Weather Station Equipment

Introduction

The New Mexico Climate Center operates many weather stations across the state. While most of the equipment standardized between stations, there are some unique configurations. Listed below are the various types of equipment set-ups used by the office.

Equipment Configurations

The following information covers the different configurations for the NMCC weather stations. Links to the equipment online are provided, if possible. Also, some equipment is now discontinued and will be marked as such.

Legacy Configuration

The legacy configuration is the weather station set-up that has been used for several years in the field. It consists of some equipment that is now discontinued.

Datalogger	Campbell Scientific Inc. CR10 or CR10X datalogger. Typically, when a CR10 failed beyond repair it would be replaced by a CR10X. Both the CR10 and the CR10X are now discontinued.
Communications	Phone line communications were the normal mode of communicating with a station. The office used a DC112 Telephone Modem (bottom of page). When those modems failed beyond repair, they were replaced by a COM200 Modem or a COM210 Modem. All three models are now discontinued.
Power	Power is provided by a 12v regulated solar panel tied to a 12v deep cycle marine battery.
Temp/RH	Temperature and RH data is collected by a CS500 sensor. It is a discontinued sensor.
Wind Speed	Wind speed data is provided by a MetOne 014 sensor. This sensor is mounted 11.5' from the ground on the station cross-arm and should have 15' of cable.
Wind Direction	Wind direction is provided by a MetOne 024 sensor. This sensor is no longer listed on the Campbell Scientific Inc. web site and may be discontinued. This sensor is mounted 11.5' from the ground on the station cross-arm and should have 15' of cable.
Solar Radiation	Solar radiation data is provided by an LI200x pyranometer. Weather stations closest to NMSU (nmcc-da-1, nmcc-da-2, nmcc-da-3) use Eppley solar radiation sensors, but will be replaced with LI200x sensors to achieve greater network uniformity. The sensor is mounted 10' from the ground on the solar radiation mounting arm and uses a leveling base/fixture. Provide 15' of cable length to the sensor.
Precipitation	The TE525 Texas Electronics Rain Gauge provides precipitation data for the station. It is usually mounted around 10' from the weather station and 2' from the top of the bucket to the ground. 25' of cable should be provided for the sensor.
Soil Temperature	Soil Temperature data is provided by a 107 Air Temperature Sensor. The sensor should be buried 5cm in the soil and have 15' of cabling.

Updated Legacy Configuration

The updated configuration uses most of the equipment from the legacy configuration, with the exception of the wind sensors. Both the MetOne 014 and 024 sensors have been replaced with a combined wind set.

Datalogger	Campbell Scientific Inc. CR10 or CR10X datalogger. Typically, when a CR10 failed beyond repair it would be replaced by a CR10X. Both the CR10 and the CR10X are now discontinued.
Communications	Phone line communications were the normal mode of communicating with a station. The office used a DC112 Telephone Modem (bottom of page). When those modems failed beyond repair, they were replaced by a COM200 Modem or a COM210 Modem. All three models are now discontinued.
Power	Power is provided by a 12v regulated solar panel tied to a 12v deep cycle marine battery.
Temp/RH	Temperature and RH data is collected by a CS500 sensor. It is a discontinued sensor.
Wind Sensor	Wind direction is provided by a MetOne 034b sensor. This sensor is mounted 11.5' from the ground on the station cross-arm and should have 15' of cable.
Solar Radiation	Solar radiation data is provided by an LI200x pyranometer.
Precipitation	The TE525 Texas Electronics Rain Gauge provides precipitation data for the station. It is usually mounted around 10' from the weather station and 2' from the top of the bucket to the ground. 25' of cable should be provided for the sensor.
Soil Temperature	Soil Temperature data is provided by a 107 Air Temperature Sensor. The sensor should be buried 5cm in the soil and have 15' of cabling.

Modern Configuration

The modern configuration includes more recent/current dataloggers, sensors, and communications equipment. The stations that are configured with this modern design use different communications systems, so there is currently no uniformity in communications between these stations.

Datalogger	Campbell Scientific Inc. CR1000 is used in this configuration. It is mounted inside of a Campbell Scientific Inc. branded large enclosure.
Communications	Communications on these stations are performed using Internet enabled devices and radio technology. These include the NL115 or the NL110 Ethernet devices. The RF400 radio is also used for wireless data communications. Note that the RF400 has been replaced by an updated RF401 radio.
Power	Power is provided by a 12v unregulated solar panel tied to a CH100 regulator. The regulator provides 12v power to the datalogger and charges a 12v BP24 or BP12 battery.
Temp/RH	Temperature and RH data is collected by a HMP50 sensor.
Wind Sensor	Wind direction is provided by a MetOne 034b sensor. This sensor is mounted 11.5' from the ground on the station cross-arm and should have 15' of cable.
Solar Radiation	Solar radiation data is provided by an LI200x pyranometer.
Precipitation	The TE525WS Texas Electronics Rain Gauge provides precipitation data for the station. It is usually mounted around 10' from the weather station and 2' from the top of the bucket to the ground. 25' of cable should be provided for the sensor.
Soil Temperature	Soil Temperature data is provided by a 107 Air Temperature Sensor. The sensor should be buried 5cm in the soil and have 15' of cabling.
Barometric Pressure	Barometric pressure is provided by a CS105 sensor and is mounted in the datalogger enclosure. This sensor has been replaced by a CS106 sensor and is only installed at Leyendecker PSRC II.

Conclusion

The multiple configurations of weather stations make the weather station network more difficult to maintain, as more equipment must be on hand to maintain the stations as they are currently configured. The multiple communications techniques also add a level of complexity to an already complex system. Wireless communications can provide better, near real-time data reporting, but it is cost prohibitive and should only be attempted when necessary. Aside from communications, it should be the goal of the office to fully standardize the network to the dataloggers, power, and sensors of the modern configuration, where funds are available.