How to Build an Analog Weather Station

The weather vane is a classic analog weather instrument.

There are two key concepts in building an analog weather station. The first is that this kind of weather station is a collection of instruments. Many analog weather stations are simply a barometer and a thermometer mounted on a plaque, but others are far more elaborate with several instruments. The second is that some of your instruments must both be protected from the very weather they are supposed to measure, while still being exposed enough to take readings.

Things You'll Need

• Plywood boards 2x4s Hammer Sledgehammer Saw Screwdriver Drill Nails Bolt straps or heavy staples Caulking gun Caulk Scrap lumber Analog weather instruments

Instructions

Building the Station

1. Saw the plywood boards for the sides of your weather station box. The size of this box, and ergo the boards, will depend entirely on how many of the instruments listed in the steps below you wish to add. A 2' cube should be sufficient for any need, but the box can easily be made larger. Leave one side of the box open. The boards for the side of the box must be cut with a slight angle on the top, so the roof will be slanted for rain water deflection. Cut the sides so this slant is directed away from the open side.

2. Saw the floor and roof of the station box. The floor should fit the box evenly, but the roof piece should overlap most of the edges by half an inch, and the front, open side by at least two inches.

3. Nail the box together.

4. Caulk the joints of the roof board for extra protection.

5. Saw 2x4s or similar lumber pieces so that the ends are pointed. For a small weather station, only one 2x4, used as a stake or post, may be necessary. A large one will require four, serving as legs of the box.

6. Drive the 2x4 posts into the ground with a sledgehammer. Use hard taps, and be careful not to hit them so hard that the flat ends splinter. These should be arranged so they match the corners of the station's plywood box.

7. Use scrap lumber to give the posts rigidity during assembly if you are doing this job alone.

8. Join the box and post legs by nailing them together, driving the nails at an angle and so the points will not be sticking out inside the box.

Adding Instruments

1. 

   Add a wall-mounted analog barometer inside the station box. This measures air pressure, and needs to go inside the box, to protect it from the elements. These should come with simple hanging kits involving either a hook or a screw.

2. Add a wall-mounted mercury thermometer to the inside of the station. These also typically come with their own means of mounting them, so how you proceed depends on the thermometer you have.

3. Add an analog hygrometer. This measures humidity, and also should be protected from the elements.

4. 

   Add a rain gauge to the roof of the station. This will depend on the rain gauge, and can either be attached directly to the roof, or bolted or stapled by a mast to the side of the box. The important thing is that regardless of the type of rain gauge you acquire, it must extend above the roof and have free access to rainfall.

5. Add a weather vane. This will most likely be in a kit that includes a mast, so this will have to be stapled, screwed, or bolted to the side of the weather station. Make sure that the elevation is right so that the weather vane is completely clear of any other instruments.

6. 

   Add an analog wind speed meter, or anemometer. These will be fixed to a mast, and come with wiring, as they work by spinning in the wind and creating a small electric current. The greater the wind, the greater the current, and this is read by a meter. Attach the mast just as with the weather vane and possibly the rain gauge, and drill a hole in the side of the box large enough to feed the wiring through. Place the meter inside the box.

Tips & Warnings

• The instruments that go inside need direct exposure to the outside atmosphere to work properly, but do not need to be exposed to wind and rain. That is why they are kept inside a box, but with one side completely open and exposed.

Resources

• Analog Weather Instruments
• Analog Wind Speed Meter