replacement station questions (mostly WS-2902a/WS-2000)

[Your Name Here]

So sorry if this should have been found via searches (I tried, for hours!), but I'm exhausted trying to collate these answers into a simple form I can comprehend.

Questions that relate to WeeWX usage

Do these models allow for completely offline (no Internet, just intranet (home) access) data extraction for processing by weewx? I have read about the weewx-interceptor and the listen mode. These two units are not explicitly mentioned (including on the hardware guide or supported hardware pages).

Does the SD card for the WS-2000 do any continuous collection? 

If my computer is down, is any data maintained in the console that can be retrieved later? 

Is it "automatic" the way the Davis data logger would have the last 44 hours of data (every minute collection) and my computer would get everything missed to catch up and resume regular collection?

Or do I have to be aware of it, trigger the export on the console, and move the SD card elsewhere to import it?

I see it has an archive mode, but I don't understand if that is merely for console display or if it helps achieve what I'm asking.

I have years of data in an MySQL database from a Davis 6152. How cleanly does the data from these go into that database or should I start a new one?

Does the low battery information get exported with the weather data?

Questions that are not related to WeeWX

My mount is a 10' mast and my current station is mid-pole. These seem only designed to go on top of a pole (what about something higher than the station for lightning strikes?), do I need to get some side mount extension for these?

The Davis has the u-bolts opposing each other for a stable mounting and these are oriented facing the same direction. Does that affect the quality of attachment?

How easy is it to clean out the rain gauge?

Is the bird spike worth getting?

Why not position/bend the spikes prior to installation?

Side question: how much of an "issue" is it that the integrated temperature sensor is 5' above the apex of a two story house instead of 5' above ground?

Background

I moved into a new house and the wind was significantly more than I was used to. That made me curious about its speed and I bought a cheap LaCrosse WeatherChannel unit from Best Buy. 

That interested me enough to look into getting something better and I got a Davis 6152C for $333 from Ambient Weather (.com) plus the 6510SER for another $139 (+tax + shipping $488). That was May 2007.

The mount is a 10' pole on the apex of a two story house with the station about 5' up so I can reach it and lightning strikes would be several feet above. It was (unfortunately, not currently) grounded to a 6' ground spike put in by the installer to protect his equipment on it (long-range radio for Internet access which has been gone for a decade or so).

In January 2008, a winter electrical storm strike took out the station all the way to the console (but thankfully not the COM port on the WinXP box). Nearly $500 taken out, what would reduce that happening again?

In March 2008 I spent more money to get a 6152 ($400), a new 6510SER ($139), and a 6316 ($139). That's $700 spent just to get conditions at my house versus a web page (or app) showing me a 15+ minutes old, 10º off reading from elsewhere.

That's a lot of money, but I liked it and have been proud of it. Other than a repair to the rain gauge (soldering a complimentary new resistor for the reed switch), it's been working pretty well. Although, the solar panel is rather clouded over and new batteries only last one year (remember to put a fresh one in by mid-December!).

Now the anemometer isn't working. I've been wishing for a new station, so I checked out the prices. Same site I bought the first two (and the maker of the models I'm asking about) is now selling the 6152 for 32% more than before at $527. Most electronics have dropped in price and increased in functionality and features, this is the same old model for 32% more?! No thanks. (Yes, there are alternative sellers, but I am soured on the increase which is also reflected on the Davis website.) I think that if the price was at least the same as before or less, I wouldn't have shopped around much. Oh well.

I am impressed that there are so many less expensive alternatives now that seem to do a decent job. That really wasn't the case back in 2007/2008. The cheap ones were cheap in every sense of it. So, in searching I have narrowed it down to these two models. I am very interested if someone has another recommendation, though.

[mwall]

On Thursday, February 27, 2020 at 11:12:37 AM UTC-5, Your Name Here wrote:

So sorry if this should have been found via searches (I tried, for hours!), but I'm exhausted trying to collate these answers into a simple form I can comprehend.

thank you for searching first!  that helps us keep the documentation in good shape.  sorry the hardware pages are a bit stale...

Do these models allow for completely offline (no Internet, just intranet (home) access) data extraction for processing by weewx?

yes

 

Does the SD card for the WS-2000 do any continuous collection? 

If my computer is down, is any data maintained in the console that can be retrieved later? 

Is it "automatic" the way the Davis data logger would have the last 44 hours of data (every minute collection) and my computer would get everything missed to catch up and resume regular collection?

Or do I have to be aware of it, trigger the export on the console, and move the SD card elsewhere to import it?

I see it has an archive mode, but I don't understand if that is merely for console display or if it helps achieve what I'm asking.

the interceptor driver will read only 'live' data, not historical data from a logger.  if the station works with the observer driver, then you might be able to get the read-from-logger-on-startup behavior that weewx provides for other stations like davis.  (i think the 2902 will do this, but not the 2000 - check the specs to be sure)

 

I have years of data in an MySQL database from a Davis 6152. How cleanly does the data from these go into that database or should I start a new one?

it is straightforward to import old data into a 'current' database.  but i would suggest that you keep the davis data in its own database.  mixing data from two different instruments makes the data untrustworthy.  you can easily combine data from multiple databases in your weewx reports.  doing that over different time periods might take some tweaking.

 

Does the low battery information get exported with the weather data?

yes, with caveats.  if you have many additional sensors, then their battery status will not be saved to the database until you extend the schema and/or map the data to existing database fields.

in weewx4 we are trying to make this happen automatically, by supporting more sensors and by shipping with an extended schema.

m

[vince]

Geez that sounds so much like my journey other than I started with a LaCrosse 2315 (ugh) before moving to a VP2 in Jan'09.

Replaced a reed switch like you did, a little over 3 years ago.  Replace the battery very very rarely, maybe once per 4 years. The anemometer died a year ago and I replaced it with the new replaceable cartridge type from a Davis Reseller.   Cost too much, but future fixes will be just $25 or so, so I called it an investment.   Found a replacement solar panel cheap last year mainly because it was available when I did the anemometer replacement.   Swapped out the old 'tin can shaped' rain code for the more modern one with the nice bird spikes.

If you're happy with the VP2, replace the anemometer with a modern Davis one for $150 or so.   It's likely the cheapest alternative to keep your station running, rather than going down in quality to a cheaper station.

Still looking for a station that does the job better and more 'just plain works' than Davis, even though their console is hideous and their pricing for the datalogger is brutal and....and...and... - you know the drill.  But that said, they 'do' have fabulous customer service in my experience.

[Bill Arthur]

I'd like to help answer some of your questions.

Here's a little back story: I moved to a rural county and decided to build my own mesonet. I wish I could afford six Davis stations but I can't. I found the WS-2902 to be what I needed. Originally no display console was used, just array, ObserverIP and Meteobridge. (I've since added a WS-1900 display in my home)
The 2902 array is not Davis quality, but is the best available under $250. It is well made and spare parts are available.  I now use the Gw1000 instead of the ObserverIP, it pushes the data to WeeWx

I mount them low to the ground, 5' to 6'. I've had bird problems at one site, even with bird spikes. Cleaning bird poo atop a ladder is no fun. The rain funnel is twist-lock so it's easy to do on ground level.

Bill

[Your Name Here]

Here's my update so far: not much.

The Davis started to work again after ~36 hours, then it failed again. Then it started working again. Then it failed. Then it work for a few weeks. Now it's somewhat failed (current winds of 20+mph and it's only showing <5mph or 0mph).

I still have quite a few unanswered questions about that model (2902A).

I appreciate the replies and I'm still hoping I can get the rest of the answers I'm looking for. Since Amazon has a 30-day return option explicitly mentioned for it, I'm guessing I ought to try to just figure out the answers myself. I was just hoping to benefit from others' experiences and wisdom.