ok, I see on indieogogo that they’re finally in what sounds like real production. I currently have a Davis VP2 on a Harbor Tools extendable flagpole, with the anemometer up about 18’ to get clear of obstructions. That particular pole has a ‘ball’ at the top, so I’ll need to MacGuyver up some mount for the Sky when it arrives.
Does anybody have good info on:
how big physically is the Sky (length) and what does it weigh ?
similarly, how big physically is the Air and how much does it weigh ?
My current setup is on http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=33824.0 if you want to see a photo of the as-is for the Davis. Thinking I could cook up some kind of L bracket to mount the Sky to, but don’t want to put too much moment arm kind of load on the flagpole given it’s pretty thin at the top. Thoughts ?
there is not a lot of weight (the batteries add the most weight)
they are not all that big, the sensors
the air (temp/hum) is not much bigger than the hub
ie less than half a ruler length
and the sky is about nearly a ruler length? (going from memory)
I am sure someone will give better dimensions/weight
the Air module is +/- 13 cm heigh and it’s base isn’t a perfect circle but at it largest 7 cm
weight is as said before the batteries and add like 250 gr to it and you have full weight. Can’t really measure it now as it is fixed on a tripod right now but will do next time I take it out for final installation
For the Sky I can’t help you, don’t have the unit … guess another good soul will tell you soon enough
both units are remarkably easy to mount though slighly different additional option on the sky unit using the supplied pole adapter mount. biggest and very important criteria mount the sky on a absolute solid mast meaning non swaying or movement otherwise this will trigger false rain readings .
too give an idea how lightweight and balanced they are you could hold each in your hands and hold your arms out straight for quite some time .
the solid rigid mast is a must…another tip if your using a lightweight alloy pole fill it with sand it will dampen any vibrations …sounds far fetched but an old trick i learnt from my hifi enthisuast days of filling alloy speaker stands with sand to reduce resonant vibrations when mounted on a wooden or loose floor… brian
I would just put up another mast a few feet to the left of the flag pole, attached to the top rail of your fence. You can’t go higher than 20’ without guy wires, but 20’ is still feasible for one person to muscle the pole vertical and also take it down for maintenance. (Believe me, I’ve had plenty of practice the past 5 months or so!) This is the pole that WF mentioned in the campaign site info, and the Sky’s pole adapter should slip right over it.
If you still have the urge to MacGuyver something, Google ham radio tipping tower for methods of getting both of your stations up to the WMO-spec 10 meters (33’)…
I used some duct tape as a filler on the inside swaged end to tighten up the fit, forced the outside end of the next piece onto it, and them clamped it with a muffler C-clamp. A couple of whacks with a hammer and chisel to crimp the outside in tighter, and it seems to be holding up to 25+ MPH winds. I was planning to knock some self-tapper screws through the joint and not use the clamp, but my cordless drill batteries were dead so I changed plans at the last minute.
I do intend to at least make an attempt at getting up to 30 feet, and was thinking that epoxy resin and some woven fiberglass mat material may make a better joint filler. Because the pole is galvanized, don’t fall to the temptation to weld the joint. The gasses emitted from arc welding galvanized metals cause brain damage with such short exposure that you’d be hard pressed to find a professional welder willing to even touch the job…
Hi sorry to be a bit pedantic are you referring to a 12 inch or 6 inch ruler?
I am trying to get details of the SKY physical dimensions / weight in order to complete the design / build of my mast before I get my SKY delivered.
Thanks @vreihen although I use metric I have no problem with converting other systems.
I am constructing an anti-bird system involving 4 thin fibre rods extending from the mast at about 30 deg from vertical from which thin fishing line will cross above the SKY unit. The physical dimension from the top of the mast to the top of the SKY unit is therefore important.
I would also like to know the weight of the SKY unit with batteries to aid my calculations of mast stability / rigidity. The total mast will be approx 5M in order to clear local vegetation using a ground mount.
For another pole mount option, look at telescoping extension poles painters use. I plan to use a 6 ft. - 12 ft. telescoping pole. This will allow me to lower the Sky sensor for cleaning and battery change. Similar to this…