WeatherCat and Mac OS 11 Big Sur

[WeatherguyNH]

Since I am not running the latest OS, I think it IS broke.
I should be able to run that with a minimum of problems....Right?!?!

[elagache]

Dear Rich and WeatherCat faithful,

Since I am not running the latest OS, I think it IS broke.

While I wouldn't put it quite so bluntly, at least in my opinion there is good reason to defer upgrading to Big Sur unless you have some desperate need for its functionality. 

I should be able to run that with a minimum of problems....Right?!?!

WeatherCat is running properly on Big Sur according to all users who have upgraded.  The one issue is the Apple OS bug that causes the gauges to display strangely.  This bug has been worked around by Stu, but only through some additional CPU use.  Certainly one strategy would be to wait for Apple to fix this bug before upgrading.  However, there is some peril in this - Apple may never get around to doing that.  It wouldn't be the first time.

I have other reasons for not upgrading.  Certainly those who have upgraded to Big Sur are encouraged to share their points of view.  Certainly some on this forum are very pleased to have made the upgrade.

Cheers, Edouard 

[WeatherguyNH]

Would be great to hear from those running Big Sur and the latest Weathercat.....

I can wait for gauges fix.......

Again, waiting for 11.3, then I will decide. I will have complete bootable back ups handy, so I can always go back to Mojave if I must...

Thanks again...

[SCH]

I am still having problems with WeatherCat and Big Sur. I have tried everything I can think of and followed the recommendations on this thread. Still an issue. Bottom Line: Connection to my Davis Vantage Pro2 randomly drops. One day, it may stay up for 3 hours; one day it may stay connected for 24 hours or more. I guess this is unique to my set-up, since no one else has reported the same issue.
Based on what I have read on this thread, as long as you are up to date on drivers, and latest WeatherCat, it will work. Good luck.
Sid

[elagache]

Dear Sid and WeatherCat troubleshooters,

. .  Still an issue. Bottom Line: Connection to my Davis Vantage Pro2 randomly drops. One day, it may stay up for 3 hours; one day it may stay connected for 24 hours or more. I guess this is unique to my set-up, since no one else has reported the same issue.

Sorry you are continuing to have this problem.  Which Mac are you running Big Sur on?  It might be a compatibility issue with the Silicon Labs driver and your Mac hardware.  You might try contacting Silicon Labs.  They have some sort of a forum like WeatherCat.

The only other suggestion I can offer is some general tips on improving the connection between your console and your computer.  They can be found on the WeatherCat Wiki:

https://wiki.trixology.com/index.php?title=Electronic_Interference_Effects_on_Station_Hardware/Data_Logger/USB_Cable

Obviously, these won't help if the problem is related to Big Sur, but it might help if another problem started in the same time frame.  I had problems similar to yours when I first set up my station.  I put Ferrite clamps on the cable as suggested in the WeatherCat Wiki entry and haven't had any problems since.  It is certainly a prudent step to reduce electronic interference.

I hope that's some help.

Edouard   

[WeatherguyNH]

This is all great information...

SCH, did you have this problem before Big Sur?
I would think if you had a problem with power supply and shielding, you would have had it whether you were running Big Sur or not?
I have a station older than 2009 as well, but I have never had any of the issues mentioned on the thread.
In fact, I have never hooked it up to AC power either....

Anyhow, thank you for the heads up!! (Both you and Edouard)

Rich

[SCH]

Thanks for the reply. I really don't understand the issue. Never a problem until I had to get a new computer (iMac, running Big Sur). As mentioned, a clean install of all software and drivers. Davis station is on AC and has battery for backup installed in unit. I have tried everything I can think of, and steps recommended on this forum. I did email issue to tech support, but no response so far.
I hope WeatherCat v3.2, mentioned under the development forum will allow connecting to the Davis WeatherLink device, which I have. It's a round-about way to get it to work, but what the heck, if it works, I would be happy.
If you learn anything, I would appreciate the update.
Sid

[WeatherguyNH]

Sid:

I can tell you that I moved to an iMac from a Mac Pro about 18 months ago. It came with Mojave installed, which is still running until I attempt Big Sur.
I've had zero problems with Weathercat or the silicon drivers for my Vantage Pro 2 since that move.
I wish we could get away from those Silicon drivers, quite frankly, because at some point, I can't imagine them updating them forever, but what do I know.
Wish I could help with your problem, but it sure seems elusive?!?!

Rich

[xairbusdriver]

Since there are several folks running Big Sur macOS 11, WC and Davis hardware, I'd suggest there is another Davis transmitter nearby. I think changing the Station ID of the ISS is relatively easy. This has solved intermittent problems for a few other folds on this forum:

It is a good idea to change the station ID anyway if you are in an area where anyone else might have a Davis station.  Most people won't bother to change it, so choosing any other ID means that your station will never be interfered with by neighboring stations. <Reply #2>

Davis equipment transmit on the 900 Mhz bands which are commonly used for a number of wireless devices.  It could be that some other wireless device around the house was causing the interference.  Hopefully indeed switching to another ID solved the problem. <Reply #8>

My Vantage Pro 2 is ~6 years old so you may have a newer manual. My manual has the simple instructions for changing the Transmitter ID on page 9.

[Jerry]

I cannot get WeatherCat email to pass the testing. I would post a capture but I can't get it to link here. What I get is:error (535, '5..7.8 Error: authentication failed)
On posting the attachment I can see that it is there but not going into my post.

Jerry

[xairbusdriver]

On posting the attachment I can see that it is there but not going into my post.

I assume you are talking about the fact that you the "Preview" function does not actually show any attachments. That's just the way the forum software operates. Your posting is fine.

How about a screen shot of the WC Prefs->Email form? The only thing you might want to do before uploading that image here is to hide/blur/block out your email address.

From your post, it "looks" like you have all the fields filled in, but a simple typo can be hard for the user to "see". Our own eyes sometimes only see what they expect to see and not what is actually there. It's called "expectation bias".

Of course, the one item that has the biggest effect on 'authentication' is your password and even you can't 'see' that! Do you have your password saved in a password manager? If so, I'd suggest re-entering it in the Prefs. While you are at it, make sure you have the correct Port specified.

[Blicj11]

Check these settings out. I have a me.com account but use gmail in WeatherCat.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202304

[Jerry]

On posting the attachment I can see that it is there but not going into my post.

I assume you are talking about the fact that you the "Preview" function does not actually show any attachments. That's just the way the forum software operates. Your posting is fine.

How about a screen shot of the WC Prefs->Email form? The only thing you might want to do before uploading that image here is to hide/blur/block out your email address.

From your post, it "looks" like you have all the fields filled in, but a simple typo can be hard for the user to "see". Our own eyes sometimes only see what they expect to see and not what is actually there. It's called "expectation bias".

Of course, the one item that has the biggest effect on 'authentication' is your password and even you can't 'see' that! Do you have your password saved in a password manager? If so, I'd suggest re-entering it in the Prefs. While you are at it, make sure you have the correct Port specified.

[xairbusdriver]

Strangely enough, I had a similar problem back in 2015! See this tread/post. TL;DR: I used another email provider, my ISP. Since Apple doesn't offer interweb connections, try using your ISP, especially if it's Comcast/Xfinity.

[Blicj11]

Try using your gmail address in the Admin field to see if you can send to that. Gmail would still use the same Port and the Authentication is still checked.