Weather Stations for the Radio Shack

Dan Pagliaro W1VXAVice President,

Naval Postgraduate School Amateur Radio Club

Overview

Why Should I Get a Weather Station?Types of Weather StationsBefore You Buy Your Station…Setting Up the Weather StationRecording Station Data

Why Should I Get a Weather Station?

Geography of Monterey County leads to wide variations in weather over small distance.

Close proximity of mountainous terrain and the Pacific Ocean leads to many “microclimates” along the Central Coast.

Microclimates exist on a scale of kilometers to tens of kilometers and are largely governed by topographical effects.

Why Should I Get a Weather Station?

• Monterey County is 3,771 mi2 (~1.5 times larger than Delaware).

• Only 4 official weather sites: Point Sur, Monterey, Salinas, Marina.

• No official sites in the south part of the county (Paso Robles is the nearest location)

Types of Weather Stations

Basic Weather StationsMedium-Budget Weather StationsMulti-function Digital Weather StationsOfficial Weather Stations

Types of Weather StationsBasic Weather Stations

Low-budget approach ($100.00 or less)Includes simple digital sensors, but mostly

analog instruments for recording:TemperatureHumidityPressureRainfallSnowfallWind Speed

Types of Weather StationsBasic Weather Stations

Types of Weather StationsMedium-Budget Weather Stations

$100.00-$500.00Digital instrument packs with a multitude of

sensors for recording:Temperature (max and min)Dewpoint and HumidityPressure, Wind Direction and SpeedRainfall (24 hr Rainfall, Storm Total Rainfall)Rain Rate

Higher-end models include USB cables and software for computer data logging

Types of Weather StationsMedium-Budget Weather Stations

Oregon Scientific, LaCrosse, and Honeywell are popular mid-priced weather stations

Types of Weather StationsMulti-Function Weather Stations

$500.00 - $??K Digital instrument packs with sensors for:

Temperature (max and min)Dewpoint and HumidityPressure, Wind Direction and SpeedRainfall (24 hr Rainfall, Storm Total Rainfall), Rain

RateHeat Index, Wind ChillSoil Temperature, Moisture, and RadiationUltraviolet Sensors

Typically include wireless computer interfaces and software for uploading station data onto the Internet

Types of Weather StationsMulti-Function Weather Stations

Davis Instruments, AWS, Vaisala, RainWise are well-known top-of-the-line manufacturers

Types of Weather StationsOfficial Weather Stations

Found at most U.S. airports

Fiber optic links between sensors and mainframe computers that record data

$2.1 million each

Before You Buy A Weather Station

Make sure you can legally install a weather station.Check for any zoning regulations or CC&Rs

that may restrict outdoor objectsLikely not an option for most apartment or

condo dwellersCould cause problems in some homeowners’

associations

Setting Up Your Weather Station

Sensors should be mounted 2 meters (78.75 inches) above ground

Place the instruments in a clear area over natural ground away from trees and structures

A Stevenson shelter is recommended for any non-digital weather instruments

Recording Station Data

Most digital stations include a computer interface and data logging software

Dedicate a computer or a hard drive to data logging

Many stations need to be manually reset every 24 hours to accurately document daily weather events

For basic stations, record data using logsheets. Specify a cutoff time for daily weather events (i.e., 0000Z or 0000L)

Summary

Why Should I Get a Weather StationTypes of Weather StationsHigher-end models include USB cables

and software for computer data logging