I’ve got a place off a creek and am wondering where would be best to mount the unit.
I’ve got a number of places I could put up a pole or an arm mount. I’m assuming I want to avoid being under foliage (though none remains here in this picture). I’m guessing being under the eaves of the outbuilding down at the water wouldn’t be ideal. Attaching a pole up from the fence line down a the water’s edge is a possibility. But doing so on the left would result in not getting clear wind direction data due to the outbuilding. On the right might raise some complaints from my wife about gadgets obstructing ‘the view’. How high would a pole “need” to be?
I could put it on top of one of the pilings out on the water. There’s a piling in the top center of the picture that would be unobstructed by everything except for the boat on the lift. The downside is they’re not adjacent to the dock and I’d have to use the boat to install it or do any maintenance. I generally like to avoid installing stuff where it’s going to require more than just a simple step-ladder to get to it.
You have to decide whether you want to optimize for wind or rain. Rain typically means siting in a clear location over a grassy area in the 6-8’ or so elevation above the ground but really just about anything chest-high or so in a grassy area is likely good enough, but I’d try to avoid being near either that wooden platform or the cement walkway and patio. Unless that tree on the right near corner of the outbuilding will block everything, I’d probably say at the fenceline corner.
Ah, thanks for the tips. The red highlighted area might be problematic as there’s a neighbor’s large wood deck adjacent to it. And a fair bit of tree canopy above it during warmer months.
Well, I don’t have anywhere on site that I’d want to put up a 33’ pole. The only place with a pole is a purple martin bird house out on the dock. I can’t imagine mounting on that would be a good idea, what with bird activity possibly interfering with it.
For now I’ve mounted it on the top of a 2x4 that’s being used to hold some string lights. Marked in red here. Not ideal, but it gets it outside and reading data.
The only place that’s high and never obstructed is the roof in the left of this picture. The DirecTV mount is gone now, and the holes patched. The 3rd story on the right would block some of the wind, but the stand of trees farther right is also already doing that. That and I’d wonder about the problem of heat radiating from the roof during summer weather.
At a minimum make sure it’s got a clear view of the sun. Another pole like you used for the martin house on another piling would work nicely. The neighbor’s wood deck wouldn’t matter much if you’re up 8’ or so. Or drive a pipe into the top of any of the heavy pilings on the dock or even your wall. Lots of good options.
Yes, I may look into adding another pole out at the far end of the dock. The martin house pole is “supposed to” be able to telescope, but no amount of penetrating oil or other efforts have convinced it to do so.
Would the sensor care if it was mounted on the top of a flagpole? As in, would the moving the flag introduce movement that would disturb the sensor?
