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PERSONAL WEATHER STATIONS: Queries and Advice

11617182022

Comments

  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,254 ✭✭✭Nqp15hhu


    So if I move it to be freestanding will it remove that? I mean today it was 3c above the actual temp.


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,219 ✭✭✭Gaoth Laidir


    Nqp15hhu wrote: »
    So if I move it to be freestanding will it remove that? I mean today it was 3c above the actual temp.

    It definitely shouldn't be near the fence.


  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    Anyone here set up a wow account?
    I've set up the account but how to get my station reporting is far from clear
    I mean where is my station ID for example?
    It was never emailed to me
    I just got a generic thank you for registering
    Its simple enough to set up.on the weather display software,you just input that station ID and pin
    But where is the station ID ?
    Thanks


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,254 ✭✭✭Nqp15hhu


    I agree it’s very confusing.


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,913 ✭✭✭Danno


    AuntySnow wrote: »
    Anyone here set up a wow account?
    I've set up the account but how to get my station reporting is far from clear
    I mean where is my station ID for example?
    It was never emailed to me
    I just got a generic thank you for registering
    Its simple enough to set up.on the weather display software,you just input that station ID and pin
    But where is the station ID ?
    Thanks

    I setup WOW but it was via the UKMO before Met Eireann setup our one. Maybe try signing up there? MetE's WOW page mirrors the UKMO one anyways.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 570 ✭✭✭axe2grind


    Nqp15hhu wrote: »
    So if I move it to be freestanding will it remove that? I mean today it was 3c above the actual temp.
    I realise this is from more than a week ago. Is there anything blocking the wind on that day? It was an east or NE wind that day. A wind obstruction can easily account for the 3C rise.
    If no wind obstruction then I think something is wrong.

    Make sure the fan is operating. With this design of aspirated shield, once the fan stops, there is little natural air flow around the sensor.

    I had an aspirated station and changed to a passive shield. Yes on still summer days, it over reads, but by less than 1 degC. Those days are few and I think for the rest of the time, the passive shield is better.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,254 ✭✭✭Nqp15hhu


    axe2grind wrote: »
    I realise this is from more than a week ago. Is there anything blocking the wind on that day? It was an east or NE wind that day. A wind obstruction can easily account for the 3C rise.
    If no wind obstruction then I think something is wrong.

    Make sure the fan is operating. With this design of aspirated shield, once the fan stops, there is little natural air flow around the sensor.

    I had an aspirated station and changed to a passive shield. Yes on still summer days, it over reads, but by less than 1 degC. Those days are few and I think for the rest of the time, the passive shield is better.

    Hi, yeah there is a wall or building to the east of the station. Throughout the easterly we mostly had a SE or E wind. The buildings are about 30-40m from the station.

    And there are buildings all around my house (aside from the north). Do you think removing it from the fence would make much of a difference re: accuracy?


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,219 ✭✭✭Gaoth Laidir


    Nqp15hhu wrote: »
    Hi, yeah there is a wall or building to the east of the station. Throughout the easterly we mostly had a SE or E wind. The buildings are about 30-40m from the station.

    And there are buildings all around my house (aside from the north). Do you think removing it from the fence would make much of a difference re: accuracy?

    Definitely.


  • Registered Users Posts: 570 ✭✭✭axe2grind


    Nqp15hhu wrote: »
    Hi, yeah there is a wall or building to the east of the station. Throughout the easterly we mostly had a SE or E wind. The buildings are about 30-40m from the station.

    And there are buildings all around my house (aside from the north). Do you think removing it from the fence would make much of a difference re: accuracy?
    The fence creates a micro climate as it provides quite a bit of shelter down wind and in summer sun is a heat absorber that will raise the temperature of the air adjacent. If the station is positioned high enough so the bottom of the shield is higher than the fence, that will negate the issue somewhat. With the shield, the air enters the bottom. This air needs to be from the transient air and not from any micro climate that the fence may be creating.

    I do think the walls and buildings can account for the 3c rise. For the vast bulk of us, we don't have a perfect site, so there is compromise to make the best of what we have. Raising the station, even by a foot or 2 may help to get it clear of the fence and reduces the influence of the nearby obstructions.


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,219 ✭✭✭Gaoth Laidir


    axe2grind wrote: »
    The fence creates a micro climate as it provides quite a bit of shelter down wind and in summer sun is a heat absorber that will raise the temperature of the air adjacent. If the station is positioned high enough so the bottom of the shield is higher than the fence, that will negate the issue somewhat. With the shield, the air enters the bottom. This air needs to be from the transient air and not from any micro climate that the fence may be creating.

    I do think the walls and buildings can account for the 3c rise. For the vast bulk of us, we don't have a perfect site, so there is compromise to make the best of what we have. Raising the station, even by a foot or 2 may help to get it clear of the fence and reduces the influence of the nearby obstructions.

    I still think it needs to be away from the fence altogether, on a free-standing pole. On a calm day the heat will rise off the fence and affect the sensor, even if it's a few feet above the fence. That's why I never get why some people put their sensors on the roof, right above a hotplate of tiles, or near a tarmac driveway, etc. Of course, for a personal station that's of no great consequence, but if it's an official synoptic station that feeds the weather models (I'm thinking of you, Shannon) then such errors get transferred into errors in the model output. Garbage in, Garbage out. That's why I have a bee in my bonnet about Shannon.


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  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    The fence will also cause a wind eddie
    Rising the station will rise the temp on frosty nights/days
    That could easily be a degree or two in frost

    Youll need to have the rain guage bolted onto something solid that wont wave sbout in wind gusts as that will tip the spoon causing over reading of rain
    Looking at the wow sites and weatherlink,thats happening a lot especially when you compare met ACS's nearby to personal stations


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,033 ✭✭✭Snowbie


    Nqp15hhu wrote: »
    This is the setup of my station. There is grass behind it followed by tarmac. I can’t seem to find a location that has pure grass.

    It’s overeading again by about a 1c.

    TBmXssr.jpg

    Don't mean to be the bearer of bad news but i see your problem right there. Its the 24hr FARS. This shield is only for the hottest of climates and reacts utterly slow in temp variation in use with the passive shield or the more reliable daytime FARS.

    When I use to record climate data for MET.ie, i found this out. Im using Davis AWS for 20 years now with the original VP1 then upgraded to VP2 when that was released, i further upgraded the sensor module included with a newer vp2 4 years ago to the newer version for temp/hum etc.

    I had my Davis 24hr FARS in close proximity to the Stevenson screen. The 24hrs FARS responded very slowly to temp variations even though drawing air into the chamber consistently. I concluded the that the inner chamber is too insulated and therefore does not respond well to Ireland's Climate but maybe only for the likes of Death Valley, its accurate.

    I had a standalone temp/hum station on one side and 24hrs on the other, the dry bulb in screen and passive shield on the temp/hum station done well at night with passive shield slightly higher in direct sun. The 24hr FARS only slowly reached minimum values but if the temp climbed suddenly during night time, the min on the 24hr was way higher then my max/min in the Stevenson screen and passive shield as it was terrible
    to react to sudden change.

    I got the daytime FARS, and it was closer to the professional kit supplied by MET.ie than either the 24hrs FARS or the passive shield. The daytime only runs in sunlit days and chamber more exposed to draw in a better air flow.

    24hr FARS is good for maybe hollows on the hottest of days here in Ireland.

    Plus, what you record is your own environmental conditions, comparing to sites close to you (unless its a faulty sensor and reading way above) its not really accurate either. UHI or urban heat islands and micro climates particularly close to materials that and conductive to heat can play havoc with temp.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,235 ✭✭✭Oneiric 3


    I wonder are the slow temperature response of the V2 sensor really to do with the 24 hr fars alone? I only have the original daytime fan (which works only in direct sunlight) and the temperature reading is still very slow to respond to relatively sudden changes (which may be down to an issue with the "Sensiron SHT31" model) and particular so in the colder part of the year. For example, a prob thermometer I have hanging out the back window will respond immediately to the smallest and largest of changes, for example such as when a typically cold rain or hail shower passes over, where temp can fall as much as 4 or 5c in a couple of mins, yet the Davis sensor will take many minutes to register such a rapid change (and not register it fully if there is a subsequent rapid rise in temps once the shower has passed) and particularly so with falling temps.

    Regarding NQP's set up, he could maybe help his problem a little by painting his fence white as this will help stop it absorbing heat in direct sunlight and emitting back out into his sensor. My own station is located in a suburban back yard (and at a height of over 12ft!!) so temp & humidity readings will naturally not be in alignment with nearby official stations out in the middle of nowhere, but I'm cool with that.

    New Moon



  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    Theres no fan on mine and thinking about it and looking back through stats,temp responses are pretty quick
    The unit is very exposed to tge prevailing winds though


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,235 ✭✭✭Oneiric 3


    AuntySnow wrote: »
    Theres no fan on mine and thinking about it and looking back through stats,temp responses are pretty quick
    The unit is very exposed to tge prevailing winds though

    I recall you (or at least I think it was you) who had a pretty snazzy looking Oregon Scientific weather station on here about 2 or 3 (or maybe more) years ago. Do you still have it and if so, how is it holding up?

    New Moon



  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    Oneiric 3 wrote: »
    I recall you (or at least I think it was you) who had a pretty snazzy looking Oregon Scientific weather station on here about 2 or 3 (or maybe more) years ago. Do you still have it and if so, how is it holding up?

    I sent it back,it was losing signal a lot
    Switched back to a branty new Davis VP2


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,095 ✭✭✭pad199207


    AuntySnow wrote: »
    I sent it back,it was losing signal a lot
    Switched back to a branty new Davis VP2

    Davis is your only man


  • Registered Users Posts: 14,555 ✭✭✭✭Marlow


    My Weatherflow Tempest Weatherstations arrived start of December, I think.

    50974262067_16a520285e_c.jpg

    I still have to stick the one here at home up on the roof of my gaff. For now, I just stuck it on a tripod on the back lawn :)

    There's a guy, that has developed a plugin for the Weatherflow weatherstations for the OpenHAB home automation platform. Only got around to load that today and test it out

    50973406938_62122a06f7_z.jpg

    That way, I can also record the data in an InfluxDB database and graph it over a longer time, plus compare it with the data, I have from my old weatherstation.

    The data is collected locally on the network and uses the Smart Weather UDP Broadcast protocol to collect the data, so no cloud access needed.

    /M


  • Registered Users Posts: 14,555 ✭✭✭✭Marlow


    This actually turned out rather well ..

    50976993081_0ea774792c_b.jpg
    50977103787_cedd5b1694_b.jpg

    /M


  • Registered Users Posts: 14,555 ✭✭✭✭Marlow


    For reference: the power consumption of the floodlights has significance in the manner, that they are on a PIR sensor.

    So with them starting to use power means, that it has gotten dark enough for them to turn on. They do turn off at 1:00 in the morning on a timer. The blip at 15:00 is the timer turning them back on, but then going off, as it's too light.

    Handy to compare to the illumnation and solar radiation figures.

    /M


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  • Registered Users Posts: 518 ✭✭✭garroff


    Vantage Pro is good when its working but spare parts cost a leg and an arm.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,254 ✭✭✭Nqp15hhu


    My station has stopped uploading to WU.


  • Registered Users Posts: 14,555 ✭✭✭✭Marlow


    Nqp15hhu wrote: »
    My station has stopped uploading to WU.

    You API key may have expired. Try to regenerate the key.

    /M


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,254 ✭✭✭Nqp15hhu


    It’s back on now.


  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    Added mine to WoW
    Updated every 5 mins
    Easy to do this with weatherdisplay which is a once off 59 new zealand dollars for the weather display software and can be fed from the weatherlink device
    Best weather software out there
    Weather display has its own neat realtime app too for another source for instant access


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,235 ✭✭✭Oneiric 3



    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38A93KMZIm4

    Advice on setting up personal weather station. Placing it near a house or other large buildings is just a no no if you want accurate readings.

    New Moon



  • Registered Users Posts: 32,634 ✭✭✭✭Graces7


    Is there such a thing as an (inexpensive and easy to set up etc) wind speed device? It would be fascinating out here..

    West Mayo offshore


  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    Graces7 wrote: »
    Is there such a thing as an (inexpensive and easy to set up etc) wind speed device? It would be fascinating out here..

    West Mayo offshore

    This is what I have on a pole. It uploads to many sites and I'm also sending it to an internal web server hosting a live website

    https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07JN73RKW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glc_i_XFJ41QJJHA9ZVNS31VX2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1


  • Registered Users Posts: 18,078 ✭✭✭✭JCX BXC


    Have a Davis Vantage Vue (solar panel attached to recharge itself) beginning to get on in years but I'm not planning to upgrade any time soon!

    Lately I'm having an issue with the batteries. The recent frost seems to have decimated them, with the weather station losing power most nights at around 4/5am and even in unbroken sunshine doesn't function until 2/3pm the next day, if it is cloudy, it may not come back at all until the next day at 2/3pm.

    The obivous solution here is to service it and replace the batteries, which I have been meaning to get around to, however despite the cloudiness of yesterday and today, the weather station has not died whatsoever, meaning I've gotten 60+ hours of battery life in cloudiness, whereas if it was sunny it would only last 12-15. Since the sunshine stopped I've also lost the low battery notification.

    I'm stumped to be honest, I'll just service it and replace batteries anyway when I get a chance, but does anyone have any experience here? Does this indicate anything, or is my station just temperamental?


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  • Maybe the battery management circuitry got damp and it took several days for it to completely dry out and regain control.


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