Noobie Davis hardware question

[elagache]

Dear xairbusdriver, Blick, Herb, and WeatherCat station design consultants,

After all the valuable help from you "guys", I decided purchase of a Davis Vantage Pro2 (6152 w/the Mac software) and the Anemometer Kit from <RainmanWeather>.

Rainman Weather seems to be a nice outfit as well.  When all this started I thought it was my Weather Envoy that was broken and ordered a replacement from them because they had a sale on the Envoy at the time.  When it turned not to be the problem I was able to return it and got a full refund.

...HO logging railroad...

OH NO!!! Another Model Railroading "nut"!

I got a bit further than you did on the model railroad.  This is the image I used for a Christmas card in 2010:



Alas, my trusty wagon was whacked by one of those German sports sedans the day before Thanksgiving 2011.  The car has had problems ever since and is now waiting for a custom engine to be repaired so it really works as intended.  With all the care-giving that my wagon required (and now-a-days my weather station) the railroad is just sitting around gathering dust.

Best of luck in getting your station up and running! 

Cheers, Edouard 

[xairbusdriver]

Best of luck in getting your station up and running!

Wait! What?! Don't you guys come and help?! I thought that was the whole point of this forum thing and the maps and ... 

I think that engine on the right is a... DOH! It's printed right under the fireman's window! Can't see the driver arrangement on the other one. Or is that on the interchange line back to civilization?! Are you modeling 2 or 3 foot gauge?

[Blicj11]

Congrats on your order and best of luck with the install. If you can drive an Airbus you ought to be able to install a weather station in your back garden.

[elagache]

Dear xairbusdriver and WeatherCat station design consultants,

Best of luck in getting your station up and running!

Wait! What?! Don't you guys come and help?! I thought that was the whole point of this forum thing and the maps and ... 

  . . . Not only that, but the invoice with all our consulting fees is in the mail! . . . .

I think that engine on the right is a... DOH! It's printed right under the fireman's window! Can't see the driver arrangement on the other one.

This is an all geared steam locomotive logging railroad.  So indeed the locomotive on the right is an example of the class-C Climax locomotive:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climax_locomotive

The locomotive under the water tank is a class-B (two truck) Heisler:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heisler_locomotive

The railroad is loosely based on the Pickering Lumber Company's operations along the Tuolumne river near Yosemite in California.  However, after doing a lot of research on the Pickering Lumber company I realized that: 1.) it involved far more scratch-building that I felt up to and 2.) Logging before World War II was awful rotten work.  My real reason for modeling the Pickering Lumber Company is that a number of their locomotives has been preserved by the Pacific Locomotive Association, so I got to see them in operation and basically fell in love with them. When the original scheme looked impossible,  I completely changed my model railroad plan from an actual logging camp to a tourist railroad.  That also allowed me to take more liberties with what I had on the layout.  For example I have a complete set of logging camp cars, but they are based on some Weyerhaeuser cars instead of Pickering.  A tourist railroad and museum could do things like that.  It also allows me to add some additional motive power.  Pickering never owned a class-C Climax, but a tourist line could add the factory demonstrator to the roster.

Or is that on the interchange line back to civilization?! Are you modeling 2 or 3 foot gauge?

Actually Pickering was one of the few logging railroad that ran standard gauge.  That's one of the reasons their logging locomotives survived.  They could be moved and stored on any standard rail line.  Because it is a tourist line, the layout of the track is a bit whimsical.  For example the design calls for 2 water towers when the total track isn't more than a few miles.  But once more a tourist railroads are like that.  By the way the water tower is kit-bashed into a design the Pickering lumber company actually used.  They had the unique practice of putting a square roof on their water towers.  I personally like the appearance.  Water tower #2 is on the do-to list.

Hope that got your juices going to once again take on model trains . . . . after you weather station is run and running!

Cheers, Edouard 

P.S. There is one more oddity to this model railroad layout.  It is another long story, but it also serves as the stand for an artificial Christmas tree which you can see in the background of the photo.  So it literally is the Christmas tree model train layout for the season!

[xairbusdriver]

My station should arrive tomorrow (Monday) according to the tracking info: Memphis, TN, United States,03/21/2015,5:52 A.M., Arrival Scan Will be picking up a post and a "spike" to hold it up. I saw an image from Steve using this kind of device in the "Weather station installation examples, reply #2". My soil is extremely soggy right now, so driving the spike should be easy. I just hope I can avoid hitting it with the riding mower! If the 30" spike proves too unstable, I can always 'plant' a post in some concrete.

[removed link to the now castly photobucket.com site]
There are models available for square posts and/or round metal posts from <this company>, also. Hope it's not too easy to be true!

[elagache]

Dear xairbusdriver and WeatherCat station design consultants

My station should arrive tomorrow (Monday) according to the tracking info: Memphis, TN, United States,03/21/2015,5:52 A.M., Arrival Scan Will be picking up a post and a "spike" to hold it up. I saw an image from Steve using this kind of device in the "Weather station installation examples, reply #2".

Exactly how tall of a post did you have in mind?  We have this sort of a setup for our mailbox and for that it works fine.  Still, my instincts are that for a weather station it might be more prudent to go with a more permanent solution from the start.  There is only one thing worse than not getting your station online quickly enough: it is losing data when things go wrong! 

My soil is extremely soggy right now, so driving the spike should be easy. I just hope I can avoid hitting it with the riding mower!  If the 30" spike proves too unstable, I can always 'plant' a post in some concrete.

There are models available for square posts and/or round metal posts from <this company>, also. Hope it's not too easy to be true!

Getting a lot of rain is normal for your neck of the woods I would think.  That's another reason to be a bit concerned of this technique unless you want to keep your instruments very low.  That could be fine, I never looked into that sort of arrangement for the sensors, so I don't know what are the issues.  However, I would expect getting the rain gauge a little higher might reduce some of the debris that would get into it, and putting the rain gauge at a height so that you can easily do all servicing from a standing position would be easier on your back!

Anyway, just a little more food for thought.

Cheers, Edouard 

P.S. You could have your cake and eat it too.  Use one of those spikes to get your station up and running temporarily and then at your convenience put in a second post in concrete at what would become your permanent location.  It would cost you the price of an extra post and the spike, but odds are you'll find some other use for it eventually . . . . at least if you are a packrat like me!

[xairbusdriver]

Thanks for the advice, I have considered the alternatives. I almost decided to just drive a galvanized pipe into the ground. If this arrangement doesn't pan out, I'll just ask SWMBO to hold the station in her arms while the concrete sets up... I'm sure she'll be most happy to oblige!

Getting a six foot post tomorrow. I doubt I'll cut any of it off as I'm already taller than that. The water is mainly on the surface around here because of the deep layers of clay keep it from getting deeper. All that clay is why so many houses/buildings in the area have brick exteriors; it's cheap, plentiful, and a real pain in the neck to dig up. Also great for creating places to get farm equipment stuck. Just ask my Father-in-Law! He's 96 and has AD, but he'll start laughing if you ask him how many things I got stuck in the mud when I worked for him one Summer!

[Blicj11]

If you have ever worked on a farm and you have never gotten anything stuck, you're not very good at farming.

I concur with Edouardo. My ISS is mounted where I have to get on a ladder for annual maintenance and it's not ideal. If I had to do it over again I would move it closer to the ground. That said, I am NOT moving it. The mount is stable, the thing works and I don't fix stuff that isn't broken.

[Felix]

Thanks for the advice, I have considered the alternatives. I almost decided to just drive a galvanized pipe into the ground. If this arrangement doesn't pan out, I'll just ask SWMBO to hold the station in her arms while the concrete sets up...

Yea, I still mix up Sakrete ready mix concrete in my wheelbarrow and scoop in the holes wet, tamping every six inches or so. But I see many homeowners in my area just tamp in dry Sakrete and wait for it to absorb ground moisture and set up. Apparently works OK although I question whether it would ever reach it's rated strength using that sort of a shortcut. Probably sufficient for mailboxes and pole lights and such but I wouldn't have trusted the method for my anemometer pole which goes down over five feet (10% of the pole length + 2 feet; minimum 30 inches to ensure the pole is set below the area's 50-year frost depth). The formula is what the electrical linemen in my area use and I figure if it'll hold an electrical line, it'll hold a ground-mounted anemometer.

[xairbusdriver]

I'll have the anemometer on a 10' pole attached to a side wall near the roof top, it should be at least 4' higher than any nearby peaks. That will probably be done late, after I know the system is working properly. It will be mounted separately mainly because all the back yard is surrounded by trees, fences, and house. All that structure  really blocks the wind, no matter what direction it might be coming from. We'll see if this 'spike' thing enough support. At 6', I should be able to check for debris in the new design rain collector, also; battery changing should be a breeze... and hopefully rare!

I also found a small "5 - 7W solar panel" mounting bracket that should handle the Anemometer Kit. It holds the panel/kit at a 45? angle. It may not arrive until the end of the month, however. Of course, changing those batteries will require a climb onto the roof! I may see if my young wife might enjoy a different perspective of the neighborhood...

Gotta go... picking up the mounting stuff at Lowe's and Home Depot in anticipation of the station delivery today. Also need to pay for a WeatherCat license! I'm hoping I can wait a few days before having to contact Herb for replacement batteries!

[If] you have never gotten anything stuck, you're not very good at farming

I've also heard that there are only two kinds of farmers; lucky ones and good ones. Sometimes it's better to be lucky! My Father-in-Law must have been both! He used his back pay for his time as a POW in WWII to pay for the land he bought. I don't think he ever bought anything on credit his entire life! That plan served him well! It's great to not have any kind of financial debts, but few can withstand the relentless marketing industry! (He said after buying his latest 'toy'!)

[elagache]

Dear xairbusdriver, Blick, Felix, and WeatherCat station design consultants,

Thanks for the advice, I have considered the alternatives.

. . . .

Getting a six foot post tomorrow. I doubt I'll cut any of it off as I'm already taller than that. The water is mainly on the surface around here because of the deep layers of clay keep it from getting deeper.

You definitely know your home and soil conditions better than we can so by all means follow the path that seems reasonable to you.  I suppose part of my motivations is a matter of taste.  A weather station is something that should be really rigidly and permanently secured so it can stand the test of time.  When I put up my station I built brackets that I thought were relatively beefy, but ultimately weren't as strong as I imagined.  When I had to move the station transmitter this February, I took advantage of that to reduce the weight on one bracket.  Now the station is at robust as I first intended it to be.

So as you say, do as you see fit, but keep in mind this station should last as long as you stay in your house.  So as you put your station together aim for something that could remain in place for decades.

Cheers, Edouard 

[xairbusdriver]

OK! It's set up (temporarily) as far away as I can put in the back yard. Reception if fine. Preparing to install the ~7' post and mount the station on it. Right now the anemometer is just bolted to the station, and I'll mount it on the post, also. Waiting for the solar panel bracket to arrive.

First "owner" question: Is there any reason to even leave the WeatherLink app on the HD? Still have the CD and can compress it to a .zip file, also.

Haven't done anything with WeatherCat except start it up... and discovering it uses Java (I've always deleted all traces of Java in the last few years; too many security problems. However, I started WC just before eating lunch. Now, over an hour later, it's still "Testing... This can take a few minutes." I did quit the Davis s/w, does it have to be running while WC "Tests"?

[elagache]

Dear xairbusdriver and WeatherCat station consultants,

OK! It's set up (temporarily) as far away as I can put in the back yard. Reception if fine. Preparing to install the ~7' post and mount the station on it. Right now the anemometer is just bolted to the station, and I'll mount it on the post, also. Waiting for the solar panel bracket to arrive.

Congratulations on getting it delivered and getting everything up and running at least for testing. 

First "owner" question: Is there any reason to even leave the WeatherLink app on the HD? Still have the CD and can compress it to a .zip file, also.

Well, odds are you'll never use WeatherLink given that your setup is simple, but disk space is cheap.  I suggest you copy it onto your hard drive and just let it sit.  There are still a few station adjustments that WeatherLink can do but WeatherCat cannot do.  So until WeatherCat get that additional capability (its on the do-to list,) it is prudent to have WeatherLink available.

Haven't done anything with WeatherCat except start it up... and discovering it uses Java (I've always deleted all traces of Java in the last few years; too many security problems. However, I started WC just before eating lunch. Now, over an hour later, it's still "Testing... This can take a few minutes." I did quit the Davis s/w, does it have to be running while WC "Tests"?

Something it wrong here.  WeatherLink is a Java application.  WeatherCat is a native Mac application.  WeatherCat doesn't do any testing. 

Which version of WeatherCat did you want to run?  You might consider running the release candidate of WeatherCat 2.1 which you can download from here:

http://athena.trixology.com/index.php?topic=1615.0;topicseen

WeatherCat 2.1 is a signficant upgrade from WeatherCat 2.0 and it has been in beta long enough that the release candidate is very stable.

However, you do need a driver if you have the USB version of the data logger (I don't recall which version of the data logger you went with.)  If it is the USB version, you'll need the Silicon Labs driver that you can download from here:

https://www.silabs.com/products/mcu/Pages/USBtoUARTBridgeVCPDrivers.aspx

If you have any problems we have an extensive collection of troubleshooting tips for the Davis stations on the WeatherCat Wiki:

http://wiki.trixology.com/index.php/Davis

Indeed you might want to cruise around the Wiki as it has a lot of useful information:

http://wiki.trixology.com/index.php/Main_Page

I hope that you get pass any WeatherLink "issuez" and get WeatherCat up and running.  That's when things really get interesting and fun! 

Cheers, Edouard

[xairbusdriver]

Something it wrong here.

Yes, and I think it is the lack of something between my ears!

WeatherLink is a Java application.

Most likely.

WeatherCat is a native Mac application.

Agreed.

WeatherCat doesn't do any testing.

Actually it can and especially when first run. At least the version I downloaded (2.0.2 Build 30) can and did. If you look at page 21 of the WC User Manual, you'll see the window that had the "Testing... This may take a few minutes." message. Of course, the image in the manual does not show the "Testing..." text, see below* for more on how to get that window after the first run of WC.

After I finished outside, I woke up the mini to find it still spinning that 'pizza'. I Force Quit WC (which was shown as not responding). I started it again and it didn't even open a window, and it reported the same crash log as before.

I finally checked (command-tab) and saw that WeatherLink was, in fact, still running! I Quit it and re-started WC without any problem. It has been running fine for the last hour.

Since you still have the User Manual open, look back at the next to last paragraph on page 20.

Finally, make sure you have quit any other weather software...

"Well, there's your problem!" Nothing wrong with WC, it was simply the Davis app interfering with communications with the Console. It may also have blocked access to any files it was creating (Permissions). The problem was not reading the manual!

As for "testing" I can only assume that the initial 'test' was to the Console. It did not begin until I selected the new USB driver from that "Comms Port" dropdown menu. You can also get a 'comms' 'test/check' using the Tools->Station Hardware Options menu item. It will test the Transmitter Battery Status and the Console Voltage. This will be done automatically just by using that menu. There is a "Test Power System" button that "will take a while" as it runs in the background.

*Finally, the Tools->Configure Stations Comms... menu brings up the window seen on page 21. You are warned that WC will Quit and delete the current Comms info. This time, however, it did not show any "Testing..." message. 

[Blicj11]

To quote Coach Z from Homestar Runner, "Good jerb!"

Free Advice (and worth every penny)

1. Glad you are up and running. You will not need WeatherLink unless you like software that looks like it was kludged from an early version of DOS.

2. Take Edouard's suggestion and read through the Wiki; it has some helpful stuff.

3. Tell your wife how much money you have saved just by listening to all your new friends on the forum.