The old Edmonton Municipal Airport is about to become the Blatchford neighbourhood. I don’t really know too many details about that. One side effect of this change was that the old aviation weather system had its power and phone cut off, apparently there’s going to be a lake there. 

So, at the beginning of May, we went and temporarily stuck one of our climate stations on the old spot. It runs on solar power and has a cellular modem but it measures slightly different things than the airport system did. 

While the temporary set up chugged away we set up for and built the shiny new Edmonton Blatchford weather station. It has all the same sensors as the temporary one but it’s a permanent(ish) set-up and can stay until the city wants the land. The installation took place this week. 

Trenching and cables:

Backfilled:

Setting up bases for the sensors:

   

This one will be a snow depth sensor when it’s done.

  This is as much of the main panel as I could do inside.

Getting there: 

Wired up:

  
Main Panel  
all set. It’s still solar power and cellular modem but it’s capable of being switched to line power quite easily. 

  
Finished! It was even transmitting hourly weather data when we left. 

I am currently a delightful shade of what may be described as broiled lobster (yes, through SPF60) and remembering that I’m not 20 and haven’t done any physical labour since before Andy arrived.  

It was a good week.. now to tear down all the old stuff..