Would it be OK to locate the ISS on a pole mounted on an end wall of a house? The anemometer would be at the top of the pole raised some 6-8 ft above the roof level and clear of all surrounding trees etc. The ISS would be further down on the same pole, probably below the level of the roof. The pole would have to be mounted on south facing wall.
My concerns are whether the rain collector should be so high up (I thought these were generally supposed to be at ground level) and whether the passive radiation shield would be adequate to get accurate temperatures with it being on a south facing wall.
Any advice would be gratefully accepted; I currently have a WMR200 which is ground mounted on the pole which came with the kit, and I accept that it is not ideally situated for accurate results. I am considering upgrading to the Davis kit, but spending so much more on the station, I need to be sure that I am getting the best out of it.
The VP2 comes with a 40’ cable that attaches the anemometer to the ISS and this can be extended. So you don’t need to have the ISS close to the anemometer. I have mine in the middle of my croft and the anemometer on the chimney.
You need to get the rain bucket in a location that’s close to the ground and in an open area so that it’s not suffering from “rain shadow” from the house or surrounding trees. This is not always possible so sometimes it’s a compromise.
With temp/hum sensors, again you really don’t want them close to the house as you’ll pick up radiated temp from the walls etc. Ideally this should be about 4 foot off the ground and an open area, although some have mounted the complete ISS on a mast with the anemometer.
Thanks for your input. After thinking through the options I have elected to mount the anemometer separately from the ISS, on a pole above the roofline, connecting to an Anemometer wireless transmitter option at a location which is convenient for access; and the ISS mounted on a Davis tripod in the middle of our open lawn. I think these locations should work reasonably well.
I have now ordered & taken delivery of my new VP2 Pro kit and accessories, including the Datalogger IP option. Just need a quiet weekend and good weather now to get the installation process started.
Those are the exact steps I went through several weeks ago when siting my VP2. I was going to put everything on a mast in the yard, but there was too much wind shadow from surrounding trees. I next was going to put the anemometer on the roof and use an extension wire to connect it to the ISS in the yard. In the end, I put the mast on the roof, connected to the wireless anemometer transmitter at a convenient location, and the ISS on a post in my yard. I’m very satisfied with the results.
