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Support

We've got your six.

Docs, troubleshooting, license help, and direct contact — everything you need to keep Vortex Viewer on the air.

Getting Started

Install, launch, and configure your first radar site.

License Activation

Paste your key, bind to your machine, transfer between devices.

Troubleshooting

Fix blank map tiles, missing radar, or audio issues.

Contact

Email our team — Pro subscribers get priority response.

Guide

Getting started in 5 minutes.

  1. Install. Run VortexViewer-3.0.2.exe and follow the prompts. The installer drops shortcuts on your desktop and Start menu.
  2. First launch. Vortex Viewer fans out station-status checks across 40 threads, so the splash clears in 2–5 seconds.
  3. Pick a radar. Click any of the 155 WSR-88D sites on the map, or use the search box in the top-left.
  4. Enable overlays. Vortex Scanner, MESO, TVS, Storm Cell, Hail, and Lightning are on by default — toggle more from the left toolbox.
  5. Activate Pro. Paste your license key under Help → Activate License to unlock VortexView 3D and Vortex AI.

License Activation

Pasting your key.

Where do I paste my license key?

Launch Vortex Viewer and go to Help → Activate License. Paste the 25-character key (format: XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX) and click Activate.

How do I move my license to a new machine?

From the old machine, go to Help → Deactivate License. Then activate on the new machine with the same key.

My key says "already in use." What now?

Email licensing@slickhill.media with your order number and we'll force-unbind the key within 24 hours.

Can I use my Pro license offline?

Yes — Vortex Viewer revalidates weekly. It'll run up to 14 days offline before requiring a reconnection.

Troubleshooting

Common fixes.

Map tiles are blank.

Check Map Setup and confirm your Mapbox access token is set. Missing tokens show a grey map background.

Radar isn't updating.

Confirm the auto-refresh timer is enabled in the toolbar. If your machine is behind a corporate firewall, whitelist s3.amazonaws.com and thredds.ucar.edu.

No sound from Vortex AI.

Toggle Mute Voice off in the Vortex AI widget, and confirm your default audio device is set. Voice ducking can make background music silent during TTS — that's by design.

3D view is choppy.

VortexView 3D benefits from a dedicated GPU with 4 GB+ VRAM. Lower the cloud detail in Settings → 3D Quality on integrated graphics.

HRRR tiles aren't loading.

UCAR THREDDS occasionally rate-limits anonymous access. Wait 30 seconds, then re-enable the product from the model toolbar. If the issue persists, toggle Settings → Network → Fallback Region.

Contact

Talk to a human.