I’m having the same problem. The base updates fine until I plug in the USB cable, the updates are slow or not at all. The sensor package is near the range limit I’m sure, it’s about 150 - 200 feet from the base but has to transmit through 3 wall of the house to get to the base. I feel pretty sure that the USB connection is actually causing RF reception problems either by creating noise and drowning the signal or by reducing receiver sensitivity. I did find a fix, that sucks, I can get good signal and updates if I lay the base station on it’s back with the top pointing toward the sensor pack. I’ll bet this is a hardware problem and will have to be fixed with a circuit board mod. An external antenna would probably help a lot. I’m sure we will be hearing more about this problem with the WMR100A. :x
I’ve had some further time to play with mine, and the problem is very repeatable: reception from remotes is rock-solid every time, but as soon as I plug into USB, only about half the channels update to the computer, and in short time the base starts loosing communication with some of the remotes.
Unplug from USB, pull the power & reset the base station, and it finds 9 remotes perfectly again, and works without a hitch endlessly.
If you Google “WMR100 USB problem”, you will get a page from Ambient Weather containing a list of things to try to minimize disruption from the USB port…I did them all, to be absolutely sure I had left no stone unturned. Afterwards the unit still failed repeatedly.
I called OSI’s tech support line and told them what I’d seen and been through, and they offered to replace the unit. If you spend as much time researching this on the web as I have, you’ll find that folks still have the same problem with replacement units; so I told the agent not to bother unless they can be sure it’ll work. She was very helpful and said they would test the unit in the lab to be sure it works before sending it out. She said I could expect to receive it in 2 weeks.
I’m hopeful…we’ll keep you posted.
bspince
Hi, How can you use the “external antenna” to solve the USB connection problem?
I want to enquiry that is that all the market of external antenna is suitable for using to solve this case?
the wmr100 console is prone to stopping sending data to the PC, due to electrical inteference
a reset of the console is the solution
this is covered on the FAQ of this forum
Can you provide any image for my reference? For how to using the external antenna to solve the USB problem.
And, i need to find or buy which type of external antenna?
Furthermore, does the external antenna is directly connected to the WMR100 base station, it doesn’t need to do anything on the base station. Is that correct?
I have done the complete reset the WMR100 console, and reset two sensors. And even reboot PC, and restarted the WD.
what appears in the separate wmr100 data gathering program after doing all that
I’m sorry if I misguided you… There is no antenna plug or port on the base station or the sensor pack/integrated wind sensor/transmitter (not sure what to call it). I don’t think the problem I’m having is a USB problem. Here’s how it’s working…
- Without the USB cable attached the base gets updated info from the sensor pack at regular intervals like it’s supposed to.
- Plug in the USB cable and UPDATES from the sensor pack stop almost completely.
- If I lay the base station on it’s back aimed at the sensor pack updates from the sensors start coming again and send the data to the PC. Notice it starts working even though the usb cable is still connected.
To me it seems like plugging in the USB cable either reduces the receivers sensitivity, reducing how far it can be from the transmitter, or adds a bunch of RF noise causing the signal from the transmitter to get lost in the noise grass so to speak.
If someone wants to verify this move the sensor pack closer to the base station with the usb cable plugged in and see if it starts to work again. If it does it’s definitely a RF (wireless link) problem.
My idea of external antenna(s) was just thinking… “that’s what the design team SHOULD have done”. If anyone wants to hack (modify) their weather station check out “LINX Technologies”, goggle it, the have antennas you can buy from digikey.com and RF amps etc. I can’t mess with the station here… It’s not mine it’s my Father’s. I can’t tell you how to do this because I don’t know. I would definitely require electronic skills and soldering. Would void warranty for sure, and if you break it, well it’s gone… maybe then I’d spend the extra $$ and get a Davis Vantage Pro, I’ve read people are happy with them but quite expensive. Good luck all.
maybe try a usb cable with RF chokes on each end if it does not have that?
Curious are we sure its interference? i found a reference in another weather software claims issue is with the usb.dll file installed by oregon scientific drivers.
Did you guys get the unit working again? im looking at getting the wmr100 or wmr968?
The WMR100 is a pretty neat setup for the price, and has some great expansion capabilities. Without the PC connected via USB, both of mine are rock-solid.
If you have your heart set on logging to a PC though, OSI has not gotten the bugs out, although they appear to be working on it.
So far, I’m only using 9 T/H sensors on each, 'can’t comment on anemometer, UV, rain gauge yet. The USB problem appears less pronounced if you use fewer sensors.
Ambient Weather has a USB to ethernet converter ($229) on their website which “avoids problem USB connections” but it’s never in stock…'haven’t talked with them about it. Let us know if you do.
The other model you mentioned has a std serial conn, I think, which gets a lot less negative press than the USB.
bspince
No, I never got it working. I gave up trying to connect it to the PC. It works fine in stand alone mode, just not with the USB cable plugged in. I still don’t think the problem is the USB communication directly or the .DLL file because, as I said before, It started working (receiving data and forwarding it to the PC) when I laid the base on it’s back and aimed it toward the transmitter; sensor pack. If the problem was a file on the PC it wouldn’t start working because I changed the orientation of the base. Seems to me the problem is the wireless (radio) link.
If you can’t find a solution with the OS hardware and if you want to consider a ‘round the houses’ approach, you might consider using an RFXCOM/NSLU2/Meteohub combination to collect the data - that arrangement picks up the signals direct from the sensors, i.e. the WMR100 console is not involved! You can then feed the data to you WD PC across a network connection.
This is not a free solution, but it’s almost certainly cheaper than a new Wx, and in the process you gain a data logging facility (i.e. recording data while the PC is off, then catching up when the PC is back on).
A search on the forum for Meteohub will get some of the details & / or take a look at the Meteohub website:
http://www.meteohub.de/joomla/index.php
I agree neosec, its not a problem with the dll file , thats not going to affect the reception problem caused by interference back from the PC via the USB cable (but try using a USB cable with RF chokes on each end)
The cable supplied has chokes at each end, I tried another cable anyway but no help. It’s actually my Father’s weather station (he got it for Christmas). If I were to buy one myself I’d pony up the extra cash and get a Vantage Pro. Good luck everyone.
the wmr200 console seems to suffer much less form this problem (and does work with the wmr100 sensors)
it may be the the wireless signal with the computer the station has a mHz of 433 the computer internet or other wireless pc signals mar interfear with the the wireless preformance of the weather station it has happend where ever the sensors are try to get usb extentions and extend the console away at a distance from the pc so interfearance is less of a hinder
Well, reviving this old thread to give an update…
It was determined that the loss of the signal was caused by reduced sensitivity that occurs when the USB cable is connected. I’m guessing the antenna gain of the receiver is slightly reduce when the cable is attached due to ground plane alteration. I verified my theory by increasing the transmitter power slightly by adding a RF power amp to the ISS and bingo! it magically started to receive the data again… for about 2 months. Then the ISS quit. I fixed it by buying a Davis Vantage Pro2. 
I am now a happy camper.
Hello: I hope people are still reading this thread. I use the wmr100n to do wind evaluations and this problem is causing me fits! How did you attach the RF AMP and what is ISS? Do you think adding a little antenna would work? If I can’t get this to work, does anyone no of an inexpensive anemometer that I could use to track windspeed and then log the data? Thanks, Windguy