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SATURDAY, 21 DEC  
Melbourne, VIC
Frequently Asked Questions

F.A.Q.

What is the FAQ page?

The F.A.Q. (Frequently Asked Questions) page lists common questions asked by users along with responses from a site administrator. If you have a question regarding the site check here first and if you can't find what you're looking for get in touch via the Contact Us page, we always like hearing from our users.

Why don't you have more Locations listed? / The Location I want isn't shown?

While we pro actively add locations we can't know every location in the country where people fish. Fish Ranger is designed so users can submit requests to have locations added in the places they go fishing. On the Locations page, click 'Request New Location' under the map and follow the work flow tool to submit your request. A site administrator will process the request and your new location will be live shortly. Similarly with Points Of Interest you can submit requests for new POI's to be added to the system.

Why are Fish Ranger weather forecasts better than others?

When it comes to weather forecasts not all are created equal. We take raw grid files produced by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology then apply proprietary algorithms to extract and process data for each registered location. This results in a multi variable high precision forecast tuned to an exact set of coordinates. We only use premium BOM weather maps such as the ADFD which has 3km or 6km resolution across all of Australia (state dependent). This offers superior performance over other BOM products and those produced by organisations such as the NOAA.

What do the different colour boxes mean where you show Max and Min temperature for each day?

The colour of the box indicates maximum forecast temperature for the day. Where two days have the same or similar temperature we show the same colour but alternate the shade to provide visual contrast, ie bright blue / light blue, bright yellow / light yellow. The colours and ranges of temperatures we show are (In degrees celsius):
<= 15 - Grey / Light Grey
16-22 - Blue / Light Blue
23-29 - Yellow / Light Yellow
30-35 – Orange / Light Orange
>= 36 – Red / Light Red
So at a glance you can look at the week ahead and see if its going to be hot, cold, or somewhere in between.

Why do text and chart forecasts sometimes vary?

There are two reasons this can occur:
1) The text forecast is for a weather region as defined by the Bureau of Meteorology. These regions are often large and although there is variation within the region the text forecast provides an average overall. Significant variation can often be seen in coastal areas since marine regions extend 60nm (~110km) offshore whereas most recreational fishing areas are close in to shore. Wind, wave and swell are often stronger away from land and off the continental shelf so text forecasts will often say wind, wave and swell are greater since the charts are tuned to a point close to land. The forecast maps Fish Ranger use are the same maps used by BoM meteorologists when the text forecasts are determined.
2) Text forecasts are issued by meteorologists who review data produced by forecast models whereas our charts are updated within a few minutes of new models being released. Over the course of time the model data will change and so the text forecast may lag behind in reflecting the new conditions.
Above all, it is important to remember that chart data will always provide the most accurate forecast of weather at a given location.

Why should I have an account?

There are many reasons to have an account. If you have an account you can:
- Set favorite locations so they are readily accessible
- Set which charts you want to see and the display order
- Set units for weather variables and GPS
- Set whether you want to see header maps by default
- Set a home page so when you visit the website it opens to the location and page you want to see. Default is to open to last visited.
- Create a seamless experience between devices so whether you visit from your PC, Tablet or Mobile your favourites, preferences and settings are synchronised

How do I change units for weather charts?

Go to My Account -> Account Settings -> Preferences
From there you you can set units to whatever you are most comfortable with. By default locations with a marine region text forecast have wind speed in knots and locations with a land based region have wind speed in km/h. You need to have an account and be logged in to set preferences.

If I have an account do I need to keep logging in?

No. That would be annoying. We remember your device so once you log in once you stay logged in in the same way apps like Facebook and Twitter work.

Why do you show past weather?

Many fishermen have ideas on what are or are not the best conditions for fishing. One of the core features and principles of Fish Ranger is presentation of observed weather data so you can easily review and analyse the success of your trip in light of the conditions experienced. We take the hard work out of knowing what the barometer was doing, whether or not there was a full moon, how much it rained or how windy it was. Analysing your fishing trip performance has never been easier.

If I create an account am I going to get spammed?

No, we dislike that as much as you do. We do not send newsletters or marketing material and we only contact users if there is an important message.

How do I set a home page so when I visit Fish Ranger it shows me exactly what I want to see?

Go to My Account -> Account Settings -> Preferences
From there set your Home State, Home Location and Home Page. When you visit the site it will open to the location and page you set (provided you are logged in).

How do I change the chart order?

Go to My Account -> Account Settings -> Display Settings
From there you can set which charts you want to see and the display order

Why do some locations not display certain variables like current temperature?

If we can't obtain observed temperature indicative of the location then we won't display it. Take for example 'Portland - The Horse Shoe' which is approximately 60km offshore. The closest observation station is Cape Nelson but the temperatures it records is land based and far away so would not represent the temperature at The Horse Shoe.

You always say Fisherman, what about Fisherwoman?

Contemporary usage of the word 'Fisherman' applies to both men and women so we aren't being sexist, our site welcomes all genders.

When are you going to release a Fish Ranger App?

An Android app is available on the Play store now, simply click the link on the footer of this page to take you there. For iPhone, iPad or Windows phone users you can not currently get it on the app store but you can install the WebApp. A WebApp is an app installed from the website directly. To do this simply click the 'Get The App' button in the footer of this page and follow the instructions. You will end up with an icon on your home screen and the end product will look and behave like a regular app.

I can't see pins on the map / My charts don't display properly / The layout is doing weird things

You are probably using an old browser. Fish Ranger uses HTML 5 so a modern browser that supports advanced feature sets is required to function correctly. We recommend upgrading to the latest version of Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Edge.

For registered locations out on the water such as 'Port Phillip Bay - Middle' or the 'Portland - The Horse Shoe', why is there only a narrow range between high and low daily temperatures? And why don't you show current temperature for these locations?

Out at sea air temperatures do not rise and fall each day to a significant degree and there is only a few degrees difference between nightly lows and daily highs. On land temperature rises because the sun heats the ground and the ground then heats the air but at sea that doesn't occur. As sun heats the water surface layer that heat quickly disperses through wave motion and due to its large thermal mass sea temperature changes slowly. Consequently air temperature doesn't change either and aligns with surface temperature. Things that can affect this are wind coming from land which may bring warmer air or wind coming from open sea which will bring air matching the surface temperature. Given temperature at these locations is significantly different to the ground based weather stations that take measurements we choose not to show current temperature as it does not represent the location.

Why does the daily text forecast often give a high probability for rain but the rain chart shows the highest probability level to be lower?

The text forecast gives probability any rain will fall in a day whereas the rain chart shows probability of rain falling at all times throughout the day. If for example there was a sustained 30% chance rain would fall over the full course of a day, then overall that day would have a greater than 30% chance rain would fall since its sustained over a long period. This is why the text forecast (for example) may say 70% chance of rain but the rain chart at its highest point shows the chance of rain to be 40%.

Are times adjusted for daylight savings?

All times on the Fish Ranger website are in the time zone of the location being viewed (not the location of the device) and are adjusted for daylight savings when and where applicable

Why is Victoria heavily populated with locations and other states only have a few?

We had to start somewhere. Given we are Melbourne based and know Victoria best it made sense to start with Victoria. Users can however request locations anywhere in Australia and we will add them. We are also pro-actively adding locations in all states of Australia.

Seeing two winds charts is like getting a second opinion. If there is consensus between the forecast models there is a higher degree of confidence those conditions will prevail.

The BOM and GFS models are independent. They are produced by different agencies and have different model physics so when they arrive at the same conclusion you can be more confident the forecast will be correct.

If the models differ on any given day and one says strong winds while the other says low winds then there is little consensus and therefor lower confidence in an accurate forecast on that day.

The BoM model is the model we have always used and is the model used by Meteye and Willyweather. GFS is the model used by many other weather sites including Windfinder, Buoyweather, Windy, WindGuru and others. In most parts of Australia the BoM model will be more accurate but there some areas where GFS may prove more reliable. Users should observe both over a period of time and determine which performs better at their location.

Technical Information
The BoM (ADFD) model has a resolution of 3km in VIC & TAS and 6km in other states, it covers Australia out to a distance of 60nm from shore. The GFS model has a resolution of 9km and covers the entire globe.

Note: In June 2019, thanks to a 10 fold increase in computing power, NOAA who produce the GFS upgraded the model to a high performance FV3 version. This change increased resolution from 13km down to 9km and improved model physics. FV3 is the version used by Fish Ranger.

Wondering why we don't we use the ECMWF 9km model? The BOM model is based on the 'EC' model so they have very similar model physics and are not independent. By showing BOM and GFS models we can present two high quality independent forecasts.

We use bilinear interpolation to provide forecasts true to the chosen location, be they on sea or land.

What is Solunar?

Solunar Theory states that all wildlife have periods of heightened physical activity that correspond with the locations of the sun and the moon. The theory was published by John Alden Knight in 1936 after years of documented and anecdotal research. The name Solunar comes from ‘Sol’ for sun and ‘Lunar’ for moon.

The theory found that aside from tides, the relationship of the moon and sun’s position also affected fishing effectiveness. When the moon is directly overhead or underfoot, rising or setting, fish are more likely to feed than at other times of the day. If one of these periods occurs close to sunrise or sunset then feeding activity is higher again, and if the moon is in a new or full phase then the highest activity of the month can be expected.

Major periods are defined as one hour each side of when the moon is directly overhead or underfoot, minor periods are defined as one hour each side of when the moon is rising or setting. The Solunar Calendar allows fishermen to better predict what days of the month and at what times of the day fish are more likely to be feeding.

Each of the peaks on the Solunar Chart correspond to a moon event - Moon Rise, Moon Set, Moon Above or Moon Below. The heights of the peaks are related to the phase of the moon and the proximity to a sunrise or sunset. According to Solunar Theory, fishing is more likely to be successful at the times of the peaks with higher peaks indicating better fishing.

One experiment that supported the theory was when Dr. Frank A. Brown, a biologist at Northwestern University in USA, had some live oysters flown to his lab near Chicago. Oysters open their shells with each high tide, and Dr. Brown wanted to see if this was due to the change in ocean levels or to a force from the moon itself. He put them in water and removed them from all sunlight. For the first week they continued to open their shells with the high tides from their ocean home. But by the second week, they had adjusted their shell-openings to when the moon was directly overhead or underfoot in Chicago.

Solunar tables need to be used along with common sense. Not every day will there be a clear relationship between fish biting and major or minor periods as other factors are involved which affect a fish’s willingness to feed. Barometric fluctuations, particularly when the trend is down, often make for poor fishing. All wildlife knows what to expect of the weather, and any bird, animal or fish can sense the approach of a storm. Cold fronts moving through drive fish deeper and render them inactive.

Adverse temperature, abnormal water conditions, and other factors all need to be considered as these offset the effects of major and minor periods, but when other factors are constant the Solunar calendar can be a good guide to identify better fishing days and times.

Fish Ranger’s Solunar Calendar is calculated individually for each location and all times are pre-adjusted for daylight savings so you can use the calendar with ease.

What is Dew?

Our Humidity & Dew chart shows two things - the relative level of humidity in the air and the times of day when dew is likely to form.

When relative humidity gets into the green zone at the top of the chart dew is expected to form on exposed surfaces.

Relative humidity tells us how much water vapour is in the air relative to how much vapour the air can support at its given temperature. Hot air can hold more vapour than cold air. When air cools at night, while the actual amount of vapour may not change, given the temperature is lower the air can't hold as much vapour and so the relative humidity goes up. When it hits 100% the air can not hold any more vapour and it becomes saturated. At this point vapour starts condensing out of the air and onto exposed surfaces in the form of small water droplets. These droplets are called dew.

Our chart has the green dew zone starting at about 95% relative humidity. Strictly speaking, dew will not form unless relative humidity hits 100%. Since there are micro climates of colder air in depressions, areas where sun doesn't hit like the cold side of a mountain, or on surfaces sheltered from the wind, their temperature can be lower than average and in these spots dew may form. So if the overall relative humidity is expected to reach around 95% then its likely dew will form in small patches. When it hits 100% dew will form over large areas.

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