Curious as to how high above ground some of you put Sky. Mine is attached to the deck about 12 ft above ground because I want to measure wind there instead of way up high where I can’t reach.
Current 16 feet. This summer I’ll mount it higher.
1 Like
Mine is at 21 feet (6.4 meters), on top of two stacked galvanized Home Depot fence-topper rails:
I would really like to be up at the 33 foot (10 meter) world standard anemometer height, but have found that 20 feet is the practical limit of this diameter mast without using guy wires…
1 Like
Wow that’s high. Really requires a solid base ! What are your plans for getting up there to fix things when they need fixing ? 
Any reason for higher ? Just curious. I used to want it high but then again, I need to measure the wind on the deck so the umbrella doesn’t get blown over too much .
My Ambient Weather mast is 7.6 meter. The mast has been in place since 2000 and first hosted my Davis Weather Monitor II
My standard Sky is at 4.5 meter.
My Field Test Sky is at 3 meter, but that will raised to match the 4.5 meter height as the weather improves. This mount is also in the shadow of bat house I will move.
My Air is at 0.75 meter and too close to a structure. I am working on a solar power aspirated solar shield I hope to have in place this summer.
1 Like
If you are looking for a pole, consider the Harbor Freight 20 ft telescoping flag pole. 5 sections, lowers to about 4 ft, no need for ladder. Looks like it should work fine. 20% off coupon available nearly everywhere.
1 Like
Quite the setup there.
The base of my 21-foot mast is sitting on a rock about 8,000 miles in diameter, and is quite solid. Believe it or not, the mast is being held up by exactly ONE screw…into my deck railing about 7 feet above the ground. Standing on the deck, I can easily grab the mast near the 10.5-foot joint between segments (lever’s fulcrum) and tip it down by letting the bottom kick away from the deck.
One of these days, I’m going to build a small-scale tipping tower like this one for my weather stations, ADS-B airplane tracker, and APRS antenna:
Hi Dan,
Mine is 12m. It is relatively easy to access. I use an extension ladder to my first roof, then carry a folding ladder to access my second story roof. I unscrew a stainless tensioner to allow unhooking 2 guy wires. Then I use 2 13mm ratchet spanners to undo 2 stay bolts. Then the pole (still with one stay and one guy wire tight) then tips over being held by a rotating mount on the roof. It is attached on the lower part of the roof so that when it is tipped over the top of the pole is then at waist height above the apex of my roof where I can work on everything very easily. Wind speed is important for me so I try to get as high above the wind gradient and turbulence as possible.
edit: accidental photo with view of solar panel deleted. Sorry
And the house is also on top of a hill:
cheers Ian
1 Like
And whose got a nice looking prototype solar panel then. LOL. Very envious.
1 Like
Ahah! Caught… 
I have my VP2 on one of these set to about 18’ extended. The ISS is down at about 8’ or so to try to keep the heavy part low. The anemometer is set high. It has some noticeable movement in 20mph+ winds, but nothing too scary. Definitely a one-person job to put the pole up. Very light physically.
1 Like
Nice to hear that it works. I do not have one, but thought it looked like a decent option.
The nice thing about Sky is low weight and aerodynamic design. You can use a pretty light duty pole.
vinceskahan
Field Testers
March 18
GaryMN:
If you are looking for a pole, consider the Harbor Freight 20 ft telescoping flag pole.
I have my VP2 on one of these set to about 18’ extended. The ISS is down at about 8’ or so to try to keep the heavy part low. The anemometer is set high. It has some noticeable movement in 20mph+ winds, but nothing too scary. Definitely a one-person job to put the pole up. Very light physically.
1 Like
I rent so I can’t mount anything on the house and the wife doesn’t want a 20+ foot pole in the yard. Mine is mounted 6 feet off the ground on a very solid metal pole. I live in an area surrounded by wide open fields so the wind isn’t blocked by trees or buildings since I’m out in a rural area. It’s super easy to change the batteries and I don’t have to worry about climbing a ladder. The best part? Even though wind can vary quite a bit from location to location, we’ve had numerous widespread wind events and the max wind gusts my PWS measures are usually identical to or within 1-2mph of local NWS stations and other PWS stations mounted at 20-30 feet. It works great for my purposes!
3 Likes
A few thoughts… measuring wind is by far the most complex parameter. Having installed the world’s largest professional mesonet specifically installed to measure winds (ref: http://weatherflow.com/professional-services/weather-networks/) we’ve learned a thing or two over the last 20 years. Surrounding topography, vegetation, buildings, surface materials, proximity to water, etc etc can all influence micro-scale wind patterns. And while the met standard for wind measurement (and many of the wind forecast model output) is typically measured at 10m above ground level, we realize this is not where common people experience wind. So let’s be real here…we’d encourage you to site your SKY in a location with full sun, the most unobstructed fetch as possible, at a height which is reasonable for you. It’s your backyard, your weather.
8 Likes
Awesome. Best height is always 6 inches above the max length of your ladder tho. Murphy’s law. :).
6 Likes
As Sky measures wind and rain, the optimal height for a rain gauge is 0.3m (1ft) above ground then it is reasonable to assume a height of somewhere in between .3m and 10m. I have mine set at 10ft and that suits me just fine
2 Likes
My Sky is about 6 ft above the deck, which is about another 7 ft off ground. Throughout the yard there are wind patterns though. Down on the ground the wind currents snake through the yard, as per spinners I’ve got down there.
So it’s not necessarily the height but the location. Location, location, location.
(post withdrawn by author, will be automatically deleted in 24 hours unless flagged)