Weather Stations for the Radio Shack Dan Pagliaro W1VXA Vice President, Naval Postgraduate School...
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Transcript of Weather Stations for the Radio Shack Dan Pagliaro W1VXA Vice President, Naval Postgraduate School...
Weather Stations for the Radio Shack
Dan Pagliaro W1VXAVice President,
Naval Postgraduate School Amateur Radio Club
Overview
Why Should I Get a Weather Station?Types of Weather StationsBefore You Buy Your Station…Setting Up the Weather StationRecording Station Data
Why Should I Get a Weather Station?
Geography of Monterey County leads to wide variations in weather over small distance.
Close proximity of mountainous terrain and the Pacific Ocean leads to many “microclimates” along the Central Coast.
Microclimates exist on a scale of kilometers to tens of kilometers and are largely governed by topographical effects.
Why Should I Get a Weather Station?
• Monterey County is 3,771 mi2 (~1.5 times larger than Delaware).
• Only 4 official weather sites: Point Sur, Monterey, Salinas, Marina.
• No official sites in the south part of the county (Paso Robles is the nearest location)
Types of Weather Stations
Basic Weather StationsMedium-Budget Weather StationsMulti-function Digital Weather StationsOfficial Weather Stations
Types of Weather StationsBasic Weather Stations
Low-budget approach ($100.00 or less)Includes simple digital sensors, but mostly
analog instruments for recording:TemperatureHumidityPressureRainfallSnowfallWind Speed
Types of Weather StationsBasic Weather Stations
Types of Weather StationsMedium-Budget Weather Stations
$100.00-$500.00Digital instrument packs with a multitude of
sensors for recording:Temperature (max and min)Dewpoint and HumidityPressure, Wind Direction and SpeedRainfall (24 hr Rainfall, Storm Total Rainfall)Rain Rate
Higher-end models include USB cables and software for computer data logging
Types of Weather StationsMedium-Budget Weather Stations
Oregon Scientific, LaCrosse, and Honeywell are popular mid-priced weather stations
Types of Weather StationsMulti-Function Weather Stations
$500.00 - $??K Digital instrument packs with sensors for:
Temperature (max and min)Dewpoint and HumidityPressure, Wind Direction and SpeedRainfall (24 hr Rainfall, Storm Total Rainfall), Rain
RateHeat Index, Wind ChillSoil Temperature, Moisture, and RadiationUltraviolet Sensors
Typically include wireless computer interfaces and software for uploading station data onto the Internet
Types of Weather StationsMulti-Function Weather Stations
Davis Instruments, AWS, Vaisala, RainWise are well-known top-of-the-line manufacturers
Types of Weather StationsOfficial Weather Stations
Found at most U.S. airports
Fiber optic links between sensors and mainframe computers that record data
$2.1 million each
Before You Buy A Weather Station
Make sure you can legally install a weather station.Check for any zoning regulations or CC&Rs
that may restrict outdoor objectsLikely not an option for most apartment or
condo dwellersCould cause problems in some homeowners’
associations
Setting Up Your Weather Station
Sensors should be mounted 2 meters (78.75 inches) above ground
Place the instruments in a clear area over natural ground away from trees and structures
A Stevenson shelter is recommended for any non-digital weather instruments
Recording Station Data
Most digital stations include a computer interface and data logging software
Dedicate a computer or a hard drive to data logging
Many stations need to be manually reset every 24 hours to accurately document daily weather events
For basic stations, record data using logsheets. Specify a cutoff time for daily weather events (i.e., 0000Z or 0000L)
Summary
Why Should I Get a Weather StationTypes of Weather StationsHigher-end models include USB cables
and software for computer data logging