N3PB/AT008/KVABLACK18 Weather Station Info

Log

• 17-Sep-2011: Upgraded from wview 4.0.1 to wview 5.19.0.
• 25-May-2009: Removed clog from rain collector.
• 21-Sep-2008: Notes on Altimeter Calculations - Altimetr does not track the analysis line or neighboring stations very well. It appears to be an issue with the way wview calculates station pressure from the reported SLP.
• 10-Sep-2008: Yesterday's station rain of 0.52in, manual rain gauge 0.51in.
• 06-Sep-2008 1145: Overnight station rain of 0.07in matches manual rain gauge.
• 04-Sep-2008 1915: Temperature (in) check: Station 75.8, Kestrel 75.7, Thermapen 75
• 04-Sep-2008 1855: Temperature (out) check: Station 76.4, Kestrel 76.5, Thermapen 76
• 30-Aug-2008: Set wview rain YTD offset to 22.11in. Based on NWS climate report for 13-Aug startup date.
• 26-Aug 2008 2100: Barometer changed up 0.02in.
• 26-Aug 2008 1215: Barometer changed up 0.03in.
• 25-Aug 2008 1815: Barometer calibrated. It appears pressures reported at Weather Underground for airport stations is altimeter pressure. Set station barometer so wview's calculated altimeter matched KBCB 29.99. Station barometer changed from 29.99 to 29.90.
• 25-Aug 2008 0855: Changed APRS position to 3715.67N/08026.94W from 3715.67N/08026.95W.
• 25-Aug 2008 0855: Registered new CWOP position to 3715.67N/08026.94W from 3715.67N/08026.95W 2120ft. Old was 3715.68N 08026.92W 652 m (2140 ft).
• 23-Aug-2008 1035: Barometer calibrated. My original reading was 30.20. KBCB, KROA, KHLX, KPSK all show 30.33 steady at Weather Underground. Updated to that value. 4.3mb, 0.13in change.
• 23-Aug-2008 0915: Reconfigured altitude on Davis console from 2140 to 2120 feet. This will lower barometer readings by 0.019" or 0.625mb.
• 21-Aug-2008: Changed station elevation at Wunderground from 2140 to 2120 feet.
• 14-Aug 2008 0855: Changed APRS position to 3715.67N/08026.95W from 3715.68N 08026.92W.
• 13-Aug-2008: Set VP2 monthly total rainfall to 0.23 based on NWS climate report.
• 13-Aug-2008: Set VP2 yearly total rainfall to 22.11 based on NWS climate report.
• 13-Aug-2008: Registered with CWOP/APRSWXNET info 3715.68N 08026.92W 652 m (2140 ft)
• 13-Aug-2008: Station archive started. Yearly and monthly totals only go back to this date.

Hardware and Software

This station uses a Davis Vantage Pro2 Wireless 6153 with 24-hour fan aspirated radiation shield and Davis WeatherLink USB data logger and USB interface. It was purchased from Archer Trading Post in Gainesville, Florida. Shipping was prompt and they were very responsive to e-mails with questions. Be sure to use the link above or follow the link to the discount prices on their home page.

The major station software is wview, free open-source software for Linux/FreeBSD/Unix/MacOSX running on Mandriva Linux. It handles the generation of the primary station data page and the upload to Weather Underground and APRSWXNET.

The following equipment calibrated against NIST-tracable standards has been used for station calibration:

• Kestrel 2000 Pocket Weather Meter
  • Wind in mph, 0.8-89.0mph, by 1mph, greater of 3% or least significant digit accuracy
  • Temperature in degrees F, -20-158F, by 0.01F, 1.8F accuracy
• Thermoworks Thermapen Thermomenter
  • Temperature in degrees F, -50-572F, by 1F, 1% or 1 digit accuracy.

• Productive Alternatives Stratus rain guage - The official CoCoRaHS 4" rain guage.

Siting

Info to come.

• Elevation: 646m (2120ft)
• Photos at Flickr
• Station info shown at Weather Underground for KVABLACK18 is based on Lat/Lon on Google satellite photo and elevation from USGS topo map.
• Note: Pressure decreases 1mb (0.03in mercury) with every 32 feet.

Data

Data from this station are uploaded to Weather Underground and FindU's APRSWXNET. From APRSWXNET, they are sent into a number of other systems, including some used by the NWS.

• Weather page at N3PB.org - this is how you probably got here.
• Weather Underground - home page
  • KVABLACK18 - my station at Weather Underground
  • Current Observations XML
• FindU.com - APRS on the internet (APRS-IS). This is how the APRSWXNET/CWOP data are carried on the Internet.
  • Weather Data Display Graphical display of weather data.
  • Raw Weather Data
  • Raw APRS Data
  • APRS Data Errors
  • XML Data (experimental)
• APRSWXNET/CWOP The APRSWXNET/CWOP mesonet which carries weather data on APRS.
  • N3PB/AT008 CWOP Information - station siting information, current quality graphs, and photos.
  • CWOP Search Results for AT008
  • N3PB/AT008 CWOP QC - charts of station data versus predicted data.
    • N3PB/AT008 CWOP QC with two closest stations - charts of station data, predicted data, and the two closest stations.
    • N3PB/AT008 CWOP QC with three closest airports
  • N3PB/AT008 CWOP Quality Spread - station data accuracy in a scatter plot of other CWOP stations.
  • CWOP Weather Station Siting, Performance, and Data Quality Guide - suggested reading for all CWOP stations.
• NWS MADIS (Meteorological Assimilation Data Ingest System) - This is how the NWS uses data from the mesonets. CWOP data are ingested as provider APRSWXNET.
  • MADIS Data Display - interactive map of stations. Hover over a station to see info, click to see detailed QC of the station's data. Stage 1/2/3 QC information is shown for individual reports.
  • Current QC Summary Messages - Select APRSWXNET. The summary messages are described here.
  • MADIS Meteorological Surface Quality Control - This page provides a detailed description of the quality control (QC) processing and data structures for the meteorological surface dataset.
• MesoWest
  • Weather Conditions for AT008 - scroll down in the top frame for QC info.
  • Regression Analysis for AT008
  • Site Information for AT008
  • Station Status for AT008
• NWS RAWS (Remote Automated Weather Stations)/ROMAN (Real-time Observation Monitor and Analysis Network)
  • Weather Conditions for AT008 - Same as MesoWest current contitions
  • Current Summary for RNK CWA
• Other
  • NWS Cooperative Observer Probram
  • CoCoRaHS (Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network) - Data are submitted based on observations with a manual rain gauge, snow board, and hail pad. No fancy equipment necessary. Reporting can be via telephone or internet.
  • ACON The Atlantic Coast Observer Network - I haven't checked out this site yet.

The other stations closeest to me are:

• AS660/N3AO-2 1.4 miles away at an elevation of 716m (2349ft).
• KBCB at the Blacksburg Virginia Tech Airport 4.3 miles away at an elevation of 650m (2133ft).
• Weather Underground Current Conditions at KBCB
• NOAA Current Conditions at KBCB