Where did you get the mast stand off that the sky is mounted on?
Hello @wcpotter!
The main mast (and the angled one) are from a DIY retailer (Leroy Merlin - I don’t know where you’re located but they have many stores in Europe, South-America, Russia and some in Asia). Less than 50€…
The mast & flange were from another post here somewhere. Here are links to the exact parts at Lowe’s:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Mueller-Proline-1-in-dia-Black-Iron-Floor-Flange-Fitting/1000217679
My sky is on a fence, and mostly does ok. But slamming a gate can be enough vibration to cause some kind of “event”.
Yes, the “event” will be a false rain indication.
thanks for the info. nice setup
that is a nice setup! where did you get that offset mount that is connected to the main mast?
right. It’s not a big deal. If Rain Check is on (so far it is) it will delete it. And it only happens here and there.
The last couple of rains, the Sky was very close to the manual gauge 1 foot away in measurement.
I ordered from Ambient Weather. Here is a link to their mounting hardware page;
https://www.ambientweather.com/amwemoso.html
I selected items from this page that matched the size of my existing poles.
My HOA is pitching a fit over my current setup, where did you get this? Or did you make it?
Here’s the pipe link:
However, the Sky actually needs a little bigger than a 1 inch exterior diameter pipe to securely mount to, so I had to do some modification. You’ll notice the pvc pipe thread at the base of the Sky. I ended up attaching a pvc coupler with epoxy to the pole to increase the diameter to approximately 1-1/4" so that the Sky base would securely attach. Worked great and is solid.
Thanks! I’ll check that out, looks like it might pas HOA muster.
Trivia item for the day. Pipe is measured by inside diameter (ID), because it is specified to carry something within. Tubing is specified by outside diameter (OD), because it is being used in a structural application where the outside dimensions matter.
The above J-mount uses 1" (OD) tubing, since it is a structural application. WF sized the mast mount for a 1" pipe (ID), which as you discovered has a greater OD and clamps properly to pipe. This is also why the 1" (ID) PVC adapter that you used mated perfectly with the 1" (OD) J-mount tube…
Yeah, I simply didn’t read the specs close enough to realize that it was 1" OD. Oops!
Good luck with the HOA! I know they can be a pain. I am thankful that I don’t have to deal with anything like that.
Those are great photos! Great to be able to site the station in a location like that. Jealous.
BTW sir, living in a dry low light area like that, if you do not already own a decent telescope for the night sky, you should just run out today and buy one! Further east, people drive for many hours to get under a big dark sky like that.
Thanks. We do indeed own a telescope. The dark night sky down here is phenomenal.
Showed them the pic of your setup and the board seemed to be OK with it. I’m sending in my “application for alteration” (did I mention I despise HOA’s?) and will post pics once completed. Thanks for the inspiration!
For those of you with HOAs, check to see if your state or community has an exemption for energy efficiency equipment (particularly if you are using your weatherflow as part of home automation or your thermostat). Colorado forbids HOAs or covenants from restricting any form of energy efficiency improvement, such as clothes lines, solar modules, evaporative coolers, etc. That doesn’t mean they don’t try, just that it isn’t legal.
