DAVIS Rain Collector for Vantage Pro2 (with grip grooves and bird spikes) - Manual (Page 3)

Installing the Rain Collector
3
2. Carefully cut and remove the plastic tie
which holds the tipping spoons in place
during shipping.
Tipping Spoons
Plastic Tie
Test the Rain Collector
Before installing the rain collector, test the unit. If you are replacing a rain collector
you previously installed, make a note of the total rainfall amount displayed. You
may want to reenter this amount after you test the rain collector.
1. Open the transmitter shelter on the ISS. Remove the foam insert and feed the rain
collector cable up through the opening. Plug the cable to the appropriate
connector in the sensor interface (See illustration on page 6.)
2. Press the RAIN
DAY
button on your console to display rainfall.
3. While watching the display on your console to see if it changes, slowly tip the
bucket until it drops to the opposite side. Each tip indicates 0.01" or 0.2 mm of
rain. (It may take up to a minute for the first tip to register at the console.) If the
display does not change, you may be tipping the bucket too quickly. Try again,
more slowly this time. If the rainfall amount displayed on the console increases
by the expected increment (either 0.01" or 0.2 mm) each time you tip the bucket,
your rain collector is working properly.
Installing the Rain Collector
If you have not already done so, separate the cone from the base and disconnect the
rain collector cable from the sensor interface in the transmitter shelter.
Choosing a Location for the Rain Collector
Keep the following in mind when choosing a location for your rain collector:
• For accurate readings, you must mount the rain collector so that it is level. A
bubble level is built-in to the base to simplify this process.
• The rain collector contains a magnet-operated switch which may not operate
correctly if you mount the rain collector on or near any object which is attracted
to a magnet.
• Exposure to winds can reduce the measured rainfall amounts. Mount the rain
collector where there are no obstructions of rainfall at low angles -- such as trees,
houses, fences -- and as low as possible out of the wind.
• Choose a location which is easily accessible for normal cleaning and is distant
from trees or other sources of heavy pollen or debris.