News

Brand History

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 12:16:20 GMT

In this post we'll delve into the history and evolution of the WindTalker brand. The pictures below show some early weather station prototypes and help explain how the "WindTalker" name was selected.

The original WindTalkers were built using an 8051 micro controller connected to a WM918 weather station and a Nokia 5110 mobile phone. Initially designed to monitor wind speed and wind direction, the original system would take one voice call at a time and all data was transferred via voice, hence the name "WindTalker".

Since these early prototypes, various versions have evolved, mostly using the Telit range of phone modules. These included using the WS2300 weather station, and a 1-wire system from Dallas.

Now we have a purpose built system using our own custom designed printed circuit boards. We use quality components from inspeed for wind speed and direction; in addition the whole system is very robust and designed to last for many years with minimal service requirements.

The backend data logging services have also evolved over the years. Initially we used one PC to capture the data and generate chart images. We hosted the PC on our own internal network using a standard internet connection. The image were then copied via FTP to our hosted WindTalker web site. We've now move to a multi-tier hosted solution, using a highly configurable database. Weather information is securely sent using GPRS and stored on our servers where it can be accessed through the internet anywhere in the world. You can also access the data programatically via our easy to use remote monitoring API.

Our new remote monitoring infrastructure is not tied directly to weather stations therefore allowing us to expand on our current range of remote monitoring solutions. If you'd like to find out more about creating your own custom remote monitoring and data capture solution, please give us a call.

Paragliding Guide

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 16:20:33 GMT

Knowing the wind speed and direction is vital for paragliding and hang-gliding. WindTalkers give you current wind speed and direction along with a history which helps visualise wind and weather trends. In addition to observing temperature, humidity and brightness variations helps predict thermal updraft velocity. For example significant changes in brightness and temperature will indicate well defined clouds. Knowing the WindTalker altitude, humidity and temperature, the dew point can be calculated and thus the theoretical height of the cloud base.

Note much effort goes into ensuring the wind and weather information supplied is completely accurate, however there is no guarantee that it is correct. Paraglider and hang-glider pilots should use their own judgement when deciding if it is safe to fly.

Crop Spraying Guide

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 16:20:02 GMT

Knowing the chemical is going to be deposited on the correct field and not on the housing suburb next door is vitally important! A WindTalker weather station can provide real-time remote wind direction and wind strength helping a pilot target the required location much more accurately. It can also be used to verify humidity and temperature to work out the suitability for spraying - Delta T. It's is becoming one of the standard indicators for acceptable spray conditions, giving an indication of the evaporation rate and droplet lifetime.

For more details on how a WindTalker weather station can help increase your crop yield and reduce your spraying costs, give us a call today.

Sailing Guide

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 16:19:22 GMT

We find that sailing clubs and teams are using weather station information in two main areas:

Recreational - A number of club sailors have to commute to the marina or harbour. It is useful to know the actual real-time weather before jumping in the car to make the trip. WindTalkers can provide real-time weather information and local tidal details, allowing sailing club members to determine if it's suitable weather for sailing.
Competition - To get the competitive edge during race weekends, a number of teams record the tide direction along with the wind strength and direction for about 2 hours before every race. The wind tends to oscillate and it is useful to know the pattern along with the tide direction before the race starts. Traditionally, this information is manually charted and passed on to the team at the race area by the support boat. Our WindTalker platform allows this information to be charted in a variety of ways to best display the localised weather patterns. All this real-time information can then be viewed directly on a mobile phone.

As we build-up the historical weather information for a given area, our weather station web site allow sailors to check for reoccurring weather patterns - trend analysis. If you have a specific weather station requirement, give us a call today.

Note much effort goes into ensuring the wind and weather information supplied is completely accurate, however there is no guarantee that it is correct. You should use your own judgement when deciding if it is safe to sail.

Grouse Shooting Guide

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 16:18:55 GMT

It's important to know the wind speed and wind direction before taking your dogs on a shoot. Using a WindTalker weatherstation you can get accurate wind readings on remote locations allowing hunt masters to maximise a days shooting. Using the WindTalker's combination of solar power and wireless communication technology, obtaining weather information from the remotest locations is now possible at an affordable price. The unique features of this completely self contained weather station offers the ideal solution to your grouse shooting needs.

If you're interested in finding out more about how a wireless weather station can help on your shoot, please contact us.

'Strong demand' reported for grouse shooting, see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-14497623 for more details.

Weather Stations For Education Guide

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 16:18:28 GMT

A weather station is an engaging classroom tool that can be used to make science, geography, maths and computing lessons more appealing to students of all ages. Students and teachers can use the weather station for a wide variety of classroom projects, here are just a few:

Maths - understanding charts and graphs.
Maths - explaining aggregate functions: average, count, maximum, median, minimum, sum
Computer science - web site design.
Computer science - using a spreadsheet.
Computer science - programming using remote monitoring API.
Geography - understanding weather and climate.
Geography - changing of the seasons.
... if you have any ideas for lesson plans, we'd love to hear from you.

Get your school involved in the MetLink project, it provides teachers and students with information about weather monitoring, climate change, classroom experiments and much more. MetLink is the flagship educational portal of the Royal Meteorological Society, for more details visit http://www.metlink.org/.

If you're working in education and thinking of purchasing a weather station, please contact us to discuss our educational discounts.

Selecting A Mobile Network Provider Guide

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 16:17:40 GMT

Each WindTalker weather station communicates over a mobile phone network and therefore requires an active SIM card. When selecting a suitable SIM card, you need to consider the following factors:

Signal Strength - The most important thing is network coverage, if you don't have a good reliable signal your weather station will not be able to transmit weather reports. It's important to check that you have network coverage that includes GPRS data (we don’t need 3G connectivity).
Data Cost - WindTalkers only send small amounts of data at regular intervals - the default frequency between weather reports is every 5 minutes. A package which allows approximately 250MB per month is sufficient using the default report frequency. Periodically, we check the market for the best deals, so give us a call and we'll help you find the best package in your area. As part of a site survey we advise on the best network provider for your weather station.

For more details on SIM cards, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subscriber_Identity_Module.

Select A Location For Your Weather Station

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 13:53:47 GMT

Choosing the best location for your weather station is vitally important to ensure the accuracy of the data and reliability of the equipment. Here are a few useful tips:-

Our WindTalkers can be put anywhere there is a mobile phone signal, so that makes locating in remote places quite possible.
Access for installation and maintenance is also important however once the system is installed then access for maintenance shouldn’t be very frequent as the system is designed to run basically maintenance free.
For the anemometer to give reliable wind speed and direction readings it should be as clear as possible of obstacles like trees, buildings etc. Trees especially affect the flow of moving air and even trees some distance away will have an effect.
Ensure you have the correct permission to access the location where you want to install your system is also obviously very important.
You may need to inform your local planning office if you are locating the weather station in a residential area.
It is also important the solar panels have a good view of the sun to ensure the battery receives the maximum possible charge. Point the solar panel to the south if you live in the northern hemisphere and to the north for the southern hemisphere. Take your latitude and add 15 degrees, to find your optimal winter solar panel angle. The panel is adjusted for a winter setting to ensure they receive the best charge during the winter months when they are used most heavily.

We offer a site survey service if you need any additional help. Please give us a call if you want to arrange a site survey.