Spectrum WatchDog 2900ET, WatchDog 2800, WatchDog 2700, WatchDog 2550 Product Manual

1

2000 Series

Weather Stations

PRODUCT MANUAL

Model #’s

2900ET, 2800, 2700, 2550

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QUICK START

1. Check the Box

Verify all components are included

Pg 5

2. Set up Anemometer & Install the

Station

Pg 8 - 9

3. Configuring the Weather Station

Setting the logging interval, sensor type,
geographic data, and degree day calcu­lation

Pg 13 - 17

4. Keypad Operations

Setting date, time, display units, degree
day counter, chill hour counter.

Pg 18 - 22

5. Daily Archive

Accessing the daily data

Pg 25

6. Battery Replacement Pg 26

7. Clearing the Logger’s Memory Pg 27

8. LCD Display Descriptions Pg 28, 29

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LCD Screens 28

Degree Days/Chill Hours 30

Rain Collector Adjustment 31

Warranty 32

CE Declaration of Conformity 32

CONTENTS

General Overview, Package Contents 4

Specifications 6

Anemometer Setup 8

Station Installation 9

Connection Options 10

Configuring the Weather Station 12

Configuring the Weather Station with SpecWare 13

Configuring the Weather Station with the Keypad 14

Setting the Logging Interval 14

Setting the Sensor Type 15

Setting Geographic Data for the ET Report 16

Setting the Degree Day Calculation Method 17

Other Keypad Operations 18

Setting the Date and Time 19

Setting the Display Units 20

Setting the Degree Day Counter 21

Setting the Chill Hour Counter 22

Configuring the Wireless Radio Address 23

Calibrating the Wind Vane 23

Resetting the Rain Counter 24

Resetting the Disease Models 24

Daily Archive 25

Battery Replacement 26

Clearing the Loggers Memory 27

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Thank you for purchasing a WatchDog 2000 Series
Weather Station. The stations are completely weath­erproof and feature 12-bit resolution for higher accu­racy. The stations can be accessed at different times
by multiple users because the data is not cleared
from memory following a download. The 2000-Series
weather stations can communicate via direct-wire,
radio or telephone connections.

Current weather conditions, historical data, and com­puted parameters are easily viewed on the station’s
LCD screen. The station LCD can also be pro­grammed to display a variety of plant disease infec­tion potentials. The arrow keys can be used to pro­gram the station’s logging interval and assign sen­sors to the external sensor ports. You can also
scroll through the sensor readings, Degree Day/Chill
Hour calculations and set your temperature ranges.

General overview

Model 2800 Stations

The model 2800 station is equipped with 9 external
sensor ports. It can be connected to any WatchDog
external sensor. This station is unique in that it has
no internal sensors. It is not possible to collect data
for air temperature, relative humidity, and wind
speed/direction. Therefore, the station cannot calcu­late Growing Degree Days, Chill Hours, Wind Chill,
Dewpoint, Evapotranspiration or any Disease Mod­els.

Although a rain collector is not included as a stand­ard sensor, it can be added as an optional external
sensor.

5

Package Contents

Your 2000 Series Weather Station package should con­tain the following components:

Manual
Weather Station
Parts Box

Wind Vane

Wind Cups

4 AA Batteries
Ground Screw
Allen Wrench
Mounting Hardware - used to attach station to

Pole

Other tools needed, but not included:
Phillips screwdriver
Ground screw bottom clamp

Specifications

Data capacity
8800 data intervals. For example, for a 30-min interval, the sta­tion will run for 183 days before wrapping data.

Size
2900ET, 2700:

12 in (30 cm) x 8.5 in (21.5 cm) x 12 in (30 cm)
2550, 2800:
10 in (26 cm) x 8.5 in (21.5 cm) x 3.5 in (8.5 cm)

Weight (with rain collector and anemometer)

6.4 lbs (2.9 kg)

Power Source

4 AA batteries

Battery Life

10 months with alkaline batteries, 12 months with Lithium

Available External Sensor ports

6 (5 on model 2900ET, 9 on model 2800)

Included Sensors

The following table lists the specifications for sensors that are
included with the different models of weather station.

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Specifications (cont.)

Sensor Measurement Accuracy Available on

Wind Speed 0, 2-150 mph

0, 3-241 km/h

±2 mph (±3
km/h), ±5%

All but 2800

Wind Direction 1o increments ±4o All but 2800

Air

Temperature*

-40° to 125°C

-40° to 257°F

±0.3°C

±0.5°F

All but 2800

Relative
Humidity*

0% to 100%
@5° to 50°C

±2%

2550, 2700,
2900ET

Dew Point 2550, 2700,

2900ET

-73° to 60°C

-99° to 140°F

±2°C
±4°F

Rainfall 0.01” (0.25mm)

resolution

±2% at < 2 in
(5 cm) /hr

2600, 2700,
2900ET

Solar

Radiation

1-1500 W/m2 ±5% 2900ET

Operating Temperature Range: -22° to 130°F (-30° to 55°C)

Weather

Station

Firmware

Version

Number of

Sensors

Available

Channels

2550, 2700 6.9 2 A, D

2800 3.2 2 A, D

2900ET 6.9 1 A

For a Weather Station to be compatible with the SMEC300 sensor,
SpecWare software version 9.04 or later is required. See the following

table for the earliest compatible firmware and number of sensors that

can be used per station type.

* In 2016, Spectrum introduced a new T/RH sensor (3613WD). The
cable for this sensor emerges from the bottom of the radiation shield
rather than the side. A station must be running firmware v. 7.8 or high­er to be compatible with this sensor.

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External Sensors

The following table lists the available optional sensors. All
sensors include a 6-foot cable with pin-type connector. To
connect an external sensor to the logger, plug the sensor cable
into the logger port that has been programmed for that particular
sensor. If the sensor is not connected, the message “sensor
error” will appear on the LCD display for the respective logger
port until the sensor is connected.

Item # Sensor Description

3666 Leaf Wetness

3667 (6ft), 3667-20 (20ft) External (Soil) Temperature

3670i Silicon Pyranometer

3668i 3668i3, 3668i6 Quantum Light

3669 Soil Moisture Transducer

6470-6 (6ft), 6470-20 (20ft) WaterScout SMEC 300 Soil Moisture/EC/

Temp Sensor

6460 (6ft), 6460-20 (20ft) WaterScout SM 100 Soil Moisture Sensor

6450WD (6ft), 6450WD20 (20ft) Watermark Soil Moisture Sensor

6451 Irrigation On/Off

3671 Barometric Pressure

3673, 3674 Input Cable for User Supplied Sensor

3664 20 ft. Sensor Extension Cable

8

Anemometer setup

Apart from the anemometer,
the WatchDog Weather
Station comes fully assembled
and ready to mount. The
anemometer arm is attached
to the enclosure back plate
with two clamps. After

positioning the arm, the

screws should be tightened to
secure it in place.

A plastic envelope containing
a screw and a star washer are
included with the station. The
star washer should be used
under the screw holding the
bottom anemometer clamp.
Once the arm is positioned,
the self-tapping screw should

be screwed into the arm
through the hole drilled in the clamp. These parts improve
resistance to electrostatic discharge.

Push the wind cups onto the bottom of the
shaft flush with the bottom of the assembly
and tighten the set screw. When released,
the cups should drop slightly. If the cups do
not spin freely, loosen the set screw and
lower the cups slightly. The gap between cup
hub and assembly should be about 1/16 inch.

Push the wind vane onto the top of the shaft
and calibrate (see Calibrating the
Anemometer p. 23 for calibration procedure).

Anemometer clamped

to back plate
(unpainted clamps sub­stituted for visibility)

9

The weather station should be located in an open, unobstructed,
grassy area to ensure accurate measurement of wind, rainfall,
sunlight, and evapotranspiration.

Mounting hardware is provided to attach the weather station to a
4” x 4” treated wooden post or to a mast/pole up to 1.25 inches in
diameter. The mounting pole should be securely anchored

perpendicular to the ground.

If you are using the mounting
tripod (item # 3396TP), open it
and place it where the weather
station is to be located. The tripod
feet can also serve as mounting
brackets if the unit is located on a
solid surface. Slide the 3’ post
through both center screw clamps,

adjust the height as desired and

tighten the screws such that the
post is perpendicular to the
ground. Finally, attach the
weather station to the post with
the u-bolts.

Weather Station mounted
on tripod

Station Installation

Important: Secure the external sensor wires to the
mounting pole with a plastic tie. This will ensure that the
sensor wires do not become disconnected while
recording.

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Connection Options

The WatchDog weather station communicates with a PC
through either the Computer or AUX port which are lo­cated under the LCD and keypad. The communication
options are separated into 3 main categories.

Direct Communication

There are 3 options for connecting directly to the station.

1. PC interface cable - The cable that accompanies the

SpecWare software. Connects to the Computer port.

2. A 75-ft Direct Connect Cable (item 3660-75SP) - This
cable has a modular (telephone-type) connector on
one end and a 9-pin RS-232 connector on the other.
Comes with surge protection and connected to the
station through the AUX port.

3. Short-Range Modem Pair - The weather station can
be hardwired up to 4000 feet from a PC with a twisted

-pair cable and a short-range modem pair. Powered

with an A/C adapter and connected to the station

through the AUX port.

Caution: Extended lengths of cable can attract lightning.
It is recommended that these cables always be connect­ed to surge protectors. This provides upgraded protection
against voltage surges caused by nearby lightning strikes.

Wireless Radio Communication

There are 2 options for contacting the station by a wire-

less radio connection. The short-range transceiver can

communicate up to 1000 ft. The mid-range radio has a
range of 2 miles. Both wireless options require line of
sight between the base and remote radios. See the
WatchDog Wireless Modem user’s guide for additional
details.