WH1080 Transmitter or New Station ?

[cancunia]

My WH1080 transmitter has finally given up, it's a Clas Ohlson model with the DCF time updates.
Just wondering if there's a source for spares in the UK at reasonable prices or if I need to get a new weather station?

[water01]

Only if someone is selling one privately as the main supplier in the UK Maplins went out of business some time ago.

I replaced my old WH1080 with an Ecowitt HP2551 bought from here https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/ecowitt ... f_=ast_bln

[SamiS]

Unfortunately I do not have an answer to your question where to get a replacement in UK, but a warning. Some time in history the RF protocol between the transmitter and console changed. If your console is the older model, then the newer version transmitter won’t work and vice versa. If someone has more information on how to identify the older and newer models, it might be helpful.

I think that I have two (or maybe even three) of those Clas Ohlson 868Mhz DCF transmitters and consoles laying around. They are used, maybe from 2010-2014 and suffer from random outdoor temp/humidity spikes especially on wet conditions. Basically I could send them to you if you covered the costs, but it seems that since brexit it will require customs declarations and probably cause some additional cost. Hopefully someone else from uk on this forum would have a spare to offer.

[cancunia]

Unfortunately I do not have an answer to your question where to get a replacement in UK, but a warning. Some time in history the RF protocol between the transmitter and console changed. If your console is the older model, then the newer version transmitter won’t work and vice versa. If someone has more information on how to identify the older and newer models, it might be helpful.

I think that I have two (or maybe even three) of those Clas Ohlson 868Mhz DCF transmitters and consoles laying around. They are used, maybe from 2010-2014 and suffer from random outdoor temp/humidity spikes especially on wet conditions. Basically I could send them to you if you covered the costs, but it seems that since brexit it will require customs declarations and probably cause some additional cost. Hopefully someone else from uk on this forum would have a spare to offer.

Thanks for the info & offer, unfortunately I think you are right & I might get caught with customs duty, even on old & used items. The UK Maplins versions did not have DCF and, as you say, the transmitter frequencies were also changed at some point.
Mine has not lasted as long as yours did, I bought mine somewhere around 2015 and had a failure on the barometric sensor fairly soon after it arrived. Clas O. kindly sent me a new display along with a new transmitter so I had 2 displays running from 1 transmitter, with the fully working display connected to my Raspi Pi. According to a note I made on the box, I swapped the original transmitter in 2019 but now the second has failed.

[SamiS]

There was also some other change that frequency. I think that at least in Finland the console colour changed from silver to white, and display from greenish to blueish, and then transmitters weren’t compatible anymore even while they had dcf and 868Mhz. That is why I do have so many of them.

First station lasted from 2010 to I think 2014, then the spiking became so annoying that I bought a new one. When the incompatibility of old and new parts came to my knowledge, I bought one complete old type station as a spare. This way I survived to 2022 when I decided to replace them with Ecowitt HP2551 + an additional GW1100. Even though my wh1080 transmitters did not fail completely, four years is quite a good approximation of their life until spiking became an annoyance, so pretty much the same from yours.

[AllyCat]

Hi,

As far as I recall, the Maplin's versions were always 433 MHz without a DCF receiver and Clas Ohlson 868 MHz with a DCF receiver. Then there were other versions ("badge engineered") such as Signatrol and Watson and later versions with Solar Data in many permutations. The "protocol change" was actually from FSK (Frequency Shift Keying hardware in the Transmitter/Receiver) to OOK (On Off Keying by the FO software), occurring first in 433 MHz versions and later in 868 MHz versions. The OOK started in the "Solar" versions and then spread though the others, but as a "cost-reduction execise" and definitely reduced the RF performance and arguably the reliability. Yes, I think it was linked with the change from green to blue backlights (CO).

A problem is that many of the transmitters were not even marked with their frequency, let alone the other variations. Temperature "(Data) Spikes" were sometimes due to water and/or corrosion in the Wind connector/cables; only the cases of early versions were glued together, so it might be worthwhile prising open a faulty later version to see if its inside PCB, etc. can be cleaned. For these reasons, I have usually recommended NOT to attempt to replace a faulty transmitter, and now a further issue is that many of the Consoles appear to have a "wear out" mode, probably either the EEPROM (memory) or a timed software bug.

Generally, the Ecowitt stations appear far superior to the old Fine Offset products, but (in UK) it's worthwhile checking prices over some time snd directly from the Ecowitt website. The prices can be quite volatile and sometimes Ecowitt ship products more cheaply and quickly directly from a UK warehouse.

Cheers, Alan.

[cancunia]

Many thanks for the ideas, I have 2 transmitters that are faulty so will try to get the cases off and see what's inside. Worst outcome, is that I'll break them. I'll also keep a lookout on prices for alternatives, I seem to remember that the Fine Offset kit prices had wild swings too.

[cancunia]

I split the case off of the transmitter that I'd been using most recently. I had nothing to lose as it had been drying out on a radiator for a couple of days, then did nothing when I put some batteries in. The case came apart really easily, the 2 halves were pressed together rather than glued or welded. Inside there was some dirt on the PCB so I cleaned that off and then pulled the PCB from the case, it turns out that one of the antenna wires is corroded through & broken, the wires are very fine and covered in lacquer, much like the antenna windings. I think that's the DCF antenna as there's another antenna printed on the PCB.
I tried an external 3v supply & the LED came on! So, I put the batteries back in and it's now working again... I'll leave it for a day or 2 and see if it stays working, then think about trying to fix the antenna wire.

[Super-T]

I seal the casing on the transmitter with some Vaseline taking care not to cover necessary holes for temperature etc. Vaseline gets a bit grubby but wipes off easily.