Cumulus Support

I have been using Cumulus since June 2011 coupled with an OS WMR200, and now, thanks to you lot on here eulogising about your kit, I am now several hundred pounds poorer because I just had to upgrade to a Davis VP2.
Cheers, thanks a lot
Anyway, I take possession soon, still awaiting delivery, but being a tight Yorkshireman, I do begrudge paying over £40 for a metal pole to mount it on. Several hundred quid for a decent bit of kit, fine, but not a metal pole.
So, given that the components of the metal pole mounting kit look like run of the mill bits, have any of you done a DIY installation job?
I have found a six foot pole of 33mm diameter for £8, and also the brackets for supporting it for around £4, but just want to be certain of the u-clips measurements as these are proving harder to source. Anyone found the right bits anywhere in the UK or can give good advice on a mounting alternative but that has the sturdiness of the pole?
It does need to be a pole mounted version as it will be attached to the side of a garage, so wooden post in the ground is not an option, even though that would be cheapest!
Cheers, Bigmac

you could check out this on eBay item number:200968893242
every thing from 29mm up to 102mm and fast delivery

bruce

Hi Bigmac

The diameter between the U of the mounting for the ISS / Anemometer is 48mm, but the quote from the Davis ISS manual is:

With the supplied U-bolts, the ISS and anemomter can be mounted on a pole having an outside diameter ranging from 11/4" to 13/4" (32 – 44mm)

Personally I have sourced parts from http://www.satelliteandaerialsupplies.c ... d-brackets which offers various gauges of mast and wall brackets.

These guys have never let me down.

but being a tight Yorkshireman,

You didn't mention how tight Have you also sprung for the 24 hour FARS, UV & Solar sensor or will the wallet be making another appearance?

It isn't a big ask to fit the Davis U-bolts round a 50mm - 2inch tube. The extra stiffness of a larger diameter, and thicker walled, tube is noticeable.

Thank you to all. That is all useful pointers and advice.

duke wrote:You didn't mention how tight Have you also sprung for the 24 hour FARS, UV & Solar sensor or will the wallet be making another appearance?

Ah ha, well, actually, I have sprung for the shelf for the UV & solar sensors in preparation as it was a better price than anywhere else, but couldn't thoile splashing out anymore at the moment.

Now if only I'd got it all last week, I may have had more accurate wind speed readings tonight!

Hey bigmac,

Make sure you have someone take pics of your facial expressions as you unpack that baby...Christmas in February!

I have my anemometer on a two inch OD steel pole with no problem.

Are you attaching the ISS/Rainbucket above the garage roof also?

All the Best with the new investment

Brad

MackerelSky wrote: Are you attaching the ISS/Rainbucket above the garage roof also?

Hmmm, there will be some compromise, at least initially. I am looking at a 6 foot pole, attached to the end of my garage, but fastened as high up as I can. So I am anticipating the rain bucket will be at around the height of the flat roof of the garage with the anemometer fixed to the top of the pole, probably around four foot or so higher than the rain bucket.
My main concern is that the anemometer will effectively be sited at the end of a wind tunnel created by my neighbours two storey extension and the 2nd storey of my own house, my garage sits between the two.

Longer term I am hoping to mount it up on the gable end of my house, but this will make it difficult to service.

Hey bigmac,

The same wind tunnel you mention concern for on your anemometer will also affect the accuracy of your rainbucket in that positioning I would think. The wind can actually push the water right across the top of the iss from your description or possibly even 'splash' from the roof into your bucket.

I'm assuming this is not a wireless unit and that is the reason for keeping it close to your house, cause it looks like you have room in your backyard to get it into the open.(satellites are amazing)

Not picking by no means, just trying to understand your layout

Brad

bigmac wrote:

MackerelSky wrote: Are you attaching the ISS/Rainbucket above the garage roof also?

Hmmm, there will be some compromise, at least initially. I am looking at a 6 foot pole, attached to the end of my garage, but fastened as high up as I can. So I am anticipating the rain bucket will be at around the height of the flat roof of the garage with the anemometer fixed to the top of the pole, probably around four foot or so higher than the rain bucket.
My main concern is that the anemometer will effectively be sited at the end of a wind tunnel created by my neighbours two storey extension and the 2nd storey of my own house, my garage sits between the two.

Longer term I am hoping to mount it up on the gable end of my house, but this will make it difficult to service.

Thanks for advice Brad. It is a wireless unit, but I would prefer it mounted on the end of garage, rather than in the garden. More for aesthetic and WAF!
For any weather obsessives out there, the actual distance from next doors extension will be around 4 meters and about 2 meters from the back of my own house and at a height of around 3 meters off the ground but about 30cm clear of the top of the garage roof. So is that likely to cause as much of an issue with overblow? We will very rarely have rain that would be heavy enough to "bounce" into the bucket.
The highest gust my present anemometer has recorded is 30.9mph which was actually on Wednesday night when the UK was hit by a very strong storm. So in comparison to others, I do live in quite a sheltered area anyway.

You have one of the finest affordable pieces of equipment available in that wireless unit, congrats...

Once you unpack that puppy aesthetics will go out the window in my opinion, you would be proud to have it down where people can look it over, even the WAF(wife and family?)

Granted, not everyone has an ideal location for a PWS and adjustments/trade offs have to be made to keep everyone involved happy, including the folks you are sending the data to. They also have a stake in your location and setup as far as being able to 'reliably' use your data. I have a pretty good location for one but I refused(for now) to get my anemometer at 10m/33ft above ground level, even tho the ole lady thought I should since that is what folks on the other end want. I just settled for 21' agl, anything taller would have required wires to the ground to keep it from swaying and I like my back yard without the wires.

The 'obsessive' in me says to at least set it up within the 'minimum' guidelines of the folks you are planning on sending data to or keep the data for yourself to use. To be as accurate as possible, the ISS should at least be 5' above any surface.

http://wiki.wunderground.com/index.php/PWS_-_Siting

and the cwop quide

http://weather.gladstonefamily.net/CWOP_Guide.pdf

</obsessive>

My apologies for butting into your thread and enjoy your unit.

And don't forget the pics.

Brad

Thanks Brad. Your advice is exactly what I wanted, you are not butting in!
As for WAF, it is a very complicated measure of something used the world over. There are many elements to the value, and as I understand even with my lowly 15 years of studying the various elements, those few who have studied it for over 50 years still get confused by the unknown variables..........it stands for Wife Acceptance Factor..........
I suspect you had been studying it, but probably didn't realise.

Yep, have nearly 35yrs. of hard research into the topic...

All the Best,

Brafd