Please remind me of the Setup procedure for the VP console.

The following is the setup procedure for an ISS on factory default address number 1 transmitting to one Vantage Pro Display Console:

1. Push the "DONE" button and hold it down and at the same time push the"-" button. This brings you to a screen that says "RECEIVING FROM" and the station number it is receiving a signal from. The default from the factory is 1. Press and immediately release the "DONE" button.
2. The screen should read ON (ISS). Press and release the "DONE" button.
3. The screen should read "RETRANSMIT OFF". Press and release the "DONE" button.
4. The screen should read "ENTER TIME". Set the time and date using the , + and - buttons. Press and release the "DONE" button.
5. The screen should read "ENTER LATITUDE". Enter the latitude using the , + and - buttons. Press and release the "DONE" 6. button.
7. The screen should read "ENTER LONGITUDE". Enter the longitude using the , + and - buttons. Press the "DONE" button to enter the time zone screen.
8. Use the + and - buttons to set the time zone you are in. Press and release the "DONE" button.
9. The screen should read "DAYLIGHT SAVINGS". Use + and - button to have it in AUTO. Press and release the "DONE" button.
10. The screen should read "DAYLIGHT SAVINGS OFF or ON. This feature is in AUTO so depending weather it is daylight savings time or not it should read either OFF or ON. Press and release the "DONE" button.
11. The screen should read "ENTER ELEVATION" Use the , + and - buttons to enter your elevation. Press and release the "DONE" button.
12. The screen should read "WIND CUP SIZE LARGE". The ISS has the large cups so leave this as it is. Press and release the "DONE" button.
13. The screen should read "RAIN COLLECTOR" .01 IN. This is what the ISS has so leave this as it is. Press and release the "DONE" button.
14. The screen should read "RAIN SEASON BEGINS JUL 1". Use the + and - buttons to change the month when your rain season begins. Press and release the "DONE" button.
15. If you have a datalogger connected to the Vantage Pro Display Console the screen will read "SERIAL BAUD RATE 19200" if you do not have a datalogger connected the screen will again say "RECEIVING FROM".
16. At this point you are done with the setup. Push and hold down the "DONE" button. The current reading screen will appear. The readings from the outside sensors will start to appear. There will be an "X" blinking on and off every two seconds in the lower right hand corner of the display screen.

How do you mount the Vantage Pro display console?

You can either put the Vantage Pro Display Console on a table or shelf or mount the display console on a wall. If you choose to put it on a table or shelf there is a kickstand that allows you to place the display at five different angles. If you choose to put it on the wall there are two screw holes that you can use to mount it to the wall.

What is the firmware revision of my VP console?

The Vantage Pro console is designed with upgradeable firmware (firmware being akin to software built in to the console that controls every aspect of its operation). From time to time, Davis releases new versions of the firmware that correct any residual bugs that may have come to light or implement small new changes in the console operation. When the VP range was first launched in 2001, a number of firmware revisions were released in fairly quick succession, but more recently the pace has slowed considerably and revisions are now released only once or twice annually and tweak only one or two details of the console's operation.

The firmware revision is denoted with a letter and a date. Thus the current revision at the time of writing for standard VP consoles is 'Rev B 30 March 2004'. To see your console firmware version, press the console Done and cursor '+' keys at the same time. The revision code should appear in the ticker display. Note that Envoy consoles employ a different version of firmware code and may have a different revision date. Standard VP console and Envoy console firmware code is not interchangeable.

Although the console firmware is upgradeable, a special Davis programming unit is required to install an upgrade in the console. The upgrade cannot be installed, for example, direct from a PC. The programmer is available for purchase, or there may be services available in your country for the loan of a programmer or to send in your console for upgrade. Please note however, that the changes made in recent firmware revisions have been very minor and that, especially if you have a recently purchased VP system, you may see no benefit whatsoever from a firmware upgrade.

More details are available on our VP firmware page.

How do I save console settings when working on the ISS or console?

There are occasions such as when new sensors are being installed/replaced or eg when moving the ISS between locations, when it is desirable to prevent the console from receiving spurious readings. This is best done by placing the console in Setup mode by pressing the Done key together with the cursor down arrow key (the '-' key).

This state should preserve all existing settings while preventing any new readings being received. Take care not to change any of the current settings while the console is in this state. Once the work is complete, normal operation of the console may be resumed by a long press on the Done key.

How often does the forecast update and what period does it cover?

The Vantage Pro will give a forecast after it has accumulated 3 hours of continuous data. It will update every hour after that. The period it covers can be up to 48 hour. The forecast is derived from barometric pressure, barometric trend, wind direction, the season, the hemisphere and whether or not it is raining. As time passes the forecasts will change depending upon the factors from which it is derived.

How do I view the forecast?

Push and release the "2nd" button then push and release the "FORECAST" button. If you have had 3 hours of uninterrupted data the forecast will scroll at the bottom of the screen.

The NWS has come out with a new windchill formula. Does the Vantage Pro have this updated formula for windchill?

If your Vantage Pro is a Revision "A" September 7 2001 or later it has the new NWS (the US-based National Weather Service) wind-chill calculations.

If you have a Vantage pro that has an earlier revision "A" date you will need to update the console firmware. See the question 'What is the firmware revision of my VP console' for further details.

Also the upgrade on the WeatherLink software version 5.1 and later does have that calculation change.

My rainfall readings are greatly exaggerated:

If you have an ISS AND A Soil Moisture station this is a problem. The cause of this is that the battery voltage is sent in the rain position in the soil moisture packet. This is true for all firmware dated October 25, 2001 and earlier. Please refer to the FAQ on VP firmware for further details about upgrading the firmware.

How do you interpret the moon phase icon?

A full circle with no dark areas shows a full moon. As the moon goes through its phase cycle a darkened area will show you what part of the moon cannot be seen.

What do the different arrows mean on the wind compass rose?

The solid arrow displays the current wind direction. The arrows that are not solid display the last six 10-minute dominant wind directions.

My backlight won't stay on:

If you are powering the Vantage Pro with the C-batteries the backlight will stay on for 10 seconds if none of the buttons are being used. If you want the backlight to stay on then you will have to use the Davis AC power adapter. When using the AC adapter the backlight will not turn itself off automatically.

How do you turn the backlight on and off?

You use the button labelled "2nd" and "Lamps". Simply push and release that button once and then push and release it again to turn the backlight on. Repeat this procedure to turn it off.

Where do get the latitude, longitude and elevation settings?

If you own or can borrow a GPS unit, then this will be the simplest solution to finding location and altitude date, otherwise:

In the US, the Weather Channel is a good source for your local latitude, longitude and elevation. Typically, this information is displayed every few minutes during the local forecast. Many atlases and maps include latitude and longitude lines. You also may check with the Reference department of your local library, local airport, the Internet or a USGS map.

For UK users, visit www.streetmap.co.uk and enter your location details, eg the full postcode. You will then see, in a small font size, a link in the text below the resulting map to 'calculate coordinates' or similar wording. The result will contain accurate latitude and longitude figures. Altitude is best estimated from a large-scale Ordnance Survey map, which you might be able to view in your local library for example.

Do you need to enter in the latitude, longitude and elevation settings?

To give you the best forecast, as well as calculate the correct times for sunset and sunrise the latitude and longitude must be set. The elevation setting makes your barometric reading more accurate. The more accurate these three settings are the better but a reasonable estimate will work.

How can I tell if it is raining outside right now?

If it is raining outside an umbrella will appear in between the bottom two rainfall readings.

Do the rain readings clear automatically?

Yes, the daily rain will clear at midnight, the monthly rain will clear at the end of each month and the yearly rain will clear at the end of your rain year.

Can you select when yearly rain readings start and when they end?

Yes, in "set-up" you can define the beginning of the "rain year".

How do you set an alarm?

Press the 2nd button and then the ALARM button. Now you are in the alarm mode. The alarm icon and the word "Highs" will appear. If you don't want to set a "High" alarm but do want to set a "Low" alarm press the HI/LOW button. The alarm icon stays but the word "Highs" changes to "Lows". Select any weather variable available by using the arrow keys. You'll know what variable is selected because the graph icon will be by that variable.

Press the 2nd button and then SET button. Key in the threshold value you want by using the arrow buttons.

Press the DONE key when finished. At this point you are still in the alarm mode so you can choose any other variable by using arrow keys.

If you are finished setting alarms, press DONE again and the console will return to the current weather mode.

How do you clear an alarm?

Clearing an alarm is easy. If an alarm is sounding press the DONE key to silence the alarm. If you wish to clear an alarm setting enter the alarm mode as described in the previous question. Use the HI/LOW key to go to the "highs" or "lows" alarms. Select the variable alarm you wish to clear by using the arrow keys. Then press the 2nd key then press and hold CLEAR. The threshold value will blink three times. The value will then change to dashed lines. At that point you have cleared the value.

Can I calibrate or fine-tune my weather readings?

Yes. To fine-tune your station, you can calibrate most of the weather variables, including wind direction, on you Vantage Pro Display Console. The following are instructions on how to calibrate some of the values:

Temperature and Humidity: Select the variable you like to calibrate by pressing either the TEMP or HUM button. Press and hold the SET key. After a moment the variable you selected will begin to blink. Keep holding the SET key until a message appears in the Ticker stating: "calibration offset 0". Use the + or - keys to add or subtract from the variables value. The value will change and the Ticker will show the offset you entered. NOTE: The inside and outside temperatures are calibrated in .1 increments up to a maximum offset of 12.7 degrees and a minimum of -12.8 degrees.

Wind Direction: Press WIND twice so that wind direction is displayed. Press and hold the SET key. The wind direction will begin to blink. Continue holding until "Cal 0" appears in the Ticker. Use the + and - keys to add or subtract from the wind direction value (example: if you think the wind direction should be reading south make the wind direction value 180 degrees). Use the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to move between the hundreds, tens, and ones places in the wind direction readout. Press DONE to exit calibration. The next time you enter the wind direction calibration, the Ticker will display the current offset.

Barometric Pressure: Select the barometer by pressing BAR. Press and hold SET. The pressure variable will blink. Keep holding the SET UNTIL THE Ticker reads "set barometer". Use the + and - keys to add or subtract from each digits value. Use the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to move between the digits in the pressure readout. Press DONE to exit calibration.

Do I have to manually clear my daily highs and lows?

No you do not. The daily readings clear themselves out at midnight. The monthly readings clear out at the end of the month and the yearly high/low readings clear out at the end of the calendar year except for the yearly rain. The yearly rain clears out at the end of your rain year, which is selected by the user during the Vantage Pro setup.

Can I clear the high/low reading manually if I want to?

Yes, simply go to the HIGH/LOW screen. Select the reading you want to clear. Push the 2nd button and then the CLEAR button and hold it down. The reading will blink three times and then go to dashed lines. Push the DONE button when you are finished to exit.

How do you manoeuvre through the high/low screens?

Push the HIGH/LOW button to go to the high/low readings. When you do that the screen will first read "Day Highs". Use the + and - button to get to the following screens: "Day Lows", "Month Highs", "Month Lows", "Year Highs" and "Year Lows". Use the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to scroll back and forth through the last 24 days through the last 24 days, the last 24 months or the last 24 years depending on what screen you are in.

NOTE: As you use the arrow keys to scroll back and forth the dots on the graph blink to correspond to the day, month or year you are looking at.

Press the DONE key to exit the HIGH/LOW mode.

I don't understand how to use the graph, could you explain how to use it?

Although the available graphs vary depending on what weather reading you're plotting you view each graph the same way. Enter the graph mode by pressing the GRAPH key. Select which reading you want to graph. For example press the TEMP key. Temperatures from the last 24 hours will be displayed in the graph box. The dot at the right end of the graph is the current reading. You'll notice that the dot is blinking. Press the LEFT arrow key and the next dot to the left will blink. The screen will display the new dot's value. The time display will show you what hour of the last 24 you're looking at. Keep pressing the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to view the temperature values of the last 24 hours. In addition the console will display the maximum and minimum temperatures recorded in the last 24 hours.

Press the + and - keys to shift the graphs time range. If you press the - button after you've pressed GRAPH and TEMP, the graph will shift from the last 24 hours of temperature to the last 24 days of temperature. Now each dot represents the high recorded on the day shown in the date field. To see the lows recorded in the last 24 days, press the HI/LOW key. Use the LEFT and RIGHT keys to move between days.

If you press the - key again, the graph will shift to show the highs of the last 24 months. As before use the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to move between months. Press the HI/LOW key to shift between the last 24 months' highs and the last 24 months' lows.

If you press the - key again the graph will shift to show the highs of the last 24 years Use the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to move between the years. Press HI/LOW key to shift between the highs and lows.

The console will beep when you have reached the last of the possible time ranges for any reading.

Press DONE to leave graph mode.

View graphs of all other readings the same way.

1. Enter graph mode.

2. Select the reading you want to view.

3. Use the LEFT and RIGHT arrows to read different values on the graph.

4. Use the + and - keys to change time range. + shortens the range, - lengthens it.

5. Press HI/LOW to shift between recorded highs and lows.

6. Use DONE to return to current weather mode.

When you're looking at the current condition screen how do you know which reading is being plotted on the graph?

The reading with the small graph to the left of it is what is being plotted on the graph. You can change what is being plotted by simply pressing the button of the value you want to plot. For example if Temperature is being plotted on the graph and you want the barometric pressure to be plotted push the BAR button.