Bigsalty weather email alerts FAQs
This is our frequently asked questions page for our email alert system.
Windsurfer finding the right conditions after using the Bigsalty Weather email alert system
1. About Big Salty Email Alerts
1.1 What is the Big Salty Email Alert System?
Our unique Email Alert System allows you to keep tags on the conditions that suit you the best. You take the driving seat and set up the conditions that you want to be alerted on and the Big Salty Weather Engine will send an email to your inbox when the conditions are happening. Our alerts react to every forecast cycle update so that you are kept in the loop with the latest information.
Whether you are looking for down-the-line conditions and perfect waves; strong winds from the best direction for your favourite spot regardless of waves; no wind and the perfect swell direction or even a location you don’t know much about but want to be told when it is going off - the BIg Salty Email Alert System will be your new best friend.
1.2 What is the Big Salty Watchlist?
The Big Salty Watchlist allows you to mark up to 6 locations around the UK and Ireland that you would like to track more easily.
Setting up a Watchlist has the following benefits:
- Easy 1 click access to the full 7 day forecast from nearly every page on the website.
- At a glance candlestick chart of Wind Ratings of each of your locations displayed on every page.
- Setting up a Watchlist location is a pre-requesite for setting up Big Salty Email Alerts on that location.
For each location on your Watchlist, you are able to enable Email Alerts or leave them off. Note that you need to change your watchlist locations on a separate page to the page at which you will configure your email alerts.
For information on the Watchlist and to set up your very own Watchlist, visit the Watchlist Page and select your chosen locations.
2. Using Big Salty Email Alerts
2.1 How do I set up Email Alerts?
Follow this link and follow the instructions on the page to set up Email Alerts for one or more of your Watchlist locations. In order to set up the Email Alerts, you need to do 3 things:
- Set up a Big Salty user account.
- Log in.
- Set up a Watchlist of the locations you would like to track.
You can set up a free Big Salty Account here and set up a Watchlist here.
2.2 How do I set location that I want to receive Email Alerts for?
The Email Alert system works off the back of the Watchlist and you can only set up Email Alerts for locations on your Watchlist. Each Watchlist is allowed a maximum 6 locations and these are set up on the UK & Ireland weather watchlist page. Once you have set up locations on your watchlist, you can then visit the Weather Email Alert set up page here.
2.3 What is the ‘Wind’ trigger system?
We have provided you with the option of using either ‘Wind’ triggers or ‘Custom’ triggers to fire out your Big Salty alert emails. It is totally up to you which you prefer to use and will likely depend on either which watersports you are interested in or how well you know your swell and wind requirements for your location.
The ‘Wind ’ trigger is based on the Big Salty Wind Rating System. You are able to set a minimum alert trigger of either a 2 or 3 star rating for each location on your Watchlist such that if the Wind Star Rating equals or exceeds your minimum set rating, for any set locations, you will receive an alert.
For information on how the Big Salty ‘Wind Star Rating’ rates conditions, take a look at the following ‘Wind Star Rating’ article.
2.4 What is the ‘Custom’ trigger system?
The ‘Custom’ trigger system allows you full control over the exact forecast conditions that fire out your weather alert emails. For marine locations subject to wind and swell forecast, you are able to set configurations for both wind and swell.
Since every location works best in a different wind or swell direction, you are able to set the following:
- Minimum and maximum wind strength for each wind direction you want to track.
- Minimum swell period and swell height for each swell direction that you want to track.
Note that if you set both swell and wind configurations for a location, it will be necessary for at least one of your configurations for both swell and wind to succeed for you to receive an alert email. For that reason, if you want to just focus on swell or wind leave the other unset.
2.5 How do I use the Big Salty email alerts to tell me when it is going off for wind sports?
There are two ways to do this, by using the ‘Wind’ system or the ‘Custom’ system.
The quickest and most effective way is to set up the ‘Wind’ for the location you are interested in tracking. Doing this will only rate wind directions that are sailable at the location, which makes locations you are not so familiar with easier to track. Click on the following link for documentation on the Wind Star Rating System.
The other more specific way is to use the ‘Custom’ system. You can really make your local knowledge work for you by selecting the exact wind directions and wind strength you are interested in. Simply set a minimum wind speed and max wind speed you are interested in for each wind direction at the location.
2.6 How do I get the email alerts to tell me when the surf is going off?
Firstly set your minimum swell height and swell period for each swell direction that works for your beach. You don’t get out of bed for anything less than 14 seconds, right?
Then you’ll want to factor out strong winds. Set the wind speed as realistically low as possible for each wind direction you want to monitor at your beach. E.g Min: 0 kts, Max: 10 kts. That way you make sure it’s either offshore moderate or cross/ on very light.
2.7 How do I turn off the email alerts?
Visit the weather alerts admin page by visiting the ‘Help & Settings’ section. Make sure you are logged in and you should see the list of locations within your Watchlist. Simply click ‘Stop Alerts’ on the right hand side of the locations whose Email Alerts you wish to remove.
3. Further details & troubleshooting
3.1 Is there an option for receiving the email in Plaintext?
At the moment unfortunately this is not available, although there are plans to make this available in future.
3.2 How do I set the time points at which I receive alerts?
We decided to remove this capability with the intention of making the system as easy to use as possible whilst sacrificing as little functionality as possible. Our Email Alert System will only flag conditions within day-light hours.
Furthermore, there is a range of days that the system checks for your conditions. We have the ‘3 day Tracker’ and ‘Weekend Tracker’ in place. That way, if you conditions are met within the coming 3 days during daylight hours or on the coming weekend, you will know about it.
3.3 How often will I receive the Email Alerts?
We receive raw data for our forecasts 4 times per day, so we run our alert cycle at the same time except for the midnight forecast model (you really should be in bed by then anyway). If any of your Watchlist locations that have email alerts set for them are triggered you will receive a single email with an update for each of these locations. Of course, if none of your alerts are triggered no alerts will be sent.
If you want to reduce the number of emails you are receiving, reduce the number of locations you receive alerts for, or alternatively use the ‘Custom’ system to be even more specific on your trigger conditions.
3.4 I don’t seem to be receiving any email alerts, why is this?
First of all check that it’s not just a case of the weather and conditions not being there. Next check that you haven’t set unrealistic trigger conditions. If after those considerations, you believe you are not receiving the proper alerts, you can contact us using the details on the contact page and we’ll do our best to find the cause.
3.5 How much does it cost?
It is completely free, you just have to register an account and sign in.
3.6 Where can I leave feedback/ suggestions on the Email Alert System?
We will open up a forum within ‘Big Salty Help’ so that you can leave feedback and suggestions.
3.7 I am having trouble with the admin system, what should I do?
We have tested the admin system in all major browsers where it seems to work well with the exception of IE6, where things get a bit messy. We are looking into a work around on this and apologise for any inconvenience. The best thing for you to do is leave a message in the forum in the ‘Bigsalty Help’ section and make yourself heard. We’ll do our best to help.
For any other troubleshooting queries, if you have checked this FAQ document leave a message in the forum.