Console connection issue

[AstroSteve]

I'm not sure what forum to post this is in, if this is the wrong one, let me know. It's not really a WC issue either, well not for the most part.

I have a Vantage Vue ISS, reporting to both a Vantage Vue console and a Vantage Pro console. Every now and then, always at night, the console that is connected to my iMac stops receiving data from the ISS. All outside sensors show lines on the display. WC will send me an email to inform me of the issue, and keeps logging "NULL" data to the SQL DB. This is the WC issue but not my main one. 

Both consoles are the same distance from the ISS, with the Pro actually being a little closer. Rebooting the console clears the issue. The Pro is currently connected to my iMac which is running WeatherCat. I tried connecting the Vue console for a while and the same thing happened to it. Each console has it's own USB datalogger. I then moved it to another spot, in the same room, and it still happened. I have never seen it happen on the console that is not connect to the computer. This obviously rules out a console issue. This was also happening on my old iMac, which rules out PC hardware issues, and on several versions of Mac OS.

Have anyone seen this before and if so, what is the fix? I tried emailing Davis support but it gets returned as "550 permanent failure blocked" for some reason.

[mcrossley]

A couple of thoughts...

it could be EM interference from your PC going down the USB cable?
You could try putting a USB hub between the two, and or adding some ferrite cores to the USB cable.

Or maybe a ground issue. Trying the console just on batteries with it's PSU disconnected for a while and see if it still stops receiving to eliminate this as a cause.

[elagache]

Dear AstroSteve, Mark, and WeatherCat Netizens who like to keep things tidy,

I'm not sure what forum to post this is in, if this is the wrong one, let me know. It's not really a WC issue either, well not for the most part.

Since you asked I went ahead and moved it to the Weather Hardware/Measurement topic.  It fits better there.

I have a Vantage Vue ISS, reporting to both a Vantage Vue console and a Vantage Pro console. Every now and then, always at night, the console that is connected to my iMac stops receiving data from the ISS. All outside sensors show lines on the display. WC will send me an email to inform me of the issue, and keeps logging "NULL" data to the SQL DB. This is the WC issue but not my main one. 

. . . . .

Have anyone seen this before and if so, what is the fix? I tried emailing Davis support but it gets returned as "550 permanent failure blocked" for some reason.

I haven't seen exactly this, but I have had my iSS lose communication with my Console (actually Weather Envoy.)  It does happen always at night.  For me it always would happen in the early hours of the morning (around 2am.)  I suspect that there are changes in the way radio frequencies are used that cause this sort of thing.  Perhaps something to do with commercial aviation.

Mark has given you the basic thoughts to consider.  We have a page on the WeatherCat Wiki with some information that might help even if it is mostly directly toward console-computer communications:

https://wiki.trixology.com/index.php?title=Electronic_Interference_Effects_on_Station_Hardware/Data_Logger/USB_Cable

Something to consider is that perhaps your Mac or one of its peripherals could be producing EMI that is interfering with the signal from your ISS.  Your posting suggests that you run your computer 24/7.  I've heard my backup disk becoming very active in the wee hours of the morning and I believe Time Machine does some pruning of data during those periods of relative inactivity.  If you have a hard drive or other device that is starting to fail, it could generate radio frequency interference that could be blocking the signals from your ISS.

One more thought - when was the last time you replaced the lithium battery in your ISS?  If you haven't done this in a long time, you could be starting to see the ISS itself having insufficient power.  Assuming that you are in the northern hemisphere, the outdoor temperatures are cold and batteries perform poorly under such conditions.  That could cause the communication failures.

Let us know what you discover.

Cheers, Edouard

[xairbusdriver]

I'm assuming that you are definitely using different Station ID numbers. Only I wood mayk that kind uv misteak!

[AstroSteve]

I do have ferrite cores on both ends of all my usb cable, I did that a long time ago when my ham radio gear started causing comm issues. Before anyone asks, the radios are off at night.

Edouard, thanks for the link. After reading that, I realized that the only thing I didn't change when hooking up the other console was the power cord. And I should know better. I was always telling customers when I ask them to use a different phone, to change everything, including the power unit, because they can cause issues.

Yes, the Mac is on 24/7. Since it's an iMac, the only peripheral attached to it is the external drive I use for TimeMachine. It does backups all day long, so I don't think it's that, but if changing the power unit doesn't solve the issue, I'll turn it off for a while.

My first thought was the ISS battery too, even though the second console was still receiving fine, so I changed it with a new one a couple nights ago.

I'm going to start with the power. Take it off the UPS and put it on a separate power strip/surge protector and use a new power unit. I'll post what happens. It may be awhile since it can go weeks between. It seems to always happen when weather is coming in. Lol