Topic: New Davis rain collector cone design

[Weatherdata]

Sweet!  I just ordered one.  I'm having bird and debris issues.  This should help out a lot, thanks for the info.  Now if I can only figure out how the keep the spiders away...

Hello Jester
I have heard that a dog flee collar around the mounting pole works quite well to prevent spiders, however I myself haven't tried this out.

[Aardvark]

Sweet!  I just ordered one.  I'm having bird and debris issues.  This should help out a lot, thanks for the info.  Now if I can only figure out how the keep the spiders away...

Hello Jester
I have heard that a dog flee collar around the mounting pole works quite well to prevent spiders, however I myself haven't tried this out.

  with or without the dog attached?

[Aardvark]

Glad that was clarified

I had to change out a soil moisture sensor,  there were these tiny bugs living or dying in the transmitter station, also a very happy spider.  Not sure why they are in there considering it must get hot during the day, but they coming in to that cable grommet that all of the wires feed into.    So far the ISS is a happy place.

[miraculon]

Because my order status from Ambient was showing "pending" for several days I decided to give them a call. They fulfill the order through Davis and they said it takes about a week.

It seems that I ordered something else from another supplier and it actually came via Davis.

Greg H.

Ambient changed the status of my order to "shipped" with a UPS tracking number. 

Greg H.

[Aardvark]

I got this big box from Ambient, it contained two of the micro screw drivers, but the packing slip said the cone was dropped shipped.  great

[dj1111s]

Like a bunch of little kids waiting for Christmas we are.  LOL

[Jester]

Sweet!  I just ordered one.  I'm having bird and debris issues.  This should help out a lot, thanks for the info.  Now if I can only figure out how the keep the spiders away...

Hello Jester
I have heard that a dog flee collar around the mounting pole works quite well to prevent spiders, however I myself haven't tried this out.

  with or without the dog attached?

I tried the flea collar, works great for ants and I'm sure for some spiders, they are not as bad as last year.  I still have to go out every few days to check my station.  Thanks for the reply.

[Mryank9]

Ordered my new rain cone (no logo) from RainmanWeather on Monday and got it today! Great looking design, will hopefully be installing it this weekend

[miraculon]

Ordered my new rain cone (no logo) from RainmanWeather on Monday and got it today! Great looking design, will hopefully be installing it this weekend

Dang! Mine won't be here until the 26th. I wish that I had ordered it from the RainMan.... 

Greg H.

[MoradaWx]

ordered yesterday will be here Fri:)

I've used cat flea collars around my mail box posts, and vps+ for years with great success. While this part of the post might be slightly off topic I realized something. I wrap the flea collar around mail box post and cut the extra off and toss it in the back off the mail box. Not sure why I haven't been carefully placing the extras under the cone so as not to interfere with the tipping bucket to repel anything that floats in from the air.

Rick   

[dj1111s]

Mine arrived yesterday from RainmanWeather, shipped UPS from Florida.

The accompanying DAVIS literature (7395.332 5/14/14 and 7353.274) clearly cautions about the 'bird spikes': "CAUTION: May be sharp!." However, they are not pointy-puncture sharp, but rather sheared-edged sharp sections of 0.061-inch diameter round steel.

Too sharp and we'd all have shish kabobed birds I suppose.  I assume they are stainless steel.

[Jester]

Wow!  You guys are getting yours.  I ordered mine from ambient almost 2weeks ago and still no status!  Seems I ordered from the wrong vendor.  I'm calling Monday and cancelling my order.  I'm going to order from RainmanWeather.

[BigOkie]

Mine arrived yesterday from RainmanWeather, shipped UPS from Florida.

The accompanying DAVIS literature (7395.332 5/14/14 and 7353.274) clearly cautions about the 'bird spikes': "CAUTION: May be sharp!." However, they are not pointy-puncture sharp, but rather sheared-edged sharp sections of 0.061-inch diameter round steel.

I wonder if these will be like other after-market solutions where there would be some affect on the solar and/or UV sensors in their standard mounting place behind the cone.

[miraculon]

Mine arrived yesterday from RainmanWeather, shipped UPS from Florida.

The accompanying DAVIS literature (7395.332 5/14/14 and 7353.274) clearly cautions about the 'bird spikes': "CAUTION: May be sharp!." However, they are not pointy-puncture sharp, but rather sheared-edged sharp sections of 0.061-inch diameter round steel.

I wonder if these will be like other after-market solutions where there would be some affect on the solar and/or UV sensors in their standard mounting place behind the cone.

See this discussion: http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=23488.msg225974#msg225974

Greg H.

[miraculon]

I installed my new rain cone this afternoon.
The new debris screen is really nice and does snap in solidly.
I left the blunt-cut spikes in the package in case we get a replay of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" I can put them in later.
The bubble-wrap foil insulator for the heater was a little tricky to keep from falling out when I was trying to put the new cone in place. At first I thought that there were some kind of grips in the old one, but they look the same on the inside of the cone.

With a VP2 Console, two VUE consoles, a regular Envoy and an 8x, I wasn't in the mood to put them all in "setup" mode, so some false trips occurred.

Greg H.

[BigOkie]

I installed my new rain cone this afternoon.
The new debris screen is really nice and does snap in solidly.
I left the blunt-cut spikes in the package in case we get a replay of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" I can put them in later.
The bubble-wrap foil insulator for the heater was a little tricky to keep from falling out when I was trying to put the new cone in place. At first I thought that there were some kind of grips in the old one, but they look the same on the inside of the cone.

With a VP2 Console, two VUE consoles, a regular Envoy and an 8x, I wasn't in the mood to put them all in "setup" mode, so some false trips occurred.

Greg H.

When I'm working on the ISS, I always disconnect the rain cable on the panel just in case I do rock the bucket any (which usually happens).

[moehoward4]

$30+???? 16, 4" black, UV resistant cable ties, equally spaced around the top of the collector attached with a hot-melt glue gun.......15 minutes, and the good thing, not much thinking OR cost involved......no more bird crap either.

[kcidwx]

I installed my new rain cone this afternoon.
The new debris screen is really nice and does snap in solidly.
I left the blunt-cut spikes in the package in case we get a replay of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" I can put them in later.
The bubble-wrap foil insulator for the heater was a little tricky to keep from falling out when I was trying to put the new cone in place. At first I thought that there were some kind of grips in the old one, but they look the same on the inside of the cone.

With a VP2 Console, two VUE consoles, a regular Envoy and an 8x, I wasn't in the mood to put them all in "setup" mode, so some false trips occurred.

Greg H.

I see this come up a lot on this forum. Doesn't the weather software allow you edit your daily rainfall? If mine shows 0.34 inches for the day and I go out and clean the rain collector and then it reads 0.38 inches, I can go back and edit the daily rainfall and enter 0.34 inches and it's a done deal. I thought this ability was standard on all the weather software out there but maybe not.

I do this all the time when I run the yard sprinklers. The rain collector tells me how much I've watered the yard and then I clear it out when I'm done.

[duke666]

But what if you have already sent your 'accidental' rain data to several sites before you clear it?

[Aardvark]

$30+???? 16, 4" black, UV resistant cable ties, equally spaced around the top of the collector attached with a hot-melt glue gun.......15 minutes, and the good thing, not much thinking OR cost involved......no more bird crap either.

Yes, but with your model the spikes are attached and with the Davis, one can dine on Tweety Pie on a Stick.

[moehoward4]

[/quote]
Yes, but with your model the spikes are attached and with the Davis, one can dine on Tweety Pie on a Stick.
[/quote]    Good comeback Aardvark!

[kcidwx]

But what if you have already sent your 'accidental' rain data to several sites before you clear it?

Good point! Since I don't send my data anywhere I had not thought of that.

[Weather Spares]

I received one of these this morning in a shipment and noted something about the new style rain debris filter.

If you try to use this in an original rain bucket it fails to sit upright and easily tips over making it useless. The new rain bucket contains a small ridge around the inside meaning that the debris filter sits level and in place.

All in all a nice piece of equipment, however, I'd advise the new screen only be used with a new bucket to keep it stable, unless someone is going to use something to hold the filter in place like some Sugru at 3 points.

[miraculon]

I think that the new screen actually snaps into the ring in the new cone. Mine made a definite "click" when I inserted it.

I don't know if you can buy the screen separately (yet), but the warning not use it with the old cone is appropriate.

Greg H.

[Aardvark]

I received mine and if you don't need a new cone , save your money. The ring in the center doesn't snap in, snug as the other one. The  debris screen looks like a good wind might tip it or blow it away.  I am saving my old strainer and cone for that moment.  The spikes are loosely fit in holes and made of aluminum wire, about 3.5 inches long. There are 14 of them, I had an extra in the pack. The strainer has a hole for an additional spike if nesting is a problem.  I've attached some pictures of it on the work bench and on the VP2.