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  • 1. Introduction and Specs
  • 1.1 Overview
  • 1.2 Specifications
  • 1.3 Certifications
  • 1.4 Instrument Overview
  • 2. Installation and Hardware Setup
  • 2.1 Unboxing
  • 2.2 Installation
  • 2.3 Siting

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  1. Hardware
  2. Weather Station

Gill MaxiMet Weather Station

This page includes the operating manual for the Gill MaxiMet GMX200 and GMX500 weather stations.

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Last updated 1 month ago

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Key
Value
Description

Product Name

Weather Station

SKU(s)

Gill's MaxiMet GMX200 compact weather station.

Gill's MaxiMet GMX500 compact weather station.

1. Introduction and Specs

1.1 Overview

QuantAQ supports the integration of Gill MaxiMet weather stations with MODULAIR (X-series) products. Gill MaxiMet sensors are robust and have no moving parts. The stations are directly integrated with MODULAIR for direct data communication and fully integrated into the QuantAQ Cloud.

QuantAQ currently supports two weather station models (GMX200, GMX500) as documented in the table at the top of this page. The GMX200 offers wind speed and wind direction measurements, whereas the GMX500 offers wind speed and wind direction as well as ambient temperature, pressure, and relative humidity.

Further details can be found in the .

1.2 Specifications

1.2.1 Measurements

Parameter
Model
Key
Value

Wind Speed

GMX200GMX500

Range

0-60 m/s

Accuracy

0-10 m/s 0.3 m/s RMSE 10-40 m/s 3% RMSE 40-60 m/s 5% RMSE

Resolution

0.01 m/s

Wind Direction

GMX200GMX500

Range

0-360ºC

Accuracy

0.5 m/s - 40 m/s ±3º 40 m/s - 60 m/s ±5º

Resolution

1º

Air Temperature

GMX500

Range

-40ºC to +70ºC

Accuracy

±0.3º

Resolution

0.1ºC

Relative Humidity

GMX500

Range

0-100% RH

Accuracy

typically ±2% RH across full range

Resolution

0.1% RH

Barometric Pressure

GMX500

Range

300 - 1250 hPa

Accuracy

Absolute (typically) ±0.4hPa Relative (typically) ±0.08 hPa

Resolution

0.1 hPa

1.2.2 Electromechanical

Parameter
GMX200
GMX500

Input Voltage

5V

5V

Construction

UV stabilized plastic

UV stabilized plastic

Weight

0.5 kg

0.7 kg

Connector Type

9-way clipper connector

9-way clipper connector

Protection Class

IP66

IP66

Operating temp.

-35ºC to 70ºC

-35ºC to 70ºC

1.3 Certifications

Gill products carry FCC, CA, and CE certifications for the MaxiMet product line.

1.4 Instrument Overview

2. Installation and Hardware Setup

The Weather Station is shipped partially pre-assembled to ensure a quick and easy installation process. However, there are a few things to keep in mind:

  • Siting. Avoid turbulence caused by surrounding structures that will affect the measurement, such as trees, buildings, or even posts or poles. The exact location and manner in which you site your weather station depends on your constraints and measurement goals. Please see section 2.3 for more information and guidance.

  • Orientation. The weather station should be mounted horizontally and vertically as level as possible.

  • Pole or Post Diameter. The mounting bracket that ships with the weather station is designed to sit at the top of a pole or post with diameters between 1.5" and 2.5" in diameter. If this does not work for your use case, please contact QuantAQ Support for further information and drawings.

2.1 Unboxing

When your weather station arrives, it will be packaged in its shipping box, partially pre-assembled. Once the box is open, remove the mounting bracket, cable, and parts bag and set them aside. In the box, you should expect to find:

  • Gill MaxiMet Weather Station (separately packaged within the box)

  • Parts bag including:

    • Four (4) 1/4"-20 2.5" bolts

    • One (1) mounting back plate

    • Three (3) 10MM M5 screws

    • Three (3) M6 single-wave washers

  • 9-pin clipper connector cable to 4P M12 cable

  • Assembled mounting bracket and post

2.2 Installation

Tools required:

  • Adjustable or 3/8" wrench or socket for the 1/4"-20 bolts

  • 4MM hex driver to secure the mounting screws between the weather station and mounting post

  • zip ties to secure the cable to the mounting bracket

1

Connector Assembly

Connect the 9-pin clipper connector to the base of the MaxiMet weather station. To do so, align the 9-pins to the 9-pin connector on the base of the weather station and twist the top part of the clipper connector until it locks.

2

Weather Station Assembly

This step can be done before or after mounting the bracket to the post or pole for final installation.

Once the cable is connected to the weather station, place the M12-end of the cable through the top of the mounting post, allowing the cable to drop through the bottom of the mounting post. Orient the weather station such that the three holes along the bottom of the weather station align with the three tapped holes in the mounting post. Secure the weather station using the three M5 screws and single-wave washers.

Using a zip-tie or similar, secure the cable to the mounting bracket to provide strain relief.

3

Mounting

Using the four (4) 1/4"-20 bolts, secure the Back Plate to the main Bracket by tightening the four bolts evenly until the Bracket is secured. For recommendations on siting, please see Section 2.3. Directionality of the sensor does not matter.

All supported MaxiMet weather stations contain a 2-axis flux gate compass. The internal compass electronically senses the horizontal component of Earth's magnetic field. Information from the compass is used to correct the wind direction in instances where the weather station is not aligned to North.

4

Connect to MODULAIR

Connect the M12 end of the cable into the 4-pin, M12 connector on your MODULAIR, located on the right side of the base of the instrument.

2.3 Siting

When siting an ultrasonic wind sensor, it is important to ensure that the location is free from obstructions such as trees, buildings, and other structures that might cause wind disturbances. The sensor should be positioned at a height that is representative of the area’s typical wind conditions. Proper alignment and leveling of the sensor will further enhance the accuracy of wind speed and direction measurements. By taking these factors into account, you can ensure that the ultrasonic wind sensor provides reliable data for meteorological analysis.

The World Meteorological Organization makes the following recommendations:

  • The standard exposure of wind instruments over level open terrain is 10m above the ground. Open terrain is defined as an area where the distance between the sensor and any obstruction is at least 10 times the height of the obstruction.

  • If mounting on a building, then theoretically the sensor should be mounted at a height of 1.5 times the height of the building.

While the above recommendations are worth considering, it is likely you will need to find a site and mounting strategy that is practical without perturbing your measurement too much. If you are mounting the weather station such that a pole extends beyond the height of the weather station, the boom (distance from the pole or post) should be at least twice as long as the diameter of the pole.

For further recommendations on siting weather stations, please see the following resources:

Gill MaxiMet product manual
Washington Department of Ecology Meteroological Monitoring Procedure
WS-GMX200
WS-GMX500
Figure 1.1: A labeled diagram of the GMX500 weather station (WS-GMX500)
Figure 2.1: Unboxing the Weather Station, you will find four items: (1) Gill MaxiMet weather station; (2) 2M, 9-pin cable; (3) parts bag; and (4) the pre-assembled mounting bracket and post.
Figure 2.2: Unpackaging the parts bag, you will find: (1) 4 1/4"-20 2.5" bolts; (2) 3 10MM, M5 screws; (3) 3 M6 single wave washers; and (4) the mounting back plate.
Figure 2.3: Connect the 9-pin connector to the weather station.
Figure 2.4: Provide strain relief to the cable using a zip-tie and the zip-tie slot of the mounting bracket.