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Airmar PB100 WeatherStation Owner's Manual

Other manuals for PB100 WeatherStation: Technical Manual, Owner's Manual

Summary of PB100 WeatherStation

  • Page 1

    Record the serial number found on the weatherstation ® instrument. Serial no._________________________ date of purchase___________________ weatherstation ® instrument owner’s guide models: pb100, pb150 17-426-02 r02 04/07/08.

  • Page 2

    Copyright © 2007, 2008 airmar technology corp. All rights reserved..

  • Page 3: Table of Contents

    3 table of contents introduction......................................................................................4 safety instructions........................................................................... 5 adding external sensors...............................................................

  • Page 4: Introduction

    4 introduction thank you for purchasing the airmar’s ultrasonic weatherstation ® instrument. This exciting product is actually six different sensors in a single unit—without any moving parts. The compact housing is waterproof with a single removable cable. Data is output in digital nmea 0183 format....

  • Page 5: Safety Instructions

    5 safety instructions warning: navigation aid only the weatherstation instrument is only an aid to navigation and should never be solely relied upon. It is not a replacement for traditional navigation aids and techniques. Only official government charts contain all the information needed for safe na...

  • Page 6: Adding External Sensors

    6 adding external sensors the weatherstation instrument can receive data from external sensors when they are connected through an optional combiner. This device processes additional received data and transmits it to the weatherstation instrument for use in true wind calculations. The weatherstation ...

  • Page 7

    7 choosing the mounting location for accurate readings and a reliable gps signal, selecting the best location for the weatherstation instrument is very important. Easy access and appearance should be secondary considerations. Since each installation is unique, the best separation distances from othe...

  • Page 8: Tools & Materials

    8 tools & materials antenna mount with standard marine 1"-14 threads and pass-through for cable (see figure 2) hardware to install the antenna mount extension tube (optional) pencil level safety goggles dust mask electric drill drill bits phillips screwdrivers plumber’s tape (optional) cutting plier...

  • Page 9: Installing

    9 installing warning: always wear safety goggles and a dust mask. Caution: the blue metal plate and the blue film found in the wind channel of the weatherstation instrument are essential to its operation (see figure 3). Be careful not to scratch the plate, puncture the film, or damage them in any wa...

  • Page 10

    10 1. Place the antenna mount at the selected location and mark the holes for the screws (see figure 2). Also, mark the hole in the center of the mount for the cable to pass through. If you are using a ratchet mount, be sure you have purchased an extension with a cable pass-through. 2. Position the ...

  • Page 11

    11 6. With the nut assembly on the cable near the weatherstation connector, thread the cable through the extension tube (if used), antenna mount, and the cable exit. Allow several inches of cable topped by the connector above the nut assembly (see figure 5). Caution: if you use a thread lock, use pl...

  • Page 12: Cable Routing & Connecting

    12 cable routing & connecting depending on the equipment that you will be using, route the weatherstation cable to a converter, a combiner, or directly to an nmea 0183 display. You must read the safety instructions below before going to the section that is appropriate for your equipment. Warning: al...

  • Page 13

    13 mounting location of the converter 1. Select a convenient, dry, mounting location for the water-resistant converter, a minimum of 1m (3') from the pc (see figure 6). 2. Hold the converter at the selected location and mark the position of the screw holes. If the converter will be mounted on a vert...

  • Page 14: Connecting to A Combiner

    14 connecting to a combiner the combiner allows the weatherstation data to be displayed simultaneously on both an nmea display and a pc. On the combiner, the two auxiliary grommets labeled aux nmea out can be used to connect additional devices capable of displaying weatherstation data (see figure 7)...

  • Page 15

    15 mounting location of the combiner 1. Select a convenient, dry, mounting location for the water-resistant combiner, a minimum of 1m (3') from the nmea device and the pc. 2. Hold the combiner at the selected location and mark the position of the screw holes. Note—if the combiner will be mounted on ...

  • Page 16

    16 4. Using a small phillips screwdriver, puncture the grommet that corresponds to nmea display on the cover (see figure 7). Be careful not to damage the circuit board. 5. Push approximately 100mm (4") of the cable through the grommet (see figure 9). To ease sliding, apply alcohol to the cable jacke...

  • Page 17

    17 10.Connect each wire in turn into the designated nmea display terminal. Loosen the screw, insert the stripped end of the wire into the square hole, and retighten the screw. Be sure the stripped end of the wire is inserted up to its insulation only. Do not include any insulation inside the termina...

  • Page 18

    18 auxiliary nmea in grommet use the aux nmea in grommet to connect an external nmea 0183 sensor such as: an airmar smart™ sensor, an external gps, an external compass, or other sensor. An “in” device will supply additional data to the weatherstation instrument. The weathercaster software will autom...

  • Page 19

    19 1. Route the cable coming from the external sensor to the combiner. Do not fasten the cable in place at this time. 2. Allowing an extra 25 cm (10") for wiring ease, cut the cable to length. 3. Remove the cover of the combiner to expose the terminals inside (see figure 11). Using a small phillips ...

  • Page 20

    20 9. Connect each wire in turn into the designated nmea in terminal. Loosen the screw, insert the stripped end of the wire into the square hole and retighten the screw. Be sure the stripped end of the wire is inserted up to its insulation only. Do not include any insulation inside the terminal. Gen...

  • Page 21

    21 auxiliary nmea out grommets use the aux nmea out grommets to connect one or two additional devices to receive and display data from the weatherstation instrument. To wire a device(s) through the aux nmea out grommet(s), use the nmea out terminals on the printed circuit board (see figure 13). Note...

  • Page 22

    22 5. Push approximately 100mm (4") of the cable through the grommet(s) (see figure 13). 6. Strip 60mm (2-1/2") of the outer jacket and foil shielding from the cut end of the cable (s). 7. Strip 10 mm (3/8") of conductor insulation from the end of each colored wire. 8. Protect the cable’s foil shiel...

  • Page 23

    23 power cable 1. Route the power cable from the combiner to the power supply (see figure 13). Do not fasten the cable in place at this time. 2. Allowing an extra 25cm (10") for wiring ease, cut the cable to length. 3. Strip 60mm (2-1/2") of the outer jacket and foil shielding from the cut end of th...

  • Page 24

    24 connecting to an nmea 0183 display 1. Route the weatherstation cable to the display. Do not fasten the cable in place at this time. 2. Connect the weatherstation instrument to the display. • connector—if your weatherstation instrument came with a connector, and it can be plugged into the port on ...

  • Page 25

    25 no connector—wiring 1. Allowing an extra 25 cm (10") for wiring ease, cut the cable to length. 2. Cut off the bare wire flush with the cable jacket. 3. Strip 10 mm (3/8") of conductor insulation from the end of each colored wire. 4. Protect the cable’s foil shielding from causing a short by using...

  • Page 26: Maintenance & Updates

    26 maintenance & updates software updates periodically, airmar will release updated versions of both the weatherstation firmware and the weathercaster software. Updates can be downloaded from airmar’s web site, www.Airmar.Com, or contact airmar’s technical support personnel for a cd. Calibration the...

  • Page 27: Troubleshooting

    27 troubleshooting no readings or inaccurate readings • is there power to the weatherstation instrument? • are all the connections tight? • is the cable-run free of kinks? • is the wiring correct? • are there any obstructions in the wind channel of the weatherstation instrument? Keep it free of spid...

  • Page 28: Combiner Problems

    28 combiner problems the led light on the combiner indicates its current operating mode and if an error is detected during the self-test process. See the table below. Pc problems if you are uncertain of the com port on your pc, follow the steps below. 1. From the start menu, select control panels. 2...

  • Page 29

    29 appendix a—how the weatherstation instrument works about the ultrasonic wind sensor the ultrasonic wind sensor (an ultrasonic anemometer) measures apparent wind speed and direction. The weatherstation instrument contains four ultrasonic transducers, visible through the four holes in the top of th...

  • Page 30

    30 consider the case of a vessel proceeding at a speed of 15 knots in calm air. An observer on board would experience a wind of 15 knots from dead ahead. This apparent wind would be due solely to the motion of the boat. If a true wind of 15 knots was blowing from the stern, an observer would experie...

  • Page 31: About The Electronic Compass

    31 about the electronic compass the weatherstation instrument includes a pair of magnetoinductive sensors that measure magnetic field strength in two axes on the horizontal plane of the weatherstation instrument. From these measurements, it calculates the resultant magnetic heading angle, thereby pr...

  • Page 32: About Wind Chill Temperature

    32 about the air temperature sensor the weatherstation instrument includes a built-in negative-temperature- coefficient thermistor that measures the ambient air temperature. This ntc thermistor is located in a thermally isolated region of the weatherstation housing that is open to the outside air. A...

  • Page 33

    33 about the global positioning system some weatherstation instruments have a built-in gps with their own antenna, receiver, and position determining electronics. The gps receiver receives radio signals from a constellation of orbiting satellites maintained by the u.S. Government. By accurately meas...

  • Page 34

    34 about true wind relative to water if a fix from a gps receiver is not available, it is still possible for the weatherstation instrument to determine a value for true wind, if the speed of the vessel through the water is known. In this case, it is necessary that a water-speed sensor with an nmea o...

  • Page 35: Baud Rates

    35 appendix b—technical information baud rates weathercaster needs to be set as follows: • if you have a usb converter, set the baud rate to 4800. • if you have a combiner, set the baud rate to 38400. Nmea 0183 sentence commands datum reference $gpdtm gps fix data $gpgga * geographic position l/l $g...

  • Page 36: Acronyms & Abbreviations

    36 acronyms & abbreviations cd compact disk cog course over ground com port communications port dop dilution of precision egnos european geostationary navigation overlay service gnss global navigation satellite system gps global positioning system led light emitting diode pc personal computer sd sat...