[gabba]

Hi all

My OS WMR928 anemometer seems to have given up the ghost. It read two peak measurements of 220Kph, in a 7 kph breeze, and then nothing. It's a shame as it's only 6 months old but bought in Australia. so warranty / postage might be a bit tricky. Rather than spending another $200 to buy a replacement, I'm looking at other options.

Has anyone had any experience with the vantage vue? If so how reliable is it in terms of it's wireless connectivity?

I'm thinking of getting one but the unit will be roof mounted. There isn't anywhere around that isn't sheltered on my section, except on the roof, so the fact you can't separate the anemometer from the rest of the unit isn't a biggie for me

What would be a pain is if I have to climb up on the roof every day / week to reset the stupid thing

Also, does anyone know if the 6450 solar radiation sensor will work with the Vantage Vue?

And please no comments about the Vantage Pro - yes of course I would like one, but way too expensive for what I want to pay ;-)

[Grant]

Could it be loose cups Gabba? i.e. they spin but are not tight enough to spin the shaft? I take it you are getting a signal to the console?

[gabba]

Grant, on 13 March 2010 - 12:13 AM, said:

Could it be loose cups Gabba? i.e. they spin but are not tight enough to spin the shaft? I take it you are getting a signal to the console?

Good thinking but no. There is no signal at all. If I take the old anemometer I had and plug it into the new solar panel / transmission box, I get a signal being sent straight away(flashing red light). So the only thing I can think of is that the electronics are gone in the anemometer itself - that and the 2 x rogue readings at 220kph which I suspect are peak readings for the unit. Have tried resetting the unit but still nothing

My daughter broke the cups on the old one, so it will be out with the Araldite tomorrow to do some temporary fixes, and put the old one back up again. It reads erratically but at least it reads something.

Also lost the link between the rainguage and the console today - just in time for the storm to come through. I'm sure it's easy to fix / reset but needless to say my high opinion of OS stations has been somewhat dented!

This post has been edited by gabba: 12 March 2010 - 11:34 PM

[Grant]

OK lets rule out the things that are most common. I am going from memory at the moment but I thought the WMR928 anemometer was hard wired into the solar panel and not an RJ connection. But if you were able to change the unit, then they must have done a modification at some point

Check the
The RJ type plug is crimped correctly and not showing signs of damp
The cable is not damaged or does not have movement in the wind that could cause a fracture from vibration or tapping and has no sharp corners to go around?
The hard wired end that in in the instrument itself has reliable soldered joints
Was the anemometer earthed and is the earth strap still in place?

[Derek]

I almost got a Vue gabba, actually ordered one before Xmas but unfortunately they had sold out which gave me time to rethink. I chose to cancel and buy a different Davis (the one you don't want mentioned, :) )

I checked out quite a bit on the Vue, I don't think there would be any issues with its wireless set up - as far as I can see from reading and comparing the specs they are basically the same as their other models. Possibly even use the same sensors.

One of the main reasons I chose not to get the Vue was that it was going to be mounted on a pole in the garden and be very visible and possibly attract attention from people with light fingered tendencies. Its large white casing looks very 'techo' and would have been extremely obvious against a background of green bush etc. I considered that the VP with its predominantly black appearance would be much harder to spot - and it is, it blends in to the background very well with only a relatively small amount that is white.

Mounted on a roof, I think a Vue would present a reasonably large presence up there (may be a bit like mounting a small outboard motor). I think it has a smaller radiation shield than other models so may be limited on that score.

Another thing to contemplate if you did go for one is having to go on the roof to clean the rain collector from leaves, debris etc.

Good luck though with getting the OS fixed first though.

This post has been edited by Derek: 13 March 2010 - 07:30 AM

[gabba]

Grant, on 13 March 2010 - 12:58 AM, said:

OK lets rule out the things that are most common. I am going from memory at the moment but I thought the WMR928 anemometer was hard wired into the solar panel and not an RJ connection. But if you were able to change the unit, then they must have done a modification at some point

Check the
The RJ type plug is crimped correctly and not showing signs of damp
The cable is not damaged or does not have movement in the wind that could cause a fracture from vibration or tapping and has no sharp corners to go around?
The hard wired end that in in the instrument itself has reliable soldered joints
Was the anemometer earthed and is the earth strap still in place?

Hi
It's an RJ45 connection directly into the solar panel
1: No signs of damp - if I put the old solar panel against the new anemometer, I get the same result - no connection
2: No physical sign of cable damage although this is a possibility. The cable was taped up reasonably tightly and I noticed the anemometer had moved about 30 degrees so it's possible the wire was stretched or pulled from the board
3: Haven't completely checked but looks okay - will check again
4: Yep - even had a dollop of sealant on top (ie not under) as the old one rusted here

Unfortunately I'm no electronic whizz so would have ho idea on where to start checking on the board, to test connectivity across components

Thanks