Author Topic: Finally get to install my new station.  (Read 2672 times)

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Greg_M

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Finally get to install my new station.
« on: June 21, 2018, 09:08:52 AM »
I've had my Davis for a few years now (Christmas present) and been waiting to put it up at the new house in New Mexico.
Finally got my tower up which will provide a place to mount it.
So I think today is the day.....


Offline Otis

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Re: Finally get to install my new station.
« Reply #1 on: June 21, 2018, 09:13:59 AM »
Wow, nice tower.
So how are you getting the equipment on it?  Assume the anemometer on top and ISS near bottom?
Do keep us updated with your progress.

CW3699

Greg_M

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Re: Finally get to install my new station.
« Reply #2 on: June 21, 2018, 09:22:52 AM »
I climb it....



I am trying to keep an area near the top clear of things, so I think I will put the anemometer near the cell phone antenna.
Probably have the rest at about 10'.
I still have an antenna to put up on top and I don't want to be stepping on stuff as I put it up.

Greg_M

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Re: Finally get to install my new station.
« Reply #3 on: June 21, 2018, 03:21:16 PM »
Well that was pretty easy.
The anemometer is at about 30'. I had to put it on the NW leg of the tower so I could get it to point north.
Iss is at 11'.
Now I can fiddle the computer interface into working.



Looks like the fire down towards Reserve is kicking up again.

Offline miraculon

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Re: Finally get to install my new station.
« Reply #4 on: June 21, 2018, 06:59:12 PM »
What antenna are you putting up? I see that you are a Ham also. Probably a nice beam?

What is the small Yagi, is that 33cm? Is it for a Davis repeater, or something else in the 900MHz band? (unless I can't judge the size correctly)

73, Greg H. (the other, other Greg) KE8DAF



Blitzortung Stations #706 and #1682
CoCoRaHS: MI-PI-1
CWOP: CW4114 and KE8DAF-13
WU: KMIROGER7
Amateur Radio Callsign: KE8DAF

Greg_M

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Re: Finally get to install my new station.
« Reply #5 on: June 21, 2018, 07:24:32 PM »
I bought a used Hygain TH6DXX (3 band 10-15-20) and I am refurbishing it before I put it up.
The small yagi is a cell phone antenna. It picks up the distant signal and sends it to an indoor amp and then to an indoor antenna. We don't get cell with out it.
« Last Edit: June 21, 2018, 07:36:47 PM by Greg_M »

Greg_M

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Re: Finally get to install my new station.
« Reply #6 on: June 23, 2018, 08:56:12 AM »
Got my weather station running and on the net at this temporary location

http://www.oldthomasplace3.com/weather/

Once I get the webcam running I will be moving some stuff around, but for now you can see it at that link location.

VP2 → Cumulus → Website

Offline DoctorKnow

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Re: Finally get to install my new station.
« Reply #7 on: June 23, 2018, 09:08:18 AM »
This is a dream installation for weather station owners... Any reason why you didn't bring the ISS down to 4 or 5 ft? It would be easier to clean the rain bucket and general maintenance.

Greg_M

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Re: Finally get to install my new station.
« Reply #8 on: June 23, 2018, 09:20:29 AM »
Concerned about radiation from the 10 yard chunk of cement that is the base.
Also don't wanted to think about curious hands, although way out here I have few concerns that it will be an issue.

I have a step ladder that I can reach it from. It's only at 11'.

Offline dalecoy

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Re: Finally get to install my new station.
« Reply #9 on: June 23, 2018, 10:19:06 AM »
This is probably exactly accurate, but...

Barometer     22.977 in

Greg_M

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Re: Finally get to install my new station.
« Reply #10 on: June 23, 2018, 10:27:03 AM »
I'll have to do some searching and try to figure out how to calibrate it.
I just wanted to get it up and running.

Offline DoctorKnow

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Re: Finally get to install my new station.
« Reply #11 on: June 23, 2018, 11:02:59 AM »
Concerned about radiation from the 10 yard chunk of cement that is the base.
Also don't wanted to think about curious hands, although way out here I have few concerns that it will be an issue.

I have a step ladder that I can reach it from. It's only at 11'.

I don't really think it is enough cement to worry about... If it was an airport runway of cement that would be another story. I think I would bring it down, but that is just me over thinking it perhaps, but I do know that temperature and humidity vary moving higher, and often the thermometer will read higher moving up in elevation. Humidity will be lower most times. If you have children around that might try to damage it, I would leave it be.

Greg_M

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Re: Finally get to install my new station.
« Reply #12 on: June 23, 2018, 11:27:37 AM »
I had not set the Lat-Long-El on the Davis.
That made a difference!

Offline dalecoy

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Re: Finally get to install my new station.
« Reply #13 on: June 23, 2018, 11:54:58 AM »
I had not set the Lat-Long-El on the Davis.
That made a difference!

Barometer     22.977 in

Barometer     29.517 in    Rising Rapidly    2.182 in/hr

 :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)

Greg_M

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Re: Finally get to install my new station.
« Reply #14 on: June 23, 2018, 12:04:43 PM »
Concerned about radiation from the 10 yard chunk of cement that is the base.
Also don't wanted to think about curious hands, although way out here I have few concerns that it will be an issue.

I have a step ladder that I can reach it from. It's only at 11'.

I don't really think it is enough cement to worry about... If it was an airport runway of cement that would be another story. I think I would bring it down, but that is just me over thinking it perhaps, but I do know that temperature and humidity vary moving higher, and often the thermometer will read higher moving up in elevation. Humidity will be lower most times. If you have children around that might try to damage it, I would leave it be.

I discovered a radiation problem at my astronomy shack out of Bend, OR a few years back.
I had an 11'x11' cement pad and pier I would set my telescope up on to do astrophotos. I noticed the heat radiating from the pad when I went out to mess with the scope, so I tried throwing a bucket of water on the pad to cool it at dusk. It worked to a degree (ha!).
It was then that I noticed that all modern professional observatories are built up off the ground to get out of "ground effect" heat. The reason we moved to here is to do astronomy and my new observatory will be at about 20'.
The thermal mass of this 10 yards of cement is considerably more than the little pad in OR.

Greg_M

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Re: Finally get to install my new station.
« Reply #15 on: June 23, 2018, 12:19:47 PM »
I had not set the Lat-Long-El on the Davis.
That made a difference!

Barometer     22.977 in

Barometer     29.517 in    Rising Rapidly    2.182 in/hr

 :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)

Pretty dramatic, eh?

Offline DaleReid

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Re: Finally get to install my new station.
« Reply #16 on: June 23, 2018, 05:42:58 PM »
I wonder if you can scrape enough gravel/dirt/sand/rocks from the surrounding area and cover over the exposed concrete pad?

That way it would be identical, actually IS, to the surrounding area, and it would be no different than driving a post in and securing your temperature/humidity sensor to that.

I know you don't want anything dark or heat absorbing but in this case, rock is rock.

I think that a few inches of stuff over the concrete would also effectively isolate it from the sun's energy, heating up in the day and then cooling more slowly at night. 

I know a neighbor here in the midwest greenery galore and not much of your surface, who puts big rocks for landscaping purposes in his garden, only to discover that they cool slowing after the sun goes down providing a wonderful warmer niche for his hostas.  You'd being doing the opposite by keeping the huge mass at ambient temperature.
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Greg_M

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Re: Finally get to install my new station.
« Reply #17 on: June 23, 2018, 07:08:34 PM »
Not a bad idea

Offline wrz0170

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Re: Finally get to install my new station.
« Reply #18 on: June 23, 2018, 08:22:51 PM »
Concerned about radiation from the 10 yard chunk of cement that is the base.
Also don't wanted to think about curious hands, although way out here I have few concerns that it will be an issue.

I have a step ladder that I can reach it from. It's only at 11'.

I don't really think it is enough cement to worry about... If it was an airport runway of cement that would be another story. I think I would bring it down, but that is just me over thinking it perhaps, but I do know that temperature and humidity vary moving higher, and often the thermometer will read higher moving up in elevation. Humidity will be lower most times. If you have children around that might try to damage it, I would leave it be.

I discovered a radiation problem at my astronomy shack out of Bend, OR a few years back.
I had an 11'x11' cement pad and pier I would set my telescope up on to do astrophotos. I noticed the heat radiating from the pad when I went out to mess with the scope, so I tried throwing a bucket of water on the pad to cool it at dusk. It worked to a degree (ha!).
It was then that I noticed that all modern professional observatories are built up off the ground to get out of "ground effect" heat. The reason we moved to here is to do astronomy and my new observatory will be at about 20'.
The thermal mass of this 10 yards of cement is considerably more than the little pad in OR.

Hello to a fellow Astrophotographer and Davis owner!

William

Offline ValentineWeather

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Re: Finally get to install my new station.
« Reply #19 on: June 23, 2018, 08:25:04 PM »
I've used outdoor carpet before lighter shade like grey marine grade for mold and mildew resistance.
Not sure I would worry about such a small slab provided sensor is mounted at top of suggested height 6'.  Nice setup BTW.
Randy

Offline DaleReid

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Re: Finally get to install my new station.
« Reply #20 on: June 23, 2018, 09:15:55 PM »
Greg,
Rohn 45G is marvelous stuff.

I have a whole bunch of weather stuff added to my tower, first put up solely for the ham radio stuff, and was well planned for that.

Then the local TV stuff was added when HDTV came on and we being 90 miles or so from the Twin Cities added some antennas and preamps.  The sensors and pyranometers came on later, and I wished I had the energy to climb any more and go up to strip the old stuff off, but it works for me.  I got a few more things to get up then be happy until the next big thing comes along.

Keep posting the pix.
Dale
K9ELD
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Greg_M

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Re: Finally get to install my new station.
« Reply #21 on: June 24, 2018, 09:16:43 AM »
Greg,
Rohn 45G is marvelous stuff.

I have a whole bunch of weather stuff added to my tower, first put up solely for the ham radio stuff, and was well planned for that.

Then the local TV stuff was added when HDTV came on and we being 90 miles or so from the Twin Cities added some antennas and preamps.  The sensors and pyranometers came on later, and I wished I had the energy to climb any more and go up to strip the old stuff off, but it works for me.  I got a few more things to get up then be happy until the next big thing comes along.

Keep posting the pix.
Dale
K9ELD

Thanks Dale, nice collection up there.
This tower is actually 55g. I found it on Craigslist. It was unused. A guy had bought it and never put it up. Couldn't pass it up.


Offline DaleReid

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Re: Finally get to install my new station.
« Reply #22 on: June 24, 2018, 09:54:27 AM »
Better yet!  How far down did you bury it?  I have guys on mine but am only 4' into the ground.

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Greg_M

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Re: Finally get to install my new station.
« Reply #23 on: June 24, 2018, 10:18:18 AM »
I got 4 sections from the guy on Craigslist.
One section and a little bend in the most end rung so I used that for the bottom piece and buried half of that section. The Rohn engineers give pretty exact instructions on the the hole size and rebar (#7).
I figured they sell those 5' sections for burying so I went with 5' of the first section with the bent rung.
I'm not real good with my tractor so the hole got a bit bigger than they called for. Instead of close to 6 yards it wound up being closer to 10.
Oh well. I always tend to overbuild.


« Last Edit: June 24, 2018, 10:31:32 AM by Greg_M »

Offline ValentineWeather

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Re: Finally get to install my new station.
« Reply #24 on: June 24, 2018, 10:29:07 AM »
That tower's not going nowhere.  I see where the slab could be a big heat sink now.
My suggestion is to have weather station off to side somewhere and just use tower for anemometer.  Rain gauge needs mounted at about 3' elevation anyway.
Randy

 

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