Set up a remote weather station

I’ve been thinking about this for some time and would need advice and opinion. Out of interest, I’d like to mount a weather station to a nearby hill (~1000 m above sea level). It gets a lot of rain (>2000 mm/m2 per year) and it is also quite windy up there. There is no civilization around so no cable internet or power.

I thought about these components:

  • Davis Vantage Vue (or Pro2)
  • Davis Console with data logger
  • Raspberry Pi
  • 3G USB module
  • 30W solar system with accumulator

I’d like to use a laptop to run a WD for Windows but the problem is the power (I’d run ConsoleWD in Raspberry).

Questions:

  1. Is there a problem for Davis Console to operate at -15 degC?
  2. How much data transfer should I expect per month? Is 1 GB enough?
  3. Is a 30W solar system sufficient to run a Raspberry Pi 24/7?
  4. How could I log in to my Raspberry Pi remotely (I suppose it will not have a static IP address)?
  5. What is the update rate of the ConsoleWD (rapid fire, clientraw) ?

I guess some people are running such remote setups so any help is appreciated.

have you thought about a IP data logger?
I just added ability to able to download the archive data from weatherlink.com (i.e for when WD was not running…e,g you could fire up WD every day to get the history data)

I don’t have experience with an IP logger. I prefer to use WD or ConsoleWD to get data in real time. With all the features WD offers, no software can beat it.
Can ConsoleWD create & upload clientraw file with 2-second update rate?

yes, it updates it as fast as the data arrives from the station (all things being equal)

I’ve googled Davis a little and saw they offer a long-range repeater (theoretically up to 2500-3000 m). That could be interesting option. I wonder if anyone has experience with it.

https://www.voltaicsystems.com/blog/powering-a-raspberry-pi-from-solar-power/

I found this: http://www.foshk.com/GPRS/WH6006.html

It’s not Davis and far from optimal but could be interesting. It costs US$299 (shipping included).
I wonder how this performs in gusty winds.

Good find, that’s very interesting :-k