Summary of Contents for WeatherBug Weather Station
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Page 1: Weather Station
Weather Station Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual November 2004 AWS-WXN-60003.001 Version 1.0, Release 5 AWS Part # (7001) -
Page 2: Copyright
This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy. If not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. For Technical Support relating to this WeatherBug product, call 800-624- 4205 or email support@aws.com. AWS-WXN-60003.001 Version 1.0, Release 5... -
Page 3: Disclaimer
All procedures, methods and hardware used to install a WeatherBug Weather Station must conform to all applicable building codes (local, state and national). Installation subcontractors are responsible for complying with all applicable codes. Buyer- and/or installer-provided hardware must be equivalent or better (according to industry standards) than that specified in the WeatherBug installation manual. -
Page 4: Table Of Contents
Connecting the Weather Sensor Cables..............24 TRH............25 ONNECTING ABLES TO THE ..............26 ENSOR RIENTATION ..............28 NSTALLING NDOOR OMPONENTS Connecting the Indoor Weather Station Components..........28 (MCU)......29 RONT AND EAR OF ASTER ONTROL AWS-WXN-60003.001 Version 1.0, Release 5 November 2004 - 4 -... - Page 5 WeatherBug Camera (Optional)................33 HOMELAND SECURITY SITE DATA COLLECTION ........35 ................. 35 AMPLE ACKING CALIBRATION....................36 TROUBLESHOOTING..................37 Troubleshooting Chart..............37 WEATHERBUG ACHIEVE (FOR SCHOOLS ONLY).......... 38 MAINTENANCE .................... 39 AWS-WXN-60003.001 Version 1.0, Release 5 November 2004 - 5 -...
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Page 6: Introduction
Weather Station Manual Introduction Congratulations on choosing a WeatherBug Weather Station, the premier automated weather system for educational and commercial applications. The WeatherBug Weather Station operates 24 hours daily, providing real-time, up-to-the- second weather observations for 27 real-time parameters, including: •... - Page 7 TV antenna (the weather station's outdoor mast and weather sensors) that you connect to an indoor VCR (the weather station's master control unit) and a TV set (the weather station's Digital Display and computer). A typical weather station set-up is shown in “Typical Weather Station...
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Page 8: Typical Weather Station Installation
Weather Station Manual YPICAL EATHER TATION NSTALLATION AWS-WXN-60003.001 Version 1.0, Release 5 November 2004 - 8 -... -
Page 9: Getting Started
Getting Started Safety! • While installation of the weather station is not particularly difficult, it does usually require installation on or near the rooftop, which presents some amount of risk. • Installation must conform to national, state and local building code requirements;... -
Page 10: First Things
Your WeatherBug Weather Station supports either a PC or Macintosh computer. The preferred computer is a dedicated PC, used only for the weather station, that is a Pentium 2, 3, or 4 computer with 128 MB RAM, and Windows 2000 or greater. -
Page 11: Weather Station Components
• Rain Gauge • Data Cable The Weather Station's sensor suite uses accurate and rugged sensors. The wind speed and direction sensor is an R.M. Young wind vane, widely acknowledged to be one of the top Wind Sensors available. The Rain Gauge is a standard tipping bucket that measures .01 inches of rain per tip. -
Page 12: Standard Outdoor Components
Weather Station Manual TANDARD UTDOOR OMPONENTS AWS-WXN-60003.001 Version 1.0, Release 5 November 2004 - 12 -... -
Page 13: Indoor Components
Weather Station Manual Indoor Components The weather station indoor components are: • Master control unit (MCU) • Auxiliary temperature sensor • Optional Digital display(s) • Computer running WeatherStreamer or MacMET Server software (See the section Software Installation on page 31) •... -
Page 14: The Master Control Unit (Mcu)
Weather Station Manual Indoor Components (Continued) The Master Control Unit (MCU) The master control unit (MCU) is a microprocessor-controlled computer with a real-time clock. It receives live input from the remote TRH sensor, processes and stores the data in its non-volatile electronic memory, and distributes it. -
Page 15: Digital Display (Optional)
Weather Station Manual Indoor Components (Continued) Digital Display (Optional) The optional Digital Display receives live data every second from the MCU and displays it on several large digital LEDs. Housed in an attractive oak case, the display shows daily highs, lows and rates of change. -
Page 16: Installation
Hardware and Tool Requirements The following hardware (equivalent or better quality) is required to install the WeatherBug Weather Station. If you are using a contracted installer, they will provide these materials. Required Parts Not Included • Mounting hardware (heavy-duty wall mounting brackets) •... -
Page 17: Tools Required
Weather Station Manual Tools Required The following is a list of tools necessary to install the outdoor WeatherBug Weather Station and route the data cables into the building (actual tool requirements may vary depending on site configuration): 1. Compass 2. Step ladder (6-8 feet) 3. -
Page 18: Site Evaluation
Weather Station Manual Site Evaluation Before installing your weather station, conduct a thorough site evaluation to identify the best location for each component, including the outdoor sensor suite, MCU, and Digital Display. This requires working with someone who has access to all grounds, including the roof. -
Page 19: Site Selection Options
2. Securing the Sensors to the Mast 3. Connecting the Weather Sensor Cables and Grounding Data Cables are not rated for movement below +14ºF. Do NOT install the weather station if the outdoor temperature is less than 15º F. AWS-WXN-60003.001 Version 1.0, Release 5... -
Page 20: Installation Of The Mast
Weather Station Manual Installation of the Mast IMPORTANT: Ensure that all mounting brackets and mast components meet the local building codes and work with the installation site you have chosen. Properly securing the mounting brackets and mast is critical for a successful installation. -
Page 21: Ypical Uilding Ount
Weather Station Manual YPICAL UILDING OUNT 6″ From Bottom of Mast It is recommended that you use a heavy-duty mounting bracket similar to that shown in “Typical Wall Mount Bracket,” page 22. Brick walls require anchors in addition to the lag screws. -
Page 22: Typical Wall Mount Bracket
Weather Station Manual YPICAL OUNT RACKET AWS-WXN-60003.001 Version 1.0, Release 5 November 2004 - 22 -... -
Page 23: Securing The Sensors To The Mast
Weather Station Manual Installing Outdoor Components (Continued) Follow these steps to secure the mast to the wall mounting brackets: 1. Loosen the bolts on the outside of the wall mounting brackets so shorter section of the mast can be inserted into the slots on the brackets (do not loosen the screws that hold the brackets to the wall). -
Page 24: Connecting The Weather Sensor Cables
Weather Station Manual Installing Outdoor Components (Continued) Connecting the Weather Sensor Cables Follow the steps below to connect the sensor cables to the Remote Temperature/Relative Humidity (TRH) sensor (inside Sensor Shelter) and to connect the data cable from the TRH to the master control unit (MCU) (see “Connecting Cables to the... -
Page 25: Connecting Cables To The Trh
Weather Station Manual ONNECTING ABLES TO THE AWS-WXN-60003.001 Version 1.0, Release 5 November 2004 - 25 -... -
Page 26: Ind Ensor Rientation
Weather Station Manual Installing Outdoor Components (Continued) 7. Secure the three cables below the Sensor Shelter connectors with a wire tie. Form a drip loop with the three cables (see “Connecting Cables to the TRH,” page25). Tighten the cable strain relief bracket. - Page 27 • Seal building hole and both ends of conduit using caulk/putty. • Because the WeatherBug Weather Station data cable is plenum-rated, conduit is not required indoors in ceiling plenum areas. Use conduit if cable is run in exposed areas within your building.
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Page 28: Installing Indoor Components
6. Plug the MCU and the Digital Display power supplies into the power strip. 7. Plug the computer power cord into back of the UPS. 8. Connect the computer to the MCU using the supplied computer cable. NOTE: Some Macs require an adapter not sold by WeatherBug. NOTE: Please see “Software Installation”... -
Page 29: Front And Rear Of Master Control Unit (Mcu)
Weather Station Manual (MCU) RONT AND EAR OF ASTER ONTROL AWS-WXN-60003.001 Version 1.0, Release 5 November 2004 - 29 -... -
Page 30: Power And Communications Connections
Weather Station Manual OWER AND OMMUNICATIONS ONNECTIONS AWS-WXN-60003.001 Version 1.0, Release 5 November 2004 - 30 -... -
Page 31: Software Installation
Weather Station Manual Software Installation If an entire weather station camera package was purchased from WeatherBug, all required software is pre-installed. However, AWS realizes that, in some cases, existing or donated computers are used. Computer Specifications If you are using an existing or donated computer, it should meet or exceed the following... -
Page 32: System Start-Up And Operation
“Reset” circuit breaker on the back of the MCU is pressed in.) Your Digital Display should immediately indicate current weather conditions, although the time may need to be set and the barometric pressure calibrated; WeatherBug does this calibration remotely upon your activation call. -
Page 33: Network And Software Configurations
MacMET Server is available for the Macintosh. MacMET Server requires a static IP address and uses TCP Port 95 inbound and outbound. In this way, WeatherBug, your local TV affiliate and other customers using the WeatherBug weather data may directly connect to your server. - Page 34 If you have any difficulty understanding information concerning Internet requirements, please pass all of this information along to your Network Administrator. This person will know what to do and is also welcome to contact WeatherBug directly if there are questions.
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Page 35: Homeland Security Site Data Collection
As part of our Homeland Security initiative, we are collecting data from all of our weather monitoring stations. This will help ensure that your weather station can continue to offer the highest quality weather information to your community. Your data will be used to ensure that your site's weather readings are as accurate as possible, as well as to verify its calibration and to detect any problems. -
Page 36: Calibration
The barometric pressure sensor must be adjusted to compensate for altitude differences between the WeatherBug factory and your installation site. The weather station time is typically pre-set to US Eastern Standard Time (EST). All other calibration is performed prior to shipment. -
Page 37: Troubleshooting
Weather Station Manual Troubleshooting The following is a list of possible problems that your WeatherBug Weather Station could have, along with typical causes and solutions. Please consult this chart before calling WeatherBug Technical Support. NOTE: Always check your weather station's power supply and connections first. -
Page 38: Weatherbug Achieve (For Schools Only)
Using WeatherBug Achieve, your students can perform activities like calculate mean, median and mode using live weather data. Real-time weather information from your school's WeatherBug Weather Station, or any of more than 6,000 schools in the WeatherBug program, can be automatically embedded into your lesson plans. You and your students will enjoy the K-12 lesson plans, which align with National and State Standards in math, science, and geography. -
Page 39: Maintenance
Weather Station Manual Maintenance Under normal conditions, your WeatherBug Weather Station will require very little maintenance. Most maintenance issues can be evaluated and diagnosed remotely by WeatherBug Technical Support. All components are “Plug-and-Play” (defective sensors can be removed simply by disconnecting them from the cable connections).