WXSpots Software FAQs
 

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How do I set my PC so that WXSpots starts up automatically when I turn on my computer?

- Click Start > All Programs > N3FJP Software and find WXSpots.

- RIGHT Click the shortcut.

- Click Create Shortcut from the menu options.

- Hold the left mouse key down and drag the shortcut that you created to Start > All Programs > Startup.

- You may have to RIGHT click and click Move Here.

The are lots of different communications options in WXSpots including posting observations, QuickChat and the messaging form.  How should these be used?

Please see our Guidelines page for a complete summary of how best to communicate on WXSpots. 

How do I set WXSpots to display graphics for my local area?

 -  Navigate to the web page with the graphic that you want to display using your web browser (there are some regional graphics at the bottom of this page http://radar.weather.gov/Conus/index_lite.php and many more if you google "radar" for your area).

 -  RIGHT Click on the actual graphic and then click Properties.

 - Highlight the Address (URL) by pressing your LEFT mouse key and dragging

 - RIGHT click the highlighted URL and click Copy.

 - In WXSpots click Settings > Graphic URL Source Links and Settings.

 - Clear the existing link in the text box.

 - RIGHT click and the click Paste.
 

What are the graphic file types that WXSpots will display?

In browser mode, any graphics, entire web pages and live streaming video that will display in a browser such as Internet Explorer will display in the WXSpots browser window.  Browser mode will also display the motion of animated graphics.

In Picture mode, the following file types are resized to the dimensions of the viewer and displayed: bmp, dib, ico, cur, wmf, emf, jpg, gif. The picture viewer does not support .png files, but they will display in Browser mode.  File types that are only supported in Browser mode won't display on WXSpots image selection form, but they will display when Browser mode is selected on the main form.

How can I make sure that the graphics are refreshed every time they are displayed?

Your Internet Explorer settings control how often the image is refreshed.  To make sure the latest images are always being displayed:

-  Start Internet Explorer

-  Click Tools > Internet Options

-  On the General tab, click the Settings button by Browsing History

-  Under "Check for newer versions of stored pages" click "Every time I visit the webpage".

How can I advance to the next image without waiting?

You can click anywhere on the form area (not the picture itself) to advance to the next image.

How can I set WXSpots and WXWarn to work together?

This page is under construction.  I only have a few FAQs so far, but plan to add more soon.  For more help, please see our Help page.

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