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31
Development Blog / Ecowitt - some thoughts
« Last post by WCDev on January 25, 2026, 04:42:36 PM »
WetherCat 4 (currently in development, see https://athena.trixology.com/index.php?topic=3671.0) includes support for the range of Fine Offset weather gateways and consoles, marketed under a variety of brands, perhaps the biggest of which is Ecowitt (https://www.ecowitt.com/shop/homePage).

The last time I dealt with FO was coding up their USB based stations for WeatherCat (see https://wiki.trixology.com/index.php?title=Fine_Offset) and fine tuning the USB timings to try to avoid locking the thing up - not an enjoyable experience.

Time moves on, and they've now moved onto IP based gateways and consoles. These are provided at relatively reasonable prices and reasonable quality levels. As such they appear to be pretty popular.

These newer 'stations' are simpler to talk to, but the protocols are still just slightly on the wrong side of what you might call 'good professional software design', i.e. in a lot of cases completely bonkers (see https://athena.trixology.com/index.php?topic=3672.msg35073;topicseen#msg35073 for an example), with multiple API's available e.g binary based, some json and historical access via .csv files (and WeatherCat uses all to communicate to these stations, because you have to :) ).

But having said that, they seem to be remarkably reliable and perform well. I've been running one in parallel with a fan aspirated Davis set up and the readings are (mostly) comparable (after a little tuning). Now granted, it's mid-winter here in the UK and I only have a few weeks of running under my belt, but so far, I'm suitably impressed! Right now, I like 'em.

A few pics are attached to this post. You'll see one with two internal temp/hum sensors side by side and indeed they are pretty close to each other, which impressed me. You'll also see the main sensor array mounted on a pole. This is a WS90 which has ultrasonic wind and haptic rain - it also has a small, in-built solar panel to keep a 'supercap'* suitably charged, which even in the depths of a central England winter is doing a sterling job of keeping it running (which is just as well - we fitted that pole and the station in very cold temperatures and I really don't want to go back up there to change the batteries :) )

The rain from the haptic sensor is 'interesting' - it does detect very fine drizzle (that the Davis, with its 'traditional' tipping bucket, does not detect) but it tends to over-read by large amounts. The 'gain' of the piezo rain sensor (as it's called) can be adjusted, and this has been going on for a few weeks now, but it's still way off compared to the Davis bucket. You do have the option of adding a more 'normal' tipping bucket to the system (a WH40), but I haven't (yet) and it'll be interesting to see if I can get it and the Davis roughly agreeing on rain amounts :)

They also do a variety of other interesting sensors - particulate matter for example (I procured a WH46D for testing with WeatherCat 4) along with a lighting sensor (which I do not have) and laser depth sensors (snow), again I don't have this either**, all at reasonable prices. I can't make a comment as to the reliability of these somewhat more interesting sensors, but the fact that they are available for the system is impressive!

--

*A large capacitor which can act as a power supply for the unit - indeed it's the main power supply (two AA batteries are fitted for backup).
**Anyone with these, please go test with WeatherCat 4 :)
32
Development Blog / Highly entertaining fix of the week
« Last post by WCDev on January 25, 2026, 03:49:30 PM »
Really??? (Possibly only funny to anyone who's written code to interpret FO's archive .csv files, but it gave me a huge chuckle that they'd actually do this, which they did).

Also, possibly the fastest fix in the history of software engineering :)
33
Web-site/Forum news / The forums are now fully open
« Last post by Administrator on January 25, 2026, 02:49:40 PM »
Hello all,
I'm very happy to announce that all forums are now fully operational again. If you spot any issues, please post in this thread.

Note: If you are an existing member, you will need to agree to updated user and privacy agreements on your first login.

Apologies for any inconvenience and a massive thanks to Ken and wxforum.net for the support whilst we were down!

34
Web-site/Forum news / How To Submit A Complaint
« Last post by Administrator on January 25, 2026, 12:38:23 AM »
Complaint Process

How to submit a complaint on this forum:
Use the “Report” Button: This is the primary and most efficient method for reporting content or users. The “Report” button is located on each post, private message, or user profile.

When reporting, you must:
Provide a detailed reason for your report. Specify the nature of the issue, clearly indicating whether you believe the content or behaviour is illegal under the UK's Online Safety Act (OSA), harmful (and if so, to whom), or a violation of our community guidelines as outlined in our Terms and Policies.
Reference specific OSA provisions, Ofcom guidance (including the Codes of Practice), or sections of our community guidelines where possible. This will assist us in assessing the complaint. Use Ofcom’s published resources to help identify the relevant provisions.
Indicate the urgency of the matter if you believe it involves an imminent threat to life or serious illegal activity.

Email: You may send an email to webmaster@trixology.com. Use this method only when the “Report” button is not applicable or when you need to provide extensive documentation.

We will prioritise complaints that involve potential violations of the UK's on-line safety act (OSA), especially those related to priority offences or serious harm, and align with the measures outlined in Ofcom’s Codes of Practice.

Information to Include in Your Complaint:
When submitting a complaint, please provide as much of the following information as possible:
Link: A direct link to the specific content (post, message, profile) you are reporting.
Username: The username of the user who posted the content or exhibited the behaviour.
Description: A clear and detailed description of the content or behaviour you are reporting. Explain why you believe it is illegal under the OSA, harmful (and to whom), or a violation of our community guidelines. Be specific about the type of illegal or harmful content you are reporting (e.g., CSAM, terrorist content, content promoting self-harm, hate speech). Reference specific sections of the OSA, Ofcom’s guidance (including their codes of practice), or our community guidelines where applicable.
Evidence: Provide screenshots or other supporting evidence, if possible and relevant.
Your Details (Optional): Your username and email address (if you wish to receive updates). Providing contact information helps us to follow up if we need more information. However, we understand if you wish to remain anonymous. Note that anonymous reports may be more difficult to fully investigate.
Urgency: If you believe the matter involves an imminent threat to life or serious illegal activity, clearly state this in your report and mark it as “URGENT.”

Complaint Handling:
Acknowledgment: Due to extremely limited resources, we cannot guarantee acknowledgment of all complaints. We will prioritise acknowledging complaints that appear to involve serious illegal content, particularly “priority offences” under the OSA, or content that poses an immediate threat to a user’s safety.
Initial Assessment: A moderator will review the complaint to determine:
Whether the reported content or behaviour falls within the scope of this procedure and whether the complaint aligns with the recommended measures in Ofcom’s Codes of Practice, especially regarding reporting and complaint procedures. (ICU D1 to ICU D14).
The urgency and severity of the issue, prioritising illegal content, content harmful to children, and content posing an immediate threat. We will use Ofcom’s guidance to help us assess the severity of the reported content.
Whether the complaint provides sufficient information for our limited investigation.
Whether the complaint relates to a potential breach of our Terms of Service by another user or by us.

Investigation: Our investigation will be strictly limited to reviewing the reported content, the user’s recent activity on the forum, and any evidence provided. We do not have dedicated investigative resources, legal expertise, or advanced technical tools. We will primarily rely on the information provided in the complaint and our own limited observations. We may not be able to conduct in-depth investigations in all cases.

Decision and Action: Based on the investigation, our moderators will decide on the appropriate action within their capacity. Possible actions include:
No Action:
  • If the content/behaviour does not violate UK law, our community guidelines, or pose a significant risk of harm based on our assessment.
    If we lack the capacity or expertise to make a definitive determination within a reasonable timeframe.
    If the complaint is deemed to be vexatious or without merit.

Warning: Issuing a formal warning to the user responsible for the content or behaviour.

Content Removal: Removing or editing the reported content if it violates our guidelines or is deemed illegal under the OSA.

Account Suspension: Temporarily or permanently suspending the user’s account, particularly in cases of repeated or serious violations.
Reporting to Authorities: Reporting content or activity to the appropriate authorities (e.g., police, NCA, CEOP, IWF) if we believe it to be illegal under the OSA, particularly in cases of CSAM, terrorist content, or content posing an imminent threat to life or safety. We will prioritise reporting the most serious illegal content as required by law and our ethical obligations, and we will follow Ofcom’s guidance on reporting to authorities.

Communication:
We will only be able to inform you of the outcome of your complaint if:
You provided contact information.
The outcome directly affects you (e.g., you were the target of harassment).
We have the resources to do so.
We will not disclose specific actions taken against other users due to privacy concerns, resource constraints, and potential legal implications.

Appeals: If you disagree with the outcome of your complaint regarding content moderation, you can appeal by contacting the forum Admin. Appeals will only be considered in exceptional circumstances, and only if the appeal is made about content that we have taken a decision on (i.e., it is not an appeal made in relation to a complaint about our alleged failure to uphold our terms of service), and when resources permit. Appeals are not available for complaints regarding our alleged failure to uphold our terms of service.
35
WeatherCat Releases / WeatherCat Version 3.3.3 Released
« Last post by Administrator on December 21, 2025, 12:50:28 PM »
Hello all,
Version 3.3.3 is now available.

Changes since V3.3.1 as follows:
   1.   Fixed a crash that could occur on startup.
   2.   We now differentiate the cause of a watchdog in the logged message - either its restarting to try to recover the station comms or its restarting because it has detected a hung thread.
   3.   Remove the webcam text from the Wunderground preferences.
   4.   Added monthly and yearly rain channels for WeatherLink Live.
   5.   Fixed a crash that could occur when setting up a network connection.
   6.   Changed auto update endpoint (Note: there will be no auto-update notification for this release).
   7.   User Manual updated (available from the 'Help' menu within WeatherCat).
   8.   WeatherCat Client updated to display internal humidity and temperature in dock icon.

WeatherCat Version 3.3.3 is available for immediate download.

Please note there is no auto-update notification for this release.

An updated client is also available as per point 8 in the release changes above - you can download it here.

As an additional note, the FAQ has been updated, in particular a video has been added showing the installation of the Silicon Labs driver on later operating systems. In addition the FAQ and releases notes sections in the manual have been replaced with relevant links to the wiki.

Also please note that some people use trixology-eng.com to test client connections. trixology-eng.com is being replaced, please use eng.trixology.com going forward.



 

36
Web-site/Forum news / These Forums Are Read Only
« Last post by Administrator on March 16, 2025, 02:18:01 PM »
Please note: These are archived forums - it is not possible to post or register here.

Active WeatherCat forums can be found at: https://www.wxforum.net/index.php?board=146.0 (Courtesy of WXForum.net)
37
Web-site/Forum news / Thanks Stu! (Re: Forums Shutdown)
« Last post by elagache on March 15, 2025, 10:38:15 PM »
Dear Stu, wx-watch, Blick, Reinhard, and WeatherCat faithful,

Development continues. . . . .

Hurray!!!   [cheer]

The reason I wrote first LWC (about a hundred years ago it seems :) ) and then WeatherCat is because I couldn't find anything to suit my needs - that continues to be the case.

And you know what . . . . . . Nothing suits my needs either . . . . I'm afraid I'm a WeatherCat  [WCSmall] addict! . .  [biggrin]

This is now rescinded.

As far as I am concerned anyway, this is good news!! 

As an additional personal note, I find this particularly annoying - I've kept these forums running through thick and thin (sometimes on extremely dodgy hardware and extremely dodgy connections) and now I'm done in by a somewhat overreaching act.

I do hope to be able to bring these forums back to full functionality sometime in the future, but for now, many thanks to Ken!

By all means thanks for this forum and home for WeatherCatters!    In the meantime, thank you Ken for giving us a temporary refuge until either sanity returns or . . . . it is the Second Coming! 

At this point, which will come first is anything but a safe bet! . . . .

Edouard
38
Web-site/Forum news / Re: Forums Shutdown
« Last post by wurzelmac on March 15, 2025, 08:30:38 PM »
Thanks for all your hard work - and thanks for letting me be part of the translation team. For future translations: I am ready and waiting!  :)
39
Web-site/Forum news / Re: Forums Shutdown
« Last post by Blicj11 on March 15, 2025, 04:37:29 PM »
Thank you Stu! WeatherCat is still the very best weather software for a Mac.
40
Web-site/Forum news / Re: Forums Shutdown
« Last post by wx-watch on March 15, 2025, 04:19:04 PM »
Many thanks for the encouraging update.

I wish you all the best and many many thanks
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