Cumulus Support

Hi Folks,

I have been using Cumulus for the last year and really enjoying all it has to offer. I have just added a camera to the site. The camera is a 135 degree vehicle backup camera hooked up to a video to USB convertor using fwink to upload to Weather Underground. The camera was placed on my roof pointing in a SW direction with coverage from about 160 to 280 degrees true. The resolution is not the best but it does the job well enough. The spec on the camera calls for -30C degree operating temp so I will see how it fares in the winter months.

I bought two of these cameras on ebay for $30.00 shipped so the price was excellent. The camera that is active now points in the direction most of our weather comes in from but I also want more coverage from W to NE. I will be using the second camera to get this coverage but still have to buy another video to USB adapter and then figure out which software can handle two cameras and ftp different pictures to Wunderground. Another possibility is somehow joining the two pictures and then uploading that single joined image.

My site is at http://members.shaw.ca/cfinlay/weather/index.htm

Let me know what you think.

Thanks,

Carl

Carl, should those coloured lines on the image not be move vertically ... are they not there/used to indicate the height of the cloud base...

Or are those coloured lines used as landing approach for aircrafts...

Just kidding...

Image resolution is somewhat better than I was expecting from a 'backup' camera...

Carl, at the price you paid for the cameras, you should have bought 3 to create a slightly overlapping circular (360°) panoramic view of the roof of your house...

Ray,

Thanks for your comments, yup I agree the lines couls be misconstrued as something they are not - my daughter suggested they look like the landing area for spacecraft.

Re getting three cameras - I will get two working first then order more. The shipping was added to each camera anyway (shipping was not combined) so there is no difference if I order more later.

Nice to chat to someone from Vancouver Island. I am originally from Courtenay and still go back to visit my family, in fact I was there three weeks ago when the weather finally broke for the better.

TTYL

Carl

That, is really pretty nifty.

Carl, do you not just miss the nice cool days and nights of the west coast...

Interesting that comment from your daughter ... she might be right (I was close) about the landing area ... young adults have not yet been 'seriously' corrupted by our society and can still see (and hear) things that us, adults, have grown completely blind (or deaf or insensitive) to...

Hey guys,

I finally got 4 cameras hooked up to a new video server and am able to ftp them as a single image. Top left is South, top right is West, bottom left is North and bottom right is East. I have given up on merging the pictures into one very wide image, this is my compromise.

http://icons.wunderground.com/webcamram ... urrent.jpg

What are your thoughts?

Carl

http://members.shaw.ca/cfinlay/weather/index.htm

looks good. Good quality and placement.

Great idea for a cheap alternative for a camera that will operate in low temperature conditions!

Just a pity about the coloured lines. I was wondering about using one of those backing cameras but I wouldn't want the image covered in coloured lines. I presume they're a fixed feature?

Gina,

Yes the lines are fixed which is the primary reason I placed them at the horizon. I would like to get rid of them as well but could not figure out how to do it with the camera sealed as it is. One other thing about keeping the lines at the horizon is that the barrel distortion is considerably less than when I place the horizon near the bottom of the screen.

Carl