ATS Technology Systems Inc. - WeatherPak® Weather Station

WeatherPak® Weather Station

Compact and portable weather station measures wind speed, wind direction, wind stability class, temperature, humidity, pressure The WeatherPak® 400 is a simple to operate, easily deployable, compact weather station measuring wind speed, wind direction, wind stability class, temperature, humidity and pressure. The data can be monitored visually on the LCD display and simultaneously output to plume modelling software on a PC.

It is a reliable, portable weather station designed to withstand harsh environments and rough handling and is constructed of non-sparking, intrinsically safe Mil-Spec grade aluminium which will even survive a 2 m drop onto concrete and is water immersible (for decontamination etc).

There are no cables to connect or exposed wires or switches and it is deployable from carry case to full operation within one minute. The system is available in several configurations including tripod or vehicle mounting. Data can be received via fixed data cable or wireless and displayed on a touch screen display and / or input to a computer.

Using the remote data transmission the user can deploy the WeatherPak® in one location and move to a safer location up to 10 km away. Several WeatherPak® units can be networked together and using the optional Global Positioning System plume models will be updated without any manual input.

Applications include military, fire services, chemical plants and oil refineries etc.

WeatherPak 400 Model MTR

Features

can be fully decontaminated after chemical or biological incidents
low maintenance, fully sealed unit with no moving parts
can be mounted on buildings, vehicles or tripod
data can be output to a PC for plume modelling, data visualisation and archiving
fully deployable within 60 seconds
designed to withstand harsh environments and rough handling

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What it does

The WeatherPak® measures site-specific, real-time weather data which can be monitored visually on a display and simultaneously output to a PC.

Examples of data output

The data can be viewed on a display as well as being output as an ASCII data string to a PC. The data can be imported into plume modelling programs such as CAMEO® / ALOHA®, SAFER® Systems software, or to programs such as MS Excel.

The Raw Data is delivered in ASCII format in metric units (millibars, m/s, C), whereas the processed data is converted to Standard English units (inches, mph, F).

Two "checksums" are performed to ensure that the message is sent correctly. The PC adds up the "ASCII value" of the data line (each letter, number, comma etc has a numerical value universal to all computers) to make sure that the PC received the same number that the WeatherPak transmitted.

Below is an example of the standard data string (custom configurations are available) together with the field line explanations.

Example data string with the data field identifiers shown below

421,	0.9,	225,	1.0,	23.9,	1.0,	226,	23.9,	14.0,	1917,	999,	46,	2536

ID,	MW,	MD,	ST,	AT,	SI,	DI,	TI,	BV,	CKSUM1,	BP,	RH,	CKSUM2

Data field explanations:

ID	WeatherPak unique identification number
MW	5 minute averaged wind speed in metres per second
MD	5 minute averaged wind direction in degrees
ST	Stability class in degrees
AT	5 minute averaged air temperature in degrees Centigrade
SI	Instantaneous wind speed in metres per second
DI	Instantaneous wind direction in degrees
TI	Instantaneous air temperature in degrees Centigrade
BV	Battery voltage in volts
CKSUM1	First Checksum
BP	Barometric pressure in millibars
RH	Relative humidity in percent
CKSUM2	Second Checksum

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Comparison of the 3 models available

WeatherPak 400	MTR	TRx	VM
Wind Speed & Direction	ultrasonic*	ultrasonic*	ultrasonic*
Air Temperature	*	*	*
Relative Humidity	*	*	*
Barometric Pressure	*	*	*
GPS	*
Background Radiation	Available soon
Black Body Sensor	Available soon
Display	5.7" colour flat panel	LCD	LCD
Communications	Radio	Radio	Cable
Mounting	3 m tripod	3 m tripod	vehicle
Power	9 D Cell	9 D Cell	120 VAC or 12 VDC
* the ultrasonic wind sensor has no moving parts, is very accurate at low wind speeds and does not require periodic calibration.
BENEFITS	MTR	TRx	VM
Automatically updates plume modelling software (ALOHA®, SAFER® etc)	*	*	*
Self aligning compass	*	*	*
Data integrity - RF & EMI hardened electronics	*	*	*
Electronics hermetically sealed... Submersible for decontamination	*	*	*
Hot-zone deployable	*	*
Average deployment time	< 1 min	< 1 min	< 2 min
Ruggedised - meets environmental MIL-STD-810D	*	*	*
Upgradeable firmware	*
SmartDetectTM multiple WeatherPak recognition	*

This range is in continuous development therefore
specifications may change without prior notice. E&OE

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Specifications for WeatherPak 400 MTR

( * with ultrasonic anemometer for wind speed and wind direction)

Wind speed*
Range	0 - 60 m/s
Accuracy	+/- 2%
Resolution	0.01 m/s
Wind direction*
Range	0 - 359º
Accuracy	+/- 3%
Resolution	1º
Compass
Accuracy	+/- 1.0º
Resolution	1º
Tilt limit	+/- 45º
Temperature
Operational range	-40 to +50ºC
Accuracy	+/- 0.2ºC
Resolution	0.5ºC
Electronics
Microcontroller	32-bit
Memory	256 k (1 MB optional)
Estimated memory storage capability	With a sample interval every 30 seconds it would take approximately 11 days to use 256 K of memory and 45 days for 1 MB of memory before the oldest data records are overwritten.
Display (certain models only)	4 x 20 character LCD
EMI / RFI	Mil-Spec
Mechanical
Size	14 cm x 73.7 cm
Weight	4.1 Kg
Material	6061-T6 aluminium, 316 stainless steel hardware, O-ring sealed Mil-Spec connector, thermoplastic resin coated
Environmental
Temperature	-40 to +70ºC
Pressure	600 to 1100 mBar
Humidity	10 day exposure at 100% RH
Rain	500 mm/hr
Estimated battery life	72 hours if run continuously
Shock / Vibration	Survival of 2 m drop

This range is in continuous development therefore
specifications may change without prior notice.

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ATS Technology Systems Inc.