Accessing Wendy By Phone

Wendy has three ways to use your phone to get the weather data. There is a voice phone server for the spoken station reports, where ALL the station reports are on one number, a really fast, simple textback service, and a special site for smartphones..

Click Here For The Text Services etc

Click Here For Smartphone Access

Wendy's Voice Report Central Server

You call the central number on: 0114 - 287 - 4464 - all the station reports are on there. .

What's Happened To The Old Station Numbers? Wendy used to have a landline phone at each station, but this was clumsy. You couldn't get more than one station report at a time without redialling, and re-entering your password. We are going to replace these landlines with more modern equipment that will collect data via the cellphone broadband system, which will mean MUCH more up-to-date data, AND eventually webcam images too.	Rod Buck
Advantages Of The Central Number: No Password Needed! You won't need to put in a password - it recognises you as a subscriber from your phone number. (You can call from your home and mobile numbers). No Call Limits! Because it knows with certainty who you are, there is no need to have any call limits - call as often as you like! Check Several Stations With One Call! All the stations are on one number, so you can specify which station you want, and skip from station to station easily.	Lynn Buck

Each station has a 2-digit ID code. These are: Southern Area Stations Devils Dyke 01 Firle Beacon 02 Mercury 03 Compton Abbas 04 Westbury 05 Combe Gibbett 06 Nympsfield 07 Calshot 44 Northern Area Stations Shining Tor 10 Bradwell 11 Nont Sarahs 12 Lobden 13 Parlick 14 Wether Fell 15 Carlton Bank 16 Eyam Edge 17 Western Area Stations Blorenge 24 Long Mynd 26 Moel Accre 28 Marazion 60

Rod, hard at work persuading Wendy to behave!

Call ;0114-287-4464. When you call, the server should recognise your number and let you in.

It will say:"Welcome to Wendy Windblows"

You then have 2 seconds or so to enter a 2-digit ID for the station you want.

If you don't enter aything, it will then ask you for a 2-digit station ID.

Wait until it has finished asking, then enter the ID for the station you want.

You have about 8 seconds to do so. If you don't enter an ID, the server will go to the menu system to allow you to pick a station by name.  The menu system will remind you of the station ID for future use.

It's important NOT to enter digits while the server is talking to you!

If you try to key in digits while it's talking to you, the outgoing voice message might mask your incoming commands, so they might be missed or misunderstood

What If The Server Doesn't Let You In?

Either:

1)  You are a subscriber, but you are calling from a number the system doesn't recognise.

     (You can use your home and mobile numbers).

Or:

2)  You ARE calling from your home or mobile number, but Wendy doesn't recognise them.

     Have you changed your phone numbers without letting us know?


In either case, the server will say:

"Call number not valid, access refused, please call Rod on..."

To update your phone numbers, click here, log in (if you aren't already) and go to My Account then on the My Account page, go to Subscription Details.

However, this won't take effect instantaneoously - we have to download your details from the website and apply them to the phone server manually. If we are in the office, it won't be long. but there may be a delay.   Best thing is to call or text us (details at top of page) and we'll put you on immediately if possible.


Or:

3)  You have your number Withheld on outgoing calls.

If this is the case, the server will say:

"Call number not received, access refused, please call Rod on..."

You should call again, putting 1470 in front of the number to release your Caller ID for this call.  If your number is Withheld on your phone, dial: 1470 - 0114 - 287 - 4464 to get the service.  Or, in the case of a mobile, check your phone settings to cancel "Number Withheld On Outgoing Calls"

Or:

4)  You're not a subscriber, in which case, see here  for details of how to join.

Fast-Forwarding:

To fast-forward through a section of the report, (say to jump the wind history) press the Star * key. Press and hold it for about a second. The server will jump to the next section of the weather report.

To Repeat The Report:

Enter the 2-digit ID again, and the report will re-start from the beginning. The digits you enter may be masked by the outgoing speech, so a more reliable method is to press and hold the Hash # key to stop the readout, and then re-enter the station ID when prompted.

To Change to Another Station:

To change to another station, press and hold the Hash # key for a second or so. The server will stop the readout, and ask you for a new 2-digit station ID. Enter it, and you'll get the new station.

No, you don't. Wendy knows who you are from the phone number you call from. It will only accept calls from current subscribers. It will accept calls from your Home and Mobile numbers.

No, the phone server won't let you in if the number is Withheld. It can't know who's calling. You can release your number for just this call by adding 1470 to the front of the Wendy number. In other words, you would dial 1470-0114-287-4464  to get the service. Or use your mobile (no one seems to bar those).

Two. Typically your Home number and Mobile number. (Those are the numbers we store for all Wendy subscribers)

Sorry, no.  For two reasons:  Firstly, Wendy uses Caller ID to recognise who you are. Many companies hide the number on outgoing calls, or just present the switchboard number, not the "real" number the call came from. Because of this, we can't identify the caller on most Work numbers. Also, we only have the storage capability for two numbers per person on the system. You could leave your Work number on the system, but then it won't work from your Home number - and it may not work from your Work number anyway, if it goes through a switchboard.

You can register it with Wendy INSTEAD of your personal mobile, but, for technical reasons you can only have ONE mobile number stored. Your other number normally is your home landline, if you have one.  You can have one landline AND one mobile.

You can't!   Look, how do you think we pay for the erection and maintenance of the stations, the phone lines, and the website, and all the rest of it?

It comes from all the pilots who pay their subscriptions.

If you (and your friend who freeloads on your subscription) cheat the system, we have that much less to invest in the service.

I'm not going to rant on a lot, but I can tell you that Wendy isn't a money-making business - we have to do other things for a living. It's a LOT of hard work and travelling to keep it all going.

Sharing the information with someone else cheats all the other people who stick their hands in their pockets and support what we do.

People sharing a subscription with someone means that we have far less money to put into the service, to the benefit of all. Fewer stations, slower repair times, fewer upgrades.  Is that what you intend?

Wendy is CHEAP!

£2.50 a month - (that's 8p a day!!!) - a pint of beer a month, or, to put it another way, around a TENTH the cost of a mobile phone account. If you maintain you can't afford it, you can't afford to go flying! Don't be tight!

If you always go out together, then it's not a problem, is it? Have one account and use one phone to get site weather messages.

If one of you is at work, and the other wants to go out flying, then you can change the designated mobile on your account for the day. (It's easy to do this on the website).

If this is too much hassle, if you both want independent access, because you go flying independently a lot, then BOTH of you join, please, and get your own individual account. After all - it's £2.50 a month. A ridiculously small sum. It's NOTHING. You pay ten times as much per month for your mobile, typically. (£25 a month is a typical mobile bill -Wendy is 1/10 of that).

After all, if you each have your own mobile, the phone company doesn't give you two numbers and two call allowances for the same monthly payment as ONE phone, does it? Nope, you have to pay for each phone. So why should Wendy give you two lots of access for one payment?

I'd love to hear you justify how you can't afford 8p a day!  Each. Come on, get out your credit card!

As well as weather reports for each flying site, (instead of just the weather stations, see below).

You can set up Alerts. You choose a favourite flying site, and then turn on email and/or text Alerts. The system will then send you an email or text when conditions are good at that site.

Or, you can just send in a text request to the system at any time, and it will send you back a text report for a site, or for a club (telling you which of the club sites are "on").

Why Text?

Alert Texts

You choose a site, and turn on Alerts for that site. (You do this by adding a site to your Favourites folder on our website.) The system will then text you when the site is flyable.

Can I Control When I Receive Alert Texts?

Yes, of course!  You can:

• Turn texts on
• Turn them off
• Set which days of the week you get texts
• Set which times of day you get them (set a start time and a stop time)
• Suspend them for the rest of today (they start again automatically tomorrow)
• Suspend them till a future date (say if you go off on holiday)

You can do this either from the website, or by sending in a text command from your mobile.

Wind and Weather Reports For Each SITE - Not Just For Each Weather Station

As you know, Wendy stations can't always be sited at takeoff. There are many reasons for this, permission from the landowner for one thing, vehicle access for repairs and maintenance for another, and then, if walkers pass nearby, there's the risk of vandalism. And we'll never afford to put a station at each site - there aren't enough subscribing pilots to fund that sort of expenditure (Wendy stations cost around £3000 each to erect).

Up to now , you have had to listen to the weather report from a Wendy station, then try and guess how it might relate to your favourite flying site nearby.

Now, Wendy has some very clever algorithms whereby she does all the calculations for you, and she'll tell you what's to be expected RIGHT AT THE FLYING SITE, not at the Wendy station, which may be some distance away. Also, we can combine the readings from more than one station to give more accurate predictions for the flying sites nearby. To try and delivery reports for over a HUNDRED flying sites by phone isn't really practical! The complicated maths involved suits a website (and email or text delivery) much better.

Text-On-Demand Requests For Weather

You can also send in a text request for the weather for a site, or a club area.

To get a weather report for Devil's Dyke, you can text:

DYKE?

- to the Wendy SMS number 07786-200-431

Within about five seconds, it will send you back a text (or email) with the weather info for the Dyke. This will work for any site, practically...

Text Mynd? for Long Mynd

Or Mam? for Mam Tor

Or Wether? for Wether Fell

and so on.... (case doesn't matter, by the way, use either upper or lower case)

Basically, you text any site name (or an obvious abbreviation)+ a question mark to Wendy's text number 07786-200-431,and in seconds, usually, it will text you back a report on exactly what to expect at that site!

Noticed Something Very Easy and Simple About This? - you don't need a Wendy password!

Yes, because Wendy knows your mobile number, it knows that you are a valid member, and are entitled to get the weather. Therefore, NO PASSWORD IS NEEDED! You don't have to remember one - that's got to make life simpler, hasn't it?

Get The Weather For ALL Your Club's Sites in One Go

By Phone, you could only get one station (site) report at a time... with our new Text-request system, If you text in SHGC? you get a text back telling you the winds at ALL the Southern Club sites that are on!

(Case doesn't matter - you can use upper or lower case)

• Dales Member? Text in Dales? - and it'll tell you which Dales sites are working, and what it's blowing on them.
• Long Mynd member? Text in LMSC?, and you will check your sites in one easy report.
• DSC Member? Text in DSC?, and you will get which DSC sites are working
• Southern Club? send SHGC ?
• Pennine Member? send Pennine?
• Peak Member? send Peak?

You can try this for free NOW if you are a Wendy subscriber (if we know your current mobile number).

Text any popular site name or club name to 07786-200-431 and you should get a text back within SECONDS with the info you need!

(If it doesn't work, please log in to the website and got to My Account - Subscription Details to check that we have your current mobile number)

This isn't working for ALL clubs yet, but they will be online shortly. Notify us by email if your club or site doesn't work, please.

Current Clubs that are on the system are:

• Southern Club
• Wessex Club
• Avon Club
• Thames Valley Club
• Peak Soaring Association
• Long Mynd Club
• Derbyshire Soaring Club
• North Wales HG & PG Club
• Pennine Club
• Dales HG & PG Club
• Northumbria Club

For a list of the abbreviatedclub names and site names, Click Here.

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Create Your Own Personal List Of Sites!

If you don't fly all your club's sites (and who does?) - or you're a member of two or more clubs, You Can Create Your Own List of Sites!

Once you let Wendy know which sites are your favourites, you just have to text MYSITES? in to the number, and Wendy will bang you back a text with the wind info for any of them that are working!

Join Wendy NOW - Start Saving Time AND Petrol!

Back To What's New?

 

Site Reports From Other Pilots

Pilots can send in their own personal reports to everyone!

If someone is standing at takeoff at, say Wether Fell, he can text his own live report to Wendy of what's going on... it will be displayed on the Wendy website, and echoed back out to everyone who has asked to receive Wether Fell reports!

That might be the people who ONLY want to hear about Wether Fell, or all the Dales members, or your private group of flying buddies! (let's name your group BUDDIES for now)

 

 

DYKE it's NW 13-16, smooth - is what you text in to send it to just the Devils Dyke group.  Wendy adds your name and the time....
DYKE it's NW 13-16, smooth. Rod Buck 10:15am - is what they all get... so they know who sent it, and that you are out there.

SHGC Dyke NW 13-16 smooth is what you send to make sure it goes to all Southern Club members who have registered to receive Southern Club reports.
SHGC Dyke NW 13-16 smooth Rod Buck 10:15 is what they would see

This tells them that it has been sent to the whole SHGC Group, the message is about the Dyke, and who sent it when.

BUDDIES Dyke NW 13-16 smooth - would send it to your private group of 6 mates only. They'd get it with your name and the time added:
BUDDIES Dyke NW 13-16 smooth. Rod Buck 11:45 is what they would see.

As you can see, the FIRST word of your message is the Group it is addressed to - and the rest of the message is up to you. It could be a message to all your Club members that are on the Wendy system:

DSC Anyone going to the meeting tonight?   would go out to the DSC club Group with your name and the time automatically added:
DSC Anyone going to the meeting tonight? Rod Buck 15:23   is what they would see.

You can see how useful this will be. Uses that spring to mind are:

• Making sure people know there is a meeting on tonight.
• Arranging a retrieve if you land out, and maybe someone else is nearby.
• Emergencies, such as an injured pilot getting help.
• Making sure more than one of you turns up to fly - so it's safe.

I'm sure there are lots of other uses you can put it to that I haven't thought of... let me know if you think of any!

 

Common Questions About The Text Message Service

I Don't Need A Password?

No, you don't. Wendy knows who you are from the mobile number you text from. It will only accept text messages from, and send weather texts to, current subscribers.

How Many Phones Can I Text Wendy From?

One. We can store one mobile per Wendy subscriber. (You can register your landline too, and use it to phone Wendy, as before).

Can I Text From My Work Mobile Too?

You can register it with Wendy INSTEAD of your personal mobile, but, for technical reasons, you can only have ONE mobile number stored. Your other number is your home landline, if you have one.  You can have one landline AND one mobile.

My Friend And I Share A Wendy Subscription - How Can We Use The Service From Both Our Mobiles?

You can't!   Look, how do you think we pay for the erection and maintenance of the stations, the phone lines, and the website, and all the rest of it?

It comes from all the pilots who pay their subscriptions.

If you (and your pal who freeloads on your subscription) cheat the system, we have that much less to invest in the service.

I'm not going to rant on a lot, but I can tell you that Wendy isn't a money-making business - we have to do other things for a living. It's a LOT of hard work and travelling to keep it all going.

Sharing the information with someone else cheats all the other people who stick their hands in their pockets and support what we do.

People sharing a subscription with someone means that we have far less money to put into the service, to the benefit of all.

Wendy is CHEAP!

£2.50 a month - (that's 8p a day!!!) - a pint of beer a month, or, to put it another way, around a TENTH the cost of a mobile phone account. If you maintain you can't afford it, you can't afford to go flying! Don't be tight!

My Wife/Partner And I Share A Wendy Subscription - How Can We Both Use The Service?

If you always go out together, then it's not a problem, is it? Have one account and use one phone to get site weather messages.

If one of you is at work, and the other wants to go out flying, then you can change the designated mobile on your account for the day. (It's easy to do this on the website).

If this is too much hassle, if you both want independent access, because you go flying independently a lot, then BOTH of you join, please, and get your own individual account. After all - it's £2.50 a month. A ridiculously small sum. It's NOTHING. You pay ten times as much per month for your mobile, typically. (£25 a month is a typical mobile bill -Wendy is 1/10 of that).

After all, if you each have your own mobile, the phone company doesn't give you two numbers and two call allowances for the same monthly payment as ONE phone, does it? Nope, you have to pay for each phone. So why should Wendy give you two lots of access for one payment?

I'd love to hear you justify how you can't afford 8p a day!  Each. Come on, get out your credit card!

Can I Control WHEN I Receive Messages?

Yes, of course! You can:

• Turn messages off permanently, or turn them back on again
• Set what days of the week you want messages to be sent to you
• Set what times of day they will be sent (you set a Start and Stop Time)
• Suspend messages for the rest of today, (they'll start again automatically tomorrow)
• Suspend them till a future date (useful when you will be busy next week, or off on holiday)
• Cancel the suspension at any time, and turn messages back on.

You can do all this either from Wendy's website, or from your mobile, by sending a text in.  For example, Texting:

Messages Off to Wendy's text server will stop all messages.

Messages Suspend will suspend them for today.

Messages Suspend 230511 will suspend them until the 23rd of May 2011.

Messages On will turn them back on if they were off or suspended.

So if you work shifts, and never get up before 11am, and don't want messages from way back at 8am when you turn your phone on at 11am, set 10:45 as your Message Start time. Wendy won't send you anything until then.

Are The Texts Included With My Subscription?

When a new subscriber joins, we usually put some free texts on the system for you as a "thank you". If you join for 2 years,it's usually 100 texts. However, for 8p-10p a day, (which is the cost of a Wendy subscription) we can't afford to pay for your texts, too.... Come on!!

Your Wendy subscription covers the costs of erecting and maintaining the weather stations - and the website. There's nothing left out of that fund to supply free texts! Yes, I know many people get free texts with a mobile account - but they usually pay a minimum of £20-£25 a month for that! Pay Wendy £25 a month, and we'll give you free texts! But you only pay Wendy £2.50 or so a month...

The Difference between Passive Data and Active ("Push") Data
In the past, Wendy was passive - she was available, but YOU contacted HER at YOUR expense. You rang up. And unless you have a call package, a call from BT to Wendy is around 10-12p. It's around 30p if you are on Pay-As-You-Go mobile. You didn't pay that money to Wendy, you paid it to the phone company.

Now, Wendy has to push the data out to you, by text. Active, not passive, you see.

That costs money. We have to pay a monthly fee to the network for a connection to our website, and then it costs us around 8p a text to send them out, as we pay for priority routeing. It would be cheaper for secondary routeing, but it's not reliable - it's no use getting a vital weather text an hour or two late, is it? And on secondary routeing it can take this long.

Most Wendy texts, (because we pay for priority) arrive in SECONDS.  The slowest I've experienced so far is a couple of minutes, but that's rare.  Usually the text from Wendy arrives BEFORE the Delivery Report from my request text TO Wendy!

It's Like Pay-As-You-Go...

Basically, you have a Wendy Text Account, and you top it up when it runs low. Many Wendy users already have a Text Account, because they use the automatic Alert system, where Wendy notifies you if good winds occur at a site you have booked.  We can send you a text that your credit is running low, and top it up for you automatically. Basic top-up is £12 for 100 texts, although we will be giving some free texts out to kick the service off, so you can try it for nothing. You can pay as little as 8p per text, depending on how many you top up with. Go to Change Your Details when you log in to see the rates in detail.

So basically, you pay for text delivery like you used to pay for the phone call - the only difference is you pay Wendy for sending them, and we pay the phone company. Before, you paid the phone company direct to get the Wendy data..

Before you complain that it's expensive (I KNOW how proverbially tight some pilots are!) I think it's a pretty good deal. For many people,it will cost no more than ringing Wendy did. And even if you had a call package, and didn't pay for each call, to get a message for 10p or so that can save you two hours of driving and £30 in petrol has got to be good value! £30 in wasted petrol or diesel if it's not flyable when you get there pays for an AWFUL lot of texts. Three Hundred, to be precise!

It'll be so useful that I think you'll quickly see that it's a sensible use of money. And it will still be damn cheap!

The Smartphone (App) Site

If you'd prefer to use your smartphone mobile rather than a PC, then goto:

www.wendywindblows.com/mobile/

However, remember, if you are out in the boonies, you may not have enough signal to do this. If so, use the Text service instead.

Join Wendy NOW - Start Saving Time AND Petrol!

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