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Cabrillo Weather Station Upgraded

 
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mattman



Joined: 20 Jun 2000
Posts: 92

PostPosted: Thu Apr 05, 2012 11:19 am    Post subject: Cabrillo Weather Station Upgraded Reply with quote

We had to upgrade the sensors at Cabrillo Beach in order to maintain them going forward.

It's always difficult when we're forced to make a change to a weather station, and even more so at a place like Cabrillo, where there is such a micro-climate effect on the wind.

The new station is in the same physical location as the old windtalker. The windtalker used a low-quality anemometer as well as a different (and unknown) sampling methodology. The new station has higher-quality sensors and uses a sampling methodology accepted by the National Weather Service and the World Meteorological Organization. These are the same sensors we use in almost 400 weather stations around the country. If the windtalker used to read data more closely to what you experience on the water, it is probably a case of getting the right answer for the wrong reasons. But we are 100% certain the new sensors are not wrong - they are reading the wind accurately - it's just different than what you were getting from the old windtalker.

Over the years we, as users of the data, develop a mental calibration between what a particular station reports and the wind we feel out on the water. And when we are forced to change the station, it causes chaos. There's no going back to the old windtalker - that hardware hasn't been supported for a decade.

This thread has been created to give the users of Cabrillo a place where you can share your experience interpreting the new sensors. Feel free to post below to help the community avoid any wasted trips and maximize the use of the data.
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cbknap



Joined: 03 Jun 1997
Posts: 372

PostPosted: Thu Apr 05, 2012 4:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Consider the green (low) line as the average. the new sensor spins right thru the lulls and does not notice them. Recorded gusts are also a bit optimistic.

--Chris
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chakochako



Joined: 11 May 1998
Posts: 18

PostPosted: Thu Apr 12, 2012 9:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Chris. What about the direction? Whenever it looks good, the direction always shows West.
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cbknap



Joined: 03 Jun 1997
Posts: 372

PostPosted: Mon Apr 16, 2012 6:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I haven't yet assessed whether the wind direction makes much difference to the accuracy of the readings. The old sensor, which was in the same location, read too low on W and too high on SW and SSW.

Overall, the best direction for sailing Cabrillo is WSW--that way some wind fills in to the beach. When the wind is true west it can be almost dead at the launch--a problem if there are big waves. SW fills in to the beach but is a weak wind---there is no blast zone to speak of and sailors must bear off toward the rock jetty on starboard tack.

Hope that helps....
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sail-n-ski



Joined: 04 Apr 2000
Posts: 23

PostPosted: Sat Apr 28, 2012 10:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

cbknap wrote:
Consider the green (low) line as the average. the new sensor spins right thru the lulls and does not notice them. Recorded gusts are also a bit optimistic.

--Chris

I'm going to say that I agree with the Knapster here. The average is somewhere at or just above the green line. There is no way it was 20 today...still fun though and now I know what to expect from the sensor. Direction seems OK. Gusts are overstated.
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