meteohub.de

I am evaluating meteohub in connection with a Vantage Pro (WLIP logger).

Sometimes there are problems to get data from the Vantage console. In this situations I found error messages like this in the meteohub log:

logger (24.01.2010 16:20:14): Bad rain0 sensor data, "rain rate x10" (131070) out of range [0:50000]

What are the reasons for this messages? Is there a communication problem between the ISS and the Vantage Concole or is this a problem between the console and meteohub?

I would like to know this also....

I am using a WMR100N and get checksum errors sometimes and would like to know if it is the RF or the USB communication that is the problem.

logger (25.01.2010 21:00:43): station 0 (WMR-100), wrong checksum (00ff vs computed 0283) for sensor model 46 in byte sequence: ff ff 00 46 ff 33 0c ff ff 00

Is your Vantage Pro base station plugged into AC power?

If so, it's possible that you're getting random RF noise on the USB cable that's causing invalid data to be transmitted. Frequently the noise is bad enough to cause the station to lose sync with the computer it is attached to.

There are two solutions:
1) Run the station on C batteries instead of AC power. The batteries should last for about a year.

2) Attach a ferrite core to the AC and USB cables to filter out most of the noise. This is the solution I went with, and haven't had any noticeable problems since. (Although I am also very careful to keep the power and data cables far away from one another.)

See "I'm using WeatherLink with the USB connection. At times I lose communication with the PC software." at the Davis Support site for a brief discussion of both, along with part numbers for the ferrite (they only cost a few dollars at DigiKey.)

I use the Weatherlink IP data logger and so the Vantage console requires the use if the AC power adapter.

Thank you for your advice. It may be the cause of the problem in my configuration is also noise on the wire.

But first I want to know whether the error message reflected a problem between the ISS and console or console and meteohub.

If I had to guess I suspect the problem is between your console and meteohub, because I'm fairly certain that the console has its own error-catching algorithm that filters out any bad data from the ISS. (Otherwise imagine the weird data you might receive if there's interference from a neighbor's garage door opener!)

That said, I don't think there's a way to be 100% certain about the source without ripping apart the system and adding some external real-time monitoring. I'd suggest keeping an eye on things and seeing if the problem repeats itself, and if so then trying to identify if there's a common element to when it happens, such as during thunderstorms or while the microwave is on.