Sandaysoft

Colin, would you disclose your contact in FO? (PM fine of you don't want it public). My solar data went from flakey to non-existent sometime in the Autumn, and I'm starting to think battery lifetime is dropping off too...
Soldering the can of the crystal made no difference either.

PM sent

John what was your status, did you still want to get hold of my contact as well?

Cheers
Colin.

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Hi Colin
Thanks for the offer but I sent my solar panel back to the retailer for replacment. The message I sent to FO has not had a reply which is poor but no matter now, thanks all the same.
Best wishes for Christmas and the New Year to all.
John

Update to my problems. Now have a replacement solar panel fitted and all data is working well ATM.
Happy Christmas everyone.
John

Still working for you John?

I fired my 3081 up on Boxing day and have had many failures of the Solar / UV.
Have contacted the supplier to see what they say.
This certainly seems like a common issue doesn't it.

This is my 3rd WS in four years - A Lacrosse,OS WMR200 and now 3081.
The Lacrosse was the most reliable but display died after 2 1/2 years.
The WMR was a bitter disappointment (rain gauge has failed, UV worked for 6 months and currently an intermittent Outdoor Temp) only 18 months old.

If the 3081 fails too often its off to Davis I go

Phil

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http://www.auzhq.net/weather - using a VP2+

OK,

Couple of days on and the UV / Light sensor is still a BIG issue! There must be quite a few WH3080/3081 users out there -are there only a handful of us having these problems?

I have done the Crystal Mod mentioned and had zero effect.
I have disconnected the solar panel to rely on batteries only (thought the higher daytime solar panel voltage out may have been a cause) but also zero effect.
I have re-crimped the RJ11 (or RJ12 to be correct) - zero effect.

What I am sure is that the solar info simply stops transmitting but the receiver is looking for it. This was confirmed with my hand help scanner set to 433.92 MHz
From my tinkering, it seems that the Solar unit uses the Temp / Hum Tx but has its own processor (so 2 processors as mentioned elsewhere)
So I think the Solar processor is "going out to lunch" and not coming back (probably too much beer)

This only occurs during the day, it seems to work all night and for the first hr or so in the morning, when I get to about UV2, 100 W/m2 it fails, then when reset at one or two stages throughout the day. If I reset after about 3 or 4 pm then its fine until the next day.

I have had one reply from the guy I bought it off (Auzzie ebay, probably Chinese importer) suggesting it was too close to Tin (roof?) but I replied saying no tin here - not heard from since

I bought 2 - 1 fails more frequently than the other (and interestingly vastly different Solar readings to the tune of between 300 and 400 W/m2 on a cloudless day)

I am starting to hum "Off to Davis I go...."

Phil

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http://www.auzhq.net/weather - using a VP2+

Phil,
My concern about Davis is the cost.... More than my faulty WH-3081, existing LaCrosse WS2355, pc, gigabit switch, and router combined

On a more serious note, I believe FO should do something about their quality control.

There seems to be a disproportionately high number of 3080/3081 problems when compared with the 1080/1081 and most, if not all, seem to be the remote/solar sensor.

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Graeme.
http://weather.gktnet.com/cumulus/index.htm

I agree entirely regarding the quality control from FO. The sales rep who was sorting out my replacements even made mention that they were double checking the quality of them before sending them out to me. So far so good with the new one. I am getting a little tired of having to restart the console due to a memory error or such like that stops the usb communication - but that as they say, is another story.

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I received my brand new WH3081 today,

out of the box I have every reading but I don't think my UV/Lux sensors are working.

Dreaded dash in the UV section and dashes in the Lux section

does it show dashes when there is no reading available? or when there is no signal from that sensor?

disregard performed a cycle reset and I have signal now, hopefully no further issues, think I was a bit slow on the power up procedure

Hi Stephen,

Can you keep us informed how you go?

You will know when / if it fails. The console will show -- where the numbers should be and Cumulus will flat line at the last good value.

Meanwhile I have bitten the bullet and I am playing around with the solar / lux module. I did some measurements and noticed that the supplly rail dips from battery volts by 200 mv when transmissions occur. There is a 100 uF elect cap across the supply in the solar module. I have replaced this with a 1000 uf cap and now the dips only about 20 mV. Will leave it running as a test to see how it goes.

Phil

_________________
http://www.auzhq.net/weather - using a VP2+

Hi Phil,

I sure will keep you informed

in return please let me know how replacing the cap goes...

I thought as much I've owned stations for years and the universal signal for no sensor signal is the dreaded - or -- hehe

Power cycle reset gave me 0's and I shone my LED maglite onto the sensor to check and it showed readings

Data registered into Cumulus (brilliant program, I swear by it alongside many other stormchaser friends of mine.)

I owned a 1081 previously but desired to upgrade to the 3081.

Hopefully I get no further issues *touches wood*

station had signal all night long, solar sensor ran for 2 hours this morning and has promptly crashed, how disappointing!

I'll power cycle it once more and if that doesn't resolve it, contact fine offset...

note: this station is not even 1 day out of the box yet!

power cycling is doing nothing, no signal....

majorly disappointed!

opened up the casing, no tin on the oscillator...

think its soldering time!