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Weather station installation examples

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elagache:
Dear WeatherCat fans,

In the past we have had a thread in which WeatherCat users illustrated how they set up their weather station instruments to help others who are contemplating putting up a weather station.  We need to get this info back on the WeatherCat forum.  So get the process going I'll start a thread and hope others will follow suit.  Here is how my station is set-up most of this info coming from my weather website:

Canebas Weather Station uses a Davis Vantage Pro-2 weather station for the core of the weather instruments.  The particular model model (6152) has the standard radiation shield.  However, the actual temperature and humidity data is supplied by a second Davis temperature/humidity probe (model 6382) that is located underneath a deck and therefore completely escapes all solar radiation.   Below is a photo showing the weather instruments including an inset image of the temperature/humidy probe:



As can be seen in the photo above, the anemometer is mounted on a 10 feet high mast above the roof.  However, the house is in the wind shadow of a hill and tall trees.  Therefore the wind data does not represent the uninterrupted air flow.  All other data is believed to represent the ambient conditions at the station. 

The Davis Vantage Pro does not permit you to select which temperature/humidity probe is your primary data source.  So the only way to have the correct temperature data displayed was to plug the cable from the probe under the deck into the ISS jack for the temperature probe.  In order to get the data from the Davis temperature/humidity probe to be plugged into the ISS unit, a splice was needed that can be seen here:



Davis sells this cable splicing kit (07957)  The wire was standard 6-conductor phone wire.  I was able to buy cables with the standard phone jacks that Davis uses so that I didn't have to crimp on plugs.

The data from the temperature/humidity probe on the ISS unit is instead connected to a second transmitter that can be seen here:



In order to get the cable from the ISS temperature/humidity probe to the second transmitter a second splice is needed as illustrated in the above photo.

The Davis VP-2 console is located in a central part of the house for the convenience of the household.  The wireless data is also received by a Davis Weather Envoy (model 6316) which is connected to a MacBook Pro (mid-2009).  The Mac is running OS-10.6.x (Snow Leopard) and the weather software is WeatherCat.

Here is my workstation showing the setup:



There was one more modification that I had to make.  The Davis Weather Envoy internal thermometer wasn't giving me accurate measurements at first.  I realized the problem was insufficient air-flow around the unit.  So I built this wooden stand to provide sufficient air space:



The internal temperature readings now are consistent with other thermometers.

 ;) . . . Okay gang, your turn to show off  . . . . . . err, Describe in detail how you installed your weather station for the benefit of others.

Cheers, Edouard  [cheers1]

Commodore:
Thank you, Edouard! This is a great idea and the timing is perfect for me!

Steve:
Here's our weather station. It started out as a Davis Vantage Pro2 w/24 hour FARS, but we added the solar and UV sensors over the next year, so i've ended up with the Davis Vantage Pro2 Plus w/24 hour FARS model #6163. I also started out with an Envoy connected to my computer, but ended up with a second Vantage Pro console (one in the kitchen and one on my desk.) I added the Davis Wireless Anemometer Transmitter when I moved the anemometer to the mast on my roof.












Davis sent a Soil Moisture and Wetness Station to review, and I ended up buying it after the review period. This is where the second console came from. Since the photo, I've added two more soil temperature and two more soil moisture sensors.




As seen in the photos above, I have a CoCoRaHS rain gauge near the Davis ISS. I also have the CoCoRaHS ETGage (evapotranspiration simulator) mounted near the back of my property adjacent to an open field. This ensures almost full sunshine sunrise to sunset. Depending on the time of year, I get slightly different readings between the ETGage and the VP2 evapotranspiration calculation.




I've also got a Campbell-Stokes Sunshine Recorder made by Casella (used more as a weather related decoration more than for actual readings. The paper is quite expensive!) And a Kestrel 4500 handheld weather station with the optional mount and vane. This is me on the observation deck at Clingman's Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.





There is a lot more detail on the equipment used on my web page's "About" page at www.avon-weather.com/about.html

wurzelmac:
Hi Edouard, Steve and you all out in the storms!

Will report my setup within a few days/weeks. I just ordered a mountain tripod from a Davis reseller here in Austria, and will mount my anemometer on our roof as it is done by Steve. Till now I have mounted it like you can see HERE, but I think you can imagine that the whole construction may became unstable at higher wind speeds. ???  ;)

Cheers,
Reinhard

elagache:
Dear Steve, Reinhard, and WeatherCat fans,

Thanks Steve for digging up the photos of your station install!   You've done a great job with your setup!!  [tup]


I'm looking forward to your report Reinhard!  :)  Looking at your website, indeed your anemometer is a bit vulnerable.

Indeed, everybody has to set up their station a little differently.  So having a bunch of examples here is helpful for WeatherCat newcomers.

So please gang, keep those pictures and descriptions coming!!

Cheers, Edouard  [cheers1]

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