Here is my tempest installed
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Had some minor adjustments to the installation of my station at PCB
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> Windy Rest 21302
The picture with the Great Horned Owl sitting on the main mask was taken after I got a notification that it was raining at Windy Rest. I did not take a screenshot of it that one. When I first saw it he was sitting on top of the tempest. There have been several other occurrences where I would get a notification that it was raining and the sun was shining with not a cloud in the sky but I was not able to get a picture of the bird sitting on the Tempest. Tonight I got a Magpie when I got the notification.I have the materials and plans to mount the tempest on the main mast as soon as I get a the solution for the bird problem that I have.
The picture with the Great Horned Owl sitting on the main mask was taken after I got a notification that it was raining at Windy Rest. I did not take a screenshot of it that one. When I first saw it he was sitting on top of the tempest. There have been several other occurrences where I would get a notification that it was raining and the sun was shining with not a cloud in the sky but I was not able to get a picture of the bird sitting on the Tempest. Tonight I got a Magpie when I got the notification.I have the materials and plans to mount the tempest on the main mast as soon as I get a the solution for the bird problem that I have.
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Here is a pix of my recently received âtoyâ. It is on a 20â gas pipe, wind does not move it. This is temporary as I am going to install a tower for my amateur radio activity and I will be placing the
Tempest at the 10m level.
In the background you can see my old Accurite 5 in 1, it has done a good job but it was time to move on.
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So, I finally got my tempest to itâs more permanent site. Once the elm tree gets taken down, Iâll have much more accurate wind fetch. Itâs about 30 feet off of the ground, 10 feet over the roofline.
https://tempestwx.com/station/20654/
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Wow - that is a big owl. Wondering if you put a decoy PVC mast up thatâs on the N side of the post and a few feet higher kinda like an osprey box. Anything to get them to perch higher. Or home made bird spikes zip-tied to the Tempest. I think there are photos of some examples here someplace.
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Apologies if this is a dumb question, but if I mounted that galvanized pole to a chimney shouldnât I be concerned about it acting like a lightning rod?
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You ask a good question. I would recommend grounding the pole.
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Mounted using a 13â threaded 1â aluminum length of pole into a 90° aluminum bend into a 3â that was attached to a 4â 18 gauge aluminum square (yes I wanted to make sure the house didnât become a lightning rod). Then mounted it to our faux chimney where itâs the absolute tallest point on the house. Get great readings for wind, rain and temp with no issues reaching the base station in the livening room 20â+ below.
Updated photo after installing my anti-bird crown 
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You absolutely want ANY mast attached to a dwelling grounded for lightning protection per NEC or local electrical code!
Invariably, someone will come along and say that they never grounded a mast and were never struck by lightning. Insurance companies do not like to write checks, and you can take it to their bank that they would use this as a reason not to pay if your house burns downâŚeven if it wasnât directly struck by lightningâŚ
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Thanks to everyone for the feedback & thanks to the people who posted the links to the pole & mounting bracket.
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Agreed! Which is one of the reasons I went with a metal mast. Far easier to bond to and ground. Admittedly, it took longer to complete, but a quick search on line shows the importance of grounding. Iâll paraphrase all that I found.
There isnât much that youâre ever going to do to counter a direct lightning strike. Can you, or your house withstand a direct hit from G-d? Probably not. But the main purpose of grounding is to allow any static build up in your mount to drain off. (Think of it as making your mount more stealthy to lightning.) It is generally the static build up that winds up attracting direct and/or indirect strikes, anyway.
Finally, when you do ground your mount, Make sure that you tie it into (bond) your house ground. Donât run your ground wire into your house, There should be a bare copper grounding wire from your service entrance/meter to your grounding network. (Ground rod/electrode, foundation rebar, etc.)
The extra few steps is definitely worth the peace of mind, if not the peace of family. (Donât want to constantly get nagged by a significant other who is worried either.)
Ultimately, itâs your decision as the owner, but you may jeopardize too much by not grounding, in my (not so) humble opinion.
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Seen the picture you will most probably have heat radiation from the steel plate (and concrete) and most probably a temperature reading too high.
Also your wind readings will be biased by turbulence depending where the wind comes from.
Next to that, nice view
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So far my temp readings compared to other local WX stations (1-3NM area) are within .2° degrees of all others. Both my mounting pole and the âplateâ across the top cap of the faux chimney are Aluminum and not Steel, therefore the overall heat radiated is going to be lower than steel and as far as the concrete roof tiles, I canât help that but that are not causing a noticeable increase in temperature readings. As for the wind turbulence, compared to the other WX stations in the area, again itâs within +/-1mph and is in the best possible position based on other structures in the area and normal wind patterns to collect correct data.
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Set up a Tempest at my parents house today. Quick and easy using a vinyl wrapped closet rod and they are up and running. Hope they donât need a bird deterrent but I better order one just in case! 
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Better safe than sorry. Lol. I ordered 2 of them not long after the announcement.
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Put out a sign with an arrow (pointing down) directing the birds to the little house below. . .and Not the item at the top of the pole!
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Wow that looks like quite the set up!! Nice!
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Got my station on fri., and up and running sat night. Should be a good spot for it? Steel fence top postâŚabout 6 feet above the roof. While I had wife holding ladder she saysâŚâwtfâŚu cant just look at weather on your phone like everyone else???â lol
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Itâll be neat to measure the wind speeds rolling down from the top of those hills in the back.
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