Cumulus Support

burgla wrote:How often do you TX at 433 mhz ??

Every 48 seconds...






from his weather station...

Hi burgla.

433 MHz or 70 cm band is normal for ham radio ops.

My 'local' repeaters are on 433.250 (Liverpool) and 433.150 (Chester)

Take it your not licensed?

CB only 27mhz in NZ

burgla wrote:CB only 27mhz in NZ

Chat around the world on 27MHz

Hello again. I still have problems with "Lost sensor contact" from time to time. So today I checked the batteries in the sensor. They showed 3.45V after more than 8 month including vinter season. Since batteries are OK there must be some other reason for the Lost sensor contact.

Regards
Christer

Hi Christer - what sort of batteries are you using? I'm not aware of any type that would fit and be higher than about 3.2 V.

Charlie wrote:Hi Christer - what sort of batteries are you using? I'm not aware of any type that would fit and be higher than about 3.2 V.

Hi, I´m using Energizer Ultimate Lithium. They will hold 1.8 V new and are specified dovn to -40 celcius.

//Christer

Charlie wrote:Hi Christer - what sort of batteries are you using? I'm not aware of any type that would fit and be higher than about 3.2 V.

Oh, believe you me there are. I've got some AA rechargable lithium batteries that 3.6v each and are 4.2v fully charged and 2.75v empty. I use them with a dummy battery (an aluminium rod) in some equipment. I'd nevery use them in my weather station.

Bob

tjaliwalpa wrote:

Charlie wrote:Hi Christer - what sort of batteries are you using? I'm not aware of any type that would fit and be higher than about 3.2 V.

Oh, believe you me there are. I've got some AA rechargable lithium batteries that 3.6v each and are 4.2v fully charged and 2.75v empty. I use them with a dummy battery (an aluminium rod) in some equipment. I'd nevery use them in my weather station.

Ah I see! The batteries consist of 3 lithium-ion cells each of 1.2v nominal. The 3 cells in series gives 3.6v. If you use these with a shorting bar in place of two AA cells, make sure the device you're putting them in will take 3.6v (or indeed 4.2v). Most are designed for 3v i.e. 2x1.5v or 2x1.2v rechargeable.

Unfortunately, it is common usage to use the word "battery" to mean "cell". A cell being one electro/chemical unit and the true/original meaning of "battery" is a collection of cells, usually in series.

Hi Christer - If I'm reading your posts correctly, you started out with 3.60 V approximately 8 months ago, and your most recent measurement is 3.45 V. Given the transmitter range seems to be directly proportional to voltage, then if your transmitter was close to the maximum distance with a 3.6 V supply, it could well be "out of range" at 3.45 V.

Another possibility, depending on your model, is the time signal syncronized clock. My model has this feature, and I am near the extreme edge of the transmitted time signal range. Most of the time, everything works normally. But when conditions interfere with reception of the time signal, the station will try to find the signal for up to 5 minutes before it finally gives up. During this interval, I get "lost sensor contact" messages. After conditions improve, I'll go weeks without seeing the message.

Charlie wrote:Hi Christer - If I'm reading your posts correctly, you started out with 3.60 V approximately 8 months ago, and your most recent measurement is 3.45 V. Given the transmitter range seems to be directly proportional to voltage, then if your transmitter was close to the maximum distance with a 3.6 V supply, it could well be "out of range" at 3.45 V.

Another possibility, depending on your model, is the time signal syncronized clock. My model has this feature, and I am near the extreme edge of the transmitted time signal range. Most of the time, everything works normally. But when conditions interfere with reception of the time signal, the station will try to find the signal for up to 5 minutes before it finally gives up. During this interval, I get "lost sensor contact" messages. After conditions improve, I'll go weeks without seeing the message.

This was an interesting observation! This may be the reason because my station is placed in Luleå in the north of Sweden. However, the manual says that there is an internal clock in the console and that the best receiving time of the DCF early in the morning. And my console shows DCF sync. Due to the clock in the console it´s not nessary to sync to DCF so often.

Edit: About the batteries. Nominal voltage is 1.5V for this AA is printed on the package.

Regards
Christer

Well for what it's worth I installed my Maplin/Fine Offset 2nd March 2009 and the initial set of Duracell Ultra batteries were replaced just a few eeeks ago.

Not too shabby...

Kind regards,
-=Glyn=-

GlynH wrote:Well for what it's worth I installed my Maplin/Fine Offset 2nd March 2009 and the initial set of Duracell Ultra batteries were replaced just a few eeeks ago.

Not too shabby...
-=Glyn=-

Installed mine 1 March 2009 using Sainsburys "Extra Long Life" cells - still going strong!

Stuart

Hampshire, UK

I've just done my yearly battery replacement on my Fine Offset Transmitter.
The batteries were Panasonic Alkaline and still show just over 1.4 volts and no sign of any leakage.
I'm happy with that and always follow the yearly replacement scenario.
Console batteries are checked as well, just for any sign of leakage, but are not needing replacement as they are in "standby" mode due to the console being permanently powered from the computer USB port.
I guess that Auckland's climate helps battery life as we rarely go below 0C and that would be only for a very short time.

GlynH wrote:Well for what it's worth I installed my Maplin/Fine Offset 2nd March 2009 and the initial set of Duracell Ultra batteries were replaced just a few eeeks ago.

Not too shabby...

Kind regards,
-=Glyn=-

And the second set of Duracell Ultra batteries I replaced them with only lasted a matter of weeks before they died sometime in August

Never bothered to hire a roof ladder to get back up to sort it out...hasn't been working since

Kind regards,
-=Glyn=-