DAVIS Vantage Vue, Vantage Pro2 Weather Envoy User Manual

Vantage Pro2
Weather Envoy Manual

™

For Vantage Pro2 , Vantage Pro2 Plus , and Vantage Vue
Weather Stations

™™

Davis Instruments, 3465 Diablo Avenue, Hayward, CA 94545-2778 U.S.A. • 510-732-9229 • www.davisnet.com

®

Weather Envoy Manual

Document Part Number: 07395.281 Rev. E, 2/1/11
For Vantage Pro2 Weather Envoys # 6316 & 6316C

Weather Envoy and Vantage Vue are registered trademarks of Davis Instruments Corp., Hayward, CA.
Vantage Pro2™ is a trademark of Davis Instruments Corp., Hayward, CA.

© Davis Instruments Corp. 2011. All rights reserved.
Information in this document subject to change without notice.Davis Instruments Quality Management System

is ISO 9001 certified.

3465 Diablo Avenue, Hayward, CA 94545-2778 U.S.A.

510-732-9229 • Fax: [phone]

E-mail: [e-mail] • www.davisnet.com

®

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.

However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment
does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the
equipment on and off, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following
measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.

• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
Changes or modification not expressly approved in writing by Davis Instruments may void the warranty and

void the user's authority to operate this equipment.
FCC ID: IR2DWW6312IC: 378810-6312
This product complies with the essential protection requirements of the EC EMC Directive 2004/

108/EC; Low Voltage Directive 2006/95/EC; and Eco-Design Directive 2005/32/EC>0.5 watt no­load adapter.

Welcome to the Weather Envoy! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Preparing the Envoy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Install the Data Logger. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Install the Batteries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Mount Your Weather Envoy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Local Computer Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Software Installation and Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Installing the Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Running the Software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Troubleshooting Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Communications Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Program Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Contacting Davis Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Appendix A: Weather Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Appendix B: Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

1

Welcome to the Weather Envoy!

The Davis Instruments’ Weather Envoy®
provides a way of getting weather data
from your Vantage Pro2™ or Vantage Vue
weather station into your Windows XP,
Vista, or 7; or Macintosh (OS X) computer
using our WeatherLink® software.

The Weather Envoy includes the data
collection and logging functions of the
Vantage consoles, but in a smaller package
that can be placed next to your computer, or
in a field installation. It can be used to free your wireless console from the
need to be near the computer, or it can be used in place of either a wired or
cabled console. Both cabled and wireless versions are available. Used with our
WeatherLink software and data logger, the Weather Envoy allows you to view,
store, plot, analyze, export, share, and print your weather data.

Contents

Before continuing, please be sure your Weather Envoy package includes the
following:

• Weather Envoy

• Two #6 x 1'' screws for wall mounting

• AC-power adapter

Required for Operation

You will also need the following Davis weather products to use your Envoy:

All Weather Envoys:

• Any version of WeatherLink for Vantage Pro2 and Vantage Vue, Windows
version 5.2 or later (#6510USB, 6510SER, 6540, 6544, 6550, 6555, 6560),
Mac OS X version 5.01 or later (#6520)

Wireless Weather Envoy:

• Wireless Vantage Pro2, Vantage Pro2 Plus, or Vantage Vue weather station
(#6152, 6153, 6162, 6163, 6250) or just the wireless ISS (#6322, 6323,
6327, 6328, 6357)

Cabled Weather Envoy:

• Cabled Vantage Pro2 or Vantage Pro2 Plus weather station ISS (#6322C
and 6327C; included with 6252C, 6162C)

Hardware Installation

2

Hardware Installation

The Weather Envoy can be installed and connected to a computer via USB,
serial or remote connection to a computer via a modem. It can also be
connected via a router using WeatherLink IP (# 6555).

Local Connection Windows Computer Requirements

WeatherLink is compatible with computers using a USB, serial port or IP
connection running the following platforms: Windows XP, Vista, or 7.

Your Weather Envoy and WeatherLink also require the following for a local
Windows computer connection.

• Windows-compatible display

• One free serial port or USB Port.

Ethernet Connection Windows Computer Requirements

WeatherLinkIP is a simple way to post data directly to the Internet using your
Weather Envoy.

• Broadband Router with one free port.

• An “Always-on” connection to the Internet — A high speed DSL or cable

internet connection that maintains constant connection to the internet.

Local Connection Macintosh Computer Requirements

Your Weather Envoy requires the following for a local Macintosh computer
connection:

• Macintosh computer running Mac OS X v10 or newer with at least
5 MB of free disk space.

• One free USB Port

Preparing the Envoy

Perform the following procedures to prepare your Envoy for operation. These
steps are described in detail later in the manual.

• Install the data logger

• Install the batteries and optional AC power source

• Mount your Envoy

• Connect Envoy to WeatherLink software

• Test using WeatherLink software

• Set up the Envoy using WeatherLink software

Install the Data Logger

Installing the data logger supplied with WeatherLink is the first step in prepar­ing the Weather Envoy to transmit data to the WeatherLink software.

Install the Data Logger

3

CAUTION: Plugging or unplugging the data logger while power is applied to the Envoy can

lock up or damage the logger. The WeatherLink data logger must be installed
before you install the batteries or plug in the AC power adapter.

Note: Make sure the logger is plugged in firmly and completely.

1. Remove the three screws from the back of the Envoy case.

2. Separate the case halves to expose the data logger connector.

Install the Data Logger

4

3. Carefully insert the data logger (Serial, USB or IP) into the connector slot,

making sure to push the data logger firmly into place.

Inserting the Serial, USB or IP data logger into the Envoy

4. Rejoin the case halves, making sure the data logger cable passes through the

cable channel.

5. Fasten using the three screws you removed in step 1.

Data Logger

Cable Channel

Serial

Data Logger

Data Logger

Cable Channel

USB

Data Logger

Data Logger

Cable Channel

WeatherLinkIP

Data Logger

Install the Batteries

5

Install the Batteries

1. Find the battery cover on the back side of the Envoy case.

2. Remove the battery cover by pressing on the arrow embossed on the cover

and sliding the cover away from the case.

3. Insert three AA-cell batteries, negative terminal (flat side) first. The Envoy

emits two beeps if the start-up test is successful. If you do not hear two
beeps, check your battery orientation and reinstall the batteries. If you hear
no beeps again, please contact Davis Instruments Technical Support. See
“Contacting Davis Technical Support” on page 20.

4. Replace the battery cover on the case.

Optional: Connecting AC Power

The operating battery power for a cabled Weather Envoy is approximately 10
days. For a wireless Weather Envoy, the battery power is approximately 5
months.

Note: For a wireless Weather Envoy connected to a WeatherLinkIP data logger, the battery

power is approximately 2 days.

The Weather Envoy is supplied with an optional AC power adapter that can be
used as an optional power source.

Note: If installing the optional AC power supply, make sure the WeatherLink Data Logger is

already installed and that the backup batteries are installed.

Optional: Adding an External Temperature Probe (Wireless Envoy Only)

6

1. Locate the power adapter jack on the end of the Envoy case. It’s next to the

data logger output cable.

2. Insert the power adapter plug into the power jack.

Optional: Connecting a Cabled Envoy to the Integrated Sen­sor Suite (ISS)

Refer to the figure shown above “Connecting AC Power”.

1. Insert the modular plug into the ISS jack on the Envoy case.

Note: You won’t be able to test the connection between the Envoy and the ISS until you

have finished installing the WeatherLink software.

Optional: Adding an External Temperature Probe
(Wireless Envoy Only)

Your wireless Weather Envoy has a built-in temperature-humidity sensor as
well as the barometer. The temperature and humidity are reported as “Inside
Temperature” and “Inside Humidity.”

In some instances, such as when your Envoy is mounted outside in a shelter,
the temperature inside the shelter is of little interest. You may replace the
built-in temperature-humidity sensor with an external temperature probe, with
a 25’ (7.6 m) cable, which can be used to measure the temperature of air,
water, or soil. The External Temperature Probe with RJ connector comes in

RJ Jack

RJ Connector

from Cabled ISS or

Optional External

Temperature

Probe

Insert Power

Adaper

Plug and rotate

to fit

Optional: Adding an External Temperature Probe (Wireless Envoy Only)

7

two models: 6475 (with stainless steel housing) or 6477 (with durable plastic
housing).

Simply plug the RJ connector of the temperature probe into the RJ jack on the
Envoy.

Note: Note: It may take several minutes for the temperature reading to stabilize.

If the Envoy is mounted outside in a weather-proof shelter, you should thread
the probe cable up through one of the channels in the base of the shelter. See
your shelter manual for instructions on how to secure the cable and make a
weather-proof seal.

External

Temperature

Sensor

RJ

Connector

RJ

Jack

Weather ENVOY

Mount Your Weather Envoy

8

Mount Your Weather Envoy

You can place your Envoy on your desktop, install it on a wall near your com­puter, or install it with the optional Multi-Purpose Shelter (7728). Here are
some guidelines for placing your Weather Envoy.

Envoy Location

You should place the Envoy in a location where it is easily accessible and can
be easily connected to a computer (or router if using WeatherLinkIP). For
more accurate readings, follow these suggestions:

• Avoid placing the Envoy in direct sunlight. This may cause erroneous
inside temperature and humidity readings and may damage the unit.

• Avoid placing the Envoy near radiators or heating/air conditioning ducts.

• If you are mounting the Envoy on a wall, choose an interior wall. Avoid
exterior walls that tend to heat up or cool down depending on the weather.

The range of the radio transmission that the Envoy can receive from the wire­less ISS depends on several factors. Try to position the Envoy as close to the
transmitting weather station as possible for best results.

Typical maximum ranges are:

• Line of sight: 1000 feet (300 m).

• Under most conditions: 200 - 400 feet (60 - 120 m).

Other range and transmission considerations include:

• Range may be reduced by walls, ceilings, trees, foliage, a metal roof or
other large metal structures or objects such as aluminum siding, metal
ducts, and metal appliances, such as refrigerators.

• Frequency interferers also reduce transmission distance. Cordless phones
(900 Mhz) are a common example of frequency interference.

• Transmission between wireless units may be obscured by something
unidentifiable, or by some obstacle that can’t be worked around.

Note: For best results, orient the ISS antenna and the Envoy antenna so that the orienta-

tion and angles of the antennas are parallel to each other.

For better reception over greater distances or for weaker signals, consider
using a Wireless Repeater (#7626 or 7627) or Long-Range Repeaters (#7653
or 7654) to strengthen the signal or increase the distance between your ISS and
the Envoy.

Wall Mounting the Envoy

1. Use the provided wall mounting template on the next page as an example of

hole spacing and alignment when installing your Envoy.

2. Use the template as a guideline for the hole markings on the wall where you

want to mount the Envoy, and use a pencil to mark the location for the two
mounting screws.