PortaTree Weather Deluxe Hardware - Manual (Page 10)

appropriate boxes from the time slip and then click on the “Add Race” button. This
will add the race data to the file and display it on the right side grid.
But what weather to use? If you click on “Wx Now”, you will notice that the
weather information at the top center of the screen just under the text ‘Time Slip
Entry’ will now be a copy of the current weather. Whatever is displayed up there
is what is copied as weather information into the race data file.
What if your race was made earlier in the day, and you are just now entering your
time slip? Easy if you had the weather system ‘tracking’ the weather. Just use
the buttons ‘Prev’, ‘Next’, and ‘Latest’ to ‘walk’ the saved weather data until you
display weather information that is approximately from the time you raced.
If you make a mistake, you can easily edit for changes on the race data screen.
Or just enter the record again, this time correctly, and later go back and delete the
incorrect record.
Tracking Rate:
You can set the tracking rate from a fraction of 1 minute to 24 hours,
although times less than 3 minutes are not recommended. The tracking rate is the
time interval in which the program samples and logs weather. Once you have set
the tracking rate, you can Start Tracking the Weather by "Clicking On" the "Start
Tracking" Panel. You will see the other panels turn red while the "Stop Tracking"
turns green. The program will not respond while weather sampling is taking place.
Log and Save
While you are tracking weather, you have actually started a file that will log
the weather for later review. All files use the format "20030217.da3". The year is
first, then month, then day, followed by the extension *.da3. This format allows
files to be easily recognized and maintained.
Weather Now
The weather now button allows you to access instant weather readings
without saving them to file. It is a great way to make sure your weather
instruments are working properly before logging information.
Wind Direction - Degrees or Compass Points
The Wind Instrument can be set up to either follow compass direction or be
aligned with the rack track. The mounting arm should face the North and if
calibration is needed, it can be done in the P.C. Operations Page under Utilities -
Configuration and Registration by "Clicking On" the edit button. The program will
display the wind direction in North, South, East, and West.