Possible Red Hill Wx Station/Cam

CanisLupusArctos · 04-13-2009, 10:59 PM

I've been talking with the fire warden who mans the Red Hill Fire Tower (elev. about 2,000 feet) about putting a weather station up there, whose conditions would be sent to the internet (just like my Black Cat Island Weather Station.) There are some unique issues with the location so I am appealing to the Winnepesaukee.com community to see who would want to help make it happen. Here are the issues:

1) LIGHTNING. The warden has had weather stations at the summit before but has lost them to lightning. The Fire Dept. bought one, he bought one, the US Govt bought a fancy $50K station... all of them fried by lightning. He says he has NOT tried a wireless station yet, where the sensors operate on batteries charged by mini solar panels and transmit their readings to the center console. This may be a good solution. Could also mount wind sensors below the cab of the tower rather than above it. Official readings are taken about 33 ft. off the ground, and I believe the tower is higher than that (therefore wind readings don't need to be taken at the highest point where the sensors would get hit.)

2) Off-season power and "babysitting" for the system. In the non-wildfire season, the tower is not manned. Snow and rime ice build up on the solar panels that provide electricity to the tower. That causes the power to go out. The power enables the internet which is already in place.

3) Lightning protection for the weather computer. The internet is wireless - same as the M/S Mount Washington's internet that enables the MOUNTcam, but the computer would still need to be plugged in for AC power. The power outlet is subject to surges caused by lightning. The warden says he often unplugs his radios and other electronics when lightning is near, but he isn't up there all the time.

4) Purchase cost for weather station, computer to feed the data to the internet. You can get a decent used one for $150 from WinCycle in VT, which refurbishes and sells machines turned over by Dartmouth Hitchcock Hospital. The hospital likes to use computers that are brand new, so they're always turning over computers that are still "pretty new" to the average person. The wireless Davis Weather Station is around $500 from Ambient Weather. And a cam - anyone interested in having a cam with this station?

All this is stuff that has been either tried or considered before, and the warden tells me he'd love to have it again. But, the technical issues -- especially lightning -- need to be solved. Someone else needs to buy the equipment because those who've bought it before are done throwing cash at lightning.

What can come from this? For one thing, if we the weather geeks can find out what the conditions are 1500 feet above our heads, we can better predict the local weather here at the lake. Second, Red Hill does offer conditions that are more typically found only above treeline in the White Mountains, such as rime ice and winds over 100 mph. It doesn't happen as often, or to the same magnitude, but we do have our own "mini White Mountain" right here at Lake Winnipesaukee and there is no weather station on it. The warden tells me that when he had a weather station up there, he would often get wind gusts to hurricane force in thunderstorms. The highest wind gust he ever measured up there was 109 mph.

04-13-2009, 10:59 PM	#1
CanisLupusArctos Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Center Harbor Posts: 1,049 Thanks: 15 Thanked 472 Times in 107 Posts	Possible Red Hill Wx Station/Cam I've been talking with the fire warden who mans the Red Hill Fire Tower (elev. about 2,000 feet) about putting a weather station up there, whose conditions would be sent to the internet (just like my Black Cat Island Weather Station.) There are some unique issues with the location so I am appealing to the Winnepesaukee.com community to see who would want to help make it happen. Here are the issues: 1) LIGHTNING. The warden has had weather stations at the summit before but has lost them to lightning. The Fire Dept. bought one, he bought one, the US Govt bought a fancy $50K station... all of them fried by lightning. He says he has NOT tried a wireless station yet, where the sensors operate on batteries charged by mini solar panels and transmit their readings to the center console. This may be a good solution. Could also mount wind sensors below the cab of the tower rather than above it. Official readings are taken about 33 ft. off the ground, and I believe the tower is higher than that (therefore wind readings don't need to be taken at the highest point where the sensors would get hit.) 2) Off-season power and "babysitting" for the system. In the non-wildfire season, the tower is not manned. Snow and rime ice build up on the solar panels that provide electricity to the tower. That causes the power to go out. The power enables the internet which is already in place. 3) Lightning protection for the weather computer. The internet is wireless - same as the M/S Mount Washington's internet that enables the MOUNTcam, but the computer would still need to be plugged in for AC power. The power outlet is subject to surges caused by lightning. The warden says he often unplugs his radios and other electronics when lightning is near, but he isn't up there all the time. 4) Purchase cost for weather station, computer to feed the data to the internet. You can get a decent used one for $150 from WinCycle in VT, which refurbishes and sells machines turned over by Dartmouth Hitchcock Hospital. The hospital likes to use computers that are brand new, so they're always turning over computers that are still "pretty new" to the average person. The wireless Davis Weather Station is around $500 from Ambient Weather. And a cam - anyone interested in having a cam with this station? All this is stuff that has been either tried or considered before, and the warden tells me he'd love to have it again. But, the technical issues -- especially lightning -- need to be solved. Someone else needs to buy the equipment because those who've bought it before are done throwing cash at lightning. What can come from this? For one thing, if we the weather geeks can find out what the conditions are 1500 feet above our heads, we can better predict the local weather here at the lake. Second, Red Hill does offer conditions that are more typically found only above treeline in the White Mountains, such as rime ice and winds over 100 mph. It doesn't happen as often, or to the same magnitude, but we do have our own "mini White Mountain" right here at Lake Winnipesaukee and there is no weather station on it. The warden tells me that when he had a weather station up there, he would often get wind gusts to hurricane force in thunderstorms. The highest wind gust he ever measured up there was 109 mph.