WeatherLink Vantage Pro® ® For and Vantage Pro2 Getting Started Guide TM
FCC Part 15 Class B Registration Warning This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
Introduction Welcome to Davis Instruments’ WeatherLink®! The data logger and WeatherLink® software let you connect a Davis Vantage Pro®, Vantage Pro2™ console, or Weather Envoy™ to your personal computer so you can store, view, plot, analyze, export, and print weather data collected by the weather station. Contents of Package The WeatherLink software is available with two connection types, USB and Serial. Verify which connection type you have.
Note: WeatherLink is not compatible with the 64-bit version of Windows XP. The amount of space necessary for the data files depends on the archive interval. Database files containing data stored at a 30 minute archive interval require approximately 36K of disk space per month of data. The file size grows depending on the archive interval. For example, data stored at a 1–minute interval requires approximately 1 MB/month while the data stored at a 2–hour interval requires approximately 9K/month.
WeatherLink configuration. 2. Review the Product Features Summary dialog box and click Next. The License Agreement dialog box displays. 3. Review the license agreement ant click Next. The Choose Destination Location dialog box displays. 4. Select the default location to install WeatherLink or find another location by clicking Browse. 5. Click Next to accept the destination location. The Select Components dialog box displays.
The Select Components dialog box displays a selection of the components that are preselected for installation with WeatherLink. The Components List check box contains seven items, each with varying levels of importance: • Application.exe (required) — The executable component of the WeatherLink software. This must be installed with WeatherLink to ensure that the software runs. • Application Support Files (recommended) — The additional support files needed to use real-time Windows menu items.
USB Installation USB Hardware Installation The WeatherLink USB connection creates a direct local connection between your computer and your Vantage Pro, Vantage Pro2 console, or Weather Envoy. Included below are the requirements and instructions for successfully installing a weather station and related console connection to your computer. USB Connection Installation Complete the local USB connection by using the instructions below: 1. Locate the console or Envoy receiving the WeatherLink USB connection. 2.
6. Insert the USB - Mini B connector on the USB connector of the USB data logger. The connection between the console and the computer can be extended up to 16’ (5 m) using a USB-to-USB connector cable. Note: Do not attempt to use more than a 16’ extension cable, or the data logger may have difficulty communicating with the computer. 7. Check the baud rate settings on the console. Note: The default value for the baud rate setting is 19200.
Serial Port Hardware Installation A serial port connection can be installed so that WeatherLink uses a direct, local connection between the computer and console, or so that WeatherLink uses a modem connection to a remote weather station. Installation for each connection type differs, and is explained separately below. Local Connection The instructions below explain how to make a typical local connection between your Vantage Pro console and your computer.
5. Guide the data logger cable through the square slot below the receptacle. 6. Restore power to the console by reinstalling the batteries and reattaching the power adapter, if present. The console beeps three times; each beep occurs within one second of the others. The Weather Envoy beeps twice. 7. Replace the battery cover, so that the data logger cable exits through the square slot. 8. Locate a free serial port on the back of the computer and connect the DB-9 pin connector to the port. 9.
The baud rate setting on the console must be same as that set in the WeatherLink software. Use the up (+) and down (-) arrows to change the baud rate setting, if needed. Press and hold DONE to return the console to the current weather mode. • Use the fastest baud rate your computer can handle. 19200 is the fastest baud rate available and is the default setting on the console. • Press DONE when you’ve got the correct baud rate on the console screen.
2. At the station console site, put the external modem in a location where it can connect to both the logger and a phone jack and plug it into the phone jack. Note: Do not turn the modem on at this time. The cable connecting the data logger to the modem is 8' (2.4 m) long. Use a 40' (12 m) standard 4-conductor extension cable to extend the connection between the console and modem.
Note: The default value for the baud rate setting is 19200. If you have a Weather Envoy, this value should remain the same in the WeatherLink software. The baud rate settings screen displays only if the data logger has been installed. The baud rate setting on the console must be same as that set in the WeatherLink software. Use the up (+) and down arrows (-) to change the baud rate setting, if needed. Press and hold DONE to return the console to the current weather mode.
By default, WeatherLink hangs up the connection to the modem after one minute without any communication with the station. Use the Communications Port dialog box in the Setup menu of WeatherLink to change this default value. (See the WeatherLink help files for more information.) Note: WeatherLink does not hang up the phone line if the bulletin, summary, or other windows receiving real-time data from the console are active.
Note: When necessary, the software automatically dials a phone modem station. By selecting the Walkthrough process, the software displays a series of dialog boxes. At each step in the Walkthrough process, confirmation boxes are provided to perform or skip the next step in the Walkthrough. To continue, select OK. To skip this step and move to the next step, select Skip. To cancel the entire walkthrough process, select Cancel.
Updating Previous Versions Starting with Version 5.2, WeatherLink has stored additional sensor data in the weather database. Data files from earlier releases do not contain the additional data and should be converted first before they are used in the latest version of the WeatherLink software. The following procedures explain how to convert older WeatherLink data files for use with WeatherLink 5.2 and later. If you are updating from version 5.0 or 5.
4. Copy the converted files to your station directory. 5. Reopen the station in WeatherLink to view the converted files. Retrieving Data From the Data Logger The data loggers for Vantage Pro, Vantage Pro2, and Weather Envoy contain data and weather variables that were not used by WeatherLink 5.0 or 5.1, such as UV, solar radiation, rain rate, and ET (Evapotranspiration). Versions of WeatherLink 5.2 or later allow to view and use these variables that earlier versions did not.
THSW Index command in the Browse Menu, which is displayed when the Browse window is open. Note: Be sure to verify that the latitude and longitude settings and daylight savings time settings are correct before using this command. Updating USB Drivers WeatherLink 5.6 includes a newer version of the USB drivers that have been installed for previous versions of the software.
Troubleshooting Guide The following section answers some of the most commonly asked questions about WeatherLink. Please consult this guide and the on-line help files before contacting Technical Support. Contacting Davis Technical Support Phone Support: (510) 732-7814 – Monday – Friday, 7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time. (510) 670-0589 – Technical Support Fax. E-mail Support: support@davisnet.com – Technical Support e-mail. info@davisnet.com – General e-mail. www.davisnet.
• If the console sends three beeps or the Envoy sends two beeps, See “Communication Port Settings” on page 13 for instructions on checking standard port settings. If the port settings or the loop back test process identifies a serial port other than the one selected in station setup, try connecting to the data logger again. • Check the serial port adapter if using a serial port connection. Use only the blue serial port adapter supplied with WeatherLink.
• Select Communications Port from the Setup menu. The Communications Port dialog box displays. • Click Loopback. The software searches all standard ports and displays the COM port name where the loopback connector is located. The correct COM port is automatically selected in the Communications Port dialog box. If the loopback connector is not found on any COM port, your serial port may not be working.
• The communication port uses a non-standard device name - WeatherLink recognizes serial ports named COM1 through COM10 only. To use a modem, specify the underlying COM port on your PC. To find out which port the modem’s connected to, display Windows’ System Properties > Device Manager > “modem name” Properties > Modem > Port, and check the listed “modem name” is the modem name you installed. • Your serial port is defective. • The loopback connector or the WeatherLink adapter plug is bad.
Next, try clearing the archive memory using the clear dialog box. You will lose any data not already downloaded in your archive memory, but all of your calibration numbers and alarm settings will remain intact. If this doesn’t work, reboot your weather station (that is, remove, then restore all power to the station). Note: Make sure to put the console in Setup Mode (by pressing the DONE and DOWN arrow keys) before removing the batteries.
Toolbar Icons Open Station Bulletin Window Download Plot Window Strip Chart Window Yearly Rainfall Database Window Alarm Indication On-Line (Hang Up) This MonthÕs NOAA Summary View Help Print Window Exit Program Hot Keys Main Program Window Strip Chart Window Ctrl-A. . . . . . Set Alarms ESC . . . . . . . Halt redraw Ctrl-B. . . . . . View Bulletin Ctrl-M . . . . . Make Default Ctrl-C. . . . . . Station Configuration Ctrl-P. . . . . . Print Strip Chart Ctrl-G. . . . . .
