|
|
The KTBS NowCaster program is very easy to use. It is designed to run unattended on your PC desktop and provide you with current weather information and popup severe weather alerts direct from the KTBS StormCenter3. In addition, NowCaster provides an immediate image link to our Doppler radar and a real-time map of weather bulletins and the counties affected.
Startup:
Make certain you are connected to the Internet either via your modem or through your local area network (LAN) At present, NowCaster will not work with a proxy server on a LAN, but a future version will.
If you are not connected to the Internet, NowCaster will display a screen saying "cannot make a connection" and also possibly show an error message. Your dialup networking connection will be displayed and you'll have the option of making an Internet connection.
NowCaster will connect to the KTBS website and download the latest information when it starts up...you may see a short delay or some images that pause during loading.
Operation:
NowCaster will run continuously while you are connected to the Internet. You can do anything else on the web you desire, surf web pages, send or view email, chat rooms, downloads, whatever. NowCaster will not interfere with these activities.
When running, NowCaster will show slides of current weather and maps, plus a small scrolling window of weather in major Kansas cities. Many of the slides can be viewed in larger size by clicking on them. You can stop/start slides and go forward and back using the VCR like controls just below the slide window.
You can minimize NowCaster if you don't wish to see the weather information as it is updated, but it will still be working in the background, monitoring for severe weather, and it will alert you if any occurs.
Below is a diagram of the Operation controls that are available in NowCaster:
Note that you can click on any area of the
NowCaster frame, hold and drag, to move
the program anywhere on the desktop.
How can I make that clicking sound go away when NowCaster navigates to a new slide?
Q: There's an annoying click whenever NowCaster changes its slide screen. How do I make it stop?
A: This only seems to happen with Internet Explorer 5- another "new and improved" feature of Internet Explorer 5 is that anytime you click on an Internet link it tries to simulate a keypress "click". Yes, it is annoying. To turn it off, simply go to your "My Computer" then open Windows "Control Panel" and select "Sounds". Set the "Start Navigation" sound to (None) and then click the Apply" button. See sample below:
Automatic Weather Alerts:
As long as NowCaster is turned on, it will
silently monitor for weather bulletins in the KTBS coverage area. When a
weather bulletin is issued, NowCaster will "pop up" up to three
windows (based on your preferences settings-see below).
These windows can be in the form of:
In addition, an audio message from the Chief Meteorologist for KTBS News 3 can announce a new bulletin. If you don't have a sound card or speakers, the PC system speaker will beep. You can turn off sounds in the preferences control (see below).
Preferences:
You can set NowCaster to operate the way you like it. For example, some people don't like sound on alerts...you can turn those off. Many other preference controls are available.
Below is a diagram of the Preference controls that are available in NowCaster:
