Anyone using a VP2 or envoy in a remote (outside) setup? I would like to upgrade to wireless sometime this year but am concerned about signal reception as I have a basement office. One of my proposed setups would be to have a wireless envoy/datalogger in a system shelter located outside but near my basement office and have the cable from the datalogger run into the house/basement. This would ensure (hopefully) good reception as the wx station and envoy would be line of sight outside. My only concern is that the operating temp listed for the envoy is +14 degrees F to 140 degrees F and we do get below zero so I’m guessing I would have to install a heater for winter use. Would be interested to hear if anyone has a remote setup. Thanks! --Bill
I don’t think anyone has had problems with the VP2 reception. My Envoy and console are both two floors and the opposite side of the house from the ISS. I really think you would have no problems with it in your basement. In fact, tomorrow I’ll take my console to the fartherest place in my basement and see if I get a signal as a test.
–Dave
Thanks Dave. That sounds encouraging. Just trying to think of my options in the event that initial reception was less than ideal. Would be curious to find out the results of your test. I appreciate the help. --Bill
The envoy has the barometric pressure sensor as well as the indoor temp and humidity. I don’t think the barometric sensor would appreciate the very low temperatures, and of course, the indoor temp/humidity readings would be incorrect.
Completely forgot about the temp and barometer being in the console. The manual says it may not work below 32F.
I have a two story stick built on a poured concrete basement. I also have a fireplace with a foundation from the basement up. The ISS is located about 4 feet above and 12 feet away from the basement wall. I placed the console about 35 feet away behind the fireplace at the far side of the basement to provide more interference between the two. I also have an Envoy in an upstairs computer room about 45’ away.
I took a base reading on the console but didn’t think about the Envoy at the time. I also have no idea how bad the packets with errors and missed data package count is. Perhaps someone else may know or compare my readings to theirs. The manual says the count resets at midnight. I’ll leave the console in the basement until sometime tomorrow afternoon so I can compare the readings. To view the stats hold the TEMP button and press HUM. To exit press DONE.
Packets containing errors Missed data packets Reception % Total # of packets
Reading at 1030.
Console 542 592 96 14155
Reading at 1230
Console 634 730 96 17070
Envoy 539 607 97 16838
Interesting. Any idea what the other numbers on that display mean?
That just goes to show that even when you’ve RTFM in the last month you still have to rely on having a non-volatile memory #-o
Reading at 1030.
Console 542 592 96 14155
Reading at 1230
Console 634 730 96 17070
Envoy 539 607 97 16838
Reading 1930
Consloe 955 1207 96 16035 (?)
Envoy 807 895 97 26501
Must have written the console total packets wrong at 1230.
I think the midday reading was correct and the 19:30 is wrong. There’s a packet each 2.5 seconds so the maximum per day is (60/2.5) * 60 * 24 per day = 34560 (assuming transmitter #1)
Not sure what is happening. Just checked the readings again. The 16035 was correct, of course it’s a little more now but in the ballpark.
I also did the math earlier and the noon reading is definitely in line. The X on the console is flashing on about every two seconds or so.
I’ll check again tomorrow.
–Dave
Aha, :idea: I recall that there were some threads discussing reception on weathermatrix back when the VP2 first came out that had some strange (low) packet counts that didn’t correspond to the expected values :?
Maybe that is the explaination. I really haven’t looked at those readings since I set the station up a year and a half ago. Just doing it to see if the reception changed. I’m not too worried about it since the data from the Envoy and Console are the same.
–Dave
Many thanks Dave (and others) for the testing of the reception and the information. I wish there was a way to separate the antenna from the envoy or console and have the antenna outside with a cable I could run inside. In any case this gives me some idea of reception and I appreciate the help. I have plenty of time to decide which route (wireless or cabled) I want to take.
Yeah, I’m surprised and disappointed myself that they don’t make the antenna’s removable like several brands/models of wireless access points have.
Surely the costs at build time would only be marginally more expensive, but make the stations more flexible and allow people like Davis to advertise extended ranges for their base consoles (with small print to state with outdoor antenna or whatever).
I think they’d probably make more money out of extended cabled antenna’s than what they currently do with the repeater stations they make, as I’m sure many relocate the ISS to a more ‘receptive’ location, away from the ‘ideal’ location for it.
Reading at 1030.
Console 542 592 96 14155
Reading at 1230
Console 634 730 96 17070
Envoy 539 607 97 16838
Reading 1930
Console 955 1207 96 16035 (?)
Envoy 807 895 97 26501
Reading at 1000 today (1/16)
Console 431 910 94 13301
Envoy 267 383 97 13990
Reading at 1645
Console 757 1430 94 12037
Envoy 638 691 97 22852
As you can see the reception did go down a little and again the total package count is not what you would expect at 1645. The weather readings on the console and Envoy are the same.
End of test. Console back to where I can see it. Looks like it transmits through MY basement walls. Disclaimer: YMMV!
–Dave
AIUI the problem in the past has been that the console has a retransmit mode and so has to be certificated as a transmitter under the regulations for licence-free operation. I’m open to correction on this, but I believe that the US version of the VP1 console was already at its power limit and so there might have been complications getting the certification approved with a detachable antenna quickly and easily, given that it would have been simple to make an illegal VP1 just by adding a higher gain antenna than the basic stub antenna. (While it may not have been impossible to get certification for a VP1 detachable antenna, the pragmatic commercial solution for Davis was I guess to go with a fixed antenna.)
With the release of the VP2 long-range repeaters, the landscape has changed somewhat, presumably arising out of the fact that the new frequency-hopping wireless technology allows more latitude with power output (though previous representations to Davis over the years about the potential advantages of detachable antennas may also have had some effect).
These LR repeaters do have detachable antennas, in fact a separate antenna for Rx and Tx, but were only released a few months back and so the certification for this revised design would possibly not have been received at the time when the first VP2 console were released, which may be the reason why VP2 console still have a fixed antenna. With the separation of the Rx and Tx it’s now legally possible to use an 8dBi gain antenna on the Tx and unlimited gain on the Rx side here in the UK and I guess much of the rest of the world outside the US. (Sorry but I don’t know about the US regulations in detail). There’s something of a challenge waiting to see who can get the most range out of a VP2 system using a single LR repeater with an exotic Rx antenna!
Whether, now that the principle is established, a putative enhanced VP2 (maybe VP3?) console could have a detachable antenna is open to speculation.
Seems to me it would be more interesting to have an ISS with interchangeable antennas than a console. I don’t think the wife would go for a Yagi on the coffee table.
I think either ISS or console (or both!) would be good. The benefit on the console would come into its own in the occasional situation where the console needs to be sited in a room/building with very thick or metal-clad walls. At least it might then be possible to mount the main console antenna on the outside of the building (or maybe have a glass-mounting antenna such that in a longer range / weaker signal configuration the antenna could be on a window and the console elsewhere, out of line-of-sight).
Thanks for your reply, it has given me a bit of a insight as to what’s been going on.
Yes, a new VP3 would certainly make for a interesting range comparison.