WXforum.net
Weather Station Hardware => Other Weather Station Hardware => Topic started by: d_l on November 17, 2011, 05:24:36 PM
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I know that a telescoping flagpole has been suggested as an anemometer mast in the past, but has anyone actually used one and what are your opinions? This would be for a VP2 anemometer and not the larger, heavier Vue.
I have a very solid gable mount from my old Digitar days, but due to some spinal problems and landscaping vegetation below it, I probably can't place my 22' A1 ladder to install an anemometer up there without injuring myself. I guess I could hire out someone to do it or bother a neighbor for help, but often times these installations aren't one-shot deals. Sometimes they need to be serviced after a failure.
So I've been investigating the possibility of using a telescoping aluminum flagpole as a 20-ft anemometer mast. My concerns are how much sway might be expected in winds up to 80 mph, how much vibration in those winds can be expected from play in the telescoping segment joints, and would all this affect the wind measurements. I've looked at video demonstrations of various flagpole's operation with flags on them, but it doesn't seem that they were emphasizing their rigidity in the videos.
Also some poles have a twist and lock mechanism which seems that it would twist the alignment of the anemometer off of north as the pole is raised. I think the alignment could be twisted back to north by rotating the pole base, but on some poles there is no locking mechanism in the ground sleeve. This might allow the pole to twist due to wind torque on the anemometer arm.
So I've considered the following for telescoping flagpoles:
Advantages:- Relatively easy installation compared to my gable mount
- Easy to collapse mast for anemometer servicing
- 20' will be higher than the mast I once had on my gable mount (17')
- Avoidance of roof top wind turbulence
Disadvantages:- Price
- My limited placement options to avoid blocking my weather cam view or to minimize wind obstructions from trees and other houses
- Possibility of sway/vibration affecting measurements
Various flagpole dealers are claiming their aluminum poles are stronger than equivalent steel gauges and that their poles can hand 80-90 mph winds with 3x5 flags attached. This dealer seems to have the best price for what is offered, longest warranty, strongest aluminum, and the thickest pipe gauge of any I've seen: http://tele-pole.com/superior.html
If I buy a pole and it doesn't work out for an anemometer mast, I guess could always move it to the front yard to be a flagpole.
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I am sure it will work, check this out by Rainwise.
http://www.rainwise.com/products/index.php?Category=MK-III-LR_Weather_Stations:Mounting_Systems
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I am sure it will work, check this out by Rainwise.
Thanks for that link. It looks like the Rainwise mast has swedged aluminum pipe joints. I don't know if those pipe joints would be stiffer than telescoping joints and have less sway, but I'd think flying a flag on that mast in high winds wouldn't be feasible though.
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I have had many flag poles in my life and one thing I know is: In the wind they move! Regardless of if there is a flag on them, because they have no guy wires to stop the movement. Once I had one of those sectional flag poles with a 3'X5' flag on it and it looked like a fly rod in wind, I took it down and made my own out of 2" schedule 80 pipe 31' tall two peices welded together weighs about 200 lbs and supports a 5'X8' and a 3'X5' flag with no problems, but the pole still moves even with no flags on it, in the wind.
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So far my experience is that a 25-foot telescoping flagpole made by TelePole, the manufacturer listed above, has shown at most about one foot or so of sway in 45 to +50 mph gusting winds (30-40 mph sustained) with just an anemometer and the standard gold ball on it. The sway is due to play in the telescoping joints and not from flexing of the individual pipe segments.
As far as I can tell at this time, this degree of sway doesn't seem to appreciably affect the accuracy of wind speed and direction measurements; however, the ball atop the pole might have some influence on the lower wind speed measurements. This will be watched and tested in the future.
I doubt that most people's generally low opinions on the stiffness and rigidity of telescoping flag poles were formed by observations on the Superior 1 model flag poles manufactured by TelePole. These poles are the only 10 gauge poles on the market and have only been offered for sale over the last few years. The more common, cheaper 13-16 gauge poles sold by everyone else would be the poles typically seen flexing in the wind like fly rods.
It should be noted that the 25-foot Superior 1 pole only weighs about 21 pounds which makes it very manageable compared to other heavier mast options suggested here at wxforum.
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I'm using a Channelmaster TV antenna telescoping pole. I do have guy wires on it. Probably the max wind it has withstood is around 60 mph. No problems. I have a 4"X4"X6' post in the ground, then clamped the telescoping pole to it. It can be turned to set the correct direction. Guess it has been up over two years. Make sure you add a good ground.
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made my own out of 2" schedule 80 pipe 31' tall two peices welded together weighs about 200 lbs
How did you raise that to vertical? We had a discussion about that on another thread not too long ago.
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My pole is made from galvanized steel and stands at 25 Ft it does sway about 6 inches in moderate wind conditions (10-15 mph) but doesn't rock untill we hit 40mph and we hardly ever see anything over 50mph. But I would gess it would be about 60mph before we see any damage to the pole. I have the pole lashed at 10 ft above that it's on it's own.
When fully extended how much pipe is left unextended or inside the lower pole section? I would think the closer you have the 2 ends together the more instable it would be.
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made my own out of 2" schedule 80 pipe 31' tall two pieces welded together weighs about 200 lbs
How did you raise that to vertical? We had a discussion about that on another thread not too long ago.
Three ropes, one tied to my truck to lift it and the other two held by myself and a neighbor to guide it up and into a socket, as the truck backed up slowly it raised, once vertical dropped in a socket with a little help from my daughter making sure it didn't slide. Took two trys first time fell to one side into a tree. OK so I'm not an artist, but here it is. :oops:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7019/6639315155_e38777105e.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/72993947@N03/6639315155/)
Flagpole0001 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/72993947@N03/6639315155/) by PatrioticRick (http://www.flickr.com/people/72993947@N03/), on Flickr
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7005/6587122209_6b6f6855eb.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/72993947@N03/6587122209/)
Garfield Area looking East to 3700E (http://www.flickr.com/photos/72993947@N03/6587122209/) by PatrioticRick (http://www.flickr.com/people/72993947@N03/), on Flickr
Ben up for about eight years now.
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Harbor Freight sells a couple of them pretty cheap.
http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=telescoping+flag+pole (http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=telescoping+flag+pole)
I will probably give one a try as I cannot access the roof top during the winter months.
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I wouldn't advise getting a flag pole thinner than 10 gauge if you have winds higher than 40 mph. Even a 10 gauge pole flexes a bit in those winds, but I'd be afraid of a thinner walled pole possibly folding over in +40-50 mph winds.
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Since these poles are not holding a flag, I think 40+ mph speeds should not be an issue. If it is affixed to a house, you also devise a scheme using a bracket or wires to stabilize the pole so that the flex is minimized to the last section or two.
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I wouldn't advise getting a flag pole thinner than 10 gauge if you have winds higher than 40 mph. Even a 10 gauge pole flexes a bit in those winds, but I'd be afraid of a thinner walled pole possibly folding over in +40-50 mph winds.
I've got two pieces of 3/4" conduit strapped to a 17G fence top rail (effectively 3 small masts lashed together to make one multi-core mast) and it would flop around like a dead herring if it wasn't guyed and attached to the back of the garage. But at least I can lower and raise it without too much trouble.
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As a follow up to this thread, I installed a Davis 6382 Temp/Hum station and connected it to the Davis anemometer transmitter with 25 feet of 6 wire phone cable to make a partial ISS. I thought that the radiation shield of the 6382 might cause excessive sway in high winds so I guy wired the flagpole. A bit of my 12-foot high anemometer can be seen on the extreme left of the photo. Since I added the temp/hum sensor and guy wires, it has registered a 64 mph peak gust.
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Looks great!
What gauge guy wires did you use? How far away from the mast are the guy wires anchored?
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What gauge guy wires did you use? How far away from the mast are the guy wires anchored?
I felt this particular pole's pipes at 10 gauge could handle the wind load unassisted if necessary, but that the constant flexing play in the sliding joints could wear them over time. So I used 1/8" clear coated, guy wires to steady it. I think I could easily have dropped that to 3/32" and still had enough strength in the wires. The load strength of the wires was rated at about 90 lbs., but I thought that I might have to make several trial-and-error attempts at setting the clamps and thimble hardware on each line to be within the turnbuckle's tightening range. I was right. So each wire has several pinch spots from incorrect clamping attempts that reduce its load strength. Really, a lot of my choice in wire size was determined by the size of clamps and turnbuckles the hardware store had available.
The three wires aren't exactly at a 120 degree separation angle around the pole, but were placed to minimize the likelihood that they would be a path obstruction in the natural vegetation behind the wall. They also are oriented to cover the strongest wind directions. The wires are about 30-33' long attached to construction stakes driven into the ground. The ground is quite rocky back there so finding a place to drive them in was more important than the exact distance (roughly 15-16') from the pole base. The attachment angles at the top and bottom are therefore very roughly around 30 and 60 degrees respectively.
The top wire thimbles are hooked to several of the flagpole's carabiners which are then hooked to the top rotating swivel hardware normally used for a flag. The manufacturer claims that this hardware is made of carbon fiber so it should be a strong enough and durable attachment point.
I think a cheaper model flagpole with thinner gauge walls could be used like this as long as dependably strong guy wires were attached to it. Although the Lexan flag swivels of the cheaper poles might not hold up well as an attachment point over time.
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As a follow up, very long term report on the use of a Tele-Pole Superior 1 for an anemometer mast, I found that the flag attachment swivels I used as guy wire attachment points can snap off when the turnbuckle hardware for one cable unscrewed allowing the pole to whip and snap during high wind (+60mph). After obtaining a warranty replacement from Tele-Pole, I fashioned reinforcement sleeves for the swivel rings. Over the past few years, there have been multiple wind gust events in excess of 65 mph. The top of the pole barely moves more than an inch and the swivel rings have held up to the buffeting.
Because I already had temperature, humidty, and wind on this station, I decided to go whole hog and make it a back up and a full "high" conditions station by adding a solar sensor and a rain gauge. The mounting method I used for attach ther solar sensor to the flag pole was novel. Some of the construction details and detailed pictures of various aspects of this second station can be found at my website if you are interested: http://www.tceweather.com/TCE26.html (http://www.tceweather.com/TCE26.html). I'd have posted the photos here but they are large and would blow the bandwidth of the site and also posted photos seem to disappear over time here.
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3 years, thanks for the follow up. =D>
I've got 8 months on a 30' superior 3 without guy wires and so far so good. Survived 3 different 50 mph winds and it does sway, but that's OK with me.
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Randy, if you just have an anemometer on that Superior 3, then I can see that it certainly wouldn't need guy wires. Any idea how much the top moved during those gusts?
Once I put the extra weight and wind resistance of the temp/hum sensor on top of my pole, I knew it would be best to stabilize it with guy wires. There are some interesting inversion conditions here at times that my "high" station reveals.
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I've been using the sectional aluminum Valley Forge Model # AFP20F flag poles for wx eqpt many years without guy wires. I have a Davis anemometer at the top. It is light weight so that I can install or take down by myself when wind is calm. I use an 8' galvanized chain link fence post in the ground. The aluminum mast fits inside the steel tube. A picture is attached showing my current installation but now it is taller with 4 sections. The photo is dated April 29, 2011. It does not sway in winds. I purchased the kit from Lowes (with flag). The sections are not bolted.
I have another pole with flag at the front of my house.
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Randy, if you just have an anemometer on that Superior 3, then I can see that it certainly wouldn't need guy wires. Any idea how much the top moved during those gusts?
I'm guessing 12". No extra weight with anemometer only but I did add an extension to get 33' but its light gauge aluminium less than 2 lbs.
Image
https://www.flickr.com/photos/100354683@N03/17963539106/in/photostream/
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Hi everyone,
I too have purchased a telescoping flagpole for my anemometer because I cannot get up on a ladder easily anymore. Like several other members here, I felt that it would make for easier maintenance for me, requiring only a 6 foot ladder. My pole will be about 20' high above ground, with about 3 feet buried, and will be secured to a 5' wooden fence post (8' post, about 3 feet buried). The only thing on the pole will be the anemometer (Davis, plastic). This location is about 12' or so from the corner of my house (which is concrete block and grounded), and is nowhere NEAR the highest object in my subdivision. Although it will be up high enough to clear the rooftops for reasonable readings, it's not as high as the 40-50' pine and palm trees in the woods behind me, or as high as the electrical poles on the road behind that woods. I am not sure if I should ground this pole or not, being that the pole and the post are so far down in the ground. I am in Florida, aka the lightning capital of the world, but have never taken a hit anywhere close to my place in the 36 years I've lived here (many different places over that time period!) I am considering grounding this pole, but not sure if I need to ground it, and don't know how long the grounding rod should be (I've never done this before!) Any suggestions on this? I hope this is not a dumb question, but...I will ask anyway :-) I always appreciate your comments and input, have a good afternoon everyone!
--Carol
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Hi everyone,
I too have purchased a telescoping flagpole for my anemometer because I cannot get up on a ladder easily anymore. Like several other members here, I felt that it would make for easier maintenance for me, requiring only a 6 foot ladder. My pole will be about 20' high above ground, with about 3 feet buried, and will be secured to a 5' wooden fence post (8' post, about 3 feet buried). The only thing on the pole will be the anemometer (Davis, plastic). This location is about 12' or so from the corner of my house (which is concrete block and grounded), and is nowhere NEAR the highest object in my subdivision. Although it will be up high enough to clear the rooftops for reasonable readings, it's not as high as the 40-50' pine and palm trees in the woods behind me, or as high as the electrical poles on the road behind that woods. I am not sure if I should ground this pole or not, being that the pole and the post are so far down in the ground. I am in Florida, aka the lightning capital of the world, but have never taken a hit anywhere close to my place in the 36 years I've lived here (many different places over that time period!) I am considering grounding this pole, but not sure if I need to ground it, and don't know how long the grounding rod should be (I've never done this before!) Any suggestions on this? I hope this is not a dumb question, but...I will ask anyway :-) I always appreciate your comments and input, have a good afternoon everyone!
--Carol
I'm no electrical engineer, but if the pole is a good conductor, 3' should be plenty deep enough as a good ground.
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I read somewhere as long as the mast isn't attached to the house and goes directly into ground, no grounding would be necessary. I can say the telepole 30' version which I have had no instructions to add any grounding device.
What I'm not 100% clear on if wire from example camera or anemometer coming into home could become a current path? Possible it would go least resistance directly into ground through flagpole base and not follow wire.
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I read somewhere as long as the mast isn't attached to the house and goes directly into ground, no grounding would be necessary. I can say the telepole 30' version which I have had no instructions to add any grounding device.
What I'm not 100% clear on if wire from example camera or anemometer coming into home could become a current path? Possible it would go least resistance directly into ground through flagpole base and not follow wire.
I think that's an absolute possibility, dare I say probable, that current would not only follow the pole, but into the house. Discharging millions of volts and hundreds of thousands of amps, I would never presume that ALL of it would be grounded with such an easy path into the house also.
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I read somewhere as long as the mast isn't attached to the house and goes directly into ground, no grounding would be necessary. I can say the telepole 30' version which I have had no instructions to add any grounding device.
What I'm not 100% clear on if wire from example camera or anemometer coming into home could become a current path? Possible it would go least resistance directly into ground through flagpole base and not follow wire.
I think that's an absolute possibility, dare I say probable, that current would not only follow the pole, but into the house. Discharging millions of volts and hundreds of thousands of amps, I would never presume that ALL of it would be grounded with such an easy path into the house also.
Hope to never find out. The anemometer is wireless and this summer mounted a camera with cat5 cable leading directly into house. We get lightning here, not Florida like but our share for sure.
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I read somewhere as long as the mast isn't attached to the house and goes directly into ground, no grounding would be necessary. I can say the telepole 30' version which I have had no instructions to add any grounding device.
What I'm not 100% clear on if wire from example camera or anemometer coming into home could become a current path? Possible it would go least resistance directly into ground through flagpole base and not follow wire.
I think that's an absolute possibility, dare I say probable, that current would not only follow the pole, but into the house. Discharging millions of volts and hundreds of thousands of amps, I would never presume that ALL of it would be grounded with such an easy path into the house also.
Hope to never find out. The anemometer is wireless and this summer mounted a camera with cat5 cable leading directly into house. We get lightning here, not Florida like but our share for sure.
Lightning couldn't care less about your location.
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Hi all,
Thanks for the info! My station is wireless to my console in the house. I haven't opened the box yet, but the only wire I will have (I think) is going to be from the anemometer (top of pole) to the transmitter (to be on the side of the wooden post). At least that is what I understood from Davis and saw in the pictures of my unit. Pole is galvanized aluminum, probably a good conductor but worse than the wire. So if the pole takes a hit, most likely my station transmitter would be fried anyway. No wires come into the house, but I have whole-house lightning protection through my local power company here. Even if I did ground the pole, as ValentineWeather mentioned the path of least resistance would most likely be the wire (from the anemometer), which would lead right to the station transmitter. I'd hate to lose that, but as I said, in the 36+ years I've lived in FL I never took a hit. I am a part time laptop technician, I ground my buildings and protect my hardware with UPS units-never lost a unit yet due to lightning, even here on beachside where I work. I just wasn't sure if I should worry about ground on this pole because of the exposure and the height. I agree with CW2274 that 3' buried on wood should be adequate ground (my brother said the same). All said, I think I probably won't ground it right now..I can always do that later, as we are out of the high lightning season for now anyway. Thanks all! I will try to post some pics when I have it up and working....remember, I am a newbie so be kind in your comments--LOL! I'm kidding, PLEASE be honest in your comments, I always appreciate them! And, if it ain't right, whatever goes up, CAN come down :-) Happy Friday to all!
--Carol:)
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Oops, sorry all, forgot to mention that at this time I do not have a camera....need $$$ first. So, no wires coming into the house from the station right now. There are wireless cameras that I will look into ...but, for now, no camera :-( Forgot to mention that in my last post.
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Some of the Telepole flag poles have ABS mounting sleeves that the poles are inserted into. Although the poles sit on a steel rod that is inserted across the diameter of the mount sleeve, the amount of metal on the ends this rod that would actually contact soil outside of the insulating sleeve is small and would be a minimal ground. I attached heavy gauge wires to the ends of the rod to maximize contact with the soil and enhance the grounding.
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Hi Dave,
I never thought about that, yes, the pole that I got supposedly has a plastic ground sleeve with it (another unopened box!) So, like you did, I could attach heavy wires to the ends of that pole when I install it this weekend. Thank you for that idea! --Carol
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Hi all,
Thanks for the info! My station is wireless to my console in the house. I haven't opened the box yet, but the only wire I will have (I think) is going to be from the anemometer (top of pole) to the transmitter (to be on the side of the wooden post). At least that is what I understood from Davis and saw in the pictures of my unit. Pole is galvanized aluminum, probably a good conductor but worse than the wire. So if the pole takes a hit, most likely my station transmitter would be fried anyway. No wires come into the house, but I have whole-house lightning protection through my local power company here. Even if I did ground the pole, as ValentineWeather mentioned the path of least resistance would most likely be the wire (from the anemometer), which would lead right to the station transmitter. I'd hate to lose that, but as I said, in the 36+ years I've lived in FL I never took a hit. I am a part time laptop technician, I ground my buildings and protect my hardware with UPS units-never lost a unit yet due to lightning, even here on beachside where I work. I just wasn't sure if I should worry about ground on this pole because of the exposure and the height. I agree with CW2274 that 3' buried on wood should be adequate ground (my brother said the same). All said, I think I probably won't ground it right now..I can always do that later, as we are out of the high lightning season for now anyway. Thanks all! I will try to post some pics when I have it up and working....remember, I am a newbie so be kind in your comments--LOL! I'm kidding, PLEASE be honest in your comments, I always appreciate them! And, if it ain't right, whatever goes up, CAN come down :-) Happy Friday to all!
--Carol:)
Yes, your anemometer comes with 40' of cable to attach to the ISS. You also have the option of a remote transmitter for the anemometer if you choose to separate it from the ISS. Many go this route.
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Hi CW2274, thanks for the info! I didn't know about the separate transmitter for the wind, that's cool! My current (failing) station is completely integrated, the transmitter is part of that ISS. When I had to replace it, I chose a station that I could separate, but my concept of that was that only the anemometer separated and it had to connect to THE transmitter on the other piece. I guess it has to connect to A transmitter, and there can be more than one on the station...not sure I got that from the description. I think there are 8 channels on my Vantage Vue console-Davis says that the station I bought will talk to that console. So, I guess each transmitter would have to talk to a different channel on the console. So, in theory I could have up to 8 transmitters (or stations I guess) then. Doh! Just didn't think about it... Learn something new every day, I obviously missed something in my research!
For now, though, to get the station up and working so I can enjoy it again, I think I'll stay with my plan of having the anemometer up on the pole and the rain gauge/sensor unit down lower on the wooden post supporting that pole, with one transmitter for both. Am on a contract here in FL for 2 yrs, and then will be retiring and moving. So maybe when I move i'll get the second transmitter and I'll have a little bit of $$$ saved for it too :-) First I would like to get the software etc. and connect to Wunderground. Taking it a step at a time. Thanks again-have a great weekend!
--Carol:)
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The wireless anemometer transmitter is an add on. Davis 6332 – Wireless Anemometer Transmitter Kit – $135.00 ($105.00 )
This is from scaled instruments discount price list.
You would use the existing Anemometer unit that comes with the VP2 station and just plug into the wireless transmitter. The VP2 console needs to be the wireless version also.
Doing this you can have a large separation from the main ISS and not limited by the 40' cable length wherever the anemometer is set up.
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Hi Randy,
I am starting to understand:) Funds are short so I am using the single transmitter for now. I can see where multiple transmitters would be ideal though. My console is wireless. Scaled Instruments price sounds pretty reasonable...maybe Santa will bring! Thanks for the info...right now for me to see SOMETHING on my console other than dashes would be a thrill!! LOL! Have a good one! New station is going up tomorrow, have most everything ready to do the job.
Carol :)
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This thread inspired me to get a 20' Superior 1 TelePole as well! I just poured the cement for the ground sleeve today, and will put the anemometer on tomorrow. I'm happy to have it off the roof.
You guys have some good setups, very cool.
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I have used a telescopic Flag pole that started out as 7.6m from ground to the top and it's now shrunk to 5.4m as the Joints that you twist to raise and lower the mast have jammed due to the rain (it is 4 years old), I use it for my Davis Anemometer and the only way to keep it aligned is by guy-wiring it. We recently had a gust of wind that recorded 104km/h or 60-62mph and it still swayed pretty badly and the Davis read a max of 69km/h VS a Fine offset which is fully secure on a separate mast and won't move even in the strongest of gusts recorded the 104km/h. (The Fine Offset is sited 3m above Ground and runs on Cumulus with Wind Multiplier to get 10m readings).
I believe also the issue with telescopic poles is that they get narrower towards the top throwing the balance off by a portion so I will be upgrading it from a Telescopic to a proper wind resistance Mast and will be using the tipping tower motion where it is bolted between two other rods making lowering and raising much easier when maintenance is required.
At this stage in time My Davis Pro 2 is still wired to the original SIM and will invest in a Wireless Anemometer transmitter which costs $300AUD ](*,) and the new mast will be slipped into a Tyre plate for a Flag Pole until the major set up commences.
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I have used a telescopic Flag pole that started out as 7.6m from ground to the top and it's now shrunk to 5.4m as the Joints that you twist to raise and lower the mast have jammed due to the rain (it is 4 years old), I use it for my Davis Anemometer and the only way to keep it aligned is by guy-wiring it. We recently had a gust of wind that recorded 104km/h or 60-62mph and it still swayed pretty badly and the Davis read a max of 69km/h VS a Fine offset which is fully secure on a separate mast and won't move even in the strongest of gusts recorded the 104km/h. (The Fine Offset is sited 3m above Ground and runs on Cumulus with Wind Multiplier to get 10m readings).
I believe also the issue with telescopic poles is that they get narrower towards the top throwing the balance off by a portion so I will be upgrading it from a Telescopic to a proper wind resistance Mast and will be using the tipping tower motion where it is bolted between two other rods making lowering and raising much easier when maintenance is required.
At this stage in time My Davis Pro 2 is still wired to the original SIM and will invest in a Wireless Anemometer transmitter which costs $300AUD ](*,) and the new mast will be slipped into a Tyre plate for a Flag Pole until the major set up commences.
Not all are made the same. Won't use anything less than the thicker 10 gauge poles.
Telepole makes the model Superior 3 Flagpole I have extended at 30' and has survived a 66 mph gust and many 50 mph gust.
Not the only solution out there but has worked in windy Nebraska for 3 years now.
http://www.tele-pole.com/flagpoles/superior-3-flagpole/
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Hi all! Well, I can happily report that my sectional flagpole from amazon.com withstood hurricane Matthew here in Melbourne FL...recorded winds at 85 mph at my place. Did it sway? OH YEAH. I was able to see a bit through my hurricane shutters....but it is still standing. And no equipment damage. The mast is an 8 foot 4X6, sectional flagpole is bracketed to it level with the bottom of the 4X6 and that assembly is sunk 2' into the ground. Height of the anemometer above the pole is 19 feet. That clears the roof tops in my area, not the trees, but there is a path where the trees are way behind the mast, and the rest is open. My wind readings are very close if not not right on with another wunderground station about 3 miles north of me. So I am pretty happy. Many of the suggestions posted here helped tremendously during the construction phase of this station, and I thank all who posted. The pole is not grounded, but there was a plastic shield that was attached to it, I left than on when I attached the pole to the mast. Someone suggested attaching wire to the pole and making sure it was buried in the ground...I felt that might have been unnecessary when I saw the plastic shield and sunk the pole/shield/mast 2+ feet down. I had eye surgery earlier this year, shortly after I got the station installed. So, have been off this board for awhile, I was glad to see a response earlier tonite! All is well now, and I am back in business. So, I can recommend the sectional flagpole as an anemometer mast, at least in a subdivision location....even during a Florida hurricane! Thank you again,Have a good night all!
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I have used a telescopic Flag pole that started out as 7.6m from ground to the top and it's now shrunk to 5.4m as the Joints that you twist to raise and lower the mast have jammed due to the rain (it is 4 years old), I use it for my Davis Anemometer and the only way to keep it aligned is by guy-wiring it. We recently had a gust of wind that recorded 104km/h or 60-62mph and it still swayed pretty badly and the Davis read a max of 69km/h VS a Fine offset which is fully secure on a separate mast and won't move even in the strongest of gusts recorded the 104km/h. (The Fine Offset is sited 3m above Ground and runs on Cumulus with Wind Multiplier to get 10m readings).
I believe also the issue with telescopic poles is that they get narrower towards the top throwing the balance off by a portion so I will be upgrading it from a Telescopic to a proper wind resistance Mast and will be using the tipping tower motion where it is bolted between two other rods making lowering and raising much easier when maintenance is required.
At this stage in time My Davis Pro 2 is still wired to the original SIM and will invest in a Wireless Anemometer transmitter which costs $300AUD ](*,) and the new mast will be slipped into a Tyre plate for a Flag Pole until the major set up commences.
Not all are made the same. Won't use anything less than the thicker 10 gauge poles.
Telepole makes the model Superior 3 Flagpole I have extended at 30' and has survived a 66 mph gust and many 50 mph gust.
Not the only solution out there but has worked in windy Nebraska for 3 years now.
http://www.tele-pole.com/flagpoles/superior-3-flagpole/
Will this pole be able to handle a yagi antenna?
Thanks
Joe