Chelmer Park
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Posts posted by Chelmer Park
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7 hours ago, A Face like Thunder said:
Is this not sometimes the case, given the positioning of the jet stream at any one time? I wonder whether Southern Europe had quite the same 'scorchers' we had in years such as 1976, 1990, 1995 and 2003.
A brighter day today despite the cloud cover (still), and odd glimpses of the sun make it feel warmer than yesterday.
Found this. Apparently happened in 1957, maybe happened between now and then.
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Pleasant day here today. A largely sunny day for a change. Reached 21.3C. Overnight low was just 8.3C.
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11 hours ago, Dexter said:
Yes, you're right, humidity is a critical factor. I knew someone who went to Perth in Australia and they were saying whilst the temperatures can get into the mid to high thirties celcius, it doesn't feel too bad as humidity is usually low there. In contrast, places in Florida will regularly get into the mid to high thirties celcius with high humidity as well which must be unbearable outside. Mind you, they have regular thunderstorms as a result, so there are rewards. Of course, everything is also designed accordingly to keep things cool, eg aircon in all buildings and building design etc.
I've been in Adelaide in 39C and it's more bearable than 25C in this country.
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No rain in Chelmsford yet. T-storms forecast from 2pm. Now 4pm. Radar shows t-storms moving this way then they fizzle out before reaching us. For the last two hours there have been very dark skies to the west of us but sunny spells overhead. 22.5C so a pleasant summers day.
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Dull, misty and humid here. Overnight low of 16.1C. Yesterday was better than forecast. Only 0.2mm of rain.
Radar showing a very wet and possibly thundery afternoon for us.
Heading to North West England on Friday just as their weather finally breaks
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At the moment we seem to have got off lighlty with the rain in Chelmsford. 0.2mm this morning and cricket now underway in the park. Sun keeps trying to break through.
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Hi,
Does anyone know of an accurate weather station in the Wigan area that I can get reliable reading from?
Many Thanks
Dave
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7 minutes ago, etaf said:
from your picture you show NORTH - but your station seems to be pointing North West - or is that just the angle ?
the instructions shows you how to point the unit NORTH
You're right but it's the arrows that I drew on the photo that are slightly wrong. They aren't exactly pointing North and South, more NNE and SSW but it was just to give a rough idea where south was.
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4 minutes ago, Mandrake said:
I dont think its low angle sun as the peak was 2pm, so its probably just a burst of sunlight from a cloudy period. These sensors are very reactive and far faster than any old school thermometer!
I suppose the air temperature warms up the air around the sensor when the sun is out. The old school thermometer by the back door which is in shade all the time this time of year was recording a touch over 11C at the time.
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24 minutes ago, etaf said:
cannot see the left scale - so not sure if spike is 0.5C or more
see https://www.ecowitt.net/home/index?id=19826
you can change to different time scales - maybe last 30days
Just looked st the ecowitt and is it set to F which would change more i guess
How long has it been in same location - just looking at month/weekly figures
14:30 does seem to be highish in some/ most days - perhaps the sun position or ground reflection, but you are on grass
That's a good spot. There do seem to be quite a few days that the top temp has been around 2:30pm.
It's been in the same location since I set it up on the 23rd Jan.
To the south of the PWS is a path and to the south of that a lawn. See pic.
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6 minutes ago, etaf said:
cannot see the left scale - so not sure if spike is 0.5C or more
see https://www.ecowitt.net/home/index?id=19826
you can change to different time scales - maybe last 30days
This is today:
This is from the first full day I set it up (24th Jan) to today. On this one, I don't now where the 13C reading earlier this afternoon has gone.
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10 minutes ago, Mandrake said:
I will say that the internal temperature is pretty good in the base all in one.
The next step up is the WS80 Ultrasonic anemometer which also measures the temp/humidity and solar. The radiation screening is better on this model
Following this is the the WH32 and WH32-EP. This is a standalone temp/humidity sensor for using externally but requires a radiation shield. The EP version has a wired probe and is SHT35 based which is high precision and requires a waterproof box and radiation shield. I have this latter EP model and the other two for comparison.
In a normal day the most deviation I have seen is about 1.5C from my precision sensor and this on hot days when the sun is at a low angle and is striking the temp/humidity sensor housing on the all in ones. So all told they are pretty good and you dont really need to upgrade for temperature reasons unless you start getting really keen.
Ok that's interesting regarding the WS80 giving better radiation screening.
I've put my Watson W8686 PWS in a sunny spot, the closest obstructions are to the north, however I've noticed a couple of times and especially today as it's been sunny that my temperature reading has suddenly spiked.
I'm assuming the bit at the bottom is the radiation shield for the temperature sensor but it doesn't seem to be giving much protection.
It sits on top of a silver pole and I'm wondering if this could be an issue. Alternatively the sun is still low in the sky so that might be the cause.
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1 minute ago, Mandrake said:
My first advice on this is dont get hung up on placement too much especially with all in one sensors as you have to compromise on location for at least some of the integral components.
What do I mean you ask! - Well ideally you need the anemometer to be as high as possible and well away from any obstructions such as houses and trees to avoid swirl effect and venturi effect on wind. Rain gauge needs to be close to the ground and not shielded in any way. The Temperature/Humidity sensor needs to be approx 4-5 feet off the ground and ideally over a green surface and in direct sunshine as much as possible.
Now on top of that you must recognise that you will have maintenance to do, such as removing debris from the rain gauge quite often (you'd be surprised!) and changing the backup batteries at least every 2 years in the sensor.
So taking all that into account its very hard to find the optimum location. So don't stress too much if you chosen location is not perfect, just accept that the measurements that you take are relative to your back garden.
If you really get hooked then you can invest in a separate temperature/humidity sensor and place that in a good radiation screen such as a Davis 7714 or Barani Meteoshield, a separate rain sensor, a separate anemometer package etc and place them all in optimum locations in your garden etc. On top of that are all sorts of other sensors such as air quality or lightning etc.
Thanks yes I had read that with an all in one it's not possible to get the best readings for everything. I read that the wind sensor should be 33ft high.
I took the decision that an accurate temperature reading was the one I was most interested in so that's 5ft above the ground in the corner of my veg patch. See photo.
Regarding debris, it had crossed my mind about leaves in Autumn as we have some big trees nearby and when the Ash starts to drop its leave they get everywhere.
I hadn't however considered the birds until etaf mentioned it in one of his other threads. Hence my question about a bird spike.
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5 minutes ago, etaf said:
here is a guide i used
https://www.weather.gov/media/epz/mesonet/CWOP-Siting.pdf
BUT i had trouble meeting the height with the pole i had , as it was to small really
I then looked into using OLD scaffold poles, but the cost was very high for delivery and thought about a pole sold by screwfix
In the end I compromised. Not ideal, BUT i'm happy with the results
That's great thanks. How do you find the temperature readings with it? Particularly in summer, does it give reliable readings even though it's in the sun? I know it has the protector on it but some I've seen are quite large, I assume to allow airflow and keep it a realistic reading.
I've only had mine just over 2 weeks so haven't been through a hot spell yet. I think being on the edge of a park seems to give lower readings that those nearby on housing estates.
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14 minutes ago, etaf said:
I used just some tie wraps around
I just deleted the photos the otherday, luckily they stay in deleted for 30days on photos app
The tie wraps i purchased in Lidl when they had an offer on for various sizes in a pack. Before lockdown.
two thicker ones around the rim and very thin ones sticking up - hopefully you can see the setup from the photo.
Never seen a bird near it since putup in may
Screwfix/toolstation have various tie wraps available
I chose black only because it matched the rest of the setup
That's a great idea. I would never had thought of that.
Thanks for the tip on the SD card too. I haven't had the need to use one yet.
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On 29/05/2020 at 21:27, etaf said:
I may put some pins around the rain trap to stop birds sitting on it, or tirewraps / fishing wire , have to look into that tomorrow too.
Hi etaf,
Did you manage to put some pins around your rain trap?
I'm curious how you did it as I have a W8686 too and am struggling to work out how to do that.
Thanks
Dave
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1 hour ago, Mandrake said:
It will be either 868Mhz (most likely) or 433Mhz. 915Mhz should not be used in Europe as its reserved for Cell Phones/Mobile Networks
It might be written on the back of the Console or failing that go into settings and the about screen that shows the firmware versions will show what frequency model that you have. Once you know what frequency that the console is set to you can get additional sensors of the correct frequency,
Thanks Mandrake. It was written on the back of the console. 868M.
I've just had a look on Froggit.de and there isn't a UK or GB in the country dropdown list. Not sure if this is because of Brexit.
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I bought a Watson W8686 in January 2021 and it was very easy to set up.
My first PWS. It was recommended on another forum and really pleased with it.
Anyone know if the WH31 for the W8686 is 915M, 868M or 433M frequency?
Are there any guides as to what I need to do to update the firmware? And what are the consequences if any of not updating the firmware?
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On 08/01/2021 at 11:33, Lark Ascending said:
I just replied to someone else looking for a ~£200 WS. The Bresser's are not really from a very good stable, I would not advise to chose them.
I do though 100% recommended the Watson W8686. I'll copy my response here as I think it's valid for you also...
Watson W8686 Weather station with Colour screen and WiFi: Amazon.co.uk: Garden & Outdoors
WWW.AMAZON.CO.UKGreat prices on your favourite Gardening brands, and free delivery on eligible orders.or direct from the seller...
Watson W8686 – NEW! – Nevada Radio
WWW.NEVADARADIO.CO.UKIt's maybe at the top end of your budget but is such a great WS - and the display it one of the most advanced out there - displaying clear full-screen graphs from all the sensors. It saves data every 5 minutes by default (can be change to shorter or longer) the internal memory contains months of data and can be backed-up on a mSD card. Live data can be pushed to Wunderground (who I do not like at all), WeatherCloud (who I like a lot) and Ecowitt (who I like a lot and have professional visuals / graphs).
I've just ordered some soil sensors and a lightning sensor for it! (-you can also add additional internal temp/humidity sensors, air quality and leak detector). Truly a great WS, could be priced at 4 times it's current and still be great deal value.
As others have said these WS all come out of Fine Offset (OEM - HP2550, and appear in different countries as : Ecowitt HP2551, Froggit HP1000SE-PRO, Ambient Weather WS-2000). Ecowitt is taking much of the lead on additional sensors and firmware - and are a great company.
For £190 you will be chuffed at the Watson W8686 - get it!
Can this be easily fixed to a 2inch or 1.5inch aerial pole?
Reason I ask is that I have nowhere to fix a weather station to in my garden without it being sheltered by something (Trees, next door shed etc) and my only option is to buy an aerial pole put that in the ground and hopefully fix the weather station onto it.
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13 hours ago, Norfolk_N_chance said:
Mine is on my fence at end of the garden. I would consider ease of access (changing batteries) and best place for it to be exposed to all wind directions.
I think I read you are meant to have it at 2metres high to temp readings.
Thanks. My garden backs onto a public park, I probably should've mentioned that in my OP. Thinknig about it some more last night, I might need to place it on a pole somewhere central. I just need to find a pole that will work.
I'm sure some might have done this.
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Hi All,
I'm new to these forums and new to weather station technology.
I've been reading this thread about weather station recommendations and am looking to spend a similar amount.
I do however have a question about where to place a weather station. Photos I've seen are of weather stations attached to shed roofs.
I don't have a shed in my garden. I have a conservatory and a lawned area and a veggie patch.
So I'm wondering what people do when choosing a location for their weather station and what can be used if there's no shed.
I assume it sholud be in a position free from obstructions/shelter so it can monitor wind. rain, sun, temp etc.
Thanks
Dave
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Rain Gauge Issue
in Weather stations and equipment
Posted
Hi,
I have a Wastson W8686 PWS which is a clone of the HP2550.
I've noticed over recent weeks that my PWS would register the odd 0.3mm when there are clear skies.
It happened again around lunchtime today. Sun is shining and 0.3mm is recorded.
I checked the PWS Friday, cleaned out the tipping bucket (it wasn't dirty as I'd done this the week before because of these odd issues).
I'm wondering whether the wind is playing a part and moving the pole it's attached too. For example we had heavy rain this morning so it's possible the bucket could have been almost at tipping point when it stopped raining and the slightest movement tipped it.
Had anyone come across this issue of recording rain when there is none?
TIA
Dave