thebrookster Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 Well, in the short couple of weeks left before I depart the lockdowned shores of the UK, I have decided to build a weather station. The expensive bit has been dealt with today, ie buying all the bits I need as follows: Davis Vantage Pro 2 Sensor suite and Weatherlink Live (decided to go without a console, I can always add one later on, and the Weatherlink gives me the option for a phone app showing live data). Raspberry Pi 4B (plus case and power supply). Planning to run software called CumulusMX, which will take care of uploading all data to the various weather sites such as Weather Underground, Met Office WOW and various others. I shall continue once it all arrives Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 Interesting. Back to sea so soon Phil? Seems that your off time wasn’t extended to match your on time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebrookster Posted January 10, 2021 Author Share Posted January 10, 2021 Yeah, 3/2 ratio so leave never matches on time Also, I have pushed to go back while I (hopefully) still have a couple of weeks left, really don't see the point remaining on land in the middle of a lockdown! And with all new variants etc, better to escape now, and fingers crossed the situation has improved in 3/4 months time! After all, my unused time stays in the bank, so to speak, so not really losing anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 Logical enough. Weather might be nicer too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escadrille Ecosse Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 22 hours ago, Nick Jones said: Weather might be nicer too! Certainly be able to check with that little lot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebrookster Posted January 11, 2021 Author Share Posted January 11, 2021 1 hour ago, Escadrille Ecosse said: Certainly be able to check with that little lot! Christ, I'm no taking it with me!! I might have additional weight allowances, but there is a limit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 I reckon he wants to be able to log on from wherever he is and see what he’s missing in Bonny Scotland Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escadrille Ecosse Posted January 12, 2021 Share Posted January 12, 2021 12 hours ago, Nick Jones said: I reckon he wants to be able to log on from wherever he is and see what he’s missing in Bonny Scotland Well yeah! Hopefully by the time you get back we'll be having some traditional May weather on the west coast. Sunshine and no midges Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebrookster Posted January 15, 2021 Author Share Posted January 15, 2021 Well, now that UPS have finally disgorged the weather station, today was spent setting it up. The sensor suite is certainly larger than anticipated! The (ex) wine bottle gives a reference for size (ex as it now contains sloe gin!!). And a wind speed thingymabob. And also a Weatherlink Live unit. This is what takes the sensor data and transmits it online. I have a phone app that also takes live readings from this. The internal gubbins Now I had to find a suitable location. It had to be within a couple hundred metres of the house, and in an open location. Now the latter is hard for me, as the house is in a hollow, with woodland around so this was the best I could come up with. Tools assembled and posts whacked in: Ably assisted until an egg distracted: Install of sensors: And all in place: Linking up the Weatherlink Live was simple, and now I have live data! I have started setting up the Raspberry Pi and Cumulus MX software, this will take care of logging data etc (Weatherlink only provide this if you pay a yearly subscription, and I am cheapskate who reckons a one of purchase of a Pi was better value!!). Still fighting to get this to communicate with the system, so I shall update that another time. Cumulus will also take care of uploading the data to the various weather sites, if I have spent this money on a semi-pro system it might as well benefit others! Cheers, Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerguzzi Posted January 15, 2021 Share Posted January 15, 2021 Hello I hate to burst you bubble but at that Hight the wind speed sensor is a waste of time! The station which is good kit will be ok for temperature and rain fall but wind will be rubbish! (sorry) My weather Stations(I have had a few were mounted at least 40 feet up on the wind turbine tower and still a bit low? Roger ps this was mine before it broke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerguzzi Posted January 16, 2021 Share Posted January 16, 2021 Hello Why not get a tv type arial pole and mount it on the house as long as the wind sensor is above the roof and on the gable end? not the best place as the roof will effect it but gable end would help! Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted January 16, 2021 Share Posted January 16, 2021 This is all a bit more serious than my rain gauge and weather vane (also too low down). Looks like good kit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerguzzi Posted January 16, 2021 Share Posted January 16, 2021 Hello All I think I might get a new one (Boys and Toys!) One a bit cheaper though! (Sold a few triumph parts lately!) Plus its only money and the way the world is going might not have time to spend it all? Yesterday was my 15th aniversery of getting off the tread mill (best thing I ever did) Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamish Posted January 16, 2021 Share Posted January 16, 2021 25 minutes ago, rogerguzzi said: Yesterday was my 15th aniversery of getting off the tread mill (best thing I ever did) Roger Good man not that I’m jealous but running is bad for your knees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escadrille Ecosse Posted January 16, 2021 Share Posted January 16, 2021 This is all starting to sound a bit like weather station envy 1 hour ago, rogerguzzi said: Plus its only money and the way the world is going might not have time to spend it all? Yesterday was my 15th aniversery of getting off the tread mill (best thing I ever did) Only two years now but agree wholeheartedly if you have the chance - and it's your thing I guess! 36 minutes ago, Hamish said: but running is bad for your knees. And that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebrookster Posted January 16, 2021 Author Share Posted January 16, 2021 13 hours ago, rogerguzzi said: Hello I hate to burst you bubble but at that Hight the wind speed sensor is a waste of time! The station which is good kit will be ok for temperature and rain fall but wind will be rubbish! (sorry) My weather Stations(I have had a few were mounted at least 40 feet up on the wind turbine tower and still a bit low? Roger ps this was mine before it broke 3 hours ago, rogerguzzi said: Hello Why not get a tv type arial pole and mount it on the house as long as the wind sensor is above the roof and on the gable end? not the best place as the roof will effect it but gable end would help! Roger Agreed Roger, I believe the correct mounting height for a meteorological station should be 10metres up (according to the Davis instructions anyway) however I don't a pole that long!! I will see about revisiting that sometime, but that requires a bit more thought and planning. Mounting on the house is definite no-no for me, it is listed building and I had to get permission to fit a ruddy sky dish!! And I am not blessed with a turbine tower Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulAA Posted January 16, 2021 Share Posted January 16, 2021 15 hours ago, thebrookster said: Blimey, Phil - that's a lovely position you have. Only a slight contrast to the view from my living room this morning: Back on the weather front, we're not exactly positioned to erect a weather station, but the lad and I are in the process of setting up a responder for blitzortung.org (I always want to put an exclamation mark in there, for some reason...) The real-time progress of passing storms is always entertaining to watch. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted January 16, 2021 Share Posted January 16, 2021 I'll do it for you, Paul. Lots! WoW! Blitzortung.org! A Global, live lightning map! See the lightning strikes in real time, all across the globe! Worth a visit, as the Michelin used to say. https://map.blitzortung.org/#0.87/0/5.9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerguzzi Posted January 26, 2021 Share Posted January 26, 2021 Hello All I decided to buy another weather station after seeing Phil's But being a poor old Pensioner I could not justify that sort of money! So I have bought one of these(I recon if I have to buy a new one every year it would be 5 to 6 years before I reached the Davis price!) I still need some better weather so I can mount it high up on the wind turbine tower but for now it is fixed to a 6ft fence post so wind speed is rubbish but 2 nights ago it recorded -10.8 C and last night was -5.4C (I have another temperature gauge from and old system with a display and they are within 0.5C of each other)close enough for me! It does not have a rain gauge but I could add one if I want. La Crosse Technology Wireless Wind & Weather Station C78861-UK Accuweather (sunvisstore.co.uk) But now my NOS phone has decided not to read the Sim card and I find it will not support the APP either(why do they call them APP's is it not a Program?) Is there a way to run an APP on an Android Tablet? Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escadrille Ecosse Posted January 26, 2021 Share Posted January 26, 2021 Yes, been a bit chilly here recently too but not that cold. That's Balto, as they say round here. You should be able to download the app(lication) from the Google store through the tablet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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