Topic: VP2 tipping spoon raingauge?

[jgentry]

Ryan,
uhhh!    I just got done telling a bunch of friends that it was $33 and change and they they should buy this. Now don't I look like the horse's you know what. But we understand. Not your fault. Davis is probably trying to cash in on this patent.

Do you have specs for this new rain gauge? We'd like to know the accuracy of this new gauge. Maybe it isn't worth it?

Yeah this is why I decided to pipe up and say something, I didn't want to just quietly raise prices without explanation.  I don't post in the forums much because I feel like it would be an agenda to push products.  I would rather sales happen organically and I simply work in the background to hopefully provide the best customer service.  However, sometimes something needs to be said in as in this case.

Regarding documentation, I don't have any documentation at all for these new units.  In fact it is my understanding that they were released to me prematurely.  I was told upon my second order that they were not really supposed to be selling these just yet but they would let the second order go through.  Does this mean that once I run out there will be a dry spell before I can get more?  I simply do not know at this point.  Does this mean that there not done refining the product before releasing them to vendors and what I have in stock are not a finished product?  I don't know, but I sort of doubt that.  I think it is more about ramping up production and hitting a solid transition date.  This is all speculation...   Now back to my obscurity cave LOL.

I think the latter would be the case. But if you do hear anything about refining of the new gauge, just please let us know.

[drew1021]

I received my new tipping spoon assy today and wouldn't you know it, it's pouring rain. Hopefully Mother Nature will cooperate so I can get it installed tomorrow. I'm excited about doing some side by side comparisons with my stratus.

[CW2274]

I received my new tipping spoon assy today and wouldn't you know it, it's pouring rain. Hopefully Mother Nature will cooperate so I can get it installed tomorrow. I'm excited about doing some side by side comparisons with my stratus.

Any accuracy lit?

[drew1021]

No, nothing at all.

[jgentry]

I received my new tipping spoon assy today and wouldn't you know it, it's pouring rain. Hopefully Mother Nature will cooperate so I can get it installed tomorrow. I'm excited about doing some side by side comparisons with my stratus.

Let us know what your results are. I should be getting mine next Monday.

[drew1021]

I received my new tipping spoon assy today and wouldn't you know it, it's pouring rain. Hopefully Mother Nature will cooperate so I can get it installed tomorrow. I'm excited about doing some side by side comparisons with my stratus.

Let us know what your results are. I should be getting mine next Monday.

Will do. Unfortunately I'm unsure when I'll be able to install it due to persistent rain. Hopefully it will stop for a while later on so I can change it out.

[ocala]

I received my new tipping spoon assy today and wouldn't you know it, it's pouring rain. Hopefully Mother Nature will cooperate so I can get it installed tomorrow. I'm excited about doing some side by side comparisons with my stratus.

Let us know what your results are. I should be getting mine next Monday.

Will do. Unfortunately I'm unsure when I'll be able to install it due to persistent rain. Hopefully it will stop for a while later on so I can change it out.

Take that puppy inside and install it.
We need results!
 

[galfert]

The only results I need are a spec sheet or a side by side comparison against the old version or against a Stratus.

Just changing it out is only going to result in, "yeah, it works."

[drew1021]

The only results I need are a spec sheet or a side by side comparison against the old version or against a Stratus.

Just changing it out is only going to result in, "yeah, it works."

Stratus can do
Well I caught a break from the rain and swapped out the old for the new. I got measurements from the stratus and my console. Now we wait.

[WheatonRon]

The only results I need are a spec sheet or a side by side comparison against the old version or against a Stratus.

Just changing it out is only going to result in, "yeah, it works."

Stratus can do
Well I caught a break from the rain and swapped out the old for the new. I got measurements from the stratus and my console. Now we wait.

I am supposed to receive my new spoon tipper from Ryan on Monday. How difficult was it to change out the tipper for the new spoon? Was this swap-out process obvious or would some instructions or illustrations have helped?

I am cautiously optimistic about this new tipper but we will see. I have three VP2s closely located to each other such that similar results should be achieved but historically, their rainfall measurements have been unacceptably different, whether the rainfall is heavy or light. I considered hooking up one of the VP2s to my Rainwise 111, but it unexpectedly died after a very short life.

[drew1021]

The only results I need are a spec sheet or a side by side comparison against the old version or against a Stratus.

Just changing it out is only going to result in, "yeah, it works."

Stratus can do
Well I caught a break from the rain and swapped out the old for the new. I got measurements from the stratus and my console. Now we wait.

I am supposed to receive my new spoon tipper from Ryan on Monday. How difficult was it to change out the tipper for the new spoon? Was this swap-out process obvious or would some instructions or illustrations have helped?

I am cautiously optimistic about this new tipper but await results. I have three VP2s closely located to each other such that similar results should be achieved but their rainfall measurements are wildly different, whether the rainfall is heavy or light. I considered hooking up one of the VP2s to my Rainwise 111, but it unexpectedly died after a very short life.

Not difficult at all if you're familiar with the layout of the old tipper. Took about 10 minutes without pulling down the entire ISS. Instructions would have been nice, especially to those that aren't too mechanically inclined. It looks like we'll have a lull in the precipitation for awhile so I may not have any results until tomorrow morning.

[miraculon]

Mine came in today's mail.

I temporarily connected it to a ISS SIM that I only use for a temperature station.

I reconfigured the VUE console out in the garage for a VP2 ISS on that channel (#7).

Manually "tipping" the spoon resulted in counts, so it works OK. The spoon moves quite a bit, it seems to almost vertical at the stop.

Two comments:

• I don't see how there is room for any electronics where the cable emerges from. (I didn't remove the screw holding it place to see what lurks below) I suspect a Hall effect device or reed switch. There is a fairly large magnet on the opposite side of the spoon as it moves. That sweeps across the area with the apparent magnetic sensing.
• I also do not see any provision for adjustment a-la the stops on the conventional tipping bucket. Perhaps this design doesn't have any adjustment. Does the VUE?

There were no instructions, but I think that it uses the same mounting scheme as the existing bucket assembly. I'll install the spoon when I change over to the "Aerocone" for the summer in the coming weeks. (yes, we can still get snow up here...)

Greg H.

[ocala]

The only results I need are a spec sheet or a side by side comparison against the old version or against a Stratus.

Just changing it out is only going to result in, "yeah, it works."

Of course we need side by side comparisons. What else could I be referring too??

[galfert]

The only results I need are a spec sheet or a side by side comparison against the old version or against a Stratus.

Just changing it out is only going to result in, "yeah, it works."

Of course we need side by side comparisons. What else could I be referring too??

Glad we are on the same page then. I know you've been around a while and know better. So I wasn't referring to you but in general (nobody in specific) I was just letting people know to not bother giving us comparisons to some other station down the street.

[mikeym2m]

I received mine Sat and hope to get it installed this upcoming week. I'll be comparing it to a Stratus located less than 12" away.

Cheers

 

MikeyM

[miraculon]

I just installed mine and changed over to the Aerocone. (no particular reason other than it was time to shut down the heater for the season, at least I hope)

The most nail-biting moment was trying to release the snaps for the old tipping bucket assembly. I was really worried that I was going to break one or more of them off. All of a sudden it released and I was able to remove it.

The wire routing seemed a little strange, I passed it out of a different hole in the bottom so the wire didn't cross over anything. The cable could have used another couple of inches.

Greg H.

[WheatonRon]

How difficult is it to replace the tipper with the new spoon tipper?

Not difficult at all if you're familiar with the layout of the old tipper. Took about 10 minutes without pulling down the entire ISS. Instructions would have been nice, especially to those that aren't too mechanically inclined. It looks like we'll have a lull in the precipitation for awhile so I may not have any results until tomorrow morning.

I got my new spoon tipper today. It took awhile to figure out how to perform the replacement but I finally figured it out. A simple one-page illustration would have helped (I am reasonably mechanically inclined) but for nearly $50, what should a person expect? Tacky, Davis. Fortunately, I have several Davis rainbases around, acquired to try and fix the less than stellar rainfall accuracy I have experienced from the VP2 over the years, so I had the ability to experiment a bit. Will it finally fix the known weakness in the VP2 system? Who knows, but with Spring storms coming, I should have a good test in the next few months.

[jgentry]

How difficult is it to replace the tipper with the new spoon tipper?

Not difficult at all if you're familiar with the layout of the old tipper. Took about 10 minutes without pulling down the entire ISS. Instructions would have been nice, especially to those that aren't too mechanically inclined. It looks like we'll have a lull in the precipitation for awhile so I may not have any results until tomorrow morning.

I got my new spoon tipper today. It took awhile to figure out how to perform the replacement but I finally figured it out. A simple one-page illustration would have helped (I am reasonably mechanically inclined) but for nearly $50, what should a person expect? Tacky, Davis. Irrespective of my challenge I do not recommend completing this task without first taking the ISS down from its perch. Fortunately, I have several Davis rainbases around, acquired to try and fix the less than stellar rainfall accuracy I have experienced from the VP2 over the years, so I had the ability to experiment a bit. Will it finally fix the known weakness in the VP2 system? Who knows, but with Spring storms coming, I should have a good test in the next few months.

Got mine today also and installed it on one of my field stations. Wished Davis would’ve designed the tipping mechanism part to just simply snap in the base. I broke the old topper while trying to pop it out with a flathead screwdriver. Lol

[jgentry]

The field station that I own and replaced the tippers with the new spoon can be found on Weather Underground by going here:

https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KALTHORS2?cm_ven=localwx_pwsdash

[twcmaster]

Disclaimer: **PLEASE TAKE ALL MY RAIN DATA WITH A BIG GRAIN OF SALT (SEE DETAILS BELOW)**

I'm probably not the best one to do this, but I will be the first until someone can provide a better setup. My old double tipper is pretty well calibrated, but I am in a really windy area and that tends to throw any sort of consistency with all my gauges (Novalynx 8"/Davis/Rainwise 111/Stratus) all out of whack.

I am located in Long Island, NY on the LI Sound. We had a front with rain blow through yesterday, and the numbers were off, but I really think a better comparison can be made if I get some rain without gusty winds (which does occasionally happen).  Unfortunately, I am not home right now to compare to the Novalynx or Straus and the Rainwise is out of commission while I test the Davis tipper.

Davis Traditional Tipping (2 Spoon) Gauge
VP2ISS/Vue Console
Aerocone


New Tipping Spoon Gauge
VP2ISS/Vue Console
Aerocone

[jgentry]

Disclaimer: **PLEASE TAKE ALL MY RAIN DATA WITH A BIG GRAIN OF SALT (SEE DETAILS BELOW)**

I'm probably not the best one to do this, but I will be the first until someone can provide a better setup. My old double tipper is pretty well calibrated, but I am in a really windy area and that tends to throw any sort of consistency with all my gauges (Novalynx 8"/Davis/Rainwise 111/Stratus) all out of whack.

I am located in Long Island, NY on the LI Sound. We had a front with rain blow through yesterday, and the numbers were off, but I really think a better comparison can be made if I get some rain without gusty winds (which does occasionally happen).  Unfortunately, I am not home right now to compare to the Novalynx or Straus and the Rainwise is out of commission while I test the Davis tipper.

Davis Traditional Tipping (2 Spoon) Gauge
VP2ISS/Vue Console
Aerocone
http://tinyurl.com/y3z9zjjr

New Tipping Spoon Gauge
VP2ISS/Vue Console
Aerocone
http://tinyurl.com/y6gxfqb7

The new spoon has over 7” and the old tipper has 0 for the daily totals...

[twcmaster]

Wow, it wasn't like that when I posted this. I put it on a generic rain collector shelf and only used a bungee to secure it, so the only thing I can think of is that it blew off the shelf and is dangling in the wind. I will be back on site Thursday night.

[drew1021]

The only results I need are a spec sheet or a side by side comparison against the old version or against a Stratus.

Just changing it out is only going to result in, "yeah, it works."

Stratus can do
Well I caught a break from the rain and swapped out the old for the new. I got measurements from the stratus and my console. Now we wait.

Unfortunately I had an issue with the mechanism, I suspect the modular plug. Anyhow I've got a replacement on the way, hopefully I'll have it installed in time for the next storm system on Friday. Will keep everyone updated with results.

[Jester]

jgentry, where did you get your SHT-75?

[jgentry]

jgentry, where did you get your SHT-75?

The place I got mine are sold out.  See this thread for other places
https://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=36254.0