Topic: Location, Location, Location (researching PWS options)

[abishur]

I'm planning on making my on PWS.  I've got the parts worked out for my wind speed, direction, temperature, humidity, etc.  What's holding me up right now is where to put it.  I live in the suburbs so I can't put it on the ground because there are too many close by tall structures.

I'm thinking about putting on the roof and attaching it either to my heater's exhaust vent (I'd have to bring it out a few feet so the exhaust didn't mess with my wind speed) or on the side of my house.

Either way from what I've read I need to put the wind and direction sensor at least 6 feet above the roof line.  So my ultimate question here is A) what sort of material should I use for the rod?  I'd prefer not to use a metal rod, the area I live in has an HOA and they get fussy over very visible objects (we're not even allowed to have an antenna on the roof), so I'm trying to keep it low profile and B) how much should I worry about putting a lightning rod up?  I live in Texas so we get a fair amount of lightning, but if I use a fiber glass rod and have it powered solely off battery and solar with no wires going to it then I shouldn't have a ground path for lightning to travel down.

Anyways, some general advice on what y'all have done and general considerations would be very appreciated 

[Cutty Sark Sailor]

Does a fiber glass rod get wet when it rains?    If lightning's gonna getcha, it's gonna getcha.
You need to be 11 feet above roofline, minimum, to minimize roof vortexes (urban boundary layer)
On a nice day, when wind is out of predominate direction, tie a helium ballon to a string, float it up
until it appears more or less stable in dominate direction.
measure the string.


Good luck.
Mike

[abishur]

Does a fiber glass rod get wet when it rains? 

  Okay okay, I would have thought that even with it getting wet, without it being connected to anything conductive (data will be communicated via RF) beyond other wetness all the way down a wooden and brick house that it wouldn't have offered enough of a path to attract lightning. But better safe than sporting a lovely weather station shaped brick.

So that leads me to the question of how small of a diameter of a rod can I get away with without sacrificing too much strength? 

Also in the pic you attached, where is there lightning rod for that weather station?  If I understand lightning rods correctly, I want the height of the weather station in a path that is 45° from the top of the lightning rod.

[Cutty Sark Sailor]

There is no lightning rod.  Lightning Rods are designed to attract lightning.  That's the last thing I desire. That wireless station sits isolated on the 1¼" sectional pipe. The pipe mounts on a tilt base, and the guys are hooked to fence... Nothing touches earth ground. I might possibly get a big pulse through the Blitzortong E Field antenna, and the Hikvision cam mounted on the mast, not in that first picture, other than that, I compute little or no danger. (Now, watch it get blown to smithereens with the next storm...  )   

Now, some folks do use grounds, etc... I dunno... I personally think it's a wasted expense, and effort in most cases... especially if your equipment manufacturer has no suggestions in their documentation, everything considered... again, if a bolt aims at you, you're cooked anyway,.... stuff may not fail for days or weeks after a near-miss.
...but you have to do what you feel, what is necessary for your area, and what will make you sleep better at night.

Cheers!
Mike