WeatherHawk 600 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 Pre-Installation Tests Setup Procedures Station Setup using WeatherHawk Pro Software Radio Setup Installation Procedures Procedure 1: TP1 Tripod Installation Pr
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 600 Series weather station is a meteorological platform designed to measure a standard set of meteorological variables. The variables measured by the WeatherHawk 600 Series include: ambient air temperature, relative humidity, incoming solar radiation, barometric pressure, wind speed, wind direction, rainfall, and snowfall. This weather station is designed for ease of use while providing reliable, long-term measurements.
2 that could affect the measurement such as trees, buildings, artificial surfaces, steep slopes, etc. Often 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. The following sections will briefly discuss some considerations that should be made prior to installing a WeatherHawk station. Site Selection Ground Installations For ground installations, WeatherHawk recommends a TP1 Tripod Kit.
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 internal sealed rechargeable lead acid battery that must be recharged to assure continued system operation. The battery supplied with the WeatherHawk 600 is a 2.9 AHr battery which will operate the station for approximately 2 days without any external charging. To charge the internal battery, WeatherHawk offers a solar panel option or an AC/DC converter option.
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 600 Series weather stations can use other communications options if the application requires it.
7 Setup Procedure 1. Remove the top foam packing from the WeatherHawk box and verify you have all ordered equipment. Your system may have a wireless receiver (Model 620/621), figure 1 below shows a wireless Model 620 with solar panel. Unpack all equipment and check for physical damage. a. Lift the WeatherHawk by the main body of the weather station. Removing the station by lifting on the sensors may damage the sensors (see Figure 1) b.
8 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. If you are using the WeatherHawk PRO software, please refer to the software setup section below. If you are using a different software, refer to the software manual for setup instructions. 7.
9 5. Enter the desired logging interval in minutes (Figure 6). Note, WeatherHawk does not recommend less than 15 minutes 6. Enter the station Longitude and Latitude in decimal degrees. Enter station altitude in meters. Longitude, Latitude, and Altitude can be determined with a GPS receiver, a good topographical map, or found from an online source. Figure 6 7. Select Weather Data from the list of Setups on the left of the Setup screen 8. Set the Rain collector tip bucket size as “500/600 Series – 0.1mm”.
10 Radio Setup 1. Attach the antenna or cable to the radio connector labeled Antenna (Figures 9 and 10) on the RF401. Figure 9: The WeatherHawk antenna may be a 900 MHz surface mount antenna (left), or a whip antenna(right) that connects directly to the radio, or a tri-band surface mount antenna (not shown). Figure 10: The connector labeled Antenna on an RF401-series radio is where the antennas attach. 2.
11 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 12). Figure 12: The TP1 Tripod Kit includes the nut and bolt (left) used to attach each foot to the tripod 2.
12 4. Install the mast in the tripod and adjust mast height if necessary (Figure 14). Figure 14: 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. Install the tripod at the site.
13 Figure 15: 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. For permanent sites, install usersupplied bolts through the holes in each tripod foot. 6. Follow Procedure 3: Mounting the WeatherHawk Station on a Tripod or Pole. Procedure 1c: Flat Roof Installation 1.
14 6. 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). If using the HM1 please refer to Appendix B for setup diagram 1.
15 6. Screw the lag bolts through the holes in each tripod foot and into the roof. 7. Follow Procedure 3: Mounting the WeatherHawk Station on a Tripod or Pole. Procedure 2: TP1-GK Guy Wire Kit Installation Guy-Wire Clamps Turnbuckles Bracket S-Hooks 1. Cut the guy-wire cable into three equal length pieces. 2. Loop one end of each guy-wire through a Bracket eye-bolt and clamp the guy-wire using one of the Clamps provided. 3.
16 10. Loop the free end of each guy-wire through its respective turnbuckle eye-bolt and pull it tightly then clamp the guy-wire using one of the clamps provided. a. The guy-wires need to remain loose until after the WeatherHawk assembly has been properly oriented. The turn-buckles are tightened in step 5 of Procedure 3: Mounting the WeatherHawk Station on a Tripod or Pole. b. Guy-wires will stretch for a few weeks after installation.
17 a. The internal sealed rechargeable battery must be recharged to assure continued system function. b. Connecting an incompatible power source to your WeatherHawk negates your Warranty. Therefore, WeatherHawk recommends you check with WeatherHawk Customer Service before connecting a power source not purchased from WeatherHawk. c. WeatherHawk’s ACP3 AC Converter must be installed in a non-condensing environment or a weatherproof enclosure. 8.
18 14 AWG copper wire Tripod coupling Ground rod coupling Ground rod #4 stranded copper cable 1. Connect the lug of the 14 AWG copper wire to the connector labeled Ground Lug on the bottom of the WeatherHawk station (Figure 21). Lug Figure 21: The ground lug connected to the bottom of the WeatherHawk. 2. Mount the tripod coupling on the tripod mast so that it clamps the 14 AWG wire against the tripod (Figure 22). 3.
Appendix A: WeatherHawk Equipment The following equipment is available from WeatherHawk and these items can be ordered on-line at http://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.
Power Supplies SP2-KT 5 W Solar Panel Kit This solar panel is for use with the WeatherHawk 510 and 520 Series weather station. It recharges the internal battery and has a 72 inch 2 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.
HM1 Low Profile Mast Assembly The HM1 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. The HM1 includes: Foot Mast 12” (30.8 cm) high Kit that includes (6) lag bolts and (3) sealing pads (used for rooftop installations) The HM3 is a three foot version of the HM1.
Appendix B: WeatherHawk Setup Diagrams Direct Connection Diagram WeatherHawk® 815 W 1800 N Logan, UT 84321-1784, Email: service@weatherhawk.
Wireless Connection Diagram WeatherHawk® 815 W 1800 N Logan, UT 84321-1784, Email: service@weatherhawk.
HM1 Low Profile Mast Assembly Diagram WeatherHawk® 815 W 1800 N Logan, UT 84321-1784, Email: service@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: service@weatherhawk.
