I hope I am posting this question in the right place. It is about radio, an area I only have expertise in as a user!
I have had an iROX Pro-X USB station since 2009. Initially I had the same problems that many have had with the station losing the signals from the outdoor wireless sensors. In 2010 I did the modification to the control box, to install a BNC connector and an external antenna. Until just before Christmas 2013, other than a very occasional loss of signal, the external sensors have all reported, and I am online to Wunderground at
http://goo.gl/BD99By using a TP Link MR3020 Meteobridge.
However. A couple of days before Christmas, I started to loose the signal from the annemometer and weather vane. Signal loss was progressive, so i replaced the batteries. It worked for an hour, then lost signal again.
Following the advice about the conversion, I have connected the internal flexible wire antenna from the PCB, to the shield connector of the BNC. The copper core is connected to the antenna point on the small PCB. This internal thin flexible antenna is said to improve the ground plane, by being connected to the coax shielding.
The image shows the black wire running under the PCB to the BNC. I have changed the sold core to one without the thick shieled core because of the bend.
Is this good / correct information about ground plane please anyone?
This afternoon, I took the mast down and checked out the annemometer unit. Despite several years of +50c, wind and blowing sand, the insides all look fine and very clean. If I bring it close top the control unit, or the external antenna, the signal is received, but up the mast, 10m from the antenna, it fails again.
Could this be a ground plane issue, or is it going to be some other kind pof wireless issue, or may be the mast top unit is just failing through age and environment. I don't know enough about radio to understand what might be the problem.
Thanks for reading this
N
