Author Topic: Davis VP2 Mount Question (Ambient WeatherMount 2)  (Read 2034 times)

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Offline apdmc6008

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Davis VP2 Mount Question (Ambient WeatherMount 2)
« on: March 30, 2017, 02:07:06 PM »
Greetings -

I've ordered a Weathermount2 to mount my VP2 up on the roof - curious if anyone out there has found they needed any stabilizing brackets? I am hoping it's pretty solid - it can be quite windy and gusty here in Seattle, and I'm about 3/4 of the way up Capitol Hill so we get some fun winds.

It will be mounted on the rooftop of a 3 story house. Unfortunately, due to the housing closeness to our neighbors, the ISS will also be mounted up there (albeit lower on the pole than the anemometer), as there's no suitable location on ground level that will provide good readings.

Any other feedback on the weathermount 2 would be welcomed as well.

Thanks!

Offline WheatonRon

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Re: Davis VP2 Mount Question (Ambient WeatherMount 2)
« Reply #1 on: March 30, 2017, 03:53:27 PM »
Greetings -

I've ordered a Weathermount2 to mount my VP2 up on the roof - curious if anyone out there has found they needed any stabilizing brackets? I am hoping it's pretty solid - it can be quite windy and gusty here in Seattle, and I'm about 3/4 of the way up Capitol Hill so we get some fun winds.

It will be mounted on the rooftop of a 3 story house. Unfortunately, due to the housing closeness to our neighbors, the ISS will also be mounted up there (albeit lower on the pole than the anemometer), as there's no suitable location on ground level that will provide good readings.

Any other feedback on the weathermount 2 would be welcomed as well.

Thanks!

I have no information on the weathermount 2 product, but have some thoughts for you. Have you maintained an ISS before? The reason I ask there is ongoing regular maintenance required--changing the battery, cleaning debris from the rain collector, unexpected surprises, etc. My point is don't put the ISS on a three story house unless you have easy access to it and you are willing and able to service the ISS as noted. On a related matter, my VP2 sits on a 6 foot fence. I can easily service it with a 6 foot ladder; unfortunately, the anemometer is attached to the ISS and should be much higher for accurate wind readings. I accept this compromise as my wife won't allow me to put the anemometer on top of our two story house and have it connected to a separate transmitter to my console--too ugly in her mind. I live with inaccurate wind measurements and move on.
« Last Edit: March 30, 2017, 08:44:40 PM by WheatonRon »
Davis VP2 with SHT31 (3 complete VP2 systems—2 with a daytime fan and 1 that has a 24 hour fan); CWOP--CW5020, FW3075 and FW4350; WU--KILWHEAT17, KILWHEAT36 and KILWHEAT39; WeatherCloud.net; CoCoRaHS--IL-DP-132; and Weatherlink 2.0

Offline dalecoy

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Re: Davis VP2 Mount Question (Ambient WeatherMount 2)
« Reply #2 on: March 30, 2017, 05:45:08 PM »

I've ordered a Weathermount2 to mount my VP2 up on the roof - curious if anyone out there has found they needed any stabilizing brackets? I am hoping it's pretty solid - it can be quite windy and gusty here in Seattle, and I'm about 3/4 of the way up Capitol Hill so we get some fun winds.

It will be mounted on the rooftop of a 3 story house.

Flat roof?  Sloping roof?  or Gable end?

Guy wires will almost certainly be advisable.

Offline apdmc6008

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Re: Davis VP2 Mount Question (Ambient WeatherMount 2)
« Reply #3 on: March 30, 2017, 07:47:13 PM »

I have no information on the weathermount 2 product, but have some thoughts for you. Have you maintained an ISS before? The reason I ask is there is ongoing regular maintenance required--changing the battery, cleaning debris from the rain collector, unexpected surprises, etc. My point is don't put the ISS on a three story house unless you have easy access to it and you are willing and able to service the ISS as noted. On a related matter, my VP2 sits on a 6 foot fence. I can easily service it with a 6 foot ladder; however, the anemometer rests on the ISS and should be much higher for accurate wind readings. I accept this compromise and my wife won't allow me to put the anemometer on top of our two story house and have it connected to a separate transmitter to my console--too ugly in her mind. I live with inaccurate wind measurements and move on.

Yes, I had a weather station for about a year when I lived in South Carolina. I had a 10' pole with the anemometer on it, and it was fastened to a 8' fence post so I could access it if need be. The ISS was low enough I could just use a small ladder to get inside (it often got filled with pine needles). This one here the top of the 3rd floor is a flat rooftop, with a parapet wall about chest high surrounding - though I was planning on mounting it on the rooftop stairwell enclosure so it's a little higher than the surrounding structures.

Offline apdmc6008

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Re: Davis VP2 Mount Question (Ambient WeatherMount 2)
« Reply #4 on: March 30, 2017, 07:49:37 PM »
Flat roof?  Sloping roof?  or Gable end?

Guy wires will almost certainly be advisable.

Equivalent of gable end, I suppose. It's a flat roof, with that flat roof being a rooftop deck. A chest-high parapet wall surrounds it, and there's a rooftop stairwell access enclosure as well. Thoughts were to mount it on the vertical part of the stairwell access building - low enough for the ISS to be accessed easily if need be, but high enough the anemometer gets better wind readings.

Offline ValentineWeather

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Re: Davis VP2 Mount Question (Ambient WeatherMount 2)
« Reply #5 on: March 30, 2017, 08:36:13 PM »
I had one (ambient junk Weathermount2) its not very good IMO. I tightened it so much the thin metal continued to collapse. I wouldn't have another myself, the design is flawed.
Randy

Offline dalecoy

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Re: Davis VP2 Mount Question (Ambient WeatherMount 2)
« Reply #6 on: March 30, 2017, 10:22:38 PM »
..... Thoughts were to mount it on the vertical part of the stairwell access building - low enough for the ISS to be accessed easily if need be, but high enough the anemometer gets better wind readings.

OK, understood.  See Randy's comment above.  You'll need some additional bracketing or (preferably) guy wires, for stability in the wind. 

Offline apdmc6008

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Re: Davis VP2 Mount Question (Ambient WeatherMount 2)
« Reply #7 on: March 31, 2017, 01:26:53 AM »
Thanks for the feedback thus far. Hopefully it's not junk, but if it is, I'll send it back (Amazon and their great return policy  8-) ).

Offline ValentineWeather

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Re: Davis VP2 Mount Question (Ambient WeatherMount 2)
« Reply #8 on: March 31, 2017, 06:49:07 AM »
Thanks for the feedback thus far. Hopefully it's not junk, but if it is, I'll send it back (Amazon and their great return policy  8-) ).

Its thin metal so to keep level it needs to be tight. As you tighten the metal collapses, I never could get it where it was sturdy. Maybe they have changed something with design but doubt it.
Randy

Offline SnowHiker

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Re: Davis VP2 Mount Question (Ambient WeatherMount 2)
« Reply #9 on: March 31, 2017, 05:32:46 PM »
it looks like to me the base is a standard mount that is used for satellite dish antennas.

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If so, the bolt on the left goes all the way through and is not meant to be tightened down, it's just what the mast pivots on, and you will collapse the mast if you try to over tighten it.  The the ones on the left on the semicircular cutout are the ones you want to tighten down.  There should be one on each side, so you tighten each one separately to hold the mast securely to the base, and as they don't go all the way through, it doesn't collapse anything.

Offline apdmc6008

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Re: Davis VP2 Mount Question (Ambient WeatherMount 2)
« Reply #10 on: March 31, 2017, 10:26:00 PM »
Yeah, that's about what it looks like. Both of the bolts go all the way through - the pivot and the adjustable one.  The latter of the two has a square shank just below the head that keeps it from spinning while you tighten the other side.

It seems plenty stable to me, but I've ordered a bracket that's available to support the vertical piece further up - we get some pretty gusty winds here and want to be doubly sure a good 20-30mph gust doesn't wrench it off the building.

Offline dalecoy

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Re: Davis VP2 Mount Question (Ambient WeatherMount 2)
« Reply #11 on: March 31, 2017, 10:40:50 PM »
Bracket is exactly what I suggested.  It will be much more rigid with 2 points of anchoring.

Offline SnowHiker

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Re: Davis VP2 Mount Question (Ambient WeatherMount 2)
« Reply #12 on: March 31, 2017, 10:52:09 PM »
Both of the bolts go all the way through - the pivot and the adjustable one.  The latter of the two has a square shank just below the head that keeps it from spinning while you tighten the other side.
Then it's not like the way the dish mounts I've installed in the past are.  Sounds like they've tried to simplify it at the expense of stability.

If both sides of the mast at the base have the square holes, as I think they should, I would go to the hardware store and buy a couple of short carriage bolts, nuts, and another lock or tooth washer (assuming one is already included) to replace the long carriage bolt.  It should be no problem to insert the short bolts from the inside of the mast to the outside.  That should make it much stronger without collapsing the metal.  I would do that even if you opt to use other brackets or guy wires.  Whatever other support you add would then add be more of an extra margin of safety than a necessity.
« Last Edit: March 31, 2017, 11:03:38 PM by SnowHiker »

Offline SnowHiker

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Re: Davis VP2 Mount Question (Ambient WeatherMount 2)
« Reply #13 on: March 31, 2017, 11:57:56 PM »
I would go to the hardware store and buy a couple of short carriage bolts, nuts, and another lock or tooth washer (assuming one is already included) to replace the long carriage bolt. 
If the store doesn't have the right bolts, it looks like you could order them for a few dollars by searching for something like "dish antenna hardware pack".

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Of course I can't guarantee it, but I think all those mounts are pretty standard and use the same size hardware, and are probably all made at the same factory.

Offline SpartanWX

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Re: Davis VP2 Mount Question (Ambient WeatherMount 2)
« Reply #14 on: April 02, 2017, 01:09:39 AM »
If I were you I'd find a way to just mount the rain bucket and anemometer on the roof, with the rest of the ISS at ground level.  You'll need much less mount, and will make trouble shooting that much easier.

 

anything