Author Topic: Utrasonic station project I'm considering  (Read 2075 times)

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Offline adacomp

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Utrasonic station project I'm considering
« on: July 29, 2017, 06:30:52 PM »
I am looking at upgrading my Davis Weather Wizard III components to a more modern set. I airboss airshows in my spare time and while the Davis set has served me well for over 10 years it's time to get something more modern and that has the capability of providing more information.This weather reporting is only used for airshows around the country. It has to be small and portable and fit in a small Pelican case. Our company has an Orion weather station but they are too expensive to purchase another one. We sometimes have three airshows the same weekend.

I am looking at the following.

Computer & Display hardware:
Raspberry Pi 3 Model B
7" or 10" display with case
2 skins -  Display only what is shown on the attachments in that format. One is for daytime show and the other (inverse) is used for nightime shows.
No need to keep data as each venue will be different.

Weather Station hardware:
1st choice - Use Maretron WSO100 Ultrasonic Weather Station - Uses NMEA 2000 bus. Will use Maretron USB100 NMEA 200 / USB Gateway. It converts NMEA 2000 Inputs to NMEA 0183 Outputs to USB. Optionally use an Actisense NGT-1-USB interface.
:
2nd choice - Use New Mountain NM150WX Ultrasonic Weather Station - This unit is twice as expensive as the Maretron but has basically the same functionality. I see that the NM150WX has already been interfaced to weewx?

Before I start purchasing this equipment I would like to know if what I am proposing is possible. Any information group members might have would be appreciated, especially someone that might have already interfaced the mentioned hardware to weewx. I also posted this on the weewx-users Google group.

Offline DaleReid

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    • Weather at Eau Claire, WI
Re: Utrasonic station project I'm considering
« Reply #1 on: July 29, 2017, 07:18:24 PM »
Random thought:
Airshows require the staff to travel to where they are.  Set up, tear down move, set up tear down move.

There is no real good reason to use UltraSonic sensors for wind as far as I can tell, and having futzed with an RM Young and having a minor bump move the little transducers a wee bit, enough to cause it to lock up, put it out of commission.  I'm thinking a conventional wind monitor with cups or propeller would be a bit more robust, but there are some Vaisala ultra that look good and are meant to be on ships and such with some ice.  Some Met One devices are even more precarious in their look.

I guess other than looking to get experience with ultrasonics, why go that (expensive) route?
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Offline adacomp

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Re: Utrasonic station project I'm considering
« Reply #2 on: July 29, 2017, 07:54:15 PM »
We already use the "cups and propeller" method. Mine only has wind speed and direction. i need more parameters. The Davis 5 in 1 is too bulky. The Orion unit we use is taken down and put up 20-30 times in a season.season. We have no trouble with it. It will be packed in a foam lined Pelican case for transport.

 

anything