FAQ: Webcam & Weather Station

Where can I get more info?

Weather station:
A Davis Instruments’ Vantage Pro 2 (TM) Wireless Weather Station. Readings are displayed on a console located on the Cruising notice-board near the entrance to the Sun Lounge.
Data from the station is logged and downloaded to a dedicated computer via a wireless Davis Vantage Pro 2 (TM) Weather Envoy, using Davis’ WeatherLink (TM) software.
The weather data is displayed on the club website using Ambient Software’s Virtual Weather Station (TM) and WeatherFlash (TM) software, the latter interfacing with Adobe (TM) Flash Player to deliver near real-time information.

Webcam:
A Stardot Technologies’ Netcam Megapixel (TM) from Stardot’s UK supplier ICU Technologies.

Consultant:
Consultancy services for the project were provided by James Bell of N Kent web design company DesignBell.

Why can’t I access the live weather data?

You must have Flash Player installed on your computer. It is available as a free download from the Adobe (TM) website.

Why do I sometimes get a black screen when accessing the live weather data?

This can happen if for some reason Flash Player doesn’t auto start. Just click on the black screen and the data will load.

Why doesn’t the Netcam image auto refresh?
The auto refresh feature may have been turned off. It will be re-activated as soon as practicable.

Why won’t the live Netcam image load in my web browser?

For the auto refresh feature to work (assuming it has been activated on the site, see the previous FAQ) you must be using a Java-enabled web browser. For legal reasons, Java is no longer installed by default on Microsoft Windows (TM) systems. If you are using Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (TM) check in Internet Options/Advanced to see if you have Java installed. If not, the necessary Java engine can be downloaded free from either the Sun Microsystems or Microsoft websites.

Why is the camera aligned as it is?

It is aligned so as to minimise the risk of damage to the sensor due to the early morning sun shining directly on the cell. For the same reason, the elevation is adjusted to reduce the amount of sky in the shot.

Why can’t a wider-angle lens be fitted to the camera?

Increasing the width of the image also means more sky in shot and hence greater risk of sun damage to the sensor (see previous FAQ). It would of course be nice to have more of the yacht basin in view, e.g. the south side of C pontoon, but it just isn’t feasible with a single camera.

Why is the image sometimes blurred?
This is due to moisture (rain drops or condensation) on the outside of the enclosure window. It normally dries off naturally, but during the cooler months may take some time to clear. Because the camera already runs at quite high temperatures, the weatherproof enclosure itself is unheated.