Topic: related to snow depth,

[Aardvark]

I have been waiting for a long time for  the Ambient Weather WS-DPT01 Ultrasonic Snow Depth, Lake Depth and Tank Depth Meter  to show up.  I heard from Ambient that there is a problem with the temperature causing variations on the depth, I don't know if and when .

In the meantime, I used my Foscam P9831W  out the window, when not using it for cloud watch,  to focus on my snow guage.  I jerry-rigged up a cheap solar light from Home Depot (cost 20 dollars)  to a tree stake and then secured everything with plastic cable ties.  It gets the sun during the day and the light comes on when it just gets dark and off at dawn.  Not a great solution, but it is a solution.

The two pictures are kind of hard to visualize, one is just a few moments ago, the other is back when we actually had some snow. I need to go out and raise the stick a bit, but it is accurate enough. The best part is I don't have to get off my tuchas to go to the window and actually look out.  Even better is that I can access and control that camera where ever I am from my smartphone or computer.

[Randall Kayfes]

Have to love what we can do today with off the shelf technology!
Thank you for sharing.

Randall

[Aardvark]

that is something we do when the weather is boring, figure out ways to make the equipment and needs more interesting. Often problems happen, but we manage to lump through them with more suggestion than a squirrel has fleas and maybe even one that really is a solution. We read and laugh and find ourselves writing followup responses such as " As a child, did you eat paint chips?"  only to erase them after thinking the better and thinking " I shouldn't write that, the answer is obvious anyway, he did."

Joe

[miraculon]

I have been waiting for a long time for  the Ambient Weather WS-DPT01 Ultrasonic Snow Depth, Lake Depth and Tank Depth Meter  to show up.  I heard from Ambient that there is a problem with the temperature causing variations on the depth, I don't know if and when .

I have been seeing this with my MaxBotix sensor, but I believe that it is the fault of the screen that I have the temperature sensor mounted in. It is light gray plastic and I think that it has some solar-induced heating. MaxBotix actually recommends a FARS for the temperature sensor. On cloudy days, or when the temp sensor is in the shade, there is no problem.

The temp sensor is in the small "pagoda" screen just above the junction box on the arm. I am planning on painting it white when the weather warms up (if ever...).


What happens is when the sun heats the temp sensor screen, the calculated depth decreases since it "thinks" that the air is warmer than it actually is.

This must be what Ambient is struggling with. They probably don't want to add FARS to their snow depth sensor! 

Greg H.