Airmar 200WX, 150WX, 110WX, 100WX User Manual

Owner’s Guide & Installation Instructions

WeatherStation

®

Instrument

Models: 200WX

150WX
110WX
100WX

U.S. Patent No. 8,326,561
UK Patent No. 2 460 158

Record the serial number found on the underside of the WeatherStation® Instrument.

Serial No._______________Date of Purchase_________________

17-461-01 rev.08 06/12/14

Copyright © 2008 - 2014 Airmar Technology Corp. All rights reserved.

All Rights Reserved. Except as expressly provided herein, no part of this manual may be
reproduced, copied, transmitted, disseminated, downloaded, or stored in any storage
medium, for any purpose without prior written consent of Airmar. Airmar hereby grants
permission to download a single copy of this manual and of any revision of this manual onto
a hard drive or other electronic storage medium to be viewed and to print one copy of this
manual or any revision hereto, provided that such electronic or printed copy of this manual
or revision must contain the complete text of this copyright notice and provided further that
any unauthorized commercial distribution of this manual or any revision hereto is strictly
prohibited.

Information in this manual is subject to change without notice. Airmar reserves the right to
change or improve its products and to make changes in the content without obligation to
notify any person or organization of such changes. Visit the Airmar website at
www.airmar.com for current updates and supplemental information concerning the use and
operation of this and other Airmar products.

Table of Contents

Introduction & Features.............................................................4

Functions & Outputs................................................................. 5

Safety Instructions.................................................................... 6

Importance of True Wind......................................................... 7

Adding External Sensors.......................................................... 7

Hardware.................................................................................. 8

Tools & Materials..................................................................... 9

Where to Purchase Parts........................................................... 9

Choosing the Mounting Location............................................. 10

Installing................................................................................... 11

Cable Routing & Connecting Guidelines................................. 14

Connecting to an NMEA 0183 Display.................................... 15

Connecting to an NMEA 2000® Network............................... 17

Calibrating the Compass........................................................... 18

Maintenance..............................................................................19

Installing the Humidity Sensor................................................. 20

Software.................................................................................... 20

Troubleshooting........................................................................ 21

Technical Information...............................................................22

Acronyms & Glossary...............................................................23

Introduction

IMPORTANT: Please read the Owner’s

Guide completely before proceeding.

Thank you for purchasing Airmar’s ultrasonic, WeatherStation Instrument. This
exciting product has multiple sensors in a single unit—without any moving parts.
The compact housing is waterproof with a single removable cable. Functions and
features vary by model.

Features

• Waterproof housing and cable system

• Fast response time and update rate

• Stable and accurate true wind and heading data in dynamic conditions

• Can be programed to compensate for an installation that is not aligned to the
front of the boat/vehicle and/ or level

• Can be calibrated to compensate for magnetic deviation caused by ferrous
metals and other electro-magnetic fields

• GPS with WAAS and EGNOS

4

Table 1: Functions & Outputs

200WX 150WX 110WX 100WX

Apparent wind speed and angle

True wind speed and direction

True wind speed relative to water

Heater to keep wind channel free of ice Optional Optional Optional

Air temperature

Apparent wind chill temperature

True wind chill temperature

Barometric pressure

Relative humidity Optional Optional Optional

Dew point temperature Optional Optional Optional

Heat index temperature Optional Optional Optional

Rain intensity

Rain accumulation

Rain event duration

Peak time of rain intensity

3D Magnetic compass heading

2D Magnetic compass heading

Heading relative to true north

Rate of Turn

Angle of pitch and roll

Rate of pitch & roll

Global Positioning System (GPS)

NMEA 0183: RS232 Optional Optional Optional Optional

NMEA 0183: RS422 Optional Optional Optional Optional

NMEA 2000®: CAN

5

Follow the safety precautions below to reduce the risk of poor product

WARNING

Navigation Aid Only—The WeatherStation Instrument is

only an aid to navigation and should never be solely relied
upon. It is not a replacement for traditional navigation aids
and techniques. Only official government charts contain all
the information needed for safe navigation.

performance, property damage, personal injury, and/or death.

WARNING: Correct Installation Important

The WeatherStation Instrument must be installed and operated according to the
instructions in this owners guide.

WARNING: Installation Safety
Always wear safety goggles and a dust mask when installing.

WARNING: Compass Safe Distance
The WeatherStation Instrument must be a minimum of 0.3m (1') from other
standard and steering compasses.

WARNING: Do Not Install Near Artificial Magnetic Field
The WeatherStation Instrument must be a safe distance from ferrous metals and
anything that can create a magnetic field to prevent interference to the magnetic
compass.

WARNING: Electrical Safety
The power supply must be OFF before making electrical connections.

WARNING: Voltage
The power supply voltage must be that specified for the model.

• WX models 9 - 40 VDC

• Models with heater 24VDC only

WARNING: Fuse or Circuit Breaker
A safe installation requires a 0.5 amp fast-blow fuse or circuit breaker. Except,
models with a heater require a 3 amp fast-blow fuse or circuit breaker.

WARNING: Battery
Make power connections to a power source that is isolated from the engine start
battery(s). Voltage drops may cause the WeatherStation instrument to lose
information and/or change operating mode.

WARNING: Calibrating the Compass
The internal compass may need to be calibrated after the WeatherStation
Instrument is installed. Perform the pretest to determine if calibration is necessary.

WARNING: 150WX
These models incorporate a two-axis compass. Significant errors can occur in the
heading when a vehicle/boat is pitching and rolling. If there is an error in the
heading, there also will be a corresponding error in the true wind direction. Errors
can be minimized or eliminated by using data from an external compass.

6

The Importance of Understanding True Wind Direction

When the WeatherStation Instrument is stationary, the direction from which the
wind is blowing is known as the true wind. The WeatherStation Instrument is
programed to measure the direction based upon the specific orientation of the
sensor. For the WeatherStation Instrument to accurately calculate the true
direction of the wind, it must be installed and oriented correctly.

To learn more about true and apparent wind direction, visit www.airmar.com and go
to Installation Instructions and Owner’s Guides > WeatherStation Instruments or
see the “How the WeatherStation Instrument Works” on the WeatherCaster CD.

Adding External Sensors

Some WeatherStation Instruments can receive data from an external sensor(s).
The WeatherStation Instrument will automatically detect whether a sensor(s) is
internal, external, or not available at all. The WeatherStation Instrument gives
priority to valid external-sensor data when available.

- NMEA 0183—Simply connect the sensor(s) to a Combiner or other NMEA

0183 repeater hardware.

- NMEA 2000®—Connect the sensor(s) to the NMEA 2000 network.

NOTE: When an external speed sensor is connected to both an NMEA 0183
device and an NMEA 2000 network, the WeatherStation Instrument will use
NMEA 2000 data.

• Speed-through-water sensor—An external speed sensor can be installed,
such as an Airmar Smart™ Sensor. Airmar recommends installing the
DST800V to receive water depth, boat speed, and water temperature data.

7

Cables & Connecting/Converting Hardware

Figure 1. Antenna mounts (not supplied)

extension
with cable
pass-through

ratchet mountdeck mount

cable
passes
through
center

deck mount

of mount

cable
pass-

with extension tubecenter pass-through side pass-through

through

Copyright © 2007 Airmar Technology Corp.

The WeatherStation Instrument can be connected to a device and/or network in
several ways. You must have the correct cable and any needed converting/

connecting hardware before beginning the installation.

WeatherStation Cables Length Part No.

• NMEA 0183 Cable 10m 33-862-02

• NMEA 0183 Cable (WeatherStation with heater) 10m 33-1167-01

• NMEA 2000® Cable 6m 33-1029-02

• NMEA 2000® Cable 10m 33-1104-01

NOTE: Additional cable lengths are available.

Connecting/Converting Hardware Length Part No.

• NMEA 0183 to USB Data Converter 33-801-01

• NMEA 0183 to USB Combiner NDC-4-AIR

• NMEA 2000® CAN to USB U200 Gateway 33-727-01

• NMEA 0183 & NMEA 2000® Splitter 15m 33-632-01

• NMEA 0183 & NMEA 2000® Splitter 30m 33-632-02

Mounts

CAUTION: Vehicles/boats traveling above 30 MPH—Do not use the plastic
Cable Side-exit Adaptor (part D) supplied. Purchase a stainless steel part. At high
speeds, the plastic adaptor may break, causing the WeatherStation Instrument to
fall off.

NOTE: The WeatherStation nut has standard 1"-14 UNS or 3/4" NPT threads.

Antenna mount with standard marine 1" -14 threads and pass-through for cable
(see Figure 1)
Hardware to install antenna mount
Extension tube (some installations)

8