[Xastir] Wx alerts

[Tom Russo]

On Mon, Oct 05, 2009 at 08:37:42PM -0700, we recorded a bogon-computron collision of the <kf4lvz at yahoo.com> flavor, containing:
> 
> 
> --- On Mon, 10/5/09, Dale Seaburg  wrote:
> > I have run the script, and done the enabling per above
> > instructions.? Now, I see where I might have to be
> > "connected" to a server???? I am not using xastir as an
> > iGate.? I din't see the need to be connected in the
> > wiki for Wx Alerts.? Maybe it was in one of the many
> > links I did not rabbit-chase down.? What am I missing?

Some areas have Igates that transmit local WX alerts to RF, in which areas you 
would not need to be connected to the APRS-IS.  You apparently do not live in 
such an area.

The WX alerts are produced by NWS and fed into APRS-IS.  Unless someone in 
your area is gating them, you have got to get them from the net.

A lot of the detailed information about NWS alerts used to be documented on 
wxsvr.net, which site has gone down in the last year or so.

> > In other words, in one concise place, are there docs that
> > spell out (from start to finish) what has to be set up in
> > xastir, what has to be working outside of xastir, etc to get
> > the confounded Wx Alerts working?? If not, then what
> > would be the best way of tracking this down so it's not so
> > obscured?
> 
> Even though you're not an IGate, you must be connected to one of the APRS-IS servers in order to receive the WX alert data.  So you need to set up your Internet connection in Xastir, connect to one of the core servers or Firenet as originally suggested, and then you should see weather data.

That is, add an internet server, such as "rotate.aprs.net" through
the Interface->Interface Control->Add->Internet Server menu and use port 
14580 with a filter of "t/n".  This will set your feed to give you only
WX alerts.  Modify your filter setting as needed, per 
http://www.aprs-is.net/javAPRSSrvr/javAPRSFilter.aspx
to add additional data from APRS-IS that isn't making it to your local RF
environment.  Be aware that some filter options require that you transmit
a position to APRS-IS before they'll feed you anything (e.g. "m/200").  In order
to do that, you'd need to provide a passcode generated by the "callpass" program
installed when you build Xastir.

-- 
Tom Russo    KM5VY   SAR502   DM64ux          http://www.swcp.com/~russo/
Tijeras, NM  QRPL#1592 K2#398  SOC#236        http://kevan.org/brain.cgi?DDTNM
  In some cultures what I do would be considered normal. 
                                  -- Ineffective daily affirmation