Davis Instruments Weather Club
October-November 2006
In This Issue:
WEATHER STATIONS IN ACTION :
Cliff-Top Vantage Pro2 Helps Lifesavers
There’s a Vantage Pro2 way up there on top of the cliff. It transmits data down to the lifeboat house (photo below) in Padstow, UK
Our UK distributor, McMurdo, thought we (and you) might like to see this cool Vantage Pro2 installation at the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), on the north coast of Cornwall. The sensor suite is perched 200' up on a cliff, transmitting down to a pair of consoles in the brand new life boat shed. The public can access one of the consoles in a viewing gallery. That console retransmits to the second one in the Station Operations room.
The RNLI is a charity that provides a 24-hour lifesaving service around the UK and the Republic of Ireland. They are independent from the government and save hundreds of lives each year, going up to 100 nautical miles out to see to pluck boaters from danger. Clearly, knowing what is happening with the weather is crucial to this kind of important work. This one near the town of Padstow is just one of their 233 lifeboat stations.
We bet this RNLI crew doesn’t need a Stairmaster!
Vantage Pro Proves John’s Loss to Insurer
John Besedic, of Belleair, Florida, really, really loves his Vantage Pro.
“We were is the process of remodeling our home in 2004,” John wrote, “and while the roof was off we received a rain storm that soaked our house When our contractor went to file a claim with his insurance company, they would not process the claim stating that weather.com and accuweather.com did not show any rain that day.
“Fortunately, our weather station and our solar-powered construction cam that I built proved to the insurance company that it poured! Using this information we were given the money owed to use to repair the house and complete the renovation.”
Now that’s a story that brings a tear (of relief) to the eye!!
Weather Check Quiz Question 1: Why do the leaves of some trees turn from green to the beautiful reds, oranges, and yellows in the autumn? (Click here for answers.)
Irrigation Control System Uses Vantage Pro2 to Fight Citrus Disease
Photo:Marc Beaudin/news-press.com
Sonya Tuten, right, owner of Ag-Tronix of Immokalee, demonstrates an irrigation control system to Rick Johnson, an Immokalee citrus grower, at the 15th annual Citrus Expo at the Lee Civic Center in North Fort Myers.
In the past few years, being a citrus grower in Florida has been getting tougher. In the land of sunshine, a series of nasty hurricanes has cast a dreary and destructive shadow. Now two damaging citrus diseases, canker and citrus greening, have settled into Florida’s citrus groves and complicated the jobs of growers. Ag-Tronix, a Florida-based provider of iNews Pressrrigation solutions, uses Vantage Pro2 in their high tech systems. Ag-Tronix owner Sonya Tuten was featured in a News Press article with a smiling Vantage Pro2.
WEATHER 101:
Atmospheric or Barometric: Michael Can’t Take the Pressure!
Michael McLaughlin, proud owner of a Vantage Pro2, had a great question for our tech team.
“When I set the barometric reading for the console,” Michael explained, “I use the local airport here in Orange County [California] which is about eight miles from my place. When you look at the current weather data there are two readings: station pressure and altimeter. The argument around here is which do we use?
“I say we use the altimeter reading in inches because it takes into consideration the elevation of the airport above sea level, which is the same as the station, while the altimeter reading is station pressure corrected to sea level. Station pressure does not have the correction for elevation. When you correct station pressure for elevation you are getting a correct pressure which is what the airport calls the altimeter reading. What do you say?”
Now we’re really confused! We hit our Meteorologist dude Jason with Michael’s question and here’s what he had to say:
The short answer is altimeter is better. The long complicated answer is: There are three kinds of pressure readings that airports report: station, altimeter, and sea-level. If you don’t adjust the reading to sea level you are reading the station pressure for that location. If you adjust the pressure for the elevation you are either reading altimeter or sea-level pressure. Generally, the more air above an area, the higher the atmospheric pressure, this means that atmospheric pressure changes with altitude. For example, atmospheric pressure is greater at sea level than on a mountaintop.
To compensate for this difference and facilitate comparison between locations with different altitudes, atmospheric pressure is generally adjusted to the equivalent altimeter or sea level pressure. Altimeter reading is used for airplane pilots to zero their altitude indicators (altimeters) so zero is equivalent to being on the runway. Station pressure is the ambient pressure reading at a given location uncorrected for elevation. Sea-level pressure is generally used by the media and is what we at Davis typically refer to as “barometric pressure”. However, sometimes the media will report altimeter instead. Near sea-level, these values tend to be about the same. When you correct them both for sea level the readings may be very close. For example, when I checked the barometric pressure for Death Valley it was 30.14" and Denver was 30.11". This means that the weather conditions in both places are probably the same: fair weather.
To measure the station pressure, adjust the elevation of your Vantage Pro2 or Vantage Pro to read 0 or your Weather Monitor II to match the local station pressure. Then the pressure reading will be station pressure.
"Barometric” pressure, on the other hand, means “corrected to sea-level” instead of ambient or station pressure. Adjust the elevation of your Vantage Pro2 or Vantage Pro to read your elevation or your Monitor II to match, and then the pressure reading will be in corrected ‘barometric’ or sea-level pressure.
Weather Check Quiz Question 2: The NASA kids’ page has a couple of good Weather Check Quiz questions! (Remember, this is from a page meant for kids. If you don’t know the answers, ask your local 10-year-old….) “How much pressure are you under”?
Extra Credit: “Why doesn't all that pressure squash me?”(Click here for answers.)
TECH TIPS:
How To: Access Your Vantage Pro2 Reception Diagnostic Screen
For many of our users, the Vantage Pro2 or original Vantage Pro console just seems to operate magically, logging weather data "24/7." But it's not magic; it's high-tech design at its best. While it may seem that the console just receives data packets and displays the resulting information, when you are dealing with radio transmission and reception, it is not so simple. The console must also continuously monitor its own radio reception.
You can see this by accessing the console's diagnostic screen. That screen will tell you such things as the number of good data packets, the number of packets that contain an error and are discarded, the percentage of good packets received, the longest streak of good packets received, and even a graph of the daily percentage of good packets received over the last 24 days. If you have a Vantage Pro2 you can also see the background noise level, the console's battery voltage, and the console’s reception status (receiving packets, resynching, or lost signal). If you are receiving 75% or better reception you are in great shape. Even the National Weather Service considers 75% or better on data sampling acceptable.
To access the diagnostic screen: Vantage Pro2: From the Current Data screen, press and hold TEMP, then press the HUM key. Original Vantage Pro: From the Current Data screen, press and hold TEMP, then press the TIME key. To exit the diagnostic screen in both systems, press the DONE key. The information is cleared at midnight automatically, but you can clear it anytime by using the Clear button.
Here Kitty, Kitty! Get the Leaves Out of My Rain Collector
That’s a cat toy down in the Jean-Yves' rain collector!
Jean-Yves (John) Morin, of Montreal, has managed to confound both debris in the rain collector and his cat! He discovered that a plastic ball sold as a cat toy fits nicely into the rain collector, and its open design allows water to go through while catching the non-water junk that falls in. Normally, we don’t recommend putting anything other than our debris screen in your rain collector, as it could skew the data. Even this clever solution could alter the rain data, but our tech team feels it would be minor, because the ball does not prevent rain from getting to the tipping bucket, nor would it cause rain to splash out of the collector.
Next month, maybe Jean-Yves will send us an idea for keeping the kitty out of the rain collector!
Weather Check Quiz Question 3: According to lore, your cat can totally land a gig as a weatherman on your local television station (once he masters camera management and speech). What weather forecasting skills have been attributed to felines (you can pick more than one):
A. If he washes his face it'll rain (unless he washes it over his ear which means clear weather) |
B. If he lays with his paws stretched out in front of him, prepare for a severe storm
C. If he curls up counterclockwise, watch for tornados
D. If he eats grass, take an umbrella
E. If he coughs up a hairball in the shape of a mammatus cloud, make an appointment with your therapist
(Click here for answers.)
Bugs Be Gone
Continuing the theme of clever thinking by Davis weather station/pet owner is Beverly Totman, who sent this ingenious tip for keeping bugs from taking up residence in her rain collector:
“During our 13 years as Davis weather instrument users, we have experienced bug infestation, mostly spiders, interfering with our data capture. Spiders made webs so strong the wind speed cups could not spin nor could the direction indicator move, even at wind speeds over 10 mph. Bugs also got under the rain collector base, interfering with the tipping action of the sensor.
“The solution we have has been tried and true – we’ve used it on our boat and it now works for us on our RV. We use dog (or cat) flea collars! We activate them by stretching. Then we cut them into pieces that fit the location of use, like wrapping them around masts or sensor arms, and then retaining with plastic wire cables. Bugs and spiders will not cross the path of these wraps. The effectiveness doesn’t last forever but it does last the full period the dollar manufacturer suggests for the intended use -- usually 6 or 7 months. Perfect for northeast weather conditions! We have used this idea for years, we even throw a piece into our rural mailbox and it keeps the bees, bugs and spiders from bothering the mail delivery person.”
We know you know this, but flea collars are toxic -- at least to bugs – and should be handled with care and not used where small children and animals can get to them, especially if they are cut.
Paul Pylko finds that bugs stay out of his rain collector when puts mothballs in the rain collector every so often. “The scent keeps out all the critters with no apparent harmful effects!” And now his station reminds him of grandma…
Weather Check Quiz Question 4: Are mothballs safe? Click here for answers.)
MAILBAG:
Engineers Unite Against Bad E-News Editing
Engineer types have let us know, in no uncertain terms, that the title “P.E.” does not stand for “Physical Engineer” as we asserted in the last issue. (Nor does it stand for “Papier-Mache Engineer.”)
Jim Kunowsky, Lee Cooper, Mike Smith, Don Johanson, and probably most all of you know it means “Professional Engineer” and it also means that the engineer in question passed a very tough exam and you can trust what he tells you. (And it’s a good thing! We don’t want anyone less than professional driving the train!)
“We stand corrected,” says Dawn Chiu-Nobetter, E-News editor and president of the SPDU (Society for the Prevention of Dictionary Use).
Big Solar Rad Drop Impresses Gary; Jason Needs a Console
Gary Strong, of Pineville, Oregon, likes the E-News, in spite of his disagreeing with our “political” reference to global warming. (Don’t get us started on politics, Gary!) But what he really likes is his Vantage Pro2.
“I am a Davis Vantage Pro2 nut! I have three of them at our Juniper Sky country site. Last week in our absence a very interesting thunderstorm crossed the system. The rainfall at all stations was 0.11". The data showed there was a two-hour difference between rain time at the east and west stations (about 1200 feet) and no bees, doves, or spiders were involved. This was not too surprising. A 23ºF drop in temperature happened with most of the drop in 10 minutes. The amazing discovery was solar [radiation] W/m2 going from 760 to 11 in the same time! Wish I could have experienced that wall of black at 3 p.m. on an otherwise sunny day.”
Weather Quiz Question 5: We know that the sun emits solar radiation, which those of us with Vantage Pro2 Plus weather stations can record in terms of W/m2. But does the Earth emit radiation itself? (Click here for answers.)
Jason Hicok is disappointed that he can’t purchase an extra console for his trusty old original Vantage Pro. (Sorry, Jason, our shelves are completely cleared of the old stuff! The new Vantage Pro2 line has staked every inch of our warehouse for its own! But we still offer repair services on original Vantage Pro products.) He wonders if there is anyone out there who might want to sell him either a couple of consoles or an AC-powered wireless repeater for original Vantage Pro. If so, email him at jhicok@gmail.com.
YOU'RE BRILLIANT!:
Answers to Quiz Questions
Question 1: Trees that live where winters are very cold have learned that the best thing to do during the winter is to shut down the food-making factory and survive off stored energy. Leaves use chlorophyll and sunlight to make carbohydrates, so during the summer and spring, the leaves get their color from chlorophyll. As sunlight decreases and temperatures drop in the autumn, the chlorophyll is broken down. But chlorophyll is not the only pigment in leaves. There are other, such as carotenoids and anthocyanins. As chlorophyll decreases these other pigments create the autumn colors. Color of the leaves is affected by the kind of tree, the pigments involved, the pH and sugar content in the leaf, and of course, the weather. If you want your trees to really show their best and brightest autumn colors, request dry sunny days and cool, dry nights. A really good explanation of this process is on the Science is Fun website of University of Wisconsin chemistry professor, Bassam Z. Shakhashiri. (Back to stories.)
Question 2: “Earth's atmosphere is pressing against each square inch of you with a force of 1 kilogram per square centimeter (14.7 pounds per square inch). The force on 1,000 square centimeters (a little larger than a square foot) is about a ton!” (NASA Kids)
Extra Credit: “Remember that you have air inside your body too, that air balances out the pressure outside so you stay nice and firm and not squishy.” (NASA Kids) (Back to stories.)
Question 3: A, B, and D, yes. C, well, why not? E, eeewww! We found this kitty-trivia on Kathy Miles and Charles Peters II's Feline Forecasters page. Check out Wheeling Jesuit University's Cats and Dogs page too. (Back to stories.)
Question 4: Not if you are a moth, and not particularly if you are a person. There are two kinds of mothballs – one made of napthalene and the other of paradichlorobenzene – which is considered a carcinogen. Regardless of the kind of mothball, you should not breathe or ingest the product or the fumes. We wouldn’t recommend using mothballs – especially if you have children in your home – but if you do, follow the package directions for use, storage, and disposal, and don’t even open the package until you are outside! (Back to stories.)
Question 5: Yes. It is called terrestrial radiation: it is energy mainly in the infrared range that is emitted as a result of absorbing solar radiation. Infrared energy is known as “heat” to the layperson. It is the same energy as what you feel when you are near a space heater, fireplace, under an electric blanket, but not the kind of heat you feel when your spouse says, “what happened to all the chocololate-chip cookies?” (Back to stories.)
WHO YOU GONNA CALL?
Davis!
Each month after the E-News goes out, we receive messages back. Sometimes the messages are in response to a story we shared; other times they are a request for help of some kind. We read all the emails, answer those we can, and pass the rest on to the appropriate departments.We think you should know, though, that if you're interested in the fastest possible reply, news@davisnet.com may not be the best place to send your message. Questions about how things work should be addressed to tech support directly at support@davisnet.com. For general information about the products, such as how much cable comes with a station contact sales@davisnet.com. To request a catalog, you’ll find links for catalog requests on our web site at http://www.davisnet.com/contact/catalog.asp. Please continue to send your comments, weather URL's, and story suggestions to news@davisnet.com. We look forward to getting your comments and any responses you have to the E-News. Member participation is what keeps the E-News alive and kicking.
Well, that’s it for this edition. You’ll be hearing from us again next month!
Vantage Pro2, Vantage Pro2 Plus, Vantage Pro, Vantage Pro Plus, Weather Monitor, Weather Wizard, WeatherLink, Weather Envoy, and Perception are trademarks of Davis Instruments Corp.
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