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.

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