La Crosse Technology WS-2317U User manual

1
Operation Manual
Professional Remote Weather Station
Table of Contents
Page
1. Introduction ................................................ 2
2. Intended use .............................................. 2
Weather Station ......................................... 2
System requirements for PC use................ 3
Features of the base station....................... 3
Features of the thermo-hygro sensor.......... 4
Features of the ind sensor ....................... 4
Features of the rain sensor......................... 4
3. Safety Notes .............................................. 4
4. Packaged contents..................................... 6
5. Setting up................................................... 7
6. Operation using cable connection or
ireless 433MHz ....................................... 9
7. LCD overvie ........................................... 11
8. Function test ............................................ 13
9. Mounting.................................................. 14
10. Resetting & factory settings...................... 16
11. Function description................................. 18
12. Operation keys......................................... 21
13. Basic programming modes....................... 23
14. MIN/MAX programming modes ................ 24
15. Alarm programming modes ...................... 26
16. Auto-memory for stored values ................ 34
17. Accessories: extensions cables................ 35
18. Changing batteries................................... 36
19. Problems and interference ith operation 37
20. Transmission range.................................. 38
21. Cleaning and maintenance....................... 38
22. Specifications........................................... 39
23. Warranty Information................................ 41
This Operation Manual is part of this product and should be kept
in a safe place for future reference. It contains important notes on
setup and operation.
Please see www.heavyweather.info for a complete IM, AQ and
downloads of the most current software.

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1. Introduction
Thank you for purchasing this Professional Remote Weather
Station.
Designed for everyday use, the eather station ill prove to
be an asset of great value for your personal use in the home
or office.
Please read this instruction manual thoroughly to fully
understand the correct operation of your eather station and
benefit from its unique features.
2. Intended Use
Weather Station
The base station measures the indoor environment of its
surrounding area and receives eather data from the
follo ing three outdoor sensors:
1) Thermo-Hygro Sensor
2) Wind Sensor
3) Rain Sensor
The received data is continuously updated to bring you the
latest eather information on the base station’s LCD. The
outdoor thermo-hygro sensor is the main data communication
unit since both the ind and rain sensors are connected to the
thermo-hygro sensor for operating po er and rely on it to
communicate to the base station. Weather data sent from the
thermo-hygro sensor can be done by ireless 433MHz
transmission (up to 330ft in open space) or by cable
connection.
Using the enclosed 6.5ft computer cable and CD-ROM, you
can install the Heavy Weather soft are to your PC and
access the latest eather information from your PC and
upload up to 175 sets of recorded eather data received by
the base station. Recorded data can be used to generate
statistics and charts onto your spreadsheets (175 sets of data
is stored in the base even if the PC is s itched OFF). The
soft are itself does not set any limits as to ho many data
sets can be transferred to PC.

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This eather station is designed to ork easily ith your PC,
simply connect and disconnect the PC cable at any time.
System Requirements for PC use:
The minimum system requirement for use of this “Heavy
Weather” soft are is:
Operating system: Windo s 98 or above
Processor: Pentium 166 MHz or above
RAM: 32MB of RAM or above
Hard disk: 20MB free space
CD-ROM drive
For full details on operation and installation of the “Heavy
Weather” soft are refer to the PC manual in PDF format on
the CD-ROM.
eatures of the base station:
• Receives and displays the WWVB radio controlled time
and date
• Display of extensive eather data, in all cases ith
programmable alarm functions for certain eather
conditions as ell as records of all minimum and
maximum values along ith time and date of their
recordings
• Indoor and outdoor temperature displays in degrees
Fahrenheit or Celsius (user selectable)
• Indoor and outdoor relative humidity displays
• Air pressure reading in inHg or hPa, absolute or relative
(user selectable)
• Detailed display of rainfall data in 1 hour, 24 hours, total
since last reset (user selectable in mm or inch)
• Wind speed in mph, km/h, m/s, knots or Beaufort (user
selectable)
• Wind direction display ith LCD compass as ell as
numerical (e.g. 225°) and abbreviated characters (e.g.
SW)
• Wind chill temperature display
• De point temperature display
• Weather forecast display by eather icons (sunny,
cloudy, rainy)

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• Weather tendency indicator
• Storm arning alarm
• EL back light
• Simultaneous display of all eather data ith individual
settings by the user
• COM port for easy connection to your PC
• All the eather data from the base station and up to 175
sets of eather history data ith user adjustable
measuring intervals can be recorded and uploaded to
your PC
eatures of the Thermo-Hygro Sensor
The thermo-hygro sensor measures the outdoor temperature
and relative humidity. It also collects the readings from the
rain and ind sensors before transmitting the data to the base
station by ireless 433MHz or by the 32ft cable included in
this set.
eatures of Wind sensor
The ind sensor measures ind speed and ind direction and
sends the data to thermo-hygro sensor, hich in turn
transmits the data to the base station. Operating po er is
taken from the thermo-hygro sensor using a 32ft cable
connection.
eatures of Rain sensor
The rain sensor measures the rainfall and sends the data to
thermo-hygro sensor, hich in turn transmits the data to the
base station. Operating po er is taken from the thermo-hygro
sensor by a 32ft cable connection.
3. Safety Notes
• Damage caused by failure to comply ith this instruction
manual ill invalidate any arranty! The manufacturer
and supplier ill not be held liable for damages due to
failure to comply ith this instruction manual or from data
inaccuracies that may occur ith this product!
• In case of harm or damage to a person or property
caused by improper handling or failure to comply ith

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this instruction manual, the manufacturer and supplier
cannot be held liable.
• For reasons of safety and operation, alterations to this
device are strictly prohibited.
• To operate the eather station, use only supplied
adaptor and batteries of the recommended type.
• Do not leave discharged batteries in the device as these
may corrode and release chemicals that may damage
the unit.
• Inserting batteries in an incorrect polarity ill cause
damage to this product.
• This product is not a toy; please keep out of the reach of
children.
• Do not dispose of ne or used batteries in a fire as they
may explode or release dangerous chemicals.
• This product is not to be used for medical purposes or for
public information.
• Any modification or alteration to this product is strictly
prohibited ithout the manufacturer’s authorization and
may prohibit the user’s further use of this product.

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4. Packaged Contents
Before setting up, carefully unpack the contents onto a table
or flat surface and check that the follo ing are complete:
Item: Consisting
of:
ittings: Illustration:
Base
Station
• Main unit
• AD/DC 120V
po er Adaptor
- optional use
(included)
Thermo
-Hygro
Sensor
• Main unit
• Rain
protection
cover
• 32ft cable -
optional
connection to
the base
station
(included)
• Wall mounting
scre s
• Plastic anchors
for scre s
Wind
Sensor
• Main unit
ith ind
vane
• 32ft cable
(already
attached
to the
main unit)
• Mast
holder
• 2 x U-bolts for
mast holder
• 4 x Washers
• 4 x Nuts
• 1 x scre (to
fix main unit to
the mast holder
Rain
Sensor
• Main unit
(base and
funnel)
• 32ft cable
(already
attached to
the main
unit)

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Heavy
eather
PC
soft ar
e
CD-Rom
format
(English
version only)
• 6.5ft PC cable
for PC
connection -
optional use
(included)
5. Setting up
First, choose to use the adaptor (included in this set) or
batteries for operation. Both these methods allo for
operation using ireless 433MHz transmission or cable
connection bet een the base station and the sensors and
setting up for both methods is as follo s:
Base Station:
Battery
compartment
PC COM
Port
Socket for sensor
DC 6.0V
socket

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Setting up using batteries:
Important: To avoid operating problems, please take note
of battery polarity if inserting any batteries
1) Pull a ay the rain cover of the thermo-hygro sensor to
reveal the three sockets (for the ind sensor, rain sensor
and the base station)
2) Connect the attached cables of ind and rain sensors to
the corresponding sockets of the thermo-hygro sensor by
clicking them into place
3) Open the battery cover of the thermo-hygro sensor
located belo the three sockets and insert 2 x AA, IEC
LR6, 1.5V batteries and close the cover
4) Open the base station’s battery cover located at the back
of the unit and insert 3 x AA, IEC LR6, 1.5V batteries into
the battery compartment and close the battery cover
Battery Cover
Battery
Compartment
Sensor sockets
Thermo-Hygro Sensor
Sensor
sockets

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Setting up using the AC adaptor:
1) Po er up all the sensors as described in setting up using
batteries above
2) Using the AC adaptor (included), plug it into the po er
outlet and po er up the base station by inserting the
adaptor jack into the DC 6.0V socket located on the side
of the base station
Every time the thermo-hygro sensor is po ered up (for
example after a change of batteries), a random security code
is transmitted and this code must be synchronized ith the
base station to receive eather data.
When the base station is po ered up, a short beep ill sound
and all LCD segments ill light up for about 5 seconds before
it enters into a 15 minute learning mode to learn the sensors
security code. After the learning mode (or by pressing the
MIN/MAX key at anytime), the base station ill start the
WWVB radio controlled time reception.
Note for WWVB Radio Controlled Time:
The time and date display is based on the signal provided by
the highly accurate government operated atomic clock in Ft.
Collins, Colorado. This radio-controlled clock does not only
provide the eather station’s time and date display but also
functions as the time and date source for all of this eather
station’s memory and history values using the time and date
information received from the atomic clock.
EL backlight:
When using the po er adapter or under battery operation, the
LCD backlight ill s itch on for 15 seconds hen any button
is pressed.
6. Operation using cable connection or wireless
433MHz
Cable Connection:
Using this method of operation ill provide interference free
transfer of the eather data from the sensors to the base
station. The data sending interval from the sensors to the
base station ill also be more frequent compared to using

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433MHz transmission and ill result in higher po er
consumption. Batteries ill have a shorter life span for cable
connection compared to using 433MHz ireless transmission.
To operate using cable connection, simply use the enclosed
32ft cable and connect the thermo-hygro sensor to the base
station. Once the connection is detected, the base station ill
automatically continue reading the data from the sensor.
The user may at any time s itch from cable connection to
using 433MHz (or vice versa) by simply disconnecting (or
connecting) the cable from the base station to the sensor.
When the base station detects no cable connection to the
sensors, the base station ill automatically change to using
433 MHz for reception of the eather data from the sensors.
The data receiving intervals are as follo s:
- Using cable connection data is updated every 8
seconds.
- Using ireless 433 MHz data is updated from 16 to 128
second intervals depending on ind speed and rain
activity.
Using the AC adaptor to operate the base station ill also
supply po er to the sensor if the cable is connected to it.
Batteries used for 433MHz transmission may be left in the
sensor hen using cable connection for po er back up in
case of AC po er failure. A loss of po er ould
desynchronize the base station and the sensor and no
eather data ill be received. To synchronize the units so
that the eather data can be received, press and hold the
PLUS (+) key for 2 seconds. In general, batteries that ill not
be used for long periods should be removed to avoid leakage.
Wireless 433MHz transmission:
Using 433MHz ireless transmission of eather data from the
sensor to the base station ill provide users greater freedom
as to here units can be positioned ithout the need to be
restricted by cable.
Note:
If no outdoor eather data is displayed or the signal to the
sensors is lost during setting up, mounting, changing of
batteries to the sensor or plugging or unplugging cables,

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simply press and hold the PLUS (+) key for 2 seconds and a
short beep ill sound to synchronize the base station to
sensors. Without being synchronized, eather data ill not
be received.
7. LCD Overview
The following illustration shows the full segments of the
LCD for description purposes only and will not appear
like this during normal operation and use.
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1 2 3 4
5
6
7
8
9
10
13
12
14
15
17
23
11
19
20
22
21
18
24
25
26
27

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1. Lo battery indicator
2. WWVB radio controlled
time icon
3. Date display
4. Time zone display
5. Date, seconds, alarm
time and time zone
6. Alarm icon
7. Weather forecast icons
8. Weather tendency
indicator
9. Pressure alarm display
10. hPa/inHg air pressure
unit
11. Pressure units (relative
or absolute)
12. 433MHz reception icon
13. Rainfall display
14.
Indoor, outdoor, humidity,
de point, ind chill,
rainfall alarm icon
15. 24h, 1h or total hour
display
16. Humidity display as RH%
17. Rainfall units (inch or mm)
18. Temperature display units
(ºC or ºF)
19. Outdoor tempera-
ture/humidity display
20. Indoor tempera-
ture/humidity display
21. De point temperature
display
22. Wind chill temperature
display
23. Wind alarm icon
24. Wind information for
Min/Max speed and ind
speed lo , high, direction
alarm
25. Wind direction and speed
(m/s, knots, Beaufort, km/h
or mph) display
26. Alarm buzzer ON/OFF icon
27. General alarm icon
8. unction test
Once the eather station is po ered up, perform a function
test by checking that the eather data is received. To do this,
press the DISPLAY, PRESSURE or WIND keys to toggle
through the relevant LCD sections:
1) Indoor temperature and humidity
2) Outdoor temperature and humidity
3) Outdoor ind chill
4) De point
5) Rainfall 24 hour
6) Rainfall 1hour
7) Rainfall Total
8) Relative and absolute pressure
9) Wind speed, ind direction and ind direction in degrees
If any readings cannot be received from the sensors, lines (- -
-) ill be displayed in the respective eather sections of the

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LCD. In this case, check that all cables are correctly inserted
into the correct sockets and/or check the batteries in the
outdoor thermo-hygro sensor and press and hold the PLUS
(+) key for 2 seconds, a short beep ill sound to synchronize
the base station to the sensors other ise no eather data ill
be received.
Some eather readings such as ind speed and direction
may not appear immediately on the LCD if the ind-fan or
vane of the ind sensor is moved. This is due to the set
reading time intervals for the ind readings. The current ind
speed or direction ill be displayed once the time reading
interval is reached. For rainfall, the interval readings may take
up to 2 minutes before the data is displayed on the LCD.
9. Mounting
Important Note
Prior to drilling mounting holes and permanently affixing any of
the units, please ensure the follo ing points are considered:
• Cable lengths of the units meet ith your distance
requirements at the point of mounting
• Signals from the sensors can be received by the base
station at points of mounting
• Radio controlled time signal can be received at the point
of mounting
NOTE: The WWVB receiver is located in the base station.
Base Station
With a foldable leg at the back of the unit, the base station can
be placed onto any flat surface or all mounted at the desired
location by the hanging holes also at the back of the unit. It is
important to check that the 433MHz (if using ireless
connection) and the WWVB radio controlled time signal can
be received before permanently mounting any of the units.
Should the base station not display the 433MHz eather data
from the sensors or the radio controlled time from the desired
location, then relocate the units. Once the signals are
received, the system can be affixed. Also if you have selected
to use cable connection, ensure that distances can reach all
desired locations before affixing any unit permanently

14
NOTE: For reception of WWVB time/date signal, do not mount
the base station closer than 5 feet from a computer, florescent
lights or other electrical appliances. Do not mount the base
station on a all that has metal heat/AC duct ork in the all
behind the base station. For best WWVB reception place the
base station near a indo facing Colorado. WWVB
reception ill be obtained easiest in the nighttime hours hen
the WWVB signal is strongest.
Mounting the Wind Sensor onto a mast
Firstly, check that the ind-fan and the ind-vane can rotate
freely before fixing the unit. For correct and accurate readings
it is important to mount the sensor so that the front (marked E)
is pointing in East-West direction. The ind sensor should
no be mounted using the scre provided onto a mast to
allo the ind to travel around the sensor unhindered from all
directions (ideal mast size should be from Ø0.63” – Ø1.3”).
Once the ind sensor is fixed onto the mast, connect the
cable to the corresponding thermo-hygro sensor socket so
that operating po er supply can be received and data can be
transmitted to the base station.
Mounting the Rain Sensor
Base portion
unnel portion
Wind-fan
Wind-vane
Mast

15
For accurate results, the rain sensor should be securely
mounted onto a horizontal surface about 2-3ft above the
ground and in an open area a ay from trees or other
coverings here rainfall may be reduced causing inaccurate
readings.
When securing into place, check that rain excess ill not
collect and store at the base of the unit but can flo out
bet een the base and the mounting surface (test by pouring
clean ater).
After mounting the rain sensor, connect the cable to the
thermo-hygro sensor at the corresponding socket so po er
supply can be received and data be transmitted to the base
station.
The rain sensor is no operable. For testing purposes, very
slo ly pour a small amount of clean ater into the rain sensor
funnel. The ater ill act as rainfall and ill be received and
displayed at the base station after about 2 minutes delay i.e.
hen the reading interval is reached (to clear this testing data
on the base station, refer to the section “MIN/MAX Mode”
belo ).
Mounting the thermo-hygro Sensor
An ideal mounting place for the thermo-hygro sensor ould be
the outer all beneath the extension of a roof, as this ill
protect the sensor from direct sunlight and other extreme
eather conditions.
Rain Cover Wall Bracket
Main Unit

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To all mount, use the 2 scre s to affix the all bracket to the
desired all, plug in the thermo-hygro sensor to the bracket
and secure both parts by the use of the supplied scre and
ensure that the cables from the ind and rain sensors are
correctly plugged in other ise data transmission errors could
occur.
NOTE: or best 433 MHz reception mount the thermo-
hygro sensor on an outside wall near the location of the
base station.
10. Resetting & factory settings
As previously mentioned, in the event of a po er reset to the
sensor (for example a change of batteries), the base station
has to synchronize to the sensor again other ise no eather
data ill be received. To do this, simply press and hold the
PLUS (+) key for 2 seconds and a short beep ill sound to
synchronize the base station to the sensor. When the units
are synchronized, the data ill be received again and the
base station ill return to normal operation mode.
Do not remove batteries or unplug the AC adaptor of the base
station other ise all 175 sets of recorded eather history data
for transferring to the PC ill be lost (for full details of PC use,
please see PC user manual in the enclosed Heavy Weather
CD-ROM).
Ho ever if you ish to make a full reset of the base station
and return to the original factory settings, simultaneously
press and hold the PRESSURE and WIND keys for about 5
seconds. The base station ill beep once and the entire LCD
ill light up for 5 seconds and go back to the original factory
settings. This process ill clear all previous user defined
values and all eather history recordings.
actory default settings:
The follo ing table sho s the factory default values of the
eather station:
Matter: Default Setting:
Time 12:00 am
Date 01.01.2001

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Time zone -5 ET
Alarm time 12:00 am
Relative air pressure 29.91 inHg
Weather-picture
threshold
0.09 inHg
LCD contrast level 5 (1-8 levels)
Rainfall per impulse 0.0204 inches
Storm alarm 0.09 inHg
Relative air pressure
alarm
28.34 inHg
(lo )
30.71 inHg
(high)
Indoor temperature
alarm
50ºF (lo ) 86ºF (high)
Outdoor temperature
alarm
32ºF (lo ) 104ºF (high)
Indoor humidity alarm 35%RH
(lo )
65%RH
(high)
Outdoor humidity alarm 45%RH
(lo )
70%RH
(high)
Wind chill alarm 50ºF (lo ) 86ºF (high)
De point alarm 32ºF (lo ) 68ºF (high)
Rainfall 24h alarm 1.96 inches
Rainfall 1h alarm 0.03 inches
Wind Speed 1.0 mph
(lo )
62 mph
(high)
Wind direction alarm None set
Note:
All alarm default values are deactivated at the start up and
any alarm must be activated by the user other ise it ill not
sound.

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Sunny Rainy
Cloudy
11. unction Description of the Weather Station
After setting up, the follo ing data ill be displayed in different
sections on the LCD. If this is not the case please observe the
notes on “Interferences” belo .
Time & Date (LCD Section 1)
If the WWVB icon (icon 2) is ON and not flashing, it means
that the WWVB radio-controlled time and date has been
received. Press the PLUS (+) key to change the format of date
display bet een date/month/year, eekday/date/month,
seconds, alarm set time and time zone.
Weather forecasting (LCD Section 1)
The three eather icons Sunny, Cloudy and Rainy represent
the eather forecasting. There are also t o eather tendency
indicators to sho the air pressure tendency either side of the
eather icons.
LCD Section 1:
Time, date, seconds, time zone,
eather foreca
sting icons ith
tendency arro s, air pressure,
and respective alarms sections
LCD Section 2
:
Indoor and outdoor tempera-
ture and relative humidity,
ind chill, de point, rainfall,
and respective alarms sec-
tions
LCD Section 3:
Wind direction, ind speed,
and respective alarms sec-
tions

19
Notes to inHg sensitivity setting for weather forecasting:
The inHg pressure sensitivity can be set to suit the user’s
requirement for eather forecasting from 6 inHg, 9 inHg to 12
inHg (see Basic Programming belo ). For areas that
experience frequent changes in air pressure ( hich does not
necessarily reflect a change in the eather) requires a higher
inHg setting compared to an area here the air pressure is
stagnant. For example if 6 inHg is selected, then there must
be a fall or rise in air pressure of at least 6 inHg before the
eather station ill register this as a change in eather.
Air Pressure (LCD Section 1)
The air pressure reading is displayed here. Press the
PRESSURE key to toggle bet een relative and absolute air
pressure displays.
Notes to Absolute and Relative Air Pressure:
Absolute air pressure provides the display of the true
measured air pressure of the current time and location. This is
not programmable and the absolute air pressure range of the
eather station is from 8.85 inHg to 32.45 inHg (standard air
pressure at an altitude of 30,000ft is around 8.85 inHg).
Relative air pressure is the one value that is calculated back
to sea level from the local absolute air pressure and can thus
be taken as a reference for eather condition and eather
development for the entire country. It can be programmed to
represent your local surroundings. Since the relative air
pressure is also the one value given by various ne spapers,
TV and radio broadcasting stations in their daily eather
forecasts for their respective locations, users can set the
relative air pressure of the eather station to this value to
represent readings your their area (see Basic Programming
Modes belo ).
Weather Data (LCD Section 2)
Indoor temperature and humidity are displayed simultaneously
in this section. Use the DISPLAY key to toggle through the
displays for other eather information:
- Outdoor temperature/humidity
- Outdoor ind chill

20
- Outdoor de point
- Rainfall 24h
- Rainfall 1h
- Rainfall total.
Notes to Dewpoint and Windchill:
Air can at a certain temperature only carry a certain amount of
ater ( ater vapor), hich also increases and decreases ith
temperature. If the air temperature decreases belo the de
point (saturation point), the excessive ater vapor ill
condense and fall out in form of de , fog or rain. At a
temperature of e.g. 59°F and a relative humidity of 50% the
de point ill be about 41°F, at 80% humidity about 53.6°F. At
a relative humidity of 100% saturation is reached, i.e. the
de point is 59°F. At a de point belo freezing the fallout ill
become frost or sno .
Windchill has been introduced for battle planning during World
War II. It represents not the real measured but the
temperature a person feels in open area under the influence
of ind and cold. Windchill is laid out in tables for various
temperatures and ind speeds. At an outdoor temperature of
e.g. 46.4°F and calm inds a person moving at a speed of 13
mph ill already feel a indchill temperature of 32°F.
Wind Data (LCD Section 3)
The current ind direction ill be displayed on the LCD
compass on the ind section. Press the WIND key to toggle
bet een ind direction as numerical (e.g. 225°) and
abbreviated characters (e.g. SW) as ell as numerical ind
speed display inside the compass circle.