Where is the help! lol

[FUNder]

Hello everyone i've just purchased the EXTRA LITE subscription.

 

If i go to the Netweather site not logged in which means i am using the FREE Netweather service i can access an intriguing chart that i can't find on the paid version.

 

HOME > Weather Charts & Data > GEFS Ensembles and Graphs

I then select 

Maps:Precipitation

Graphs:----- 

Location:Lancashire

 

It displays 20 small maps under the title of 'GEFS Precipitation Run' with the first labelled 'control' and the rest P1-P19

 

Question 1. Where do i find this chart on the paid version? I've spent ages trying to navigate a path to the same data. My unsuccessful struggle to locate them was made worse by the fact that when one clicks on many of the menus/links it results in a page saying "SUBSCRIPTION:2 Sorry but you do not have access to this area". GrrRRRR why have the links to these charts etc. on display if they are not available in my purchased subscription.  It wastes a lot of time going down dead ends and it's going to take some time indeed during my normal use until i can remember which options/maps and multitude of graphs are in my package.

 

Question 2. Where do i find the 'help' sections that i saw mentioned in the sites FAQ. The existence of educational/instructional help files was a major reason i purchased the product. I mean what is/does NMM stand for? and What is GFS/GEFS? I'm certain they are very basic questions. CAPE i've heard of mentioned by storm chasers but haven't a clue not only what it is but how you use it or make use of the information. I'm obviously a total newbie to meteorology, again is why i was tempted by the products help files that i've yet to find - i've tried right-clicking charts etc.

 

Question 3. In the meantime can someone please explain or point me to somewhere that can tell me what the P1-P19 pictures represent. They change/update the contents with every forward click in time.

 

Many thanks indeed in advance of any assistance.

 

 

QUICK EDIT IF I MAY ASK A FURTHER QUESTION:

On one of the maps i entered my postcode for it to zoom in, it would have been the main forecast map. I can't now get to view a UK wide forecast no matter how many times i refresh etc it just gives me my local area. I think i entered my post code to see today's snow risk but as i say whichever forecast or type of forecast map i subsequently click on it won't show me the whole of the UK. I can NOT shake off the post code parameter.

Edited February 11, 2014 by FUNder

[Paul]

Hi, sorry you're having some problems. 

 

To answer your first question - the lite subscription doesn't include the additional ensemble data as that's part of the full subscription, there is a drop down menu at the top of each page in extra which groups everything into each subscription type, but you're correct that the other links are common so you will see options which aren't part of your sub. 

 

There are help buttons on various features which give further info, we also have an ensembles help sheet which you can view here:

http://www.netweather.tv/secure/cgi-bin/pages/ensembles1.pdf

 

There is a lot of really good info in our guides area too:

http://forum.netweather.tv/forum/5-the-netweather-guides/

 

NMM is the in house model we run here at Netweather - it's the Non-hydrostatic mesoscale model which has been created by NCEP, GFS is the global forecast system, and the GEFS is the Global ensemble forecast system - both also from NCEP. 

 

The P1-P19 are the different 'members' of the run, so the model is run many times which each member (or perturbation) having slightly different starting conditions to simulate how small changes may affect the overall forecast - so if a lot of these options are clustered together you can have higher confidence in that outcome than you may have if just a couple of the members are showing it. 

 

I hope that helps a little

 

Paul

[FUNder]

Wow that was a stunningly quick reply and it helps a lot actually. You say "the lite subscription doesn't include the additional ensemble data as that's part of the full subscription" but how come i can assess 'HOME > Weather Charts & Data > GEFS Ensembles and Graphs' via a general internet page not logged in to any form of paid version?

 

If i could trouble you for a moment longer have you any input on not being able to shake of my post code being applied to subsequent maps and graphs and restricting me to only local info? Surely i don't have to log out and clear cache and cookies etc?

 

Don't worry i'll have a prolonged study of meteorology via Wiki and and your guides. I hadn't seen any mention of guides on your site, however, i see they are in the forum section. Rest assured i'll plough through many of them. I only bought this at around 4am and am coming to the end of 72 hours awake, been busy lol. So i'm sure things will sink in the more i look around the product.

 

As soon as i am educated i will jump for the full version. It's all solely for interest/fascination purposes that i subscribed so i can't wait until i know what everything means.

 

Thanks again for the helpful input.

Edited February 11, 2014 by FUNder

[Paul]

We have a selection of free data including the ensembles, the full sub gives access to a much larger set of charts, data etc

 

In terms of your postcode being applied - the only place where that will save in a cookie and affect the page is on the local forecasts where it'll load your last location in but beyond that it won't be used to pinpoint maps or anything. On the radar there is a geo-locate feature which depending on your browser settings will ask you whether you want it to use your location and if so it'll zoom you in to it, but that can be reset through your browser if you wish.

 

Also on the radar there's a button to save settings, so if you hit that when you're not on the postcode zoom it'll store than option for you for next time.

[FUNder]

Too be honest i'm really struggling to hold back from making a speedy request for a refund. I'd then hope that if i came back in a year and purchased a full subscription that little niggles would be ironed out.

 

I'm finding some really annoying nuances and glitches during navigation and also when switching between options on drop-down menus. You have the map set to whatever particular zoom you wish to view and invariably it zooms back out when one changes a drop-down menu option. It seems to have no ability to hold the 'precipitation TYPE on' if one clicks on the forward arrows on the slider.

 

Some of the 'overview' maps look like an infant at school has splodged dollops of paint on to the map. Not talking about zooming in deeply but often if one zooms in a couple of times you get vacant bars appearing in the overlays, so one thinks one can simply zoom out to correct it but alas the gaps remain. I've got great graphics capacity on my computer and the latest flash etc. etc. and also tried it in all three browsers i use (Google Chrome, IE 11, Firefox) and on a Windows 7 and Windows XP PC's.

 

I've found around three cases so far where you can't access features under one's paid subscription but they are available for free on the general internet! Also i notice that on your general homepage you have an index on one page as below;

 

Weather Charts & Data

Charts & Data Homepage

GFS Weather Charts

Weather Radar

Live Weather Top 20's

NMM6 (Extra)

Snow Forecast Maps

 

If i log in to my subscribed pages it says it isn't available, on afterthought i presume if must only be available in the FULL version and not LITE, but a little indication by rewording it to FULL VERSION would be nice.

 

I'm following the severe winds etc today as i'm at home and to be honest i'm finding i'm getting much quicker, and very surprisingly at times more detailed! information from free sites and also my previous site that i've still got a subscription running for a month or so to come. On the main weather radar  map does your radar only go 45 minutes ahead? or am i not selecting the correct parameter? My current service that i still have (i won't name it as it's a direct competitor to yourselves) one goes forward around two hours in five-minute increments.

 

ON THE POSITIVE SIDE. Wow i can't even begin to comprehend the work that has gone into this site and there are several features that i absolutely love. I'll definitely consider coming back and purchasing the full version in about a year but there are too many niggles and glitches for me right now. So i can only sincerely wish you the all the best and continued success for the site.

Edited February 12, 2014 by FUNder

[Paul]

HI, I think you're perhaps misunderstanding the navigation a little - the free and extra sites are separate, so when you're logged in you can still access all of the free features + the lite features in addition - there are links to the free areas on the right hand side of the navigation when in extra, and when in the free area, clicking extra will take you back to the extra homepage. The extra section of the site doesn't include all of the free elements on top - they stay on the free side, but it should be seamless for you to go between the 2. The lite subscription is essentially the 5 minute radar, the 5 minute atd lightning, additional detailed forecasts, plus additional key charts from our models over and above the freely available ones, and all that's in there is an addon to what is available for nothing on the rest of the website. 

 

We're always looking to improve things so we'll definitely take your feedback into account, but if in the meantime you'd like to arrange a refund, we have a money back 7 day guarantee that you're welcome to use - just drop us a line via the contact page here:

http://www.netweather.tv/index.cgi?action=contact;sess=