Text Alerts?

That is one of my pet hates, why would anyone not have the sense to put their phone on silent, I had one idiot who was giving a running commentry as the train approached, we nearly all threw him in front of it!!!!!

 

I've used the scot-rail mobile gen feature for many years, which is a similar thing, but specific to trains running in Scotland and it generally works very well. It does rely on a bit of common sense from the users though to avoid being overloaded with texts. If there's been no info posted on the tour, then obviously you send a text if you have some. If the tour has to stop for water or pathing, then post when it has left (or the first location after if no one has posted before you). Otherwise, I'd only post if the tour was held up, unexpectedly running late, or if no one else had posted on a long section of track. If the tour is running as expected then there's little need to post regular updates. The only exception to this would be if the service was intended for videographers to know exactly when to start their camera rolling, then you'd need updates every few minutes, and for me, I'd soon turn off if that was the case as I don't want my phone going off every 5 or 10 minutes. For most tours, you shouldn't need more than about 10 messages to be informed of how it's running. For a southbound S&C, you might have 1) Left Carlisle, 2) Left Appleby, 3) possibly an Ais Gill area sighting, 4) arrived / left Hellifield, etc. You really don't need additional postings from Griseburn, Stockber, Waitby, Kirkby Stephen, Birkett, Mallerstang, Ais Gill, etc., unless the loco stalls on the climb or some other unexpected occurance happens. Of course, this is just my opinion, and if the kiddies want to post their hellfire, my lordzzz, full bling messages every few seconds, then who am I to stop them, I just wouldn't use the service.

 

Even that doesn't cure the problem 100%. Any mobile that's switched on, even on silent, can cause RF interference with mics close by - as I found to my cost when recording 60009 thrashing through Hitchin one evening. When doing sound I switch off my mobile.

 

I imagine that not everyone who is posting will be receiving though, so they won't have a view of what texts have recently been sent.

For instance tomorrow, once I know the train has left Staines I'll probably stop the service. So if I'm the 50th person in succession to text "just arrived Ascot 10.00" :cell: don't shoot me, because I probably won't know and am just being helpful

 

I am having a think as to how to resolve this.
I think something like a flood limiter. If the system received more than 2 texts within 1 minute to block the others?

 

I think that would work,because obviously they would all be about the same subject.

 

Aye thats right, the tour code would be the common theme.

 

Very sound advice, microphones and mobiles dont mix.

 

Quick question, while I was logged onto the railtour live site I clicked onto the phone icon for The saturdays Cheshireman on uksteaminfo, this automaticaly listed on the site as the tour I am watching, I sent a message with stop on it, but it still shows as the tour I am subscribing to?

 

Well done all those folks behind this venture. I am in awe of the technical brains behind all of this. If I may offer one comment. This cropped up during the feedback period following the WSR's live information pilot during a special event last year. It would seem our (WSR) text recipients would prefer to "pull" info rather than have it "pushed" out to them. If such a thing is possible, then the "pull" text needs to contain all those messages, combined into one text, from the time of sending going back n minutes, where "n" is an integer added to the "pull" text sent by the user. That way, I'm advised, the user has abolute control over "when" and a fair degree of control of "what". Of course, the software beimg used by NP may not allow "pull" but if Admin is scripting the software, then it might be worth thinking about...

Anyway, I am looking forward to using the current system at some stage.

Well done, again, NP and UKsteam.info

Steve

 

Hello,

Can you post what you put in your STOP text please.
As it should look like

Further more, you should of received a text message confirming that you have unsubscribed to to the tour.

Cheers

 

Thank you WSR, I have written and built the software from the ground up. So anything could be possible.
Currently, I am focusing on a live system, however a thought for the future might be if your not subscribed to any tour, you could text NATPRES t0609a update
as an alternative not a replacement.

 

many thanks ralph, that makes sense.

 

Sent it exactly as you have stated, NATPRES t0612b stop even with upper case, is it case sensitive? Didnt recieve a delivery report either and have checked the number is correct.

 

try again, I have been working on the system today.

 

OK, I can see you have just tried, @ 19:49:06
And it's not taken you off, I might have a bug, looks like a long night for me.

 

Chris Can you try it in lower case for me please, natpres t0612b stop
See if that works, I have just tried it like that and it worked.