Replacing station with a new one?

[SamiS]

Hi everyone,

Is there something special to do before replacing a station with a new one? I have now over 3 years of data, and don't want to lose anything. Searching this forum did not bring help, and the FAQ or readme do not say anything about this?

In my case I would be replacing a Fine Offset WH-1080 with a identical but new station if my occasional problems are not solved just by changing batteries on the transmitter.

If I have understood correctly, at least rain tip counter is cumulative, so how does Cumulus react if it is reset? Also I presume that setting pressure offset from the station would be wise, as well as making sure that station's logging interval stays the same.

Best Regards

Sami

[steve]

You might have to adjust the rain figures the first time you run with the new station, if you're unlucky. But in most cases it should cope with the rain counter being reset.

[SamiS]

Ok, thanks Steve for a quick answer.

What will happen if I start the new station a day before the switchover to give it time to synchronise time with radio clock etc? And then shut down cumulus, disconnect the old station, connect the new one and start cumulus? Will it cope with "duplicate data" properly even if it is downloaded from a different station?

[steve]

There won't be any duplicate data; it just downloads as many logger entries as it needs to catch up from when you last closed it.

Are you intending to have two consoles running at the same time, but one set of outdoor sensors? Clearly that's OK, but I don't know what happens if you try to run two sets of identical sensors at the same time as well - confused consoles?

[SamiS]

I was thinking that I would run two stations with two outdoor units at the same time until the new one works properly and I'm ready to remove the old one.

If I have understood correctly, Fine Offset stations synchronize the sender and receiver after connecting them to power. And I presume, this should keep stations "listening" only to their "own" outdoor unit. If they would get confused of signals from other stations, then running these on urban environments should be almost impossible, since the promised receiving distance is up to 100 metres. But maybe we'll see what happens...

But first I'll swap the outdoor unit batteries, and if it brings no help to spiking and lost sensor contact issues, then I'll start getting my spare station up and running. I'll try to report my findings about running two stations if and when it happens.

[AllyCat]

Hi,

AFAIK, when you put the batteries into the Console it "logs onto" the first signals that it "hears". They contain an "address" (or "signature" is a better description) which it will then continue to use.

So it's best to initially have the transmitter close to the Console, or at least to check that it's receiving signals from the correct unit (e.g. spin the anemometer or rock the rain gauge).

Cheers, Alan.

[SamiS]

Hi Alan,

Thank you for the clarification. The outdoor unit sends data every 48 seconds if I remember correctly, so it should be rather easy to put the batteries in "at the right time" to reduce the possibility of a wrong "pairing".

Best Regards,

Sami

[AllyCat]

Hi Sami,

Just a word of warning that the Radio Controlled Clock (in WHxxx0 models) can make the startup a little more complicated. The RCC receiver is located in the external transmitter and may spend the first few minutes after its batteries are inserted looking for the RCC signal. Then, if successful, it transmits the time data. Afterwards, I believe it only transmits the time data packet "on the hour (or two)".

So the exact sequence and delays when inserting batteries can make a difference in how long it takes the Console to "see" the transmitter and/or to automatically set the time.

Cheers, Alan.

[SamiS]

Hi Alan,

Yes, I'm at least partially aware of the radio clock feature. I think the user manual said that it tries to get the clock time during night time when there is less radio disturbance. If I remember correctly (it has been quite a while since the last battery change), the station synchronized very rapidly after putting in the batteries. So I presume it acts first just as the models without the radio clock, and time adjustment happens later.

Best Regards

Sami