Author Topic: New setup with VP2 (Read 4654 times)

abbott_m · « **on:** July 01, 2009, 05:08:35 PM »

I've been planning on getting into weather after moving into a rural area that quite honestly, the local weather reports are...less than accurate. I got my VP2 and have been playing with it sitting on a bench all day and noticed the temp and humidity readings are as much as 10% off on humidity and 5% off on temp with them sitting right next to each other. Should I just adjust the console to reflect them to be the same or leave it alone (I read one post on just sticking the outside unit outside and it'll be fine).

So far, fun stuff. Going to go put up the post to mount it tall to this afternoon (I have 9 acres so finding a place to stick it isn't much of a problem).

Mike

Garth Bock · « **Reply #1 on:** July 01, 2009, 05:09:28 PM »

Welcome to the forum.....sigh......9 acres......

ocala · « **Reply #2 on:** July 01, 2009, 05:16:16 PM »

Just guessing here but I would imagine the outside sensors are of better quality then the console sensors.
Oh yeah, welcome to the forum!

abbott_m · « **Reply #3 on:** July 01, 2009, 05:18:22 PM »

So would it be a bad idea to setup the console to map (adjust) to be similar to the exterior sensors or just leave it alone?

Mike

d_l · « **Reply #4 on:** July 01, 2009, 05:28:48 PM »

You didn't happen to have the console LED on when you made the comparison of temp/humidity readings, did you? Operating the LED continuously will heat up the console and drive up the internal temps.

Also it may take the console and the ISS a while to equilibrate. The ISS is designed to equilibrate fast especially if it has a FARS, but I've noticed a little lag on the console's reaction to temp changes.

Oh yes, welcome to the forum.

abbott_m · « **Reply #5 on:** July 01, 2009, 05:36:27 PM »

Had it off (took me a few to figure out how to actually turn it on but nice looking when it's on). I've been playing with it over the last few hours and wound up setting them right beside one another. They are slowly getting to the same reading (I've been removing the adjustments from the console for internal temps/humidity). Going outside to stick the mast up and sweat my rear off in this humidity in south TX but just have to do it once.

Mike

JOE · « **Reply #6 on:** July 01, 2009, 05:39:10 PM »

Welcome.

What part of South Texas?

lddaly · « **Reply #7 on:** July 01, 2009, 05:45:10 PM »

Welcome fellow Texan! You mentioned humidity, so you must be near Houston.

ocala · « **Reply #8 on:** July 01, 2009, 06:02:04 PM »

Quote from: abbott_m on July 01, 2009, 05:18:22 PM

So would it be a bad idea to setup the console to map (adjust) to be similar to the exterior sensors or just leave it alone?

Mike

I would leave it as is. After comparing your readings to surrounding stations you should have a good idea if they are accurate.

mmorris · « **Reply #9 on:** July 01, 2009, 06:07:31 PM »

Just leave it alone and every thing will be fine...

Quote from: abbott_m on July 01, 2009, 05:08:35 PM

I've been planning on getting into weather after moving into a rural area that quite honestly, the local weather reports are...less than accurate. I got my VP2 and have been playing with it sitting on a bench all day and noticed the temp and humidity readings are as much as 10% off on humidity and 5% off on temp with them sitting right next to each other. Should I just adjust the console to reflect them to be the same or leave it alone (I read one post on just sticking the outside unit outside and it'll be fine).

So far, fun stuff. Going to go put up the post to mount it tall to this afternoon (I have 9 acres so finding a place to stick it isn't much of a problem).

Mike

abbott_m · « **Reply #10 on:** July 01, 2009, 06:17:35 PM »

OK, I'll reset the adjustments I played with. I'm up just NW of Willis TX of Calvary RD. Unfortunately all the other PWS sensors I've seen are on the south side of the lake and we get very different weather conditions here than the rest of the lake (part of the reason I'm setting this up.

Mike

d_l · « **Reply #11 on:** July 01, 2009, 06:29:43 PM »

Oh yeah, a WeatherlinkIP also heats the console or Envoy (they use up to 0.5 watts of power). Supposedly Davis included a temperature offset correction in the one of the firmwares, but I found that it still needed even more correction (about -4 F). I checked with a friend that owns a WLIP and he too found that he needed a correction of about that amount.

abbott_m · « **Reply #12 on:** July 01, 2009, 07:14:30 PM »

Well, for better or worse, it's all setup. Quite easy when all you have to do is dig a 2' deep hole and fill it with concrete. Very simple setup to be honest.

Mike

SLOweather · « **Reply #13 on:** July 01, 2009, 07:20:16 PM »

Quote from: abbott_m on July 01, 2009, 05:08:35 PM

(I have 9 acres so finding a place to stick it isn't much of a problem).

Mike

With 9 acres, you'll wind up wanting some of the Davis extra sensors, like the temp/humidity station, or leaf wetness/soil moisture.

abbott_m · « **Reply #14 on:** July 01, 2009, 08:53:04 PM »

Hmm, I've had it for 1 day and I've already started buying stuff (wireless envoy, the weather software/usb gizmo, day time fan aspiration). Geez, this can get addicting. You read all you can before buying and get a good deal on what you get and realize after you get it setup that, gee, all sorts of other pieces of data that'd be nice (and those 2 empty sensor ports in the basic model are irritating

)

Only problem is, I have it setup and it's just hot with no wind at all (as in my pond doesn't have a ripple on it). Not a very exciting graph on the console to play with. Guess it's a mixed blessing through as if it was interesting, I'd be irritated I wasn't saving the data off for the archives.

Mike

tweatherman · « **Reply #15 on:** July 01, 2009, 09:09:50 PM »

Just some advice do not go with the usb hook up for data logger go with the serial port one. Welcome to the forum

Tim

abbott_m · « **Reply #16 on:** July 01, 2009, 10:13:50 PM »

Why's that? I'm sticking this on a server class machine without any other usb stuff to cause probs with the usb bus. I know serial can be much more reliable but given that I don't have a dozen other usb gizmo's to get int he way...

Mike

TorH · « **Reply #17 on:** July 02, 2009, 04:14:23 AM »

Yes, there you go.... it's an addicting hobby this, but it's a great hobby

And with this great bunch of people here on this forum, it just get better

So, welcome from North Norway, the land of midnigt sun right now

Quote from: abbott_m on July 01, 2009, 08:53:04 PM

Hmm, I've had it for 1 day and I've already started buying stuff (wireless envoy, the weather software/usb gizmo, day time fan aspiration). Geez, this can get addicting.
Mike

d_l · « **Reply #18 on:** July 02, 2009, 08:27:55 AM »

Quote from: abbott_m on July 01, 2009, 10:13:50 PM

Why's that? I'm sticking this on a server class machine without any other usb stuff to cause probs with the usb bus.

The Davis USB Weatherlink has had a reputation for problems in the past. Many problems are caused by poor grounding of the USB port in some PCs and so the USB WL is sensistive to local RFI and impulse noise. Davis even suggests using ferrite cylinders to filter noise from the USB cables. The wired VP1 version often showed a particularly high wind reading that could be fixed by grounding the USB connector shell.

The other problems were caused by USB driver problems. Recent firmware upgrades should have fixed these.

abbott_m · « **Reply #19 on:** July 02, 2009, 08:50:21 AM »

Fortunately, being a computer geek, I have enough parts laying around to resolve those problems if they arise. Actually I just sorted through all my boxes of cables and actually sorted them all out. I probably have around 20 ferrite cores I could lay hands on in about 3 minutes now. Amazing what you can find in about 100 lbs of unused parts (I probably have around 50 small AC->DC transformers that I just coiled up and stored in case I need them in the future.

Mike

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Author Topic: New setup with VP2 (Read 4654 times)