Signature Series User’s Manual
Table of Contents Overview 1 Sensor Specifications 1 Site Considerations 2 2 2 3 Site Selection Ground Installations Roof Installations Power Considerations Solar Power AC Power Communication Considerations Direct Communication Cable Length Grounding Issues Wireless Communication Transmission Range Line-of-Sight Other Communication Options 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 6 Pre-Installation Tests 6 Installation Procedures 7 7 7 8 9 10 11 12 15 15 Procedure 1: TP1 Tripod Installation Procedures Procedure 1a
TP1-MX Tripod Mast Extension TP1-GK Tripod Guy-wire Kit TP1-GR Tripod Grounding Kit HM Series (House Mount) Mast Components Appendix B: WeatherHawk Setup Diagrams Direct Connect Diagram Wireless Connect Diagram Roof/Wall Installation Diagram Appendix C: WeatherHawk Setup Special Notes Pyranometer Shipping Cap Removal Note Appendix D: Preventive Maintenance Procedures
1 Overview The WeatherHawk Signature Series weather station is a meteorological platform designed to measure a standard set of meteorological variables. The variables measured by the WeatherHawk Signature Series include: air temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation, precipitation, barometric pressure, and wind speed and direction. This weather station is designed for ease of use while providing reliable, long-term measurements.
2 Site Considerations Certain aspects should be considered when choosing the best location to place a WeatherHawk system. To ensure the absolute best measurement, a weather station should be placed far away from any natural or artificial structure that could affect the measurement such as trees, buildings, artificial surfaces, steep slopes, etc. At times this is not possible, not practical, or not consistent with the application and decisions must be made as to the best location to place a weather station.
3 a. If the WeatherHawk station will be inside a fence to discourage vandalism, the fence top edge must be lower than the wind sensors even if the fence is chain-link b. Accurate wind measurements require the WeatherHawk to be located at the highest point in a particular region. c. The TP1 tripod/mast height cannot exceed 10 feet (312 cm), and you must use a guy-wire kit if you increase the mast to the maximum height. If you need a higher mounting structure contact WeatherHawk for recommendations.
4 Power Considerations WeatherHawk weather stations are provided with an integral sealed rechargeable lead acid battery that must be recharged to assure continued system operation. The battery supplied with the WeatherHawk is a 0.8 AHr battery which will operate the station for approximately 3-4 days without any external charging. WeatherHawk also offers a 7 AHr external battery pack for use in higher latitudes and colder climates.
5 Cable Lengths The maximum cable length for RS232 communications is 75 feet. If a user requires a longer cable length than this, an MD485-KT Communications Module Kit can be used. The MD485-KT Communications Module Kit enables the distance of direct communications to be lengthened to approximately 4000 feet of cable. However, if multiple WeatherHawk stations are used as in a network, the total combined cable length cannot exceed 4000 feet.
6 Station 1 Station 2 Figure 2: Line-of-sight. As the dotted line indicates, Station 1 has a clear line-of-sight with the Computer Site. The mountain obstructs Station 2's line-of-sight and would attenuate the RF signal or prevent wireless communications completely Other Communication Options WeatherHawk Signature Series weather stations can use other communications options if the application requires it.
7 Quick Start Guide Signature Series Model 232/916/922/240 Read Me First Computer Requirements Available Serial Port or USB Port (Serial-to-USB Converter Cable required) WeatherHawk Setup Procedure 1. Remove the top foam packing from the WeatherHawk box and verify you have all ordered equipment; then unpack equipment. a. Use the lift straps to remove the WeatherHawk station, since removing the station by lifting on the sensors may damage the sensors (see Figure 1). Lift Straps b.
8 5. Start application software and monitor the sensor displays. Within a couple of minutes, numerical values should appear confirming that the WeatherHawk is functioning. The lights labeled Scan/Receive on the underside of the station should also blink every ten seconds. If the WeatherHawk does not function properly, contact WeatherHawk Customer Service to solve the problem before continuing to the next steps. 6. Using your PC and weather station software, enter the setup parameters for the station.
9 Figure 5: Select the correct Serial Port that is being used to communicate with the WeatherHawk. 3. Test the connection to the WeatherHawk by clicking the Test Connection button on the Setup screen. 4. Select Station Internal Saved Values from the list of Setups on the left of the setup screen. (See figure 6) Figure 6: Station Internal Saved Values Setup Screen 5. Enter the desired logging interval in minutes (Figure 6). 6. Enter the station Longitude and Latitude in decimal degrees.
10 The latitude and longitude must be entered as decimal degrees. If latitude and longitude are obtained in degrees-minutes-seconds, they must be converted. To convert the values todecimal, ignore the seconds, divide the minutes by 60, then add that value to the degrees. Example: Latitude is 41 degrees, 46 minutes, 58 seconds. Decimal value = 41 + (46/60) = 41.78 6. Select Weather Data from the list of Setups on the left of the Setup screen (figure 7) Figure 7: Weather Data settings 7.
11 Installation Procedures Many installation configurations for the WeatherHawk are possible. This document describes standard installation configurations. For questions about installation configurations not described in this document, contact WeatherHawk Customer Service. TP1 Tripod Installation Procedures Procedure 1a: Tripod Preparation for Installation. 1. Attach tripod feet to the legs of the tripod using the bolts and self-locking nuts provided (Figure 14).
12 Do not tighten the turnbuckles yet. The turnbuckles will be tightened in step 5 of Procedure 3: Mounting the WeatherHawk Station on a Tripod or Pole. 4. Install the mast in the tripod and adjust mast height if necessary (Figure 16). Figure 16: The mast fits in the center of the tripod. The mast height is adjusted by moving the tripod legs or removing the mast cup and sliding the mast up or down in the collars. Mast Tripod 5. Once the mast height has been set, tighten all six collar bolts. 6.
13 For temporary sites, ensure the soil under the tripod feet is well compacted. Otherwise the tripod may not remain level after the tripod feet have been secured to the ground. 5. Secure the tripod feet to the ground (See Figure 17). Figure 17: For temporary sites, drive the stakes of the TP1ST Kit (left) through the center hole in each tripod foot (right). The stakes should be driven in until they barely contact the foot surface.
14 Figure 19: The TP1 Tripod Kit includes the lag bolts used to secure the TP1 to a roof. Two lag bolts are used for each foot. The bolts must pierce the sealing pad. 6. Lag Bolt Lag Bolt Follow Procedure 3: Mount the WeatherHawk Station on a Tripod or Pole. Procedure 1d: Peaked Roof Installation The WeatherHawk wind sensors should be at least 8 feet (2.5m) above the roof peak, which requires two extensions (TP1-MX) and a guy-wire kit (TP1-GK).
15 4. 5. Remove the protective paper form the bottom of the sealing pads and extend the tripod legs (Figure 22). Position the tripod such that it is level and all of the foot pads are flat on the roof. Some adjustment is available after the tripod is attached to the roof by loosening/tightening the upper and lower collar bolts. If more adjustment is required, make minor position changes in the tripod assembly until the mast is level. Figure 22: The Tripod Kit includes the lag bolts.
16 5. Tighten the guy-wire bracket bolts until they deform the mast by dimpling the surface to assure the bracket does not slide when the turnbuckles are tightened. 6. Unscrew the turnbuckle until approximately 80% of both eye bolt threads extend beyond the turnbuckle body. 7. Hook an S-hook to an eyelet on each of the tripod feet. Alternatively, the S-hooks can be connected to user-supplied eye-bolts set into a concrete pad or another fixed structure. 8.
17 2. Loosely tighten the U-bolt nuts so that the WeatherHawk is stable but can be rotated on the mast or pole (Figure 24). U-Bolt Nuts Figure 24: Two views of the WeatherHawk station. The U-bolt and nuts are shown. 3. As a reference, use a magnetic compass (supplied with the optional Tripod Installation Kit) and rotate the WeatherHawk assembly until the reference line on the wind direction sensor is aligned with Magnetic North (Figure 25).
18 7. Connect the power source that will recharge the internal sealed rechargeable battery. If using a solar panel, follow Procedure 4: Solar Panel Installation. If using an external power supply, assure it was purchased from WeatherHawk for use with the WeatherHawk weather station or, if not purchased from WeatherHawk, that it has an output of 18 VDC and that all connections are weatherproof. a. The internal sealed rechargeable battery must be recharged to assure continued system function. b.
19 Procedure 4: Solar Panel Installation 1. Place the solar panel on the mast below the station to the maximum distance allowed by the solar panel cable. 2. Loosely tighten the U-bolt so that the solar panel is stable but can be rotated on the mast or pole. 3. Use a compass (supplied in the optional Tripod Installation Kit) to properly align the solar panel. If the site is in the northern hemisphere, the glass surface of the panel should face south.
20 1. Connect the lug of the 14 AWG copper wire to the connector labeled Ground Lug on the bottom of the WeatherHawk station (Figure 28). Lug Figure 28: The ground lug connected to the bottom of the WeatherHawk. 1 2 2. Mount the tripod coupling on the tripod mast so that it clamps the 14 AWG wire against the tripod (Figure 29). 3. Drive the ground rod into the soil using a fence post driver or sledge hammer leaving about 3 inches (7.5 cm) above the ground. 4.
Appendix A: WeatherHawk Equipment The following equipment is available from WeatherHawk and these items can be ordered on-line at http://www.weatherhawk.com. Contact WeatherHawk Customer Service for questions concerning the use of the following equipment. Communications Options USB-AD Serial-to-USB Adapter The USB-AD Serial-to-USB Adapter is required if you’re your computer has a USB port to communicate with the WeatherHawk.
SP2-KT 5 W Solar Panel Kit This solar panel is for use with any WeatherHawk Signature Series weather station. It recharges the internal battery and has a 72 inch2 surface area and produces 5 watts at a peak of 17.1 volts. The SP2-KT includes 5 W solar panel Mounting hardware ACP2 AC Converter The ACP2 recharges the WeatherHawk battery by converting 110-220 VAC, 50/60 Hz power to 18 VDC. The ACP2 must be installed in a non-condensing environment or a weatherproof enclosure.
TP1-TK Tripod Installation Kit This kit includes equipment that helps you install the WeatherHawk to the correct 3-axis vertical orientation and to align the station to the magnetic north. Using the TP1-KT to properly orient the weather station helps assure accurate measurements. The TP1-KT includes: Multi-axis bubble level Compass Rubber band for attaching the bubble level to the tripod mast TP1-SK Tripod Stake Kit The TP21-SK is for anchoring the tripod to the soil.
a. Do not use more than two TP1-MX extensions with the TP1 Tripod Assembly. b. When two TP1-MX extensions are used, the TP1-GK Guy-wire Kit is also recommended. TP1-GK Tripod Guy-Wire Kit The TP1-GK is used to increase the tripod’s stability (see Procedure 3: Guy-wire Kit Installation). It is intended for permanent installations, installations subject to consistently high wind speeds, or TP1 tripods using two mast extensions.
HM3 Low Profile Mast Assembly The HM3 Low Profile Mast Assembly is a modified satellite dish mast. It provides a stable support for the WeatherHawk and is suitable for rooftop and well supported fascia board installations. Refer to Appendix B for installation instructions.
Appendix B: WeatherHawk Setup Diagrams Direct Connection Diagram WeatherHawk® 815 W 1800 N Logan, UT 84321-1784, Email: info@weatherhawk.
Wireless Connection Diagram WeatherHawk® 815 W 1800 N Logan, UT 84321-1784, Email: info@weatherhawk.
HM1 Low Profile Mast Assembly Diagram WeatherHawk® 815 W 1800 N Logan, UT 84321-1784, Email: info@weatherhawk.
Appendix C: WeatherHawk Setup Special Notes Important Installation Information: 1. Remove and discard Green protective cap from Solar Radiation sensor at the completion of site installation. 500 Series Weather Station Signature Series Weather Station Solar Radiation Protective Shipping Covers 2. Ensure that the system is properly connected to an earth ground using the ground lug on the bottom of the weather station.
Appendix D: Preventive Maintenance Procedures Preventive Maintenance is important to ensure the continued quality operation of WeatheHawk weather stations. The following checks should be performed at least once a month to maintain continued operation of the WeatherHawk. Inspect entire mounting system for security and damage.
WeatherHawk® 815 W 1800 N Logan, UT 84321-1784, Email: info@weatherhawk.
