Version 3.22 Maintenance release
10/24/07
3.22 Release Notes
Bug fixes:
-- The VCP
interpreter has been fixed and updated with new
VCPs 212 and 221
-- Updated the
Warnings legend dialog for new NWS colors and
added an "Extreme Wind" warning legend.
-- Fixed a bug where
the program would not re-initialize properly
when an unavailable site was detected.
This manifested
itself by showing a "Radar unavailable" message
even when the site was changed.
New Features:
-- The Tracker icon
image is now user-modifiable. This is a manual
process and simply involves editing the PNG
image file for the tracker.
The image is
stored in the Data/Masks folder and is named
tracker_icon.png.
The image must
be any single color on a black background.
The color will
be translated by the program to the current
Distance Tool color (see the help file Color
Options for more details).
Image sizes
larger than 64x64 have not been tested and are
not recommended.
Apologies:
There have been some
good suggestions and feature requests made by
our customers (see the Feature Requests forum
for details - notably a Favorites and/or Most
Recently Visited sites button, and the ability
to preserve user options settings between
versions, and there are other valuable
suggestions as well). We regret that we haven't
been able to implement them all in the short
time required for this release.
Version 3.21 Maintenance release 07/10/07
These bugs are fixed
in version 3.21
-- Tracking windows
would display the wrong image (a white
background radar image) when the Composite
Layers option is enabled.
-- Scan zone alerts didn't work correctly due to
a coordinate system error.
-- The precipitation
level description popup (right-clicking on a
cell to get its intensity) didn't work
correctly.
-- The skin file selection was not preserved
when the program was updated, resulting in a
"Can't get header info for image file" message
Version 3.2 Maintenance release 06/28/07
New
Features
-- Composite
Layer mode
When the Composite
Layers box is checked in the Location or Layers
dialogs, the program will, when each image is
published or processed, assemble the other
checked layers into a single image. This is
basically an attempt to improve the rotating
beam performance on lower-end machines. When the
program is in Composite Layer mode, changing
layers will trigger re-scan (not a re-retch) of
images just as changing the colors does. The
user selects Composite Layer mode by checking
the box in the Layers or Locations dialogs.
-- Proxy support
Support for Internet
proxy servers is implemented. The user may
specify a proxy server by domain name or IP
address, and also may specify the communications
port for the server. The proxy information may
be entered in the Display Options dialog.
-- Radar image
smoothing
We've re-added image
smoothing. This is classic blur-type smoothing,
and is in addition to the contour smoothing
feature.
The blurring effect
can be controlled with a slider bar in the
Display Options dialog.
-- Adjustable
loop delay
The amount of delay
at the end of a loop is adjustable. The delay is
set in the Display Options dialog and has a
range from None (no delay), to Max (max delay).
Changes
to existing features
-- The Warnings maps
are now served by the NWS instead of the
IntelliWeather server. This provides faster
updates.
Bug fixes
-- Entering a comma
(",") in some fields of dialogs in the program
would cause a database error.
Known
issues
-- The Logitech
SetPoint program interferes with StormPredator
somehow. We're still investigation a solution
for this. One workaround is to unload SetPoint,
it is an unnecessary program.
Notes
-- We have improved
performance of the rotating beam display when
using the Composite Layers feature, but the beam
is still quite a resource hog and the program
will still not perform well when the feature is
enabled.
-- When installing
the program under Windows Vista, we recommend
that the user right-click on the desktop icon
for the installer and select Run As
Administrator. When the program is installed, do
the same for the desktop icon and/or Start Menu
icon for StormPredator. This will ensure that
the database can be correctly decompressed and
that email and cell phone alerts will function
correctly.
Version 3.12 Minor
Maintenance release 02/26/07
Added new URL's to internal
database to reference the NWS "universal" web
server which has failover and load balance features
to improve chances that SP won't go down when problems
happen with regional NWS servers (particularly the
Southern Region HQ.) Of course if the NWS servers
go offline there is nothing that can be done.
Added alerting feature to
advise users of the program with a popup window if
there are any operational issue with the program
or with the NWS data feeds that serve it. User can
disable the popup window if desired.
Other minor cosmetic and bug
fixes.
Version 3.11 Minor
maintenance release 9/19/06
Bugs fixed in this release:
The program registration would fail when a machine
was moved from one network interface to another
(wired vs. wireless, docked vs. undocked, etc.).
Two independent network interfaces on the same
machine are now supported.
The program would begin collecting history images
when the location was changed, even if the setting
for automatically loading history images was
unchecked.
A custom alert sound file path would not persist
between invocations of the program, it would
revert to the default setting.
New features in release version
3.1 of
StormPredator:
This feature has been
removed -- Lightning strike image overlay is
implemented.
(see additional info regarding lightning
registration below)
This is the biggest new feature for StormPredator
3.1
Using private lightning data we have purchased
from NLDN, we now offer strike imagery on our own
server
free of charge for StormPredator Version 3.1
registered owners.
Users can now have lightning strikes for the last
radar image update interval displayed like any
other layer.
User controls are in place for color, and type of
strike information to display, such as strike
colors
changing over time, or strike colors represent
intensity.
In this sample:
http://imageigloo.com/images/1582ltgexample.JPG
Lightning colors get darker over time (about 2
hours) and you can clearly see where there are
active thunderstorm cells and cell paths. In this
sample, radar echoes were turned off, but you can
control them and lightning just like any other
layer.
Lightning imagery can be looped just like any
other layer component.
-- Radar Echo Contour Smoothing is implemented
The radar echo layer can be smoothed with a
contour shaper.
This displays a contoured radar echo similar to
what has been in use in some TV Weather radar
systems.
Here's examples...
Before contour smoothing
http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/1318/beforelw9.png
After contour smoothing
http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/7235/afterxu2.png
This has been requested by many of our users.
The biggest advantage to this countour method is
that it provides better image quality when screen
magnification is used. Select the option in the
Display Options dialog.
Please note that applying the contour smoothing
will slow down the initial file processing.
The previous method of smoothing available in
SP3.0x, which used gaussian pixel smoothing has
been
replaced by this new and improved method.
-- The Location dialog has been overhauled to
allow easier radar site selection.
The sites are now listed in a window that has
columns.
The user may sort the list by any column by simply
clicking on the column header in that window.
The list can be sorted by state, city, alternate
city, or call sign.
The new dialog also sports an adjacent-site arrows
control. The control is similar to the
adjacent-site
arrows that one finds on the NWS RIDGE web pages.
Each arrow represents the adjacent site in that
direction. Place your mouse over the arrows to see
text describing the adjacent sites. Clicking
on an arrow will cause that site to be selected in
the list window. Press Ok to visit the selected
site, or Cancel to continue viewing the current
site.
-- Palette file Save and Load features are
implemented
The user may save the current color scheme to a
specified file, and load other schemes or themes.
The data that is saved and loaded is all of the
precipitation colors, plus the text colors (normal
and highlighted), the distance tool color, the
marker color, the button color, and the skin
files.
-- Automatic program update notification
The program now detects when a new version is
available and informs the user via a popup dialog
That dialog may be semi-permanently dismissed with
a "Don't show me this again" button.
The dialog will re-appear if a version different
than the last acknowledged version becomes
available.
-- Ground clutter filter changed
Before the advent of RIDGE, the NWS images would
display ground clutter as high range reflections.
Now, with the addition of new VCPs, ground clutter
is displayed (more correctly) as low range
reflections.
The Display Options filter feature now allows the
user to filter out reflections at 0 dbZ and less
in Clear Air modes and, optionally, in all modes.
!!! IMPORTANT INFORMATION
REGARDING lightning imagery REGISTRATION !!!
Contractual obligations require us to ask you to
register with our server to receive the lightning
imagery.
We are providing this imagery (updated
approximately at 5 minute intervals on the SP3.1
display) at
our own expense free to our valued
customers. Unlike the public domain radar imagery
offered by the NWS,
the lightning imagery is from a private company,
and is subject to their control.
Users should not have the same expectations for
this imagery that they have for the public domain
NWS imagery.
During installation, you will be asked for your
name and email address in addition to your serial
number.
You will also be given the opportunity to edit
your name and email during the registration
process.
This information is stored in the database and is
used during the lightning imagery registration
process.
We will use this information to validate your
eligibility to receive the lightning imagery only.
Your name and email adddress will never be shared
except when required by law.
It is important that the information you provide
is accurate!
Inaccurate information will result in your account
being disabled.
One effect of the registration process is that it
enforces the rule of one copy of the software per
license. We realize that this may be perceived as
a policy change by some customers, but the rules
haven't really changed, we are just enforcing them
now because it has come to our attention that our
generosity was being abused by a few unscrupulous
individuals and even companies.
If you attempt to register more than one copy of
the software with our server per serial number,
you will find that it reports
the serial number already in use.
If you believe that message to be in error, you
may contact Technical Support at
here
and we will validate your serial number and other
information, and reset the registration process.
At the same time we will also invalidate any other
copy of the software that was previously
registered with that serial number.
We understand that some users may need to reformat
their machine hard drive in the future or will
mistakenly delete previous versions of the
software before updating, and we have taken that
into consideration. We have put measures in place
that allow our users to re-install the software
without having to re-register.
As with Microsoft Windows, if too much hardware
has changed between registrations, the software
will determine that the program is being installed
on a new machine. In that case, you must contact
technical support to reset your registration data.
You may reset your registration a maximum of three
times.
After that, we will ask that you purchase an
additional license for $9.95
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Bugs fixed in this release:
-- Pager port setting would not get saved.
-- Pager image size did not get saved.
-- Some precipitation levels were reported
incorrectly in alert messages.
-- Color changes to pure black were not
transparent in the main display.
-- There were some typos in the precipitation
level reports (commas where periods should be).
-- Changing button or skin color could crash the
program in the download version.
-- The initial placement of the main window was
calculated incorrectly and the window could be
off-center on initial startup.
-- The program now resumes looping if it was
interrupted for a rescan.
-- The Save Image function no longer appends
extraneous extensions when a file is selected to
be overwritten.
-- The distance tool calculation is fixed for long
range radar products.
-- The ETA tool has been corrected. It is more
accurate now.
-- Replaying history when the save image format
was set to JPG didn't work.
-- Added a delay at the end of the replay
sequence.
-- VCPs 31 and 32 could be reported as 11 or 12,
respectively, in some cases.
-- Longitude was offset in the marker placement
feature for some maps.
-- Loop could "zoom" forward after a file fetch
-- Markers and scan zones could be displayed
prematurely when starting up or switching sites
-- Status messages have been expanded to indicate
data fetching from the Internet vs. reading from
local disk, and to indicate image processing
Other known issues:
-- The program will slow down, and even stop on
some machines. This is very rare and is probably
related to slow hardware.
-- The program will show a black screen for some
layers or products on some machines. This appears
to be a hardware issue, also rare, we are still
investigating.
We cannot reproduce these problems, but we are
investigating.
New features in StormPredator version 3.03
dated 7/13/06 (see more
below for a complete list)
Fixed the Analyze tool not functioning on images
that were paused in a loop.
Fixed the program crashing when a scan zone was
loaded on some platforms.
Fixed the custom overlay dialog inverting image
colors, and included a fixed set of range ring
overlays
Fixed minor alignment problems with buttons and
text in some dialogs.
Added new buttons for Minimize, and Layers
Revised the button panel layout for new buttons.
Added code to support upcoming Lightning Product,
Lightning is not yet active, expect an
August 06 release - This
feature has been removed.
Changed the default marker to a green flag.
Changed the default loop speed to a midrange speed
to allow better startup on slow machines.
-- The loop speed range is the same, only the
default starting speed is changed.
-- If the user changes the speed, the changes will
be saved as usual
Added a Latitude/Longitude marker placement
dialog. Press ALT-N to invoke the dialog.
-- The user enters a lat and lon in decimal form
and a list box is populated with matching sites.
-- There will usually be more than one match, most
maps overlap their neighbors.
-- The user may use the current marker or choose
another from a browse button.
-- The user may elect to create a scan zone around
the lat/lon point on the selected map as well,
with a selectable radius of 1 to 100 miles.
-- The site need not be the site that is currently
displayed, but if the currently active site is a
match for the lat / lon, then it is automatically
selected by default.
-- Again, one can choose any of the matching
sites, it doesn't have to be the current site.
New features in StormPredator version 3.02
dated 6/20/06 (see more
below for a complete list)
The beam center is variable. To use this feature:
-- Invoke the special radome marker with ALT-R.
-- Move the marker using ALT-left-click-and-drag.
-- The beam will emanate from the center of the marker.
-- Reset to default location by deleting data\zones\radome.mrk
Feature changes in this version:
-- The tracker plot icons are all visible in the main window. As you place each icon, it will become visible on the main screen regardless of which thumbnail is active. The active icon will be displayed in the distance tool color, and the inactive icons will be displayed in a gamma-reduced version of the distance tool color.
-- The text of email and pager/cell phone messages now includes the maximum dbZ level detected in the scan zone, as well as the user's selected threshold.
Bugs fixed in this version:
-- Fixed a message queue overflow error. This is the root cause of all of the programs crashes and unexplained exits.
-- Fixed a text error where the email and pager messages would report incorrect dbZ values.
-- Fixed a few typographic errors in various dialogs
-- Fixed the short range scan zone showing up on long range products.
-- Fixed an initialization error that would cause a Windows exception if the Analyze tool was invoked before an image was displayed.
-- Fixed distance calculation in long range products
-- Fixed email/cell phone SMTP port defaulting to 25 after change to something else
-- Fixed the ground clutter filter, its function was inverted, turning pixels to white instead of black to make them disappear
New features in StormPredator version 3.01
(see more below for a
complete list)
Version 3.00 was
released 6/1/06 and 3.01 is a minor maintenance
release on 6/7/06 to fix some small bugs and
oversights. All CD's purchased after June 1st get
V3.01 Here is what is new in 3.01
-
Added a Radome
icon to the standard markers, and also a
special Radome marker for the radar site
location (ALT-R toggles this on and off).
-
Fixed a bug where
the Analyze tool was examining a smoothed
image vs. a pre-smoothed image.
-
Fixed a typo in
the Legends dialogs.
-
Fixed the long
range distance and latitude/longitude tools.
-
Fixed the custom
overlays, they are now site- and
range-specific (two overlays per site, a long
and a short range custom overlay).
-
Added range ring
overlays to the cdrom version. Short range
only.
-
Added
brightness-adjusted topographic map sets to
the cdrom version.
-
Added
psuedo-greyscale and monotone (brown)
topographic map sets to the cdrom version.
-- Some feature changes
Beam: the beam sweep speed and arc width can no
longer be adjusted.
Beam: the beam is not available in full screen
mode.
Range Ring: no longer a standard feature, may be
an upgrade (file download) later
Overlays: a single custom overlay is available.
More overlays may be added
in later versions if the market desires.
Tracker: image creation times are now displayed in
local time vs. UTC
Mailer: for security reasons, HTML mail is no
longer an option
Mailer: for technical reasons, the mailer has
changed in favor of blat
-- System Requirements
Minimum:
1.0 GHz processor ("may" run on systems as slow as
600 Mhz)
256 Mb RAM
DirectX 9.0b compatible video card
Monitor capable of displaying 800x600x24
Internet connection
Windows 2000 (Win95,98,ME are no longer supported)
Recommended:
2.0 GHz or faster processor
512 Mb RAM
DirectX 9.0b compatible video card
Monitor capable of displaying 1024x768x24
Broadband Internet connection
Windows XP Pro or Home, or Windows Media Center
Edition
-- Bugs fixed in this version
The Tracker would sometimes report odd ETAs --
fixed
The Tracker dialog displayed incorrect images in
the thumbnail view -- fixed
The Tracker dialog would flash unnecessarily --
fixed
The Tracker dialog would not update the main
display correctly -- fixed
The Save Image function would report no images to
save - fixed
The Print Image function could crash on XP
platforms - fixed
The Alert Delay timer would only send one alert -
fixed
The distance tool and the latitude/longitude
displays were incorrect -- fixed
The analyze feature would report incorrect values
-- fixed
There was no convenient way to get the program
version -- fixed
The program could crash on entry or exit due to
un-initialized variables -- fixed
There was no visible indicator that the flash was
on or off -- fixed
-- Coming soon
Automatic updates
A settable range for history image collection and
display
Alerts for Weather bulletins issued that affect
your scan zone
-- Hot Keys
As noted above, some new function keys have been
assigned, and others have
changed. This is a current list of all of the
keyboard shortcuts to which
StormPredator responds.
In fullscreen mode:
------------------
ESC or F4 toggles back to windowed mode
ALT-L toggles looping
In windowed mode:
----------------
Spacebar toggles Options panel
F1 invokes help
F2 invokes Forecast web page
F3 invokes Warnings web page
F4 invokes full screen mode
F5 invokes National Radar Map web page
F6 invokes Save History dialog
F7 invokes Replay Saved History dialog
F8 invokes Save Image dialog
F9 invokes Layer Selection dialog
F10 rescan history images (temporarily overrides
options setting) and process as needed
ALT-F10 refetch all images from the Internet
F11 minimizes the program to the task bar
ALT-Spacebar invokes Thresholds dialog
ALT-Backspace rescans history for the current site
ALT-A invokes Analyze dialog
ALT-B toggles beam sweep (respects revs setting)
ALT-C invokes Color Options dialog
ALT-D invokes Display Options dialog
ALT-E invokes Beam Options dialog
ALT-F toggles flashing
ALT-I invokes About dialog
ALT-K invokes Color Bar dialog
ALT-L toggles looping
ALT-M invokes mini window mode
ALT-O invokes Location dialog
ALT-Q switches between round and rectangular
interface
ALT-S invokes Scan Zone dialog
ALT-T invokes Tracker dialog
ALT-W toggles the Warnings color key
ALT-Z invokes magnification tool
ALT-F4 program exit
In the Tracker dialog:
---------------------
Up Arrow nudges the tracker icon up
Down Arrow nudges the tracker icon down
Left Arrow nudges the tracker icon to the left
Right Arrow nudges the tracker icon to the right
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