Unreliable Fine Offset

[TRex]

I bought a Fine Offset package just before Christmas, and have had nothing but trouble. The transmitter is set up 7m from the console, and in line of sight. It KEEPS dropping out. It will be out for 2 or 3 hours, then OK for a day, out for 2 days, back on again for an hour or so, drop out again etc. The retailers have been very good, swapped the whole unit, with no difference in performance. Then I was lent a console belonging to one of the salesmen, who says he has used it without any problem. If my screen accepts data, so does his. If mine is blank, so is his. From this I assume the transmitter is faulty. OK, they give me a second new transmitter. It's OK for a few hours, drops out etc etc, just more of the same. Then they gave me a third transmitter that had been returned for an upgrade.

I must point out that the USB connection is 10m long, and comprises 3 cables joined together. However, the problem isn't reception at the computer, it's the screen/console that isn't receiving, neither of them! This has to be a transmission problem, but why would it be both, (no 3,) transmitters that don't work all the time. They work intermittently, and in unisom.............

The package is set up on the top of my carport, which has a steel sheet roof. There is a power cable running across the line of sight, but it is insulated (240v). There is also a telephone cable running adjacent to the power cable.

I am going overseas tomorrow evening, and had hoped that the kit would record the weather whilst I was away, but unless someone can come up with a miraculous suggestion, I think I'm unlikely to have any weather when I return.

Hoping for some suggestions..........

[steve]

Is it a WH3081 (the model with the solar sensors)? A number of people seem to be having problems with these.

[AllyCat]

Hi,

Does it log the data (and display on the LCD) if you remove the USB cable from the console (and ideally switch off the PC)? With some of these models, there appears to be an issue with interference radiated from the USB cable (particularly the 308x version) blocking the radio link. I believe the supplied cable is not screened and your additional extensions may be making matters worse.

Otherwise, the metal roof (even if not in the "line of sight") might be reflecting the signal and causing "multipath" interference. Also check for other interfence sources such as cordless phones, WiFi/broadband routers,etc.. The cables you mention are less likely to be the cause. Note that the console and Cumulus only report a "lost contact" after more than five minutes of no reception from the transmitter.

With so little time to check the setup (before your trip), I can only recommend that you move the console as close as possible to the transmitter and maybe change the orientation of each unit (in case one of the antennas is rather directional).

Cheers, Alan.

[TRex]

Thank you both for your comments. As you say, I have run out of time, and I'm not going to get it up and running reliably before I go. The model is a Jaycar version XC-0348, and it doesn't have the solar sensor, just the solar battery charger.

It had occurred to me that the roof may be relecting the signal, but I shall have to wait now till I return.

Regards,

Mike

[TRex]

Well, we shall see. I have rotated the Thermo hygro transmitter unit through 180 deg, so that it is overhanging the eaves, rather than located over the roof.

There is a cordless phone within a meter of the console, and as I shall not be using the phone whilst I'm away, I'll disconnect it. There is also a TV aerial higher than the transmitter, but not in the line of sight to the console. Could that be a problem? And yes, my wireless modem is in the same room as the console and my computer. A problem possibly?

Whatever, it's working at present, I'll check again when I come back in a month!

Please leave comments, and I can check them out on my return. Thanks.

Regards,

Mike

[geoffp]

I have given up with Fine Offset, nothing but trouble from day one, I have taken the WH-3080 down and it is all in a heap in t he garage where it can stay.

Fair do's to Signatrol, each time I had a problem they would replace the part for me but enough was enough, I was getting more errors up than I was getting data.

[WirelessCH]

Interference is always an issue for this type of device, particularly those that operate in the 433MHz range. This band is a shared, licence-free band for low-power devices. As such there are a whole range of products from weather stations, wireless thermometers, car alarm and garage door opener key-fobs, remote controlled golf trolleys, wireless burglar alarm systems, television IR remote extenders and in fact a close-by ham radio band that could all be harming your link. My Fine Offset (Watson W-8681) device operates in the 868MHz band which is less crowded but the problem still stands, although I have a good 25m link through a very thick Swiss "bunker spec" concrete wall.

What I would say is change the position and orientation of your transmitter and receiver until it works reliably. Even a few inches either way can make all the difference to between a solid link and one which is trampled on by interference.

You shouldn't get any crosstalk between DECT phones or Wi-Fi devices, so you can ignore these as they are on microwave frequencies (1800MHz for DECT, 2.4GHz / 5GHz for Wi-Fi).

I say persevere...! When they work they are great.

[TRex]

G'day All,

This is carrying on from where I left off 1 year ago. Over the past 6 months or so, we have had a very dry period, and the drop outs that I have experienced have been relatively few. However, we have had some rain, and this (almost) invariably results in Sensor Contact being lost. I would say probably over 90% of "Lost Sensor Contact" messages occur when it rains, or even when it is very humid, and so I don't get to record rainfall very well, and this is obviously most annoying. The past few days have brought some rain, and the forecast is for significant totals in the coming week. Every day this week there have been periods of Lost Sensor Contact, and it has presently been out for the past 38 hrs.

My question to the Fine Offset users around the world, is:- Have you had this particular problem, and have you managed to find a fix?

I have disassembled the set-up to see whether there is any obvious leak in the system that may be causing this, but can find nothing. Batteries are new, I have tried disconnecting the indoor console and reconnecting, I have done a reset on the Solar Panel, disconnected every lead and reconnected them, but to no avail.

I'll listen to any suggestions................

Regards,

Mike

[peterh]

Nothing of the sort... but YMMV, because mine operates on the 868MHz-band as well.

I did have incessant transmission errors when my console was in the vicinity of the computer. I took a 3m USB extension cable and relocated it... and all problems disappeared.
Also, we're not really in a builtup area. Our next-door neighbours live a couple hundred yard away. So, apart from all the high-tech stuff in our house, there's nothing in the vicinity that would interfere.

As mentioned before, WiFi shouldn't bother you. I seem to remember that DECT phones work in the same frequency band as WiFi, so that shouldn't be a problem as well.

[TRex]

Thanks for your comments PeterH. I also live in the "country', on acreage with the nearest neighbour 220m away, and the nearest line of sight neighbour nearly 260m away. I don't have a r/c garage door, golf buggy, wireless thermometer, car alarm, Ham radio etc etc anywhere nearby, certainly not within 250m, and as I have mentioned previously, my console is set up within line of sight of the transmitter, and they are separated by only 7m or so.

Whilst I'm still in the dark, it seems to be the rain that is the problem.

Regards,

Mike

[darryls]

Whilst I'm still in the dark, it seems to be the rain that is the problem.

Regards,

Mike

Hey Mike,

I'm also in Brisbane, and my unit started behaving intermittently a few days ago. Now it refuses to pick up any signal at all. I've also tried reinstalling the batteries and disconnecting the leads, but it still falters. I've had it for just over a year, and it has largely behaved perfectly until the 20th of January.

I was thinking of getting a new transmitter for my WS-1081 Fine Offset system, but I might wait until after the rain moves away next week and see how it's going on. However, like you I find it very frustrating to not be working this weekend of all weekends, given that we could see over 200mm of rain fall on us here.

Regards,
Darryl

[ecco123]

Nothing of the sort... but YMMV, because mine operates on the 868MHz-band as well.

I did have incessant transmission errors when my console was in the vicinity of the computer. I took a 3m USB extension cable and relocated it... and all problems disappeared.
Also, we're not really in a builtup area. Our next-door neighbours live a couple hundred yard away. So, apart from all the high-tech stuff in our house, there's nothing in the vicinity that would interfere.

As mentioned before, WiFi shouldn't bother you. I seem to remember that DECT phones work in the same frequency band as WiFi, so that shouldn't be a problem as well.

Do you have to have the station plugged to the computer all the time?

I though you could just wait until the console memory was full and then download to the PC, erase the console memory and start again

[TRex]

Yes, the Console is permanently connected to the computer, and if it's not raining (or very humid) I don't have any major problems.

However, the Transmitter won't talk to the Console when it's raining, and so if it can't communicate, there is nothing to download.

Regards,

Mike

[peterh]

Do you have to have the station plugged to the computer all the time?
I though you could just wait until the console memory was full and then download to the PC, erase the console memory and start again

You could, but then you don't have constant updates to your web site, of course

Also, if you hook it up to your PC, it is USB-powered (as long as the PC is on of course). And you don't have to erase the memory at all... it'll overwrite the oldest records when it fills up. I have it hooked up to my server, which is up 24/7 anyway, and Cumulus happily runs on any Windows version that is currently supported (and a couple older ones as well, afaik).

[AllyCat]

I would say probably over 90% of "Lost Sensor Contact" messages occur when it rains, or even when it is very humid, and so I don't get to record rainfall very well,....

Hi Mike,

Perhaps, current leakage due to dampness on the PCB is lowering the transmitter power (or changing the frequency) and causing the lost contacts. Painting (nail) varnish, or similar, onto the PCB tracks/solder (NOT the Humidity Sensor of course) MIGHT help.

However, you should not be getting "bad" rain measurements (or at least any worse than normal), because AFAIK the rain "tips" are counted in the transmitter unit and only a "running total" is transmitted to the Console. So present rain rate might be incorrect (if contact is lost), but the overall rainfall should still be accurate.

Cheers, Alan.