 Introduction
The software connects a Vantage Pro or Pro2, or Weather Envoy to a PC, MAC, ham radio or irrigation controller. For test purposes a Vantage Pro2 was used as the weather station, with the software installed a Pentium 4 (3.06GHz), 512mB RAM PC.
WeatherLink software is compatible with computers running various versions of Windows and can be connected either via a serial port or a USB port.
Serial connection requires
Windows 95, 98, 98 SE, ME, NT 4.0, 2000 or XP
USB
98 SE, ME, NT 4.0, 2000 or XP
The machine used for this evaluation was a Pentium 4, 3.06GHz machine with 512Mb RAM running Windows XP and a USB connection.
Software and hardware installation
Installing the software and hardware is straightforward and well documented in the manuals which are provided. One important thing to check is that the Data Logger is firmly attached to the Davis VP 2.
Using WeatherLink
With WeatherLink you can collect, store, view, plot, analyze, export, and print weather data, configure your weather station, and monitor weather station alarms. In addition, WeatherLink for Windows enables you to share your weather data with the world via the Internet.
Once WeatherLink was installed I found configuring it and using it to be very easy. The Windows (not browser based) application offers a good and simple to use interface. WeatherLink does a good job of displaying current data in real time, although this is basically an alternative to looking at the Davis VP2 display.
By default wind direction, wind speed, outside temperature, heat index, wind chill, dew point, inside temperature, inside humidity, outside humidity, rainfall today, rainfall storm, rainfall rate, barometer tracker, monthly rainfall, annual rainfall information is displayed, and updated automatically providing the VP2 is connected to your PC successfully.
In my opinion the WeatherLink software really comes into its own when being used to analyse historic data collected by the weather station. A range of options are available including strip charts and selective plots. These options enable you to plot a huge range of weather variables over time periods ranging from 1 hour up to the entire year. Fantastic in my opinion, and it really does add a lot of enjoyment and interest in addition to using the VP2 as a stand alone weather station.
As well as viewing and analysing the data yourself, it’s easy to configure uploads of graphs to your web site. No programming knowledge is needed. Some examples of graphs produced and uploaded by WeatherLink can be viewed on TheWeatherOutlook weather station page here. Note: Many other graphs can be produced and uploaded, the ones on this page are only a selection of some of the more common ones.
http://www.theweatheroutlook.com/twodata/dattwoweather.aspx
My Summary
There’s so much to WeatherLink and I’m still learning more about it. The great thing about it is the learning curve is quite shallow. You can quickly have it up and running, and learn more as and when you want to.
Features summary
(Taken and edited from documentation provided with the software)
Current data
Displays the current weather station data in a real-time “bulletin” on the computer.
Allows you to set and clear data in the weather station console (time and date, highs and lows, alarm thresholds, calibration numbers, etc.) from the computer.
Graphs archived weather data on an hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly basis.
Generates Weather Watcher reports in the National Climatic Data Center (NOAA) format.
Collects data from multiple weather stations on the same computer.
Posts weather conditions to your web site and uploads other files such as webcam images.
Sends weather data to the Weather Underground and The Citizen Weather Observer Program.
Historical
Archives weather data for subsequent transfer to the computer.
Manages data communication between the Vantage Pro weather station and the WeatherLink software.
Archives your weather data at user-selectable intervals ranging from 1 minute up to 2 hours.
Stores up to seven months of weather data for your Vantage Pro station console or up to four months and 10 days of data for your Monitor II, Wizard, or Perception II weather station console, depending on the chosen storage interval.
Sharing weather data
WeatherLink makes it easy for you to participate in a number of worthwhile programs including:
The Citizen Weather Observer Program. Your data, submitted via APRS (Automatic Position Reporting System) radio or the Internet, can help the National Weather Service (NWS) develop improved weather prediction models. See our CWOP Info Pages for more information.
The GLOBE Program. An international weather-related science program for students from elementary through high school, supported by NASA and NSF. See the GLOBE Info Page for more information.
Weather World ’Round. If you create your own weather web page using the templates provided and then send your URL to Davis it will be added to a list of Davis stations around the world.
Reports
NOAA-Style reports summarize data by month or year.
Yearly Rain report summarizes rainfall information.
Fuel Demand report tracks and estimates heating fuel usage and demand.
Sunburn Risk report in the Window menu, calculates sunburn risk for six skin types based on current UV index data.
Alarm and Battery Status report in the Window menu, displays the alarm and battery status for all Vantage Pro console alarms and battery status for all wireless transmitters.
Internet and HTML features
Quickly create your own weather web site using the WeatherLink HTML templates.
Use the included HTML web site templates or reference your own ones.
Add graphs, text lines, or scrolling ticker tapes.
Upload other files such as web cam images along with your weather data. |