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GENERAL

What is the best video mode to use?

Which screen resolution to use is a matter of personal preference. In order to see all of the tab information correctly, we recommended that you run the system in 1024x768 and higher.  We also recommend at least true-color (24 bit) mode.

Is there some easy way of setting the "current" advisory for an earlier point in a storms history?  All attempts are giving me a map with the last plot of the storm.

Yes, the Post Storm Analysis feature under Tools-options will do this. An alternate method is to point to an observation along the track of the loaded storm on the database tab, right click and select "set post storm analysis to this advisory".

How does the Estimate of 48 through 120 hour 34, 50 and 64 knot wind fields work?  

Since the National Hurricane Center does not provide the forecast wind field information for the areas of  64 knot winds and in the 96 and 120 hour outlook... the 34, 50 knot wind areas...., we allow the user to turn on the option which will force the system to estimate these wind fields.  A series of algorithms are utilized to come up with a best guess of what these wind fields will be.  Please remember these are only estimates based on storm trend and climatology.

How does the Landfall Recognition work?  

Since landfall will often be in-between forecast verification times, this presents a problem of linearly extrapolating forecast winds between forecast points.  I.E. if a storm's 36 hour forecast is to be 100 miles offshore with top winds of 125  MPH and it's 48 hour position is forecast to be 100 miles inland with top winds of 75 MPH, then a linear extrapolation would calculate a 100 MPH storm at landfall.  Turning Landfall Recognition ON will force the system to maintain the intensity of the storm until landfall.  Landfall is defined (by the system) as 5 contiguous hours over land.

Can I put the images from the system in a public forum, like a web site?

The license agreement for this software does NOT allow for its images to be placed in a public forum such as a BBS, WEB Site, ON-Air, etc..  If you have a desire to do so, please contact PC Weather Products to discuss separate license agreement possibilities.

Will this run on a Network?

Yes, contact PC Weather Products for more information on the Network version.

How can I get the data in the tracking system into the historical database?

You can't.  The historical database is based on "official" storm track information provided by the NHC (Atlantic / East Pacific).  In addition the data is pre-processed to allow for rapid information access.

Where can I get updates to the history database as well as program fixes, etc?

You can get yearly updates to the historical databases and program fixes from the PC Weather Products web site.  http://www.pcwp.com

Why should I create separate storm databases in system setup.?

While separate storm databases are not required, they are recommended in order to segregate storms by year.  Creating a separate storm database for 2000, 2001 ,etc.. should make management of storm data much easier.  Remember, the system's default database after installation is the "PAST" database.   If you wish to segregate this year's storms, create a new database right after you install.

Why would I want to turn database security ON?

Unless you have the LAN version of the system you probably don't.  Turning on security forces the user to signon before starting any of the system's programs that do updating.

How should I utilize 'Location Groups' and why are there predefined groups (like Emailalert, small map and large map group)?

Location groups are a powerful addition to the tracking system's capabilities.  Not only can you display the locations within a group on the tracking charts they also are used to determine which locations will be analyzed in the batch location analysis and with the strike probabilities report.  The small map group can be used as the set of locations you want to display whenever you are using a small map (<20 degrees wind).  The large map group as you might expect can be used when displaying locations on a large map, like the whole Atlantic, etc.. The EmailAlert location group is used when creating a map for an e-mail alert message.

 What is the significance of the value of the flood index?

The value of the index is determined by the strength of the onshore wind flow for that area.  For a complete discussion of this topic see Flood Index Summary.

In the systems, there are options to display SLOSH data.  What is this data?

The SLOSH data is data compiled by the NWS to determine the potential extent of coastal flooding due to a storm surge.  For a complete discussion of this topic, see SLOSH Summary.

I can't get the summary report to work.  Why?

In order to get the summary report to function you follow the Setup Summary Reports directions.

TROUBLESHOOTING

When I Email reports with the imbedded text option the format of the report gets all messed up.

When viewing Emailed reports that has column type data, the receiver must change his Email program viewing font to a non-proportional type (courier for example).  A better solution is to Email the report as HTML or a PDF.

My tab labels are not visible unless they are selected.  Why?

If you are experiencing this problem, it is likely that you need to update your video driver. First reboot but if the problem persist, you should replace your windows video driver with a newer one.  These are usually available on INTERNET support sites.  You can also try to change the orientation of the tabs to see if that makes a difference.  This is controlled in the General Options.

Why does my entire window becomes filled with a solid color while performing certain functions like wind band analysis and plotting the storm track?

If you are experiencing color flooding problems, it is likely that you have a bug in your video driver.  You should replace your windows video driver with a newer one.  These are usually available on INTERNET support sites.

When I attempt to start the system, I am getting an error message that says "... is not a MS Access Database".  What's wrong, it worked fine the last time i used it?

This error message indicates that the main system database file(s) have become corrupted.  This is typically due to a unplanned shutdown, power outage, etc..  To correct this, run a database repair. If this does not work, this restore from the latest backup.  If this is not available, then the only option is to reinstall the entire system.   Note: most of the time the file that became corrupt is the userdb.mdb file.  If you replace just that file, you may be up and running without having to reinstall.  This file is on your installation CD.

When creating a custom tracking chart, and all I get is a blank map, why?

You are probably entering the center latitude and longitude outside the valid mapping area.  Make sure that you are entering Western Longitudes as negative numbers and Eastern Longitudes as positive. Also all coordinates must be entered in degrees and tenths of a degree not degrees and minutes.

When creating tracking charts, the ocean and land colors do not come out correct and I cannot fix it with the paint command.  Why?

If you are having trouble with the custom tracking charts colors then it is likely that you have a video driver bug.  Make sure you obtain the latest video driver for your system.

I add new Locations in System Setup but they are not appearing in the correct position on the tracking charts, why?

You have probably entered latitude and longitude in degrees and minutes, make sure you enter it in degrees and tenths of a degree.  To convert to tenths divide the minutes by 60.  I.E. 29 degrees 30 minutes is 29.5 degrees.

Where can I get Technical Support?