When choosing your weather station it is often wise to consider where you would like the system installed in the long term as this can often guide your final purchase. Consider initially whether a cabled or wireless station might be more suitable for your needs or if any installation accessories might be needed.
Plan Your Installation
Wireless stations offer convenience of installation, but only limited range (line-of-sight) without using wireless repeaters. Cabled models are cheaper and offer un-interrupted data, but require a run of cable to be installed.
Generally sensors are best sited in an open area about four feet above ground level. The majority of outdoor sensors can be individually attached via mounting arms or integrated sensor suites to a mast or post which must be firmly secured in the ground.
The Davis Mounting Tripod (DAV-7716) makes an excellent alternative to a wooden post for fixing the ISS unit. Each of the three tripod feet need to be firmly fixed to the ground, with the central mast good and vertical. A Davis station comes complete with both U-bolts for attaching to any circular mast of 32-44mm diameter or with strong screws for fixing to any flat surface.
In all Vantage Pro2 stations, the anemometer is attached to the ISS unit by a 12m cable, which allows the sensor to be extended above a roof line or to the top of an installation pole. Ideally, it should be 2-3m above the highest point of the roof to avoid wind swirling around the roof itself.
Often customers find it suitable to use an existing TV aerial mast to mount the anemometer as it's a relatively light item. For wireless stations, a separate anemometer transmitter unit is available as an option and offers independent mounting of anemometer from the ISS.
Set up Your Station
If you have thought through the above points the actual installation of your weather station should be straight forward. We suggest the following to get your new weather station up and running quickly:
Unpack the weather station inside and familiarise yourself with various parts
Look through the station manual which in the case of all of our weather stations will provide a comprehensive guide to installing your specific system
In the case of Davis systems attach the wind cups to the anemometer as per instructions and, for wireless stations, insert the lithium battery into the ISS compartment
For all Skyview weather stations we recommend that you set up the complete station indoors for test/familiarisation purposes before fixing the outside sensors in their final position
In the case of the Davis Vantage Pro2 connect up any remaining sensor cables as per the instructions and apply power to the console, either via the supplied mains adapter or batteries
The first time that a console is powered up it will automatically enter its 'Setup Mode'. It is important that you follow carefully the steps set out in your specific weather station manual. It's well worth setting aside some time to run through the simple process step by step
In the case of the Davis Vantage Pro2 the console will ask you for your height above sea level and latitude and longitude during the setup procedure, so it's best if you find out these figures via search engine beforehand and have them at the ready. Once the setup procedure is complete, a final longer press on the DONE key should start the station reading
Don't be concerned if not all readings appear immediately - one or two values such as humidity do take a significant time to appear. As you are indoors, the wind speed will be zero, but the cups can be carefully spun by hand and a speed reading should appear on the console after a couple of seconds
Once you're satisfied that all the readings are appearing correctly it's now worth moving the console and outdoor sensor to their planned positions and checking that wireless reception is satisfactory. If reception strength is poor then experiment with different console and outdoor sensor positions and aerial orientations until you've found the best combination. In the case of Davis stations a reception of 60-70% should be adequate, though obviously the higher the better. 95-98% is often the maximum attainable value for various technical reasons
Finally, proceed with fixing the outside sensors in your chosen locations
Read our complete range of installation guides to discover more tips:
Sensor Siting
Installing Your Station
Reading Your Data
Sensor Maintenance
