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]]>Having worked in the oil industry for a number of years, I was becoming increasingly concerned about the amount of damage that was being done to the world around us, not only through the burning of fossil fuels, but also from the drilling of vast areas of natural landscapes.
I decided to give up the security of a comfortable career and do something I was passionate about. I started a Master's In Business Administration at the University of Bath, and the germ of an idea for a business was formed in the following months. I had always believed that there must be a way to create an ethical business which would have a part to play in the environmental movement, and the creative and entrepreneurial atmosphere of my MBA class at Bath encouraged me to pursue this dream.
Awareness of climate change can start with people monitoring the weather in our gardens at home. Did you know that the breakdown of the ozone layer was first spotted by a scientist working in the Antarctic using very simple methods? He plotted data over time and came up with astounding findings. We can all tune in to what's going on around us for the benefit of the planet by monitoring the weather and our environment.
Even in the lifetime of Skyview, the weather patterns in the UK have changed considerably and we're seeing much more unsettled conditions, particular windier and wetter weather.
I have always loved the great outdoors and the contrasts of weather. As a pilot, I have often been surprised when people learning to fly come back from training schools in Florida and say how much they enjoyed having the same soaring temperatures every day. For me, flying, and any other outdoor sport, comes alive when the weather is full of contrast and change, rather than when it stays the same.
It's a wonderful feeling to think that the company that started in a garage in Wivenhoe in Essex is now one of the most successful weather companies in Europe, with customers all over the world. We're very proud of everything that we have achieved.
There have been many proud moments but looking back now a personal favourite of mine is when we supplied weather equipment for all of the boats in the British Steel Round the World Yacht Race, allowing them to download satellite charts with wave and weather information. It's incredible to think of the journey that the participants, and our equipment, went on.
Certainly, many times. Standing in an open field with Ian and other members of our team 20 years ago, deciding to build our new offices in Sudbury is one of them.
We send all of our orders out from these offices, speak with our customers, meet new suppliers and come up with creative marketing ideas. What lay before us then was an opportunity to expand our growing business, but in reality, what we've created here in Suffolk feels like a family home.
Skyview continues to be at the forefront of new ideas and new technologies, bringing great weather products to both home users and companies at the cutting edge of their respective industries. If we can continue serving these customers, I'll be happy. We've been fortunate over the years to be able to support a number of charities close to our hearts, both through our work and through the donation of equipment, and I see this continuing indefinitely. It has been an honour to work with charities such as the Air Ambulance, the RNLI, Coastwatch and the Suffolk Wildlife Trust.
The technological ability of some of our products never ceases to amaze me; the laser ceilometers we install at industrial sites such as heliports give cloud height information to ensure helicopters can land safely. In reality, though, it's often the simplest things that are the best. Our Combined Climemet Weather Dial, for example, is one unit, no larger than a clock face, yet it gives temperature, humidity and pressure readings. These three parameters can provide real insight into what the weather is doing. Simple, yet perfectly designed.
Skyview was the first company in Europe to link computers to weather equipment in order to record data, and at the 1991 Meteorology Technology World Expo, 'Metex' we were probably the only company exhibiting skills in this department. Skyview is still at the forefront of the distribution of weather equipment online with services such as Skylink Pro, and I hope we will continue innovating for the next 25 years.
Just as our company relies on the individuals working for us, Skyview relies on really knowing its customers. Our job is not to sell a product but to solve problem. We have customers so delighted with our service that they often get in touch to tell us. Just the other day, we received an email with feedback on our Sales Assistant, Claire, saying: "You are a credit to your company Claire". This is what means the most to us. Without our customers and our staff, Skyview wouldn't exist.
This little tongue twister always makes me laugh: The storm starts, when the drops start dropping; When the drops stop dropping then the storm starts stopping. ~ Dr. Seuss
]]>Most weather stations (including the popular ClimeMET CM2000) offer:
> Barometric pressure
> Outside humidity & dew point
> Daily and yearly rainfall
> Wind speed and direction
> Wind chill and outside temperature
The majority will also offer inside temperature and humidity. Stations such as the TechnoLine WS1600 and ClimeMET CM2016 do not include wind direction sensors.
The Davis Vantage Pro2 or Davis Vantage Vue include the above features and have the capacity to measure the following parameters in addition:
> Additional Rainfall Information: 15-minute, hourly, monthly and yearly rainfall and rainfall amounts for the last 24 storms
> Additional Wind Speed Information: 10-minute average wind speed and dominant wind direction, in addition with the Vantage Vue you get 2-minute average speed, high speed and direction in the last ten minutes
> Apparent Temperature: Heat index, and with Vantage Pro2's optional Solar Radiation Sensor, the temperature-humidity-sun-wind index
> Vantage Pro2 optional Solar & UV Radiation Sensors: Greater awareness of the dangers of excessive exposure to the sun
> For agricultural users: Evapotranspiration, Leaf Wetness, Soil Moisture & Soil Temperature with the Vantage Pro2 optional sensors
One you understand the basic measuring capabilities of each weather station you can ask yourself these initial questions:
1. Which brand of weather station should I focus on; what will my budget allow?
2. Do I intend to link my weather station to my computer for data storage and in the future potential upload to a weather website?
3. Do I want my weather station to transmit weather data wirelessly to my indoor console or via a cable?
You might not know the answer to all of these questions straight away, and working your way through them may lead to further queries; but the following information should provide a good starting point to weigh up the pros and cons of each station type against price.
There are three main brands of weather stations that Skyview Systems stock for customers to choose from:
> ClimeMET
> TechnoLine (also known as LaCrosse Technology)
With most stations, you need to install each sensor separately onto a central mounting pole or post; the ClimeMET CM2000 includes a short length of pole for this purpose. The Vantage Pro2 and Vantage Vue are factory-assembled to make setup as easy as possible and fit directly on to a purpose built DAV-7716 Mounting Tripod or DAV-7717 Mounting Pole Kit.
With all weather stations you should be able to complete a few initial assembly steps, insert the battery and you are ready to mount your external sensors. For further information on how to correctly site your sensors check out our online Installation Guides.
Wireless transmission is highly variable and depends on the lay of the land and possible radio interference in your area. The majority of weather stations have a wireless transmission distance of 100m. The Davis range transmits over a distance of 300m; this can be extended with wireless repeaters.
Cabled stations require one multi-cored cable between the Thermo/Hygro sensor or ISS and the indoor console. The supplied cable length is normally 30m but will vary from station to station. In general cable length can be extended but this can increase the overall expense of your weather system and decrease the integrity of your weather data.
Brands such as ClimeMET amd TechnoLine update the console with external data between 30 and 50 seconds. The Davis Vantage Pro2 and Vantage Vue send data to the console every 2.5 seconds. Highly variable conditions are updated with every data packet sent while less variable conditions are updated every 10 seconds.
With the Davis Vantage Pro2 and Davis Vantage Vue, you can view and graph just about every weather variable, with averages, highs and lows for most, and go back in time for minutes, days, months and years.
Stations such as the ClimeMET CM2000 graph just one variable; barometric pressure, typically for the last 24 hours. The Vantage Pro2 and Weather Centre feature on the Vantage Vue can do many types of analysis, even without purchasing the WeatherLink software package.
In general a ClimeMET or TechnoLine weather station will be able to store around one weeks' worth of data before you need to connect it to a computer for download. If no download is performed the oldest set of data is overwritten.
If you'd like to do more analysis than the basic console features will allow, look for a weather station which ships with or can be used with a data logger and software package.
The ClimeMET CM2000 comes with basic plug and play weather software. Once you have a day or so of data on your weather console, simply connect it via USB to your computer and open up the software to download available data. Once safely downloaded, clear the memory in your console to start recording the next set of information.
Due to the limited memory in these stations customers often choose to leave their PC on and the weather station connected at all times for continuous data to be recorded. This type of weather software; i.e. Heavyweather or Easyweather, is basic but stores all of your data in a safe place. Raw data can be exported to Excel to generate graphs or tables depending on your specific interests.
The WeatherLink data logger and software package which works with the Vantage Pro2 and Vantage Vue stores data at the interval you choose (from one minute to two hours) for up to six months. Transfer the data whenever you like, or leave your computer on to have it transfer automatically every day. The capabilities of WeatherLink software are endless and allow you to manipulate and record data in countless ways.
All weather stations in the Skyview shop come with specification sheets and manuals. Accuracy, resolution and range vary between brand and with price. A £400 Davis station is going to more accurate with greater sensor resolution than a £100 home weather station.
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