La Crosse Technology 450 User Manual

1

LONG RANGE WIRELESS COLOR WEATHER STATION Owner’s Manual

Thank you for purchasing the new generation color weather station. Designed and engineered
with the state-of-art technology and components, this instrument will provide accurate and
reliable measurement of barometric pressure, weather forecast, in/ out humidity, temperature,
heat index, dew point as well as atomic clock. Read this manual carefully to fully explore the
features and functions of the new product.

ABOUT WWVB (Radio Controlled Time)

The NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology—Time and Frequency Division)
WWVB radio station is located in Ft. Collins, Colorado, and transmits the exact time and date
signal continuously throughout the United States at 60 kHz. The signal can be received up
to 2,000 miles away through the internal antenna in the Weather Station. However, due to
the nature of the Earth’s Ionosphere, reception is very limited during daylight hours. The
Weather Station will search for a signal every night when reception is best. The WWVB radio
station derives its signal from the NIST Atomic clock in Boulder, Colorado. A team of atomic
physicists is continually measuring every second, of every day, to an accuracy of ten billionths
of a second per day. These physicists have created an international standard, measuring
a second as 9,192,631,770 vibrations of a Cesium-133 atom in a vacuum. For more
information on the atomic clock and WWVB please see the NIST website at
http://www.boulder.nist.gov/timefreq/stations/wwvb.htm

.

W177.indd 1 9/15/07 10:21:32 AM

2

Name and Functions of Buttons:

Press Functions Hold 3 seconds
CLOCK Read time, calendar and day-of-week Set Clock & Calendar

ALARM Read alarm time; enable/disable alarm Alarm time setting

▲ UP 1 step forward in setting Fast advance

▼ Down 1 step backward in setting Fast backward

CHANNEL Select indoor, Channel 1,2,3, auto Search for remote sensor
scroll

MEM Read max/min temperatures & Clear memory record
humidity

HEAT INDEX/ Read Heat Index & Dew Point
DEW POINT

PRESSURE Toggle pressure unit hPa, inHg & mb Altitude setting

SNOOZE/LIGHT Trigger snooze alarm & extend
backlight

ZONE Select the 4 U.S. time zones Enter DST setting mode

F/C Toggle degree F & C unit

Search for atomic time signal

Slide Switch
BACKLIGHT (AUTO/ HIGH / LOW / OFF) Display brightness setting
(*** AUTO mode is recommended to adjust the brightness automatically)

BATTERY & ADAPTER INSTALLATION

Home Receiver Unit:
Main Power Source: Plug in the 6.0V adapter into the adapter socket at the back for basic
operation and continuous backlight.
Backup Power: Lift off the battery cover, install 3 pieces of AAA backup batteries according to
the polarity indicated, close the battery cover.
Remote Sensor:
Loosen the screws on the battery door with a small screwdriver, insert 2 AAA batteries
according to the polarity indicated. Replace the cover and tighten the screws.

W177.indd 2 9/15/07 10:21:36 AM

3

ALTITUDE SETTING

After inserting batteries or adapter, the main unit will enter altitude setting mode directly.
Press “▲” or “▼” to select pressure unit in hPa, mb or inHg. Press “PRESSURE” to confirm.
Then press “▲” or “▼” to enter your current altitude in meter or feet. Press “PRESSURE”
to confirm and exit the setting. This allows the unit to provide a more accurate barometric
pressure & weather forecast reading. (For more information, see “WEATHER FORECAST &
BAROMETRIC PRESSURE” section)

SETTING UP THE WIRELESS THERMO-HYGROMETER:

• For the first installation, always turn on the home unit and then the remote sensor. Set
Channel 1 for the first remote sensor. Set channel 2 and channel 3 for the 2nd and 3rd
sensor.

• Press and hold CHANNEL button on main unit until a beep is sound to search for remote
sensor.

• Press the TX button on the back of remote sensor to transmit RF signal.

• When RF connection is established, the respective temperature & humidity of the selected
channel will appear on the main unit.

ATOMIC CLOCK

The unit will start synchronizing the clock after battery/adapter installation or reset. In normal
mode, press “ “ on the back of the display, to enforce searching of atomic clock signal. The
antenna icon will appear during synchronization, if the icon disappears afterwards, atomic
time signal is not available at the moment. Try other locations later. Place the unit away from
source of interference such as mobile phones, appliances, TV etc. Place the front or back of
the unit toward Colorado for best signal reception.

Antenna icon with full signal strength will appear on screen if the reception of atomic time
is successful. The atomic clock will have a daily synchronization at 02:03 and 03:03 everyday.
Each reception cycle is minimum 2.5 minutes and maximum 10 minutes.

WEATHER FORECAST & BAROMETRIC PRESSURE

The unit predicts weather condition of the next 12 – 24 hours based on the change of
atmospheric pressure. Allow 48-60 hours after set up for the unit to acclimate to your
environment. The coverage area is around 18.5 – 31 miles. The weather forecast is based
on atmospheric pressure change and is about 70-75% correct. As weather conditions cannot
be 100% correctly forecasted, we cannot be responsible for any loss caused by an incorrect
forecast.

SUNNY PARTLY CLOUDY CLOUDY RAINY STORMY
The current weather forecast is the one highlighted by a black-outlined square box.

To obtain an accurate weather forecast & barometric pressure reading, you need to input your
current altitude. After the reset of the unit, it will enter altitude setting mode. Press “▲” or “▼”
to set the pressure unit in hPa, mb or inHg. Press “PRESSURE” to confirm. Then enter your
current altitude in meter or feet. Press “PRESSURE” to confirm and exit the setting. You can
also hold “PRESSURE” button to enter altitude setting mode during normal use.

Press PRESSURE button to select pressure unit between hPa, inHg & mb.

W177.indd 3 9/15/07 10:21:37 AM