Cumulus Support

Hi guys,
I have National Geographic Radio Controlled 265NC weather station and everything was working right until last week when I changed batteries in external unit. (was working great for almost 2 years)
Since then I'm receiving this strange readings of external humidity and temperature is also jumpy (http://members.shaw.ca/om6acw/trends.htm) so I was hoping some one can help mi find reason why this is happening.
Also I have one more question, is there a way how to improve this station in any way, or it would be waste of money and time to do something on it.
Thanks
Ondrej

any ideas

I'll move the thread to the Fine Offset section, you may stand a better chance of an answer there. I'm assuming the strange readings are on the console, and not just in Cumulus?

Regarding improving the station, there are quite a few things that people have done, including better radiation shields and various other improvements. Have a read through the Fine Offset section; the 'homebuilt' section also has threads with various improvements.

Thank you Steve, I wasn't sure where I can post my question. Yes, you are right i have same readings on console too.

Hi
It would be worth checking the battery condition even if they were new - you do get the odd rogue. And check the battery terminals - after two years they could be corroded. While you are at it check the cable plugs as well as a precaution.
Regards
Alan

om6acw wrote:any ideas

I experienced a similar issue once when I changed batteries on the transmitter. I just went through the (set-up as new as per manual) process again and it fixed itself. These FO's are a little flakey when changing batteries!!

apenwith wrote:Hi
It would be worth checking the battery condition even if they were new - you do get the odd rogue. And check the battery terminals - after two years they could be corroded. While you are at it check the cable plugs as well as a precaution.
Regards
Alan

Yes, I always check batteries before use with multimeter, and I use only quality lithium batteries. Surprisingly battery terminals and cable plugs looks like first day when I bought this station its true I always spray them with anti-corrosive spray for electronics.

nking wrote: I experienced a similar issue once when I changed batteries on the transmitter. I just went through the (set-up as new as per manual) process again and it fixed itself. These FO's are a little flakey when changing batteries!!

ya I found this information somewhere on internet but that doesn't help, i did this couple times with no success.

Your best bet is to pull all batteries from everything, let it sit for several minutes, then power it up again in the right sequence. You can spend the time polishing contacts, just in case.

I had similar problems with my unit after a few days of particularly heavy rain. I suspect the moisture and the internal electronics don't get along well. It recovered on it's own after drying out, but messed up again during the next wet week. I replaced the transmitter unit for $25 from the importer in Toronto, which is quite a bit cheaper than replacing everything, and it's working fine. Since you are also in Canada, you could try this route too, if it simply is not recovering. Contact them by email using thermor@thermor-ins.com

Charlie wrote:Your best bet is to pull all batteries from everything, let it sit for several minutes, then power it up again in the right sequence. You can spend the time polishing contacts, just in case.

I had similar problems with my unit after a few days of particularly heavy rain. I suspect the moisture and the internal electronics don't get along well. It recovered on it's own after drying out, but messed up again during the next wet week. I replaced the transmitter unit for $25 from the importer in Toronto, which is quite a bit cheaper than replacing everything, and it's working fine. Since you are also in Canada, you could try this route too, if it simply is not recovering. Contact them by email using thermor@thermor-ins.com

Thanks Charlie,
I did this many times since this happened but no luck, so I contacted thermor, waiting for their answer.

Ondrej

I also use the same NatGeo unit 265NC. I bought a replacement display from Thermor when I broke the touch screen, then my transmitter died so have just ordered a new one from them. They are easy to deal with, send promptly (without postal strikes), and the TX also cost $25 plus shipping and GST.

thank you guys for your input, new outdoor unit is in mail.