Topic: Davis Anemometer problems

[daybreak]

My Davis VP2 is about 16 years old.  My anemometer hasn't recorded for 3 days.  It shows 0 it doesn't have a straight line when there's no signal.  I've unplugged the wire and plugged it back in and still zero.  Any ideas?  New Anemometer? 

Thanks Richard

[TraderGary]

My Davis VP2 is about 16 years old.  My anemometer hasn't recorded for 3 days.  It shows 0 it doesn't have a straight line when there's no signal.  I've unplugged the wire and plugged it back in and still zero.  Any ideas?  New Anemometer? 

Thanks Richard

Have you ever done a tune-up kit?

https://www.davisinstruments.com/product/vantage-pro2-complete-tune-up-kit/

[johnd]

Any ideas?  New Anemometer?

Yes, almost certainly (assuming the cable is undamaged). 16 years is pretty good going for an anemometer.

[CW2274]

New Anemometer? 

Jeez, tough crowd. Rolling eyes after 16 years? For a wear-and-tear item as such, that's pretty good in my eyes. I'm all but sure it needed replacing anyway just for that reason alone. The speed cartridge must be worn and the vane probably quite stiff. I'd put it to bed. Most of us shop here if you're interested in new.

https://www.scaledinstruments.com/shop/shop-by-category/anemometer/davis-6410-anemometer-for-vantage-pro2-vantage-pro/

[daybreak]

That's my thinking.  I use Scaled Instruments too!

Thanks,
Richard

[CW2274]

Ryan is a good dude. You may be shocked by how "windy" you've become!

[daybreak]

We're pretty windy here on the prairie, it's turning very fast today just no record!   

[CW2274]

This is also a redesigned anny as well, has a more responsive start-up threshold as well as a higher "top-end". If you get the new one, you may want to put them side-by-side and see how much more freely the new one's cups spin and vane moves. It should be rather significant I would think.

[racenet]

Yeah, I would say that it's time for a replacement. I just replaced mine last weekend after 17+ years of service. Finally just gave up the ghost.

[TraderGary]

Does anyone have any experience with the Davis Tune-up kit?

https://www.davisinstruments.com/product/vantage-pro2-complete-tune-up-kit/

[doubleohwhatever]

Nothing wrong with the kit. You just have to do the math and see if the cost of the parts you want/need are higher or lower than the kit cost. As always, prices are much better at scaled instruments.

[TraderGary]

When I ordered my Davis 6163 last August, Scientific Sales had a better price than Scaled Instruments, so I bought from Scientific Sales. Everything went smoothly and delivery was in two days. Have you ever done business there?

[doubleohwhatever]

I've bought from both on numerous occasions. I go with whoever has the best price for sensors, stations, etc. For Davis replacement or upgrade parts I tend to stick to Scaled Instruments because they almost always have the part I need in stock.

[92merc]

I would replace the anemometer.  There are some updated items to the new one.  A bit better ice shield and some other bits I can't remember.

I didn't get 16 years out of mine.  I think I got 11 before the bushing were shot.  But I went back through my monthly records and totaled up the wind run.  I had a bit over 750k miles out of it.  So I'm sure yours is due.

I live on the prairie of ND.  I can get frequent wind run days over 300 miles.  Some mornings, I can have 200 miles on the clock at breakfast time.  January 14th of this year, I had 740 miles that day alone.  January of 2017, I had a day with 1489 miles.

[Steve King]

Bought our Davis VP2 4 years ago. We have been happy with it except for a year and a half ago we started getting intermittent wind speed and direction drop outs. Re-seating the cable connector took care of it for a while. Now we still get direction indication but no wind speed. I replaced the RJ-11 connector, replaced the bearing assembly, and shortened the cable. No help. The test cable proved it was the anemometer so now I guess it’s time to replace it. It just makes me mad that these fail so much and cost so much. This thing should cost around $50 or less. Anyone know a cheaper alternative that might last longer?

[doubleohwhatever]

I'm not aware of any compatible 3rd party anemometers. I agree that the profit margin on replacement Davis anemometers is likely ridiculous. Nothing compared to the insane price of their ultrasonic anemometer though.

If WeatherFlow were to release a "pro" version of their stations with a tipping bucket input and remote anemometer, I'd drop Davis in a heartbeat.

[ConligWX]

Does anyone have any experience with the Davis Tune-up kit?

https://www.davisinstruments.com/product/vantage-pro2-complete-tune-up-kit/

note on that kit from Davis too:

*This kit includes a vane and wind speed bearing assembly for stations manufactured since 2013. If your station is older than 2013, these two items will not work for your station. Please purchase the other items separately along with Wind Vane product number 7904.

so this isn't applicable to 16 year old Davis Weatherstations - @daybreak

[Steve King]

Thanks for reply Doubleohwhatever. I see a lot of people that have got 11 or more years out of their anemometers. I just got 4 out of mine so I wonder if they are putting cheaper parts in them now. I did notice that it is the cheapest anemometer on scaledinstruments.com. We live out in the woods so we like to keep track of the weather, but I don’t think we need a $500+ ultrasonic anemometer to do that. I’ll check out the Weatherflow stations and keep looking for a fairly priced anemometer.

[doubleohwhatever]

I’ll check out the Weatherflow station

I honestly wouldn't bother with the current Weatherflow station due to the issues with the rain sensor. I was referring to a "pro" version that they've said may be a possibility in the future.

[johnd]

The test cable proved it was the anemometer so now I guess it’s time to replace it. It just makes me mad that these fail so much and cost so much. This thing should cost around $50 or less. Anyone know a cheaper alternative that might last longer?

Care to guess how many VP2-type anemometers are out there around the world? No, I don't know for sure either, but it's got to be north of 100,000, maybe 2 or 3 times that number, maybe more.

If you seriously think that you can mass produce a more robust alternative to the 6410 part with a retail price of $50 then here's a great business opportunity for you. But the fact that there is no such part on the market despite the relatively large market size might just hint at it not being as simple in practice as it might seem.

Actually it might be good for Davis to have some competition on the 6410 aftermarket - might tempt them to rein in the price somewhat. Competition obviously plays a significant role in retail pricing. If you could produce something for a more realistic retail price-tag of even say $120-150 and demonstrate real longevity and accuracy then you should still have a winner on your hands.