Frequently Asked Questions

MODIS L1 Viewer

Q01: How do I enable boundary display?
A: Right-click the displayed image.

Q02: Why are some of the files truncated?
A: Only a limited amount of data is sent when a 5-minute chunk is near the edges of the region of coverage.  This is by design, and helps to keep the broadcast file size down.

MSG Animator

Q01: Why do I get no boundaries displayed?
A:  Perhaps you did not copy Countries.dat into the folder where MsgAnimator.exe lives.  You can also right-click the animator icon to point the animator to the country boundary file you want to use if it is located in a different directory.  Each animation's Setup can have either no boundaries, or black, dark, light, white or inverse boundaries.  You can download the Countries.dat file from countries.zip.

Q02: Why do I get no city files listed on the setup screen?
A: You need to copy the city data to the same folder as the MsgAnimator.exe file.  The files must be named starting "ci" and be have the ".dat" file extension, so Cities.dat or Cities-UK.dat are acceptable file names.

Q03: I changed my screen resolution and the Setup button is now off-screen!
A: Right-click the animation window to access the Setup function.

Q04: Do I need to run the MSG Animator on the same PC as the MSG Data Manager?
A: No, they can run on separate PCs, connected by a network.  A separate licence is normally required for each PC where the MSG Animator is run.  If they are installed on the same PC, be sure that the MSG Data Manager is installed and working before you install the MSG Animator.  If installed on a different PC, be sure to set the Setup, Updates to a value other than "None".

Q05: I run the animator but nothing happens.  Why?
A: The MSG Animator will appear as an icon in the system tray area.  Right-click the icon to activate the MSG Animator functions.

Q06: The MSG Animator cannot find the images to animate on a same-PC installation.
A:  Try stopping the MSG Animator and then deleting the registry key:
 HKCU\Software\David J Taylor\MsgAnimator\DataPath 

Q07: The data path is correct, but the MSG Animator still sees no files?
A: Be sure that you have these two settings checked in the MSG Data Manager:  Full image paths, Dates in folders.

Q08: How do I get animations running on a networked-PC installation?
A: You will need to do two things: (a) tell the MSG Animator where on the network to find the image files, i.e. the location which contains the HRIT, LRIT etc. folders.  This might be something like: \\msg-pc\c$\msg\images\.  Do not include the HRIT part of the path name.  (b) for each animation, set the Updates to be the interval at which you want the MSG Animator to check for new updates, e.g. every fifteen minutes.  This is required because on a networked installation the MSG Data Manager cannot talk directly to the MSG Animator to tell it that new data has arrived.

Q09: I no longer get HRV animations.
A: Be sure that both the MSG Data Manager and the MSG Animator are the current released versions.  You may need to check that both the Animator and the MSG Data Manager are set to to the same HRV window setting.  MSG Data Manager: Setup, Advanced, Centre HRV window.  Select your choice from the drop-down list.  Typically "Centred on" Europe is a good choice.  MSG Animator: right-click the system tray icon, and choose the region from the Define HRV region in use sub-menu.  Choose the same region as the MSG Data Manager is set to, e.g. Europe. 

Q10: I see black clouds when animating channel 09 with Land/sea palette on.  I was expecting light clouds.  I am missing some palettes I used to have.
A: Don't forget to place LutLandSea.bmp in the same folder where MSG Animator lives.  You can copy the LUT files from, for example, a GeoSatSignal installation.  Be sure to use Right-click, Copy rather than accidentally Moving the files out of your working GeoSatSignal installation.

Q11: When I switch from a Visible to an IR or WV animation, the selection are settings are lost.
A: The satellites often have different numbers of pixels in the visible and the other scans, so the program behaves as if you have selected a new satellite.

Q12: I get some dots where I expect to get internal country or region boundaries displayed.
A: The data file Countries.dat contains some duplicated lines, which un-draw themselves when the Inverse boundary style is selected, leaving just some dots.  Use the "Dark" or "Light" boundary style instead.

Q13: I moved my MSG Animator but it still uses the original "Temp" directory.  Animations are still stored in the old location.
A: The MSG Animator remembers the setting between runs, by means of a string value stored in the registry.  Delete this string to make the animator choose its "Temp" path afresh.  Right-click and stop the MSG Animator.  Delete the registry entry: HKCU\Software\David J Taylor\MsgAnimator\TempPath.  Restart the MSG Animator.

Q14: The animation now shows as all black or all white?
A: Sometimes the animation builder produces and all-black animation, even though the individual frames are correct.  If this happens, please stop the animation, accept the warning that all frames will be deleted.  Stop and restart the MSG Animator program, and rebuild the animation.  Changing the size by a couple of pixels may work as well.  You may need to try this a couple of times.  You may also find that unchecking the Smooth animation option reduces the likelihood of this happening.

Q15: Why does data from the eastern parts of Africa on the HRV channel stop after certain times of the day?
A: The scan position is altered from time to time, as shown in a 2MB animation from EUMETSAT.  The scan is shifted westwards after a certain time in the day.

Q16: Why do GOES or MTSAT animations not show with land/sea boundaries when using a colour palette?
A: You need to either install GeoSatSignal on the same PC as the MSG Animator, or perhaps better, copy all the files Mask*.png from a GeoSatSignal installation to the same directory as the MsgAnimator.exe file.

Q17: Can I publish this data on my Web page?
A: Please see the Publishing Guidelines.

Q18: I upgraded to the MSG Animator 2.5 (or higher) and my licence key is no longer accepted.
A: V2.5.0 was a major upgrade to the MSG Animator, and required a new licence (which covers the more recent V2.5.2 and 2.5.4 as well).  If you are an existing user, you can get a reduced price upgrade here.  You should also provide the hardware fingerprint for your system.  You can upgrade all three programs in the MSG Toolset Plus here.  If you have an older version, you may wish to back it up before overwriting with the new version.

Q19: What settings do I need for Windows Vista?
A: Windows Vista is relatively new, and I have had to make some minor program modifications to the MSG Animator to overcome the problems which Vista has introduced (it does not support certain formats, for example).  Please read the release notes to establish how best to use the MSG Animator with Vista.  In particular:

1. You must use the TAnimate display option.
2. The TAviWriter_2 option is recommended.
3. You may not use GIF animations.
4. You may not use Compressed animations.

Options (1) and (2) are set by right-clicking the MSG Animator icon, and checking the required item.
Options (3) and (4) are set per-animation using the Setup option.

Q20: Animations don't work correctly in Vista.
A: Try this Microsoft Patch

Q21: Since moving to Vista, my animations are much bigger, and I sometimes get a "white-screen" instead of the animation.  How can I resolve this?
A: There appears to more problem as the size of the AVI file approaches 256MB, so do what you can to reduce the size of the animation.  In particular, removing the "Smooth animation" option will half the size right away.  (Thanks to Ian Deans for this suggestion).

Q22: I upgraded to V2.5.20 and now my HRV animations don't work.
A: As mentioned in the release notes, the HRV region setting changed a single global value, to one you can set for each animation.  Please check that the HRV region setting is correct for each HRV animation.

Q23: How do I alter the region covered by an animation?
A: With animation displaying, press the setup button (or use right-click, Setup).  Press Define Area to get the drag-border display.  You may want to maximise the "Choose region...." box to make viewing the full region easier.  Use the "handles" at the corners and at the middle of the edges to make the region as you want it.  The mouse cursor will change into direction arrows when you are over the handle.  Over the central dark region itself, the cursor changes to a "hand" showing that you can drag the region just where you want.  When you are happy click OK to save your setting, or Cancel to abort.  If you have changed the animation, it will be updated.

Q24: I run out of memory when using GIF animations.
A: GIFs are unsuitable for large or long animations, and are best avoided.
  

MSG Data Manager

Q01: Why is the HRV image split?
A: The downlink from the satellite does not have enough bandwidth for the full HRV image, so a compromise is adopted whereby only half the scanned image width is sent down to the ground, but that half-width is moved during the scan to cover both Europe in the northern part and Africa in the southern part.  During the afternoon, the southern part of the scan is moved to track the sun.  This is likely to be the final format, and the MSG Data Manager correctly handles such split images.  The image is transmitted in this format - it is not an error or defect.  There is a 2MB animation from EUMETSAT showing this here.

The full HRV image can occupy 118MB (354MB in colour) which can be a lot to handle, so the MSG Data Manager makes provision for you to minimise the both the amount of data collected and the amount of data saved.  There are two settings controlling this:

• Width and Centring: Setting the "Centre HRV window, Centred on" in the Advanced Setup dialog determines both the width of the image and where the image is centred relative to the full HRV disk.
  • Full means collect a full-width, 11136 pixel wide image
  • Wide covers all of Europe and most of Africa, but not the extreme evening westerly southern scan. 7680 pixels wide.
  • Africa, Europe and Greenwich are each 5568 pixel wide images but aligned differently. Africa is the east part of the full disk. Greenwich is the central part of the full-disk image. Europe approximately matches the northern scan, and is probably the best compromise.
• Saved Image Height: With all settings, a full height image is collected as the segments are broadcast.  However, you can save on disk space, and on memory when processing, if you only save that part of the earth which interests you. As some people are primarily interested in Europe, there is an Advanced setup option which allows you to save just the "northern" part of the image rather than the full-height image. If you uncheck "Save full HRV", only the top part of the image, 3248 lines, corresponding approximately to the northern part of the HRV scan, will be saved.

Q02: The HRV image seems to move slightly during the day, quite apart from the region switch.
A: The rectified image from the satellite does move slightly, you need to use the information in the prologue file to position the image correctly.  In the MSG Data Manager, Setup, Advanced..., Centre HRV window, ensure that both Upper and Lower options are checked.

Q03: HRV animations seem blurred.
A: Switch off any in-between frame interpolation in your animation program.  This is really a personal preference.

Q04: Why are there some segments missing - it spoils my animations!
A: Probably, your signal is weak or you are running a CPU-intensive task on the Receiver PC.  Uncheck Clear Images on the Setup tab if you prefer to have older data rather than missing segments.  See the Missing Segments Checklist for possible causes.

Q05: I keep getting "Parameter is incorrect" message.
A: This can be caused by the use of a non-supported OS, or by network problems seen by the MSG Data Manager.

• If you are using Windows 98, 98SE or Windows ME, be aware that these are not supported OSes.
• If you must use Windows 98 etc.
  • ensure that the swap file is fixed at twice physical memory.
  • that your memory is at least 512MB.
  • that you process the minimum number of channels.
• Ensure you are running the current version of the MSG Data Manager.
• Ensure that the Setup, Received files location is correct.
• Check that you can see (from DOS or Explorer) files in the Setup, Received files location.
• Try disabling the disconnect timeout for network shares (see: this article).

Q06: I seem to have run out of file space on my FAT32 system, but I only have about a day's worth of data (10,000 files).
A: Because of the long file names used, the FAT32 file capacity is reduced from 64K files, so use the NTFS file system instead.  Means you must run Windows 2000/XP on the Receiver PC or Processing PC if you wish to retain the files.

Q07: Why am I not getting LRIT data?
A:  Did you add the PID for LRIT data in Setup4PC (decimal: 301, hex: 0x012D)?

Q08: I am having problems setting up the TelliCast software
A: Perhaps the EUMETSAT Trouble-shooting Guide or Bepi's step-by-step Guide may help?

Q09: I get some missing segments, but the signal level is good, and the Transponder Status screen shows no uncorrected blocks.
A: You may be overloading your Receiver PC with CPU-intensive tasks.  If not, you may need to set the buffering option in the TelliCast recv.ini file.  Try replacing the line: "log_file=recv.log" with "log_file =>> recv.log".  Be sure that you have fast disks on the receiver PC (i.e. ones with an 8MB buffer and a UDMA 66/100 or SATA interface).  More suggestions.

Q10: I upgraded and now the program no longer processes data, but appears to run?
A: Please check that your registration code is correct.  If your licence code is no longer accepted, please see Q34.

Q11: Why, on Foreign Satellite Data (FSD) images are there sometimes missing segments that are not multiples of 464 lines in height, or have curved edges?
A: The images were acquired in this state at EUMETSAT, it is not a fault of your setup.

Q12: Why do I sometimes see slightly curved lines on the images?
A: This is where one or more of the raw detector scans has not reached the processing station.  They are curved because the satellite is not precisely at its nominal location (for example, MSG-1 is at 3.4°W not 0°) and because the satellite's axis may not be quite parallel with the earth's axis, and the images acquired by the satellite are processed to correct the viewpoint.  A straight line can therefore become curved after processing.

Q13: I upgraded to V1.3.4.351 (or later) and I no longer get Met-5 IODC data.
A: Until April 27 2004, Met-5 data was being broadcast as part of the FSD service, and you needed to have the "Use FSD (MSG1) Met-5 data" box checked.  It is on the Setup -> FSD tab.  After that date, be sure to clear the checkbox.

Q14: I upgraded to beta V1.3.6 and no longer get HRV animations.
A: Be sure to upgrade both the MSG Data Manager and the MSG Animator.

Q15: I changed to the HRV wide option and now my false-colour images seem to have the colour and brightness parts not correctly aligned.
A: The program has retained the old width for the HRV data, because you made the change while a cycle was running.  Please carry out the following steps:

• Uncheck "persistent images".
• Wait for the end of a 15-minute cycle.
• Move the most recent 12nw.jpg file temporarily somewhere else.
• Stop and reload the program.
• Reset "persistent images".

The program should not attempt to reload the existing channel 12 image, but moving it out of the way ensures that it won't find it.

Q16: Why did data stop after 2004 September 30?
A: The transponder frequency on the previous satellite was changed to 10853MHz.

Q17: What are the files named AMSU... and HIRS...?
A: These are files of ATOVS data from EUMETSAT Data channel 1.  The MSG Data Manager can process these files if you enable the Manage box on the Setup, Channel selection, Other page.

Q18: I am having problems with EUMETCast reception.
A: Please see the EUMETCast Troubleshooting Guide.

Q19: I only have 512MB of memory and it's running out!  What can I do to minimise memory consumption?
A: Disable reception of the following channels, in suggested priority order: (1) all Met-8 LRIT channels (the data is duplicated in the HRIT), (2) all Met-7 data (duplicates Met-8 coverage), (3) Met-8 HRIT channels 7, 8, 10, 11, (4) Met-5 WV data (unless you need it), and Met-8 channels 5 & 6.

Q20: Why did CLAI or CTH images stop after 2005 June 21?
A: The data format was changed by EUMETSAT from images to GRIB2, so there is no image data to display.

Q21: Why is data in the TelliCast received folder is not being deleted?
A: First, you should check the box marked "Delete files from RX" in the Setup, File options panel.  If this is checked but the files still are not being deleted, ensure that the program has write access to the directory where the files live.  This might mean checking the permissions on the folder of, if you have a two-PC installation, checking the permissions on the network share.

Q22: GOES-9 (GMS) data stopped after September 14, 2005.
A: The data was replaced  by data from MTSAT-1R.  You may need updated software - check you have at least V1.5.4 of the MSG Data Manager.

Q23: Meteosat-5 and Meteosat-7 data stopped after 2005 October 25.
A: You may need updated software - please update to V1.5.4 or later of the MSG Data Manager.

Q24: All data stopped after a particular date.
A: Please check that you are using the current version of the software.  Beta versions may be subject to a time-out limit.

Q25: Why does data from the eastern parts of Africa on the HRV channel stop after certain times of the day?
A: The scan position is altered from time to time, as shown in this 2MB animation from EUMETSAT.  The scan is shifted westwards after a certain time in the day.

Q26: Since early August 2006, I have been getting lots of missing segments on the Foreign Satellite Data (FSD).
A: Check that you have upgraded your TelliCast client software to V2.4.4 B.  If you do not have this update, please contact EUMETSAT.

Q27: 12-channel image data stopped in the afternoon of 2006 September 23.  Please note that this outage was fixed on 2006 October 10, at 09:00 UTC.
A: A problem developed with MSG-1 satellite, and EUMETSAT are now feeding SEVIRI data from MSG-2.  You may need to take a number of steps to restore images:

• If you are not already running the current version of the MSG Data Manager (the one with multiple Detail Image tabs), you should download the current version.  Please note that there is a small charge for this upgrade.  Amateur and Educational users can also upgrade all three programs in their existing MSG-1 Toolset Plus.  If you already have the MSG Data Manager V2.5.0 or later, you do not need to upgrade again.
• Be sure that you have installed the MSG Data Manager V2.5.2 or later (Help, About menu).
• You should download and install the MSG Data Manager beta version V2.5.4,580 or later because only this version supports the mixed MSG-2 HRIT data and MSG-1 GOES/MTSAT data currently being sent.
• Note that full versions are full installs (about 2.3MB download), and you can install on top of an existing version (be sure to close the program first, of course!).  The beta version (about 600KB download) contains just the .exe file which you copy yourself on top of the installed version.  You cannot use just the beta version!
• If you are unsure about using beta software, please read the information here.
• Run the program, but do not press the Start button.
• Select the Setup tab.
• Press the Advanced... button.
• Select the MSG-2 satellite from the drop-down list (near the OK button).
• You may get a reminder message to restart the program.
• Ensure that  Satellite, Delete other  is unchecked.
• Click OK to close the Advanced setup dialog.
• Select the Channel selection, FSD tab.
• Ensure that  Generic naming  is checked.
• Close the program and restart.
• Warning: if you have not cleared out the files in the TelliCast received folder, it may take a long time for the program to start processing files (perhaps ten minutes per day of accumulated files).  Four days worth of files could be 40GB, if you were wondering where your disk space had gone, and might take 40 minutes to start processing!

This should restore SEVIRI image data, the foreign satellite data, and the Met-5 and Met-7 data (according to your licence).  The DCP/IODC, DCP/WMO/IODC, MDD1 and MDD2 data had not been transferred to the MSG-2 service at the time of writing, so would need to be copied manually.  The service messages appear to be duplicated between MSG1 and MSG2, so you can just delete the MSG1 version of the messages from the TelliCast received folder once a day.  If you still don't get both HRIT and FSD images, please double-check on the program settings listed above.

Please ask on the MSG-1 or SatSignal Yahoo groups for more information.  EUMETSAT resumed normal service on Tuesday, October 10, 2006 at 09:00 UTC, and you should once again select the MSG-1 satellite and restart the MSG Data Manager.

Q28: I can't get colour palettes working.
A: Please ensure that you have both colour palette files (such as LUTLandSea-WEFAX-visible.bmp and LUTLandSea-zw.bmp) and the land-sea mask files (such as MaskMet8FD.png) installed in the same folder as the MSG Data Manager.  Normally, the program will look for the land-sea mask files in your GeoSatSignal folder, but you may not have that program installed and running.

Q29: I select a colour palette for a thermal channel on the detailed image display, but I get no colours.
A: Please be sure that right-click, Image enhancement is set to None (or that Histogram equalise is unchecked).  With a thermal image, applying any enhancement such as "histogram equalisation" or "stretch" destroys the precise grey-level to temperature mapping on which the LUTs rely.

Q30: I select a colour palette for a thermal channel on the detailed image display, but I get the wrong boundaries.
A: Be sure that you have the appropriate Land-Sea masks.  Either install and run a copy of GeoSatSignal on the same PC, or copy the Land-Sea mask files (Mask*.png) from a working copy of GeoSatSignal.  Please note that these files may updated from time to time.

Q31: I get an Error 126 - WaveletDLL.dll is missing.
A: One cause is that you are using a beta version, without copying  it on top of a working full install.  Please install the MSG Data Manager from the most recent current release, and then follow the instructions for using beta software.

Q32: I just moved my TelliCast received files, and now I get no data
A: Be sure to tell the MSG Data Manager where the new data is located.  Use the Setup tab, File; File controls panel; TelliCast received files location control.  Use the Browse button to location the C:\Tellique\received\ folder.  As there may be a number of 
hours of data to process, the initial run of the MSG Data Manager may take some time.

Q33: Can I publish this data on my Web page?
A: Please see the Publishing Guidelines.

Q34: I have version 1.x of the MSG Data Manager, and my licence no longer works in V2.5 and later.
A: V2.5.0 was a major upgrade to the MSG Data Manager, and requires a new licence (which covers the more recent V2.5.2 and 2.5.4 as well).  If you are an existing user, you can get a reduced price upgrade here.  You should also provide the hardware fingerprint for your system.  You can upgrade all three programs in the MSG Toolset Plus here.  If you have an older version, you may wish to back it up before overwriting with the new version.

Q35: I am using a beta version, and the aspect ratio of the GOES-E WV thumbnail is wrong, and sometimes it has white lines?
A: Please wait until the 3-hourly GOES-E WV is disseminated at the same resolution as the 1-hourly data (2007 Jan 30), and this problem should disappear.

Q36: How do I get the hourly FSD fill-in data?
A: This data started on 2007 Jan 30.  The information below is preliminary.  A number of steps are required:

• Complete the EUMETSAT form or e-mail EUMETSAT Ops to have the data added to your eToken.
• Check that you have the current versions of the MSG Data Manager (V2.5.18.742 or later) and MSG Animator (V2.5.18.209 or later).
• Ensure that you point the data stream from [EUMETSAT Data Channel 4] either to your \received\ directory or your \received\Data Channel 4\ directory.  This may require editing your recv-channels.ini file.
• On the MSG Data Manager, Setup, Channel selection, FSD tab, ensure that Hourly FSD is checked.

Q37: Why is the hourly data from GOES-E and GOES-W incomplete?
A: The schedule for the GOES-E and GOES-W satellites varies from hour to hour.  In particular, unlike the EUMETSAT and Japanese satellites, they do not provide an hourly scan of the whole earth disk.  Instead, they have a 3-hourly full-disk scan, and a more frequent higher-resolution scans of other regions such as the North American region, hurricane regions etc.  Consequently, the hourly data varies in visible content with the 0300, 0600 etc scans being full-disk, and the intermediate scans (0100 0200 0400 0500 etc.) just covering North America.  If you are animating South America, you may prefer to use just the 3-hourly scans.

Q38: What settings do you recommend using with the Meteosat-9 (MSG-2) data which came on-stream on 2007 April 11, replacing the Meteosat-8 (MSG-1) data which stopped on 2007 May 10?  EUMETSAT information about this change.
A: There is no need to change anything in your SkyStar DVB or TelliCast client settings.  The intention in the MSG Data Manager settings below is that source data other than MSG-2 will not be deleted, and that FSD labelled MSG1, MSG2, MSG3 or MSG4 will be accepted and processed.  First, be sure you are running the MSG Data Manager V2.5.6.652 or later - the current version is here.  Please update your software if the Help, About shows a version number less than V2.5.6.652.

• Setup;  Channel selection;  FSD;  Generic naming: checked
• Advanced Setup;  Satellite: MSG-2;  Delete other: not checked

Please note that after changing the Satellite in the Advanced Setup a program shutdown and restart is required, and you will get a reminder message about this.  Acknowledge the reminder (OK), and close the Advanced Setup with an OK as well.  Then stop the MSG Data Manager with the Stop button.  Press the Close button to exit the program, and start it once again.  As a check, in the Logs window you should see a message like: "Program V2.5.8.657 start on MSG-2" confirming that the MSG-2 satellite has been selected.  Now press the Start button.  There may be a short delay if you have a backlog of the new MSG-2 data to process.  Remember to close down and restart the MSG Data Manager after changing the satellite!

If you still have the older MSG Data Manager version 1 (retired in December 2005), you will need to upgrade to the current version.  You can download the software here, and have 30 days to evaluate it.  If you are an existing user, you can either upgrade the MSG Data Manager alone or, if you have the MSG Toolset Plus, you can upgrade all three programs.  

Q39: I didn't get an e-mail about the MSG-1 to MSG-2 change.  How can I be sure of knowing next time?
A: Subscribe to the EUMETSAT User Notification Service and select Operations Weekly Schedule.  Be sure to join the MSG-1 Yahoo Group where there are over 800 fellow users who can help you.

Q40: The MSG-1 and MSG-2 pair have been used for both parallel operation, and full/rapid scan operation.  Can I process both MSG-1 and MSG-2 data?
A: Yes, by using two instances of the MSG Data Manager you can process two independent data streams.  Please see the answer for RSS operation here - adapt it if you need parallel operation.

Q41: MSG-1 Rapid Scan data is no longer correctly vertically aligned for channels 1 to 11.  It was OK until 2007 July 16.
A: EUMETSAT changed the Rapid Scan data to conform with the full-scan data on July 16, rendering the corrections included in the MSG Data Manager since 2003 no longer required.  Until a new full MSG Data Manager is released, please install the beta version.  I understand that further changes are still in the pipeline.

Q42: From 2007 October 04, I have started receiving data from Goes-E and GOES-W 3.9μm channels that are not handled by the current MSG Data Manager - version V2.5.8.  Is there an update?
A: You can use the beta version of the MSG Data Manager for the new data.  You can download it here.  Once the new beta version has been proved by widespread use, I will release it as a new "official" version. Your existing licence key will continue to work, and there is no upgrade charge.

Q43: I hear that Meteosat-9 data will be replaced by Meteosat-8 data for a week in December.  Data stopped on 2007 Dec 03 at 12:00.  This also applies to the MSG-2 events which happened on 2009 Apr 17 and on 2009 August 15.
A: Please see this EUMETSAT notice (2007) and 2008  If you did not know about the change, consider getting the notices delivered automatically by e-mail from the UNS service.  Check back here if the changes suggested below haven't worked for you, and please monitor the messages in the MSG-1 Yahoo group.

• You will need the MSG Data Manager version 2.5.12 or later.  The update to the current version is free for registered V2.5 users.
• On the Channel Selection, FSD tab, ensure that "Generic naming " is checked.
• In Setup, Advanced..., Satellite, you should currently be using the MSG-2 satellite.  Ensure that "Delete other" is not checked.
• After 12:00 UTC on Monday December 03, press the Stop button on the MSG Data Manager and, in Setup, Advanced..., Satellite, select MSG-1, and close the Advanced setup dialog.  There may be a warning message reminding you to restart the program.
• Close down the MSG Data Manager.
• Restart the MSG Data Manager, and you should have a normal data flow.  Note that the output file names are the same, and no changes to either the MSG Animator nor GeoSatSignal should be required.
• If there are any products missing after the change, please ask in the MSG-1 Yahoo group, as you may not be alone!
• After 12:00 UTC on Tuesday, December 11, reverse the above process by stopping the MSG Data Manager, selecting MSG-2, closing down the MSG Data Manager and restarting it.

Remember to change any other retrieval programs you may be running such as AutoGet.

If you are reading this after 12:00 UTC on 2007 December 11, it's all over, and you can revert to your normal MSG-2 settings.  At least, until the next time!  In 2008, normal service should be restored on Tuesday Dec 09 at 1200 UTC.

Q44: After running some MSG-1 parallel running data through the system, why do I get a "floating point error" when restarting?
A: Some data has been stored as zero, instead of an actual value.  Please use the following procedure to clear it out.  Create a restore point, just in case.  Using the registry editor, locate the registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\David J Taylor\MsgDataManager.  Delete the values: CalOffset01 to CalOffset12, and CalSlope01 to CalSlope12.

Q45: On or after 04 March 2008, I keep getting the error message: "Column count (2752) wrong in segment".
A: Please upgrade to the released MSG Data Manager version V2.5.14 or later.  The current download is here.  This version is required for the new MTSAT-1R data which EUMETSAT started disseminating on March 04.  If you are unable to update to the new version, just uncheck the MTSAT-1R Vis, IR, WV, and mid-IR data in the Channel selection, FSD dialog.

Q46: One or two people have reported problems which may be related to virtual memory size growing with V2.5.14/16.
A: I have located the problem, and the problem code is disabled by default in V2.5.18.  Discussion of the current results is in the SatSignal Yahoo group.

Q47: DCP data stopped after 25 March 2008.
A: EUMETSAT moved this data to a new stream named [EUMETSAT Data Channel 9].  You will need to add an entry in your recv-channels.ini file to direct the new stream to wherever data channel 3 data is currently sent.  Do not change your existing entry for data channel 3.

Q48: Can I process both Meteosat-8 Rapid Scan and Meteosat-9 full-scan data?
A: Yes, by using two instances of the MSG Data Manager you can process two independent data streams.  However, these two instances must be completely separate, installed in a different directory, and with different file names.  It's a little complicated, so please follow the steps carefully and avoid overwriting your existing data.  There is a Yahoo Rapid-Scan group you can join to ask questions and you can read more  EUMETSAT information on the Rapid Scan Service.

• If you have not already done so, apply to EUMETSAT to be enabled for the RSS data.
• Update your MSG Data Manager to the current release version (V2.5.22 at the time of writing).
• Configure your TelliCast recv-channels.ini file to send [EUMETSAT Data Channel 5] and [EUMETSAT Data Channel 6] files to new, different directory.  For example, if your Meteosat data is sent to D:\EUMETCast\received\, you could add the lines:
          [EUMETSAT Data Channel 5]
          target_directory=D:\EUMETCast\received\RSS
          [EUMETSAT Data Channel 6]
          target_directory=D:\EUMETCast\received\RSS
• Create a directory for the new instance of the MSG Data Manager, e.g. C:\MSG-DM-RSS\
• Copy (and not move!) all the files from your existing MSG Data Manager directory to this new directory, including any support DLLs such as JPEG8support.dll.
• Rename all the MsgDataManager files to a set with different, but consistent names.  Note that only the .exe, .chm, and .lng files should be renamed.  For example:
  • MsgDataManager-RSS.exe
  • MsgDataManager-RSS.chm
  • MsgDataManager-RSS.ESN.lng
  • .. and for all the other language files
• Alternatively, you could achieve the required file copies automatically with a command file in your existing MSG Data Manager directory, containing commands such as:
      copy MsgDataManager.exe C:\MSG-DM-RSS\MsgDataManager-RSS.exe
      copy MsgDataManager.chm C:\MSG-DM-RSS\MsgDataManager-RSS.chm
      copy MsgDataManager.*.lng C:\MSG-DM-RSS\MsgDataManager-RSS.*.lng
      pause
  Copy and paste the four lines above into a new file called, for example, REN-MSG.cmd.  This allows you to update your rapid-scan software directly after updating your main MSG Data Manager software.  The pause statement simply allows you to examine what has happened.
• Configure the new MSG Data Manager:
  • to accept files from D:\EUMETCast\received\RSS\  (TelliCast received files location from the ini file).
  • to write raw data to the same directory tree as the existing program, or elsewhere if you wish.
  • to write image data to the same directory tree to the existing program (for Rapid Scan operation).
  • to write image data to a different directory tree to the existing program (for Parallel operation).
  • the image data will be written to: \Images\MSG-RSS\, with names unique to the rapid-scan service images, e.g. 200805061310-rss-ch02.jpg
  • the meteorological products will be written to: \Images\MPEF-RSS\, with identical file names to the full-scan products, e.g. 200807291415-mpe.grb
• Remember to configure the new MSG Data Manager to look for MSG-1 and not MSG-2 data.  That's on the Setup page, Advanced..., Satellite, and select MSG-1 from the drop-down list.  The program will warn you to restart the MSG Data Manager to pick up this new setting.  Leave the "Delete other" box unchecked.
• The image data produced will be full size, but with the active data only occupying from about 15°N - 65°N.
• The thumbnails will have a distinctive appearance to show that RSS data is being processed.
• The current version of the MSG Animator knows about the new rapid-scan file names and directories.
• The current release of GeoSatSignal (version 7) includes rapid-scan support plus much more.

Q49: My TelliCast folders are filling up with files like: NPR.EDEB.SA....  Why doesn't the MSG Data Manager delete these files?
A: One of the design guidelines for my software is that it will not touch data which it is not designed to handle. Therefore, the only folders which it scans are, in accordance with a previous EUMETSAT standard:

\received\
\received\Data Channel 1\
\received\Data Channel 2\
\received\Data Channel 3\
\received\Data Channel 4\

In addition, that convention is extended for some more unusual channels:

\received\Data Channel 11\    (CMA - Chinese image and meteorological data)
\received\Data Channel 12\    (MODIS fire products)
\received\BMD-RA-VI\
\received\DWDSAT\             (DWDSAT data, basic and subscription)

So if you have put data in folder named, for example:

\received\Americas-Ch1\
\received-Americas-Ch1\
\Americas-Ch1\

then it is completely invisible to the MSG Data Manager, and you would need to manage those files yourself.  In fact, files on the [Americas CH1] stream like the NPR.EDEB.SA.... one mentioned are not handled at all by the MSG Data Manager.

Postscript: there is now a version of the MSG Data Manager available (versions V2.5.23.817 and later) which can clean out all files in the \received\ directory and the directories and below, whether or not those files are ones which the MSG Data Manager normally processes.  You can try this version if you like, and set the Options, Auto-clean days to a non-zero value.  I am using this new function with a setting of "1 day" on one of my systems which collects Metop data, but does not process it, and it appears to work well.

Q50: My data stopped after 2008 December 17.
A: EUMETCast moved from the Hotbird-6 satellite at 13° East to Eurobird-9 at 9° East.  You will need to move your satellite dish to the new location, and update the database in your receiving software.  There is no change needed to David Taylor's software after the move.  Please see:

• Transition to Eurobird-9 - http://www.eumetsat.int/Home/Main/What_We_Do/EUMETCast/SP_1217320833376
• Updating your software - ftp://ftp.eumetsat.int/pub/OPS/out/user/EUMETCast_Eurobird_migration/

You can find lots of help about making the changes on the MSG-1 Yahoo group.

Q51: RII data stopped after 21 January 2009.
A: EUMETSAT moved the RII data from [EUMETSAT Data Channel 3] to [EUMETSAT Data Channel 4].  The MSG Data Manager V2.5.26 will only scan \Data Channel 4\ if either the hourly FSD is selected, or if the SAF MODIS Winds is selected.  This may be changed in a future release.

MSG Fire Tracker

Q01: I get a screen filled with yellow when I check the Highlight fire pixels box.
A: Perhaps you didn't supply the program with channel 7 (8.7μm) or channel 9 (10.8μm) data?    There is a new upgrade available which traps that data error.

Q02: Can I publish this data on my Web page?
A: Please see the Publishing Guidelines.

SatSignal

Q01: Why does the program ask for Kepler Data in (for example) the path C:\SatSignal\Keps\?
A: SatSignal can now use both current Keplers (from your WXtrack data) and historical Keplers (from your HRPT Reader installation).  If you wish to process historical passes, please either install the HRPT Reader, or install its Kepler data in e.g. C:\SatSignal\Keps and C:\SatSignal\Keps\Updates.  The file are per-satellite, e.g. NOAA-15.txt, and the data sources are:
  http://www.celestrak.com/NORAD/archives/ --> Archive Kepler data
  http://www.celestrak.com/NORAD/archives/2002/ --> data for 2002 etc.

To set the Kepler paths in SatSignal, use the Settings, EasyOverlay option... menu.  Select the Orbit prediction tab.  Into the top box - Current Keplers path - enter the same directory name as you have from WXtrack.  In the lower box, enter the multi-entry Keplers directory (if you have one), for example: C:\SatSignal\Keps\.

Q02: What are the requirements to make the overlay appear?
A:  Data requirements: Kepler data from WXtrack or HRPT Reader, and country boundary data from WXtrack (do you have the file Countries.dat?).  Program settings: Options, Overlay appearance... ensure the Line Attributes are set to show the lines.  Settings, EasyOverlay options... ensure Enable EasyOverlay is set

Q03: I get distinct bands in the noisy part of my image where the lines are repeated, and the output looks like a spectrum display or bar graph.
A: Uncheck the Options, Attempt resync setting.

Q04: Geostationary satellites don't decode.
A: Ensure that you have both Options, Tape input and Options, Attempt re-sync unchecked.

Q05: I installed SatSignal on Windows Vista and the Help does not work any more.
A: Please see the WinHelp information for Windows Vista.

Q06: I'm now running Windows Vista.  The mouse measuring distance has stopped working, and the display appears "unstable".
A: You can try turning off the Aero effect:

• Right-click on the Desktop - select personalize.
• Select Windows Color and Appearance.
• Select "Open classic appearance properties for more color options"
• Select Windows Vista Basic rather than Windows Aero

Q07:  When I open a wave file, NOAA-18 isn't automatically recognised by the program, but other satellites are?
A: On the Settings, EasyOverlay Options ...., Active Satellites tab, ensure that NOAA-18 is checked.

Sea-Ice and Sea-Surface Temperature Viewer

Q01: I've just installed the Sea-Ice and SST Viewer but I'm seeing no data!
A: Please be patient!  The sea-ice data is only sent once a day around 04:00-04:30 UTC, and the SST data twice a day around 08:00 and 20:00 UTC.

Q02: But my system isn't even switched on at 04:00.  How can I get sea-ice data?
A: Use the FTP service noted in the readme file.

Q03: Can I publish this data on my Web page?
A: Please see the Publishing Guidelines.

Q04: Some data stopped during January 2010.
A: In the Weekly Operations Schedule issued on 14/01/2010, EUMETSAT announced that the SAF data was moving to a different data stream named [SAF Global].  You will need to update your recv-channels.ini to point [SAF-Global] at the common received directory.  This is only required if you do not use the wildcard [*] to put all files in one directory, which is not recommended for performance reasons.  Typically, in your recv-channels.ini file, add:

SlideShow

Q05: I installed SlideShow on Windows Vista and the Help does not work any more.
A: Please see the WinHelp information for Windows Vista.

TVwriter

Q01: Why do I get a dialog box saying "Invalid floating point operation"?
A: Your Athlon processor does not quite match the Intel processor for which the program is built.  Please contact me for a simple fix.

Q02: I just upgraded to a Nikon D70 and the pictures display as black.
A: Press the Quality button (which enlarges your picture) and they come out normally on the TV (thanks to Paul Plante).

Q03: How do I get the correct directory structure on my memory card?
A: Use the camera's Setup, Format Card function.  Note that this will erase all pictures presently on the card.  You may need to take one photo to make the camera write all the directory structures as well.

Q04: I can't get pictures to display on my TV/camera etc.
A: Sometimes the display device can be so fussy that it refuses to accept anything other than its own images!  The first thing to check is that you are using exactly the same file names and folder structure for your imported images as would be used by images that the device /does/ display.  Perhaps get your dealer to supply a sample image set to prove that the display device does actually work, then note the folder structure and file naming conventions carefully.  Even whether the names are in upper or lower-case can matter.  Then with TVwriter try the main output formats, and rename the files to match exactly those which you found to work OK.  The formats are: Canon S100, Nikon, Nikon D70, Olympus E-10, Sony.  Some of these are only in beta versions.  Finally, if this has produced a result, get back to me and I can perhaps add the specific format/filename convention to TVwriter for you.

WXtrack

Q01: My tracker azimuth and elevation are wrong.  The azimuth is 180 more than it should be, and the elevation is (180 - elevation).
A: The tracker is working in flipped-mode.  If you don't want this, be sure that the Tracker, Options, Azimuth stop is set to "Ignore".

Q02: My EA4TX tracker doesn't work properly in Tracker, Test, Point at object mode.
A: Try turning off "Send stop after command".

Q03: Sometimes yesterday's passes are listed as well as today's, when I return to the Setup tab from the World Map tab.
A: This is expected behaviour.

Q04: I want to track the Hubble Space Telescope but it isn't listed.
A: The HST is listed on the CelesTrak site in the file science.txt.  Download this file and place science.txt in with the other Kepler data.  When you restart WXtrack, you will be able to select the HST for tracking.

Q05: I have a VIA Samuel 2 Processor and the UserMap.jpg is not displayed on the background.
A: Convert the UserMap.jpg to UserMap.bmp and remove any JPEG files from the WXtrack folder.

Q06: When accessing the Sunrise-Sunset function, you get the error message "First Boot".
A: Please ensure your time-zone is set correctly.

Q07: I've recently upgraded my registered version to 3.5.2 but I now have a cross and 'EDI' presumably to indicate Edinburgh, plus a large dotted circle on my map.
A: Please edit the file GroundStations.ini to suit your location.  Instructions are contained in the file.

Q08: The wrong background image sometimes appears when I restart the program.
A: Set the Options, Map projection to Azimuthal, and then back to Plate-Carree.  This will cause the correct display background image to be saved for future use.  Ensure that the Options, Background, Standard is checked for normal operation.

Q09: I turned on sounds through the Control Panel, but I don't hear anything?
A: You need to restart WXtrack.

Q10: Updating the Keplers doesn't work?
A: There are a number of reasons why this may happen:

WXtrackGL

Q01: I get an error message: "Exception EAccessViolation in VCL50.BPL at 00000000.  Access violation at 00000000.  Read of address FFFFFFFF".
A: Have you installed the OpenGL libraries from Microsoft?  Please the Microsoft article Q154877

Q02: I have upgraded to a new graphics card and WXtrackGL no longer works.
A: Upgrade to the most recent version, which now supports OpenGL 2.0.