually provide 4 free downloads of MAJOR spyware detection programs. I should know, I'm the customer support manager for WeatherBug.

Did you know that spybot calls us WeatherCast, a completely different program that IS spyware? Sadly, we now have to wait for Spybot to correct this mistake.
Let me assure you and everyone else on this forum that in over 6500 schools, major universities, like Penn, Umaryland, Uwisconsin, UTexas, Florida State, oh yeah, and we're a member of the Dept. of Homeland Security Initiative, I don't think those folks would allow us to be anything other than a weather program. we are absolutely not spyware.

Now, stormraiser is correct, if you don't have a lot of memory on your computer, our program, like any application, could slow things down. and yes, if you don't want to spend the 19.95 a year for pro, then we do have to pay to keep the lights on, and we do that not by charging you for weather from an airport, like most sites, but by offering sponsorships to our advertisers. This is the tradeoff to get 6500+ LIVE stations, not the once an hour updates from the airport. I'm guessing weather is important to you folks as it is to us.

I encourage anyone on these forums who has a question to write us at support@weatherbug.com or write me directly at jay@weatherbug.com

Thanks for listening and allowing me to correct the incorrect spyware assertion. It's 100% false.
Thanks.

[weatherbugjay]

scott, according to the wexex site, they say they get their weather from weatherunderground, which says:

"Most U.S. current condition data comes from the Automated Surface Observation System (ASOS) stations located at about 1600 airports throughout the country. "

Why does the wexex site say it has more weather stations than WeatherBug which has almost 7000?

Is this a typo or are you referring just to Lexington, VA??

Thanks, WeatherBug

[Scott_inVA]

Scott, you are correct that of all the dozens of great spyware detection programs, Spybot, a german company, is INCORRECTLY listing Weather as something it is not.
http://ww3.weatherbug.com/aws/defaultx.asp?cid=306

this is our spyware page- we actually provide 4 free downloads of MAJOR spyware detection programs. I should know, I'm the customer support manager for WeatherBug.

Did you know that spybot calls us WeatherCast, a completely different program that IS spyware? Sadly, we now have to wait for Spybot to correct this mistake.
Let me assure you and everyone else on this forum that in over 6500 schools, major universities, like Penn, Umaryland, Uwisconsin, UTexas, Florida State, oh yeah, and we're a member of the Dept. of Homeland Security Initiative, I don't think those folks would allow us to be anything other than a weather program. we are absolutely not spyware.

Now, stormraiser is correct, if you don't have a lot of memory on your computer, our program, like any application, could slow things down. and yes, if you don't want to spend the 19.95 a year for pro, then we do have to pay to keep the lights on, and we do that not by charging you for weather from an airport, like most sites, but by offering sponsorships to our advertisers. This is the tradeoff to get 6500+ LIVE stations, not the once an hour updates from the airport. I'm guessing weather is important to you folks as it is to us.

I encourage anyone on these forums who has a question to write us at support@weatherbug.com or write me directly at jay@weatherbug.com

Thanks for listening and allowing me to correct the incorrect spyware assertion. It's 100% false.
Thanks.

Jay,

Thank you for a thoughtful post.

I must restate an important comment:

I have nothing to do with the authorship of WxEx (Ambient's Weather Exchange). While WREL Radio does have among the highest number of beta testers (~95 at this time I know of), it is proprietary software belonging to Ambient, LLC.

Candor requires admission that I have used and found beneficial the Weather Bug application, I have experienced CPU drain. Three WxEx beta testers have informed me they have caught some type of background application running while Weather Bug was installed.

You raise potentially valid points therefore I will conduct my own test.
Now that our local wx has calmed down I will sweep the pc I am testing WxEx (ver 0.68). This sweep will include: Ad-Aware-aware 6.0, Spybot 1.2 and Pest Patrol 4.2. This pc also runs ZAP 4.5.530. A log of any and all detected adware and spyware will be saved. I then will install Weather Bug and program it to a random zip code. Weather Bug will actively run in the background for a minimum of 12 hours at which time I will again sweep the pc with the programs listed above. A second report of any detected "wares" will be saved. I won't do so until you tell me what specific errors will be reported by the programs specified. Since othrs have raised uninstall issues, I will uninstall the app and report on that as well. Is that fair?

Thanks.

Scott

[Scott_inVA]

scott, according to the wexex site, they say they get their weather from weatherunderground, which says:

"Most U.S. current condition data comes from the Automated Surface Observation System (ASOS) stations located at about 1600 airports throughout the country. "

Why does the wexex site say it has more weather stations than WeatherBug which has almost 7000?

Is this a typo or are you referring just to Lexington, VA??

Thanks, WeatherBug

Jay,

I do not know the total number of reporting stations to WUnderground. I have been able to ingest any reporting station available at Wunderground using WxEx so I don't believe one must have VWS software.

I have forwarded your question to the program's author and invited his reply either here or to me personally; which I'll pass along.

Thanks.

Scott

[breeze]

Weatherbug bogged my PC down with a lot
of STUFF, Jay. I finally had to uninstall it and run
Ad-Aware to clear it from all of the junk. It was
really fun, at first, then, as I kept downloading
the more current versions, that's where the
WeatherBug "bugged" me, and, the problems
kicked in.

[Ambient]

Thanks for the nice comments. Please remember that this is a beta, was released about a month ago, and was created only a couple of months ago. We can not really compare a mature product to a very preliminary product.

That goes for the weather station network as well - the network is fairly new, it needs time to grow, but is expanding quickly on a national as well as international scale. I believe The Weather Exchange network is around 2,000 - 3,000 exclusive stations reporting (according to Wunderground.com). This is in addition to the 1,600 official reporting stations

The plans are to add branding, webcam images (we have a nice package for $300), and some other neat tricks such as up to the second updates. We just released our MovieSalsa software. Here is a good example of what you can do with ImageSalsa and Movie Salsa.

Checkout the Windmill Camera at:

http://northbayweather.com/gdata/clvdeast/clvdmovie.wmv

We do not claim to have the largest weather station network, but the largest FREE weather station network.

The Weather Exchange is a free network intended for anyone with a $200+ weather station and an internet connection. There are no maintenance fees or paid subscription fees.

It is an opportunity for folks with an interest in the weather to join an affordable network.

[Scott_inVA]

Now, stormraiser is correct, if you don't have a lot of memory on your computer, our program, like any application, could slow things down. and yes, if you don't want to spend the 19.95 a year for pro, then we do have to pay to keep the lights on, and we do that not by charging you for weather from an airport, like most sites, but by offering sponsorships to our advertisers. This is the tradeoff to get 6500+ LIVE stations, not the once an hour updates from the airport. I'm guessing weather is important to you folks as it is to us.

Jay,

After rereading this reply (snipped above) a portion of my reply was inadvertently omitted. What sponsorships are being offered to your advertisers in the free version versus the paid version? Secondarily, what impact does that have on slowing down a computer? Banners and pop-up (I don't know if that is what you refer to) might gobble bandwidth and slow down the ingestion of data but should not consume CPU.

Thanks.

scott