Author Topic: New Wh57 lightning sensor  (Read 833 times)

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Offline beamd

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New Wh57 lightning sensor
« on: July 28, 2021, 10:18:28 PM »
I have read some in another topic of the wh57 having been updated. I have had a WH57 at my house since May of 2020 set with all the dip switches down (it is inside, I guess it is still working well enough being on the outdoor setting) and it has never given me any false strikes that I remember (I would rather miss some strikes then register false strikers).

I just got in a new one today for my far which is about 7 miles away from my house and it is up to 550 strike today since being installed around 10am this morning on the least sensitive setting. I tried moving to several locations with no luck. Almost all but one are two are saying 8 miles. I got this one off of Amazon and the other straight from ecowitt. The one from Amazon did look like it could have possibly been used, from the reviews I'm a little suspicious they maybe reshipping returns.

I'm going to try taking the one from my house to the farm tomorrow and see if it receives false strikes but I'm thinking that its an issue with the new sensor. Anyone else have similar experiences with new wh57 sensors vs old ones?

Offline eliteweathernz

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Re: New Wh57 lightning sensor
« Reply #1 on: July 29, 2021, 02:17:28 AM »
Electric fence generator might be the issue at the farm causing your false strikes.

Offline beamd

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Re: New Wh57 lightning sensor
« Reply #2 on: July 29, 2021, 09:27:01 AM »
I have had the one from my house installed in same location as one at farm for 15 minutes now with same all dip down setting and not one false strike yet. Far from being thoroughly tested but pretty well tells me the new sensor is bad, it had already read 388 for the day.

Does anyone know if you have better luck with the ones straight from ecowitt? That is where my good one is from but it may just be the first non updated kind worked better.

Offline beamd

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Re: New Wh57 lightning sensor
« Reply #3 on: July 29, 2021, 12:01:35 PM »
Still no strikes on one from house going on 3 hours now.

Offline Gyvate

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Re: New Wh57 lightning sensor
« Reply #4 on: July 29, 2021, 12:28:29 PM »
what happens, if you put both next to each other at your house ? (both with the same dip switch settings)
what are the readings ?
And the same experiment the other way around - i.e. at your farm ?
WS2350 1.6.6, GW1000(3) 1.7.7,WH2650 WiFi (2) 1.7.7 (test/backup), GW1100 2.3.1, GW2000(3) 3.1.1, HP2551 1.9.3,5.1.5;HP3500 1.7.2,WS3800 1.2.8, WN1910 1.2.3,WN1980 1.2.3;
Ecowitt WS90(2)1.3.5/1.4.0, WS80(2)1.2.5, WS68, WS69, WH40, WH31, WH31-EP, WN30, WN34L, WN35, WH32, WH32-EP, WH32B, WH57 [Lightning], WH41 [PM2.5], WH51, WH45, WH55
MeteobridgePro(2)[test,prod] 5.8 Mar 01 2024, 15185 - Blake-Larsen Sun Recorder - RPi4/weewx 4.8.0/4.10.2/CumulusMX 3282/Meteobridge RPi4B-2GB(3169)
Barani Meteoshield Pro, MetSpec Rad02 - Ecowitt 5763,34418;WU ISAARB3(WH4000SE),ISAARB22(HP2553), http://meshka.eu

Offline beamd

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Re: New Wh57 lightning sensor
« Reply #5 on: July 29, 2021, 03:01:12 PM »
I'll try and put the new one at my house tonight and see what it does, how would you run both at the same time?

Offline Gyvate

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Re: New Wh57 lightning sensor
« Reply #6 on: July 29, 2021, 03:29:38 PM »
you'd need to take the console from the farm too, I guess - unless you have e.g. a spare GW1000/WS-2000/HP2551 console at home.
Then you can also run the WH57 with different consoles.
« Last Edit: July 29, 2021, 03:31:10 PM by Gyvate »
WS2350 1.6.6, GW1000(3) 1.7.7,WH2650 WiFi (2) 1.7.7 (test/backup), GW1100 2.3.1, GW2000(3) 3.1.1, HP2551 1.9.3,5.1.5;HP3500 1.7.2,WS3800 1.2.8, WN1910 1.2.3,WN1980 1.2.3;
Ecowitt WS90(2)1.3.5/1.4.0, WS80(2)1.2.5, WS68, WS69, WH40, WH31, WH31-EP, WN30, WN34L, WN35, WH32, WH32-EP, WH32B, WH57 [Lightning], WH41 [PM2.5], WH51, WH45, WH55
MeteobridgePro(2)[test,prod] 5.8 Mar 01 2024, 15185 - Blake-Larsen Sun Recorder - RPi4/weewx 4.8.0/4.10.2/CumulusMX 3282/Meteobridge RPi4B-2GB(3169)
Barani Meteoshield Pro, MetSpec Rad02 - Ecowitt 5763,34418;WU ISAARB3(WH4000SE),ISAARB22(HP2553), http://meshka.eu

Offline beamd

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Re: New Wh57 lightning sensor
« Reply #7 on: July 29, 2021, 07:38:13 PM »
Oh OK. Do you know how to register the new sensor to my hp3501? It wasn't near as easy as mu gw1000 at farm was.

Offline Gyvate

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Re: New Wh57 lightning sensor
« Reply #8 on: July 30, 2021, 03:42:48 AM »
The HP3501 seems not to have a sensor registration page as the HP2551/WS-2000 does. (didn't find one in the manual)
Hence I propose to do it the following way:
Look up your the sensor ID of the WH57 in your WS-2000 console, Settings (gear while), ---> More [setup] --> sensorsID, note it down.
- Take off the batteries from the WH57 which was connected to the WS-2000 console.
- Take off the batteries from the farm WH57, wait 5 seconds,  and re-insert them (=reset sensor).
- Now power-cycle your HP3501 (if you need the calibration values of the HP3501 and the rain totals, note them down before as they may get lost in the power-cycling process).
- Now the HP3501 should receive the farm WH57.
Once this is done,
- re-insert the batteries of your home WH57, go again to the sensorsID page of your WS2000.
-- If your WH57 sensor is the same as before (check the sensor ID of your home WH57 you noted down erlier), all is done.
-- If it has also picked of the other which is connected to the HP3501,
- select the WH57 sensor field and press magnifying glass (-).
- Enter the the sensor ID of your home WH57 you noted down earlier. It should now connect to the sensorID you entered.
Once it appears, you are settled.
WS2350 1.6.6, GW1000(3) 1.7.7,WH2650 WiFi (2) 1.7.7 (test/backup), GW1100 2.3.1, GW2000(3) 3.1.1, HP2551 1.9.3,5.1.5;HP3500 1.7.2,WS3800 1.2.8, WN1910 1.2.3,WN1980 1.2.3;
Ecowitt WS90(2)1.3.5/1.4.0, WS80(2)1.2.5, WS68, WS69, WH40, WH31, WH31-EP, WN30, WN34L, WN35, WH32, WH32-EP, WH32B, WH57 [Lightning], WH41 [PM2.5], WH51, WH45, WH55
MeteobridgePro(2)[test,prod] 5.8 Mar 01 2024, 15185 - Blake-Larsen Sun Recorder - RPi4/weewx 4.8.0/4.10.2/CumulusMX 3282/Meteobridge RPi4B-2GB(3169)
Barani Meteoshield Pro, MetSpec Rad02 - Ecowitt 5763,34418;WU ISAARB3(WH4000SE),ISAARB22(HP2553), http://meshka.eu

Offline beamd

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Re: New Wh57 lightning sensor
« Reply #9 on: July 30, 2021, 08:38:16 AM »
I don't have a ws2000. I have a gw1000 at farm at hp3501 at home. I messaged ecowitt to see if there is an easy way.

Offline Gyvate

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Re: New Wh57 lightning sensor
« Reply #10 on: July 30, 2021, 09:47:06 AM »
If you don't want to move the GW1000 for the tests to your place (easiest technical solution), you have other test options, which unfortunately won't be so reliable as having the two sensors close to each other and both received by a different console. You might think of getting you a 2nd GW1000. Always good to have a backup in case something goes wrong, and it's 36 USD only.
(But DON'T get yourself the Misol GW1000 offered at amazon.com - it transmits at the wrong frequency [433 MHz] and your WH57 has most likely 915 MHz).
Then you can compare them and exchange them easily.

But when you say that you get a lot unrelated readings at your farm - why not just exchange the WH57 with the one you have at home and see what the GW1000 reports (the same as the other one or something else).
And see, what the farm WH57 shows at your HP3501.
If the readings at the farm remain the same even though you exchanged the WH57, then either the GW1000 is defective (latest firmware 1.6.8 ?) or you have a difficult electromagnetic environment
« Last Edit: July 30, 2021, 09:48:56 AM by Gyvate »
WS2350 1.6.6, GW1000(3) 1.7.7,WH2650 WiFi (2) 1.7.7 (test/backup), GW1100 2.3.1, GW2000(3) 3.1.1, HP2551 1.9.3,5.1.5;HP3500 1.7.2,WS3800 1.2.8, WN1910 1.2.3,WN1980 1.2.3;
Ecowitt WS90(2)1.3.5/1.4.0, WS80(2)1.2.5, WS68, WS69, WH40, WH31, WH31-EP, WN30, WN34L, WN35, WH32, WH32-EP, WH32B, WH57 [Lightning], WH41 [PM2.5], WH51, WH45, WH55
MeteobridgePro(2)[test,prod] 5.8 Mar 01 2024, 15185 - Blake-Larsen Sun Recorder - RPi4/weewx 4.8.0/4.10.2/CumulusMX 3282/Meteobridge RPi4B-2GB(3169)
Barani Meteoshield Pro, MetSpec Rad02 - Ecowitt 5763,34418;WU ISAARB3(WH4000SE),ISAARB22(HP2553), http://meshka.eu

Offline beamd

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Re: New Wh57 lightning sensor
« Reply #11 on: July 30, 2021, 10:34:06 AM »
Why my test may not be completely perfect it tells me enough to know that if I could some how duplicate my original sensor it would work at farm as far as no false strikes, it has now been more then 24 hours with no false strikes compared to 100s with the new sensor. I'm hoping to get a little lightning to show it (my old wh57 temporarily placed at farm) also does report strikes. If I can get the new one connected to my hp3501 at the house with out doing a factory reset I'll post the results here.

Offline Rover1822

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Re: New Wh57 lightning sensor
« Reply #12 on: July 30, 2021, 10:43:10 AM »
I guess part of this is also to see if you get positive believable strikes registered.

It is unfortunate, but you are not the first poster to see random or weird strikes with this sensor. There does not seem to be a rhyme or reason in most cases on why this occurs.

I have had one, almost since the product was offered. It has not demonstrated the false strikes and does record believable strikes, I may have just been lucky. I even have items around that might in my mind cause false strikes, like electronic bug zappers , arc welders, etc.

I even have a software radio (SDR), from which I scan a lot of bands. I can see on the software for the radio usually around 150 MHz when a strike has occurred as the baseline will jump, and sure enough, I can then  wait a for the lightning sensors reporting duration , and my count will increase. Not that I am looking for activity at 150MHz, that is just were I am normally scanning for marine VHF signals.





« Last Edit: July 30, 2021, 10:57:13 AM by Rover1822 »
Ambient:
  WS-2000
  PM 2.5(2)
  WH31B(2)
  WH40E
  WH31P
EcoWitt:
  GW1100
  GW1000(4)
  WH31(2)
  WH57
  WH51(12),
  WH40
  WH5360B
  WN34S
  WittBoy WS90 + GW2000
  WS90 (other one) + GW1100
Personal Sites: Weather Cam

Offline beamd

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Re: New Wh57 lightning sensor
« Reply #13 on: July 30, 2021, 12:49:19 PM »
That's how my situation is rover1822, my original which I bought when they first came out has been flawless. Has any one on here bought one in US off of Amazon in past few months that works correctly? What about from Ecowitt?

Offline Rover1822

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Re: New Wh57 lightning sensor
« Reply #14 on: July 30, 2021, 01:00:32 PM »
I don't think one can draw a conclusion based on where it was bought, unless it was someone dumping a used one on the market to recoup their investment.

I bought mine directly from Ecowitt as an early adopter (Mine is not Ambient compatible, but that should have no bearing on the actual sensor, other than it will never work with an Ambient console)

If I had to postulate, and this is a wild guess, there is a QC issue with the devices that may be hard for the manufacturer to identify/remedy. Something like in a test environment it registers the lightning rf, but then no test to see if it ignores the negatives. But then, I am not affiliated with F/O or any related vendor of these, and simply a guess that could be totally inaccurate.
« Last Edit: July 30, 2021, 01:04:40 PM by Rover1822 »
Ambient:
  WS-2000
  PM 2.5(2)
  WH31B(2)
  WH40E
  WH31P
EcoWitt:
  GW1100
  GW1000(4)
  WH31(2)
  WH57
  WH51(12),
  WH40
  WH5360B
  WN34S
  WittBoy WS90 + GW2000
  WS90 (other one) + GW1100
Personal Sites: Weather Cam

Offline Rover1822

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Re: New Wh57 lightning sensor
« Reply #15 on: July 30, 2021, 01:07:15 PM »
I do think the tests that you are going to do are going to help, not just you, but the rest of the community.

There are not a lot that have 2 units, that goes a long way for testing.

Ambient:
  WS-2000
  PM 2.5(2)
  WH31B(2)
  WH40E
  WH31P
EcoWitt:
  GW1100
  GW1000(4)
  WH31(2)
  WH57
  WH51(12),
  WH40
  WH5360B
  WN34S
  WittBoy WS90 + GW2000
  WS90 (other one) + GW1100
Personal Sites: Weather Cam

Offline beamd

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Re: New Wh57 lightning sensor
« Reply #16 on: July 31, 2021, 09:47:22 PM »
"You can: press “setup” button until sensor type is displayed, you go to wh57 panel and select “register” and console will forgot the previous one and have the new sensor ID memorized." Thats what ecowitt emailed me and I have tried everything that resembles that, I even tried re upgrading the firmware today to see if that would make it look for new sensors. That is as far as I'm going to go with it due to time constraints but the fact that my original sensor has given me no false strikes I know of for over a year at my house and now has given none in days at my farm is enough for me to determine my new sensor is bad and old one is good. I know it is registered with GW1000 at farm because it shows its battery life with up to date times.

If you look at reviews on amazon there are no good ones from this year, I know you are more likely to give a bad review when something is wrong but still I would figure at least one good review. One of the reviews fit my problem to the T with receiving hundreds/thousands of false strikes all at 8 miles. I still wonder how many returns end up sent back out when they look new and they just blame it on user error and if maybe just all new sensors are bad (I went through 2 or 3 Acurite atlasses trying to get one that didn't give false strikes before I switched to ecowitt).

If someone is able to get a new 915 WH57 that works (bought after july of 2021) I would like to know where they got it as I really do want another working one for my farm.