Nielsen-Kellerman KestrelMet 6000 User manual

www.KestrelMet.com
KestrelMet®6000
Cellular Weather Station
Instruction Manual

Weather Monitoring Solutions For
Your Profession or Passion
When the elements can aect the outcome—
accuracy and accessibility are all that matter.
NK understands that you depend on accurate measurements to understand
changing environmental conditions. The need for immediate and accurate
weather data from monitoring devices that simply work is vital to taking
action. Because knowing your conditions means making the right decision.
Nielsen-Kellerman (NK)
Family of Weather Brands

Contents |3
Contents
Getting to Know Your KestrelMet 6000
Components & Hardware ................................. 5–6
Introduction .............................................................7
Getting Started with Your Weather Station.......8
Set Up & Installation
Station Siting & Setup ...................................... 9-10
Unboxing ................................................................ 11
Activating Data Plan & Registering Online ......12
Station Assembly..............................................13-16
Connection Status.................................................17
Mounting ..........................................................18–19
Powering Up...........................................................20

4 |Contents
Find additional product information, FAQs, technical support, instructional videos
and more at AmbientWeather.net/support
Product Safety & Information
Troubleshooting............................................. 21–22
Specications.................................................. 23–25
Product Safety .......................................................26
Compliance....................................................... 27-28
Proposition 65 Warning .......................................29
Warranty .................................................................30
Appendix 1: Tripod Mount...................................31
Appendix 2: Mono Mount....................................32
Appendix 3: Optional AG sensors ......................33
AG Sensors Station setup...............................34-36
Soil sensor array probe placement ....................36
Manuals and websites ................................... 37-38

Components & Hardware |5
Getting to Know Your KestrelMet 6000
Components & Hardware:
Vane Anemometer
Anemometer Mast
Extension
Bird Guard
PV Power Panel
Rain Gauge
Station Base Assembly
LED Status Light

6 |Components & Hardware
Aspirated Temperature
and Humidity Sensors
Components & Hardware (continued):

IntroduCtIon |7
Introduction
You are minutes away from the
ability to monitor weather with
professional-grade accuracy
anywhere, for any personal or
professional reason.
The KestrelMet 6000 Cellular
Weather Station delivers accurate,
hyper-local weather information. It
is lightweight, durable, easy to set
up and quick to connect.
Your KestrelMet station transports
your weather data to a personal
dashboard where you can view
and share data, view history and
graphs, and build reports.
Set up your dashboard at
www.AmbientWeather.net.
Refer to page 12 of this manual for
further instruction.
View your KestrelMet 6000 weather station data at
www.AmbientWeather.net or on the
Ambient Weather Network (AWN) app.

8 |GettInG started
Getting Started With Your
KestrelMet 6000
1. Plan your station location and mounting. Conrm you have
purchased the correct mounting hardware (Tripod or Mono
Mount, sold separately) for your chosen location.
2. Unbox the station
3. Register the station account
4. Assemble the station
5. Mount the station
6. Turn the station on
7. View your data on Ambient Weather Network
IMPORTANT: Read through these instructions once before starting, and do the
steps in the order presented:
See appendix 3 for assembly of optional AG sensors

statIon sItInG & setup |9
Station Siting & Setup
1Where you install your KestrelMet 6000 can positively or negatively impact
accuracy. Natural and articial obstructions around the weather station, like
trees or other structures, could skew the data. You can get more detailed station
location and siting guidelines at AmbientWeather.net/support
Location Considerations:
» Your station requires direct sunlight to maintain the battery charge at a healthy
level. Installing the station in a partially shaded location will have an adverse
eect on the battery lifetime and may limit the data transmission frequency.
» Pick a spot you can easily access, as you may have to remove
debris from the rain gauge bucket once or twice a year.
» The station should ideally be mounted at least 5 ft (1.52 meters) above
ground and away from roads, buildings and other sources of radiant heat.
» The station should be well away from trees that could shade
the station, block wind or create a natural umbrella.
» For best results with a roof mount, install the station
at the highest point on the roof.

10 |statIon sItInG & setup
Station Siting & Setup
Mounting Considerations:
» The rain gauge must be level to provide accurate rainfall measurements.
Ensure that your chosen mounting location is sturdy and does not sway
in the wind with the additional weight of the station. Excess motion or
tilting will greatly reduce the accuracy of rainfall measurements.
» The assembled station weighs 8.4 lbs, but wind will increase loading on
the mount. Mounting hardware is not included with the station.
» In the Northern Hemisphere, the PV power panel must point south to capture
maximum solar energy and for the anemometer to provide accurate wind
direction. In the Southern Hemisphere, the panel should point north.
More siting and setup information is available at AmbientWeather.net/support

unboxInG |11
Unboxing
2What’s included:
» Pre-assembled station base; including rain gauge, air
temperature, RH and barometric pressure sensors
» Anemometer mast extension
» Vane anemometer (wind speed and direction sensors)
» Bird guard
» Assembly tools: 5 mm hex key and #2 Phillips tool (Two spare screws included)
» If you opted to purchase a Mono Mount, your package
will include the Mono Mount parts.

12 |data pl an aC tIvatIon
Activating Data Plan & Registering Online
3You must register your station at AmbientWeather.net to
activate the station’s data plan:
» Create a new account or log in to your existing account.
» Choose“Devices”from the
menu on the left and select
“Connect a New Device”(g A).
» Enter the MAC address of your
KestrelMet 6000 (g B1), which can be found on the last
page of your manual or on the underside of the station.
This will add your new station to your AWN account.
» Next, enter the time zone and location for your weather
station location and press the“Create”button.
» Finally, enter your billing information (Fig B2) to ensure that
your cellular access plan remains active
when your free year of cellular data
expires. If you already have a credit card
associated with your Ambient account,
that card will be used to renew your
cellular access plan automatically. Only
one credit card can be used to pay for
all services and subscriptions on an
AWN account.
NOTE: Your station will not begin
sending data to AWN until you
complete Step 5 on Pg 17.
Figure A
Figure B1
Figure B2

statIon assembly |13
Station Assembly
4Assemble the Anemometer
» Find the three screws on the anemometer mast extension.
Remove and save the small Philips
screw at the dimpled end (g C).
NOTE: This screw has a smaller head than the other two.
» Loosen the screw closest to the middle
of the extension by three turns.
» The non-dimpled end is marked with red tape.
Remove the screw and the tape and save the
screw for attaching to the station base (g D).
» Pull the anemometer cable out of the station base (g
E), and straighten the cable. Feed the cable into the end
that was marked by red tape and continue to push the
cable through the anemometer mast extension (g F)
while sliding the extension onto the station base so
the connector comes out of the dimpled end (g G).
IMPORTANT: Complete these steps before powering
up your station so the sensors initiate correctly.
Figure D
Figure E
Figure C
Figure F
Figure G

14 |statIon assembly
Station Assembly
» Rotate the anemometer mast extension
until the screw aligns with the slot in the
station base, then slide the screw all the way
into the slot and hand tighten (g H).
» Place the screw that was removed from the non-
dimpled end of the mast (g D) into the hole below
the station base slot and hand-tighten it well.
» Plug the end of the cable into the anemometer.
The red side should be closest to the hub’s center
and the black side closest to the hubwall (g I).
» Slide the anemometer hub onto the anemometer
mast extension with the slot oriented in
line with the dimple as shown (g J).
» Replace the screw that was removed from the dimpled
end of the mast to secure the anemometer in place
and handtighten with a Phillips screwdriver (g K).
Spare screws are provided in the zip lock
bag with the assembly tools.
Figure I
Figure H
Figure J
Figure K

statIon assembly |15
Station Assembly
Align the PV Panel
» Slightly loosen the 5mm hex bolt with included
wrench, adjust the PV power panel angle to
match your latitude as indicated in the table
below, then re-tighten the bolt (g L).
0 Clicks 2 Clicks
4 Clicks 6 Clicks
Latitude Angle from
vertical
Clicks from
vertical
0–22.5 75° 5
22.5–55 45° 3
55–90 15° 1
Figure L
1 Click (15°) 3 Clicks (45°)
5 Clicks (75°)

16 |statIon assembly
Station Assembly
Install the Bird Guard
This step can be done on-site after the station is mounted.
» Remove the protective plastic lm
from the PV panel (g M)
» Loosen the screw, set the bird guard on
the rim of the rain gauge bucket with the
spike holes facing up, then tighten the
screw and insert the spikes (g N).
» There is a black cable on the underside of the
station that can be used to connect additional
KestrelMet sensors. The sensor connector is
covered by a black cap which should be left in
place (g O). For more information, visit
www.KestrelMet.com/Sensors
» Birds can trigger false rainfall readings
if they perch on the rain bucket.
The bird guard prevents this.
IMPORTANT: Exercise caution when installing
the spikes.
Figure N
Figure O
Figure M

ConneCtIon status |17
Connection Status
Conrming Your Station is Online
» Flip the toggle switch on
the underside of the station
base to“ON”(g P).
It is best to minimize the number of
on/o cycles during station startup,
as frequent switching can lead to
cell modem connection delays.
» The LED status light on the PV
power panel will ash blue and
then ash magenta. This means
the station is attempting to
connect to a cellular network.
» The light will ash green when the
station has successfully connected.
Go to AmbientWeather.net and
check your dashboard to conrm
your station is transmitting
data from all sensors (g Q).
» Refer to the troubleshooting
guide at the end of this manual
if the LED status light indicator
does not blink green within 20
minutes of turning the station on.
To conserve power, turn the station
o if you don’t plan on mounting it
within 12 hours.
In areas with poor cellular signal
strength, you may need to optimize
the station location and antenna
conguration. Get detailed
instructions on your station’s
signal strength indicators at
AmbientWeather.net/support
You may experience cellular service
interruption due to weather, location,
network limitations and other factors.
5
Figure P
Figure Q

18 |mountInG
Mounting
6
Figure R Figure S
Figure T
Refer to AmbientWeather.net/support
» Mount the station.
See appendix for Mono Mount and Tripod Mount mechanical drawings (pgs 32-33).
Find detailed instructions and installation videos at AmbientWeather.net/support
» Conrm that the rain gauge bucket is level using one of these methods:
• Place a level across the top of the rain bucket and take two
readings perpendicular to each other (g R & S).
• Cover the rain gauge bucket drain with a piece of duct tape and
add approx. 16 oz of water. If level, the edges of the water should be
centered in the bottom of the bucket. Remove the tape to allow the
water to pass through the drain and test the rain gauge (g T).

mountInG |19
Mounting
Mounting Instructions:
» Mount the support mast securely to the support structure using the Mono
Mount or Tripod (sold separately) or standard U-bolts. Do not tighten the
support structure to the KestrelMet, as directional orientation will be required.
» Rotate the assembled unit until the electronics enclosure with the solar panel
cover faces south if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, or north if you’re in the
Southern Hemisphere. This will capture maximum solar energy and help the
anemometer provide accurate wind direction. Use a compass for accuracy.
» Secure the support mast to the assembly. Prevent rotation
by lining up the two holes in each mast
At this point, the entire unit should be secured to the support structure.
It is crucial that the device is oriented as precisely as possible.

20 |powerInG up
Powering Up
7After mounting the station, conrm the power is ON and the station is
transmitting to AmbientWeather.net as shown in gure U.
After a power cycle, data can take up to 5 minutes
before it is shown on AmbientWeather.net
Figure U