La Crosse Technology 308-1415FCT Faqs

Page 1 308-1415FCT FAQS The links below will work in most PDF viewers and link to the topic area by clicking the link. We recommend Adobe Reader version 10 or greater available at: http://get.adobe.com/reader TABLE OF CONTENTS 308-1415FCT FAQS ........................................................................................................... 1 Batteries ............................................................................................................................ 1 Weather Station Factory Restart ...................................................................................... 2 Battery Change ................................................................................................................. 2 Power requirements ......................................................................................................... 2 Compatible Sensor ........................................................................................................... 2 Thermo-hygro Sensor ....................................................................................................... 2 NO or Dashes shown for outdoor temperature/humidity .................................................... 2 Inaccurate outdoor temperature/humidity .......................................................................... 3 Outdoor Readings are stuck or Show HI or LO .................................................................. 3 Intermittent Sensor Readings ............................................................................................. 3 sensor drains batteries quickly ........................................................................................... 3 Humidity shows Dashes but temperature works ................................................................ 4 Fahrenheit/Celsius .............................................................................................................. 4 HI | LO Temperature/Humidity Records .............................................................................. 4 Sensor area is blank (no dashes or numbers) .................................................................... 4 Alerts: Temp, humidity ........................................................................................................ 5 Mounting/Positioning ........................................................................................................ 5 Distance/Resistance/Interference ....................................................................................... 6 Weather Station ................................................................................................................ 7 12-Hour time format ............................................................................................................ 7 Power requirements ........................................................................................................... 7 Manually set time: Program Menu ...................................................................................... 7 Forecast Icons inaccurate .................................................................................................. 8 Forecast Trend Arrows ....................................................................................................... 9 Indoor Comfort Indicator .................................................................................................... 9 Weather station is blank: No letters, numbers or dashed lines .......................................... 9 BATTERIES

Page 2 • Half of all warranty issues can be resolved with fresh batteries of the appropriate voltage. • We suggest name brand alkaline batteries. • Use batteries dated six years in advance of the current year. Batteries dated earlier than six years from now may still work, but may be unstable in performance. • Alkaline batteries manufactured this year will have an expiration date 10 years in the future. Battery technology has improved and batteries will maintain voltage longer in storage. However, the environment the batteries reside in for the 10 years can deplete the power. • Good name brand alkaline batteries make less noise, which reduces the chance of RF (radio frequency) interference from the battery compartment. A minimum voltage of 1.48V for each battery is necessary for proper performance. WEATHER STATION FACTORY RESTART The factory reset will return your weather station to its default settings. This will clear all previous recorded history, so you may want to write down data before taking this step. • Basically, this is a great way to return your station to “out of the box” condition. • This is more effective than removing all power for clearing out the station. • All history records will be removed, so write down anything you want to keep. To factory rest your station: 1. Bring your sensor in, and place 5-10 feet from your station. 2. Remove power from station and sensor for 15 minutes. 3. With power removed press any button 20 times. 4. Insert batteries into sensor and station. 5. Allow 15 minutes for them to connect several times. 6. Place sensor back outside. BATTERY CHANGE • After changing batteries in the sensor, hold the + (PLUS) button for 5 seconds to search for the sensor. • If this fails to connect the sensor to the station, bring the sensor about five feet from the station and complete a Factory Restart. POWER REQUIREMENTS • 2-AA batteries power the thermohygro sensor • 2-AA Alkaline batteries for your weather station COMPATIBLE SENSOR • TX141TH-Bv3 is the compatible sensor for this station. THERMO-HYGRO SENSOR NO OR DASHES SHOWN FOR OUTDOOR TEMPERATURE/HUMIDITY

Page 3 • If sensor loses connection to the weather station for any reason, the weather station will show NO after 30 minutes. • The weather station will search for 3 minutes every hour to reconnect with sensor. • Hold the PLUS (+) button 3 seconds to search for the outdoor sensor. • Reception Icon will flash while searching for sensor. Outdoor sensor area will show dashes during the search. • When sensor is received the icon will be solid. • If no sensor received, the icon will disappear after 3 minutes of searching if sensor is not found. NO will again show in the outdoor sensor area. INACCURATE OUTDOOR TEMPERATURE/HUMIDITY • The thermo-hygro sensor reads the environment. When the sensor reads high during the day but not at night it is a mounting problem. • Side-by-side test: Bring the thermo-hygro sensor in the house and place it next to the weather station for 2 hours. • Compare indoor and outdoor temperature. The temperatures should be within 4 degrees to be within tolerance. The humidity should be within 14% to be within tolerance. • If the sensor reads correctly when next to your weather station then try a different location outside. • Look for heat sources such as sunlight, door or window frames, or reflected heat. OUTDOOR READINGS ARE STUCK OR SHOW HI OR LO • Check batteries. Overpowered or underpowered batteries can cause this reading. • Replace sensor. INTERMITTENT SENSOR READINGS • RF (radio frequency) communication may come and go occasionally. This can be normal in some environments (e.g. moister climates). • If a sensor goes out, please wait 2-4 hours for it to reconnect on its own. Please be patience – these stations can reconnect on, after many hours out. • RF (radio frequency) communication is not always 100% on. • Certain temporary conditions can cause it to go out for a time (e.g. 100% humidity). If a miss happens: • Hold the + (PLUS) button for 5 seconds to search for sensor. • Distance/Resistance can cause loss of sensor signal. Avoid having more than one wall, window, tree etc., between the display and the sensor. UV coated windows may actually reflect the signal. Stucco walls will absorb the signal. • Check batteries. This is our primary warranty issue. SENSOR DRAINS BATTERIES QUICKLY

Page 4 • Test a new set of alkaline batteries. Write down the date of installation and the voltage of the batteries. • When the batteries fail, please note the date and voltage again. This is helpful in determining the problem. • Check the distance and resistance between the sensor and your weather station. Sensor at the end of the range may work while batteries are fresh but not after they drain a bit. • Check for leaking batteries, which may damage the sensor. HUMIDITY SHOWS DASHES BUT TEMPERATURE WORKS • The humidity low range is 10% RH. If your local humidity is below 10% you will see this reading. • Complete a restart with fresh batteries. • Replace the sensor. FAHRENHEIT/CELSIUS • Enter the program menu to select in Fahrenheit (ºF) or Celsius (ºC). HI | LO TEMPERATURE/HUMIDITY RECORDS From normal display, press and release the HISTORY button to view indoor and outdoor HI | LO temperature/humidity records and Heat Index and Dew Point. Viewing order: • Outdoor HI Temp with Time/Date • Outdoor LO Temp with Time/Date • Outdoor HI Humidity with Time/Date • Outdoor LO Humidity with Time/Date • Indoor HI Temp with Time/Date • Indoor LO Temp with Time/Date • Indoor HI Humidity with Time/Date • Indoor LO Humidity with Time/Date • Outdoor Heat Index (no time/date stamp) • Outdoor Dew Point (no time/date stamp) Reset HI | LO Readings (each will reset individually): • Press the HISTORY button to view individual readings. • Hold the MINUS (-) button for five seconds to reset the individual value. • HI | LO reading will reset to current temperature, humidity, and current time/date. SENSOR AREA IS BLANK (NO DASHES OR NUMBERS)

Page 5 • Check that other areas of the weather station read properly. There may be a problem with the weather station. ALERTS: TEMP, HUMIDITY Set Alerts: 1. Hold the ALERTS button 2s to enter alert set mode. (LO or HI alert icon and ALERT OFF will show for selected area) 2. Press and release the + or – button to turn alert ON 3. When the alert is ON, the alert value is flashing. Use the + or – buttons to set. 4. Hold the + or – buttons to scroll quickly. 5. Press and release ALERTS button to move to next item. 6. Leave an alert OFF (disarmed) and press the ALERTS button to skip setting that alert value 7. The alert icon will show when the alert is active. 8. When armed alert value is reached, station will beep 5 times each minute, until out of alert range. (1 second beep once, sound for 5 seconds, wait 55 seconds and then repeat began to ring for 5 seconds.) 9. The flashing alert icon will indicate if it is a LO or HI alert. 10. Press any button to stop the temp alert sound. The alert icon will flash while value is in alert range. Alert Setting Order: • Outdoor LO Temperature ON/OFF • Outdoor LO Temperature Value -40°F-140°F (-40°C-60°C) • Outdoor HI Temperature ON/OFF • Outdoor HI Temperature Value -40°F-140°F (-40°C-60°C) • Outdoor LO Humidity ON/OFF • Outdoor LO Humidity Value 10%RH-99%RH • Outdoor HI Humidity ON/OFF • Outdoor HI Humidity Value 10%RH-99%RH • Indoor LO Temperature ON/OFF • Indoor LO Temperature Value 32°F- 99°F (0°C-50°C) • Indoor HI Temperature ON/OFF • Indoor HI Temperature Value 32°F- 99°F (0°C-50°C) • Indoor LO Humidity ON/OFF • Indoor LO Humidity Value 10%RH-99%RH • Indoor HI Humidity ON/OFF • Indoor HI Humidity Value 10%RH-99%RH MOUNTING/POSITIONING

Page 6 First, set everything up in the house to be sure it works before mounting the sensor outside. TX141TH-Bv3 sensor: Watch sensor mounting video: http://bit.ly/TH_SensorMounting Place the outdoor sensor in the desired shaded location and the weather station in the home. Wait approximately one hour before permanently mounting the outdoor sensor to ensure that there is proper reception. POSITION Outdoor: • Protect the outdoor sensor from standing rain or snow and from the overhead sun, which can cause it to read incorrectly. • Mounting under an eave or deck rail works well. • If you choose, you can construct a small roof or box for the outdoor sensor. Be sure a box has vents. • Mount the outdoor sensor on the North side where to prevent sun from causing incorrect readings. • Mount at least 6 feet in the air for a strong RF (radio frequency) signal. • Do not mount the outdoor sensor on a metal fence. This significantly reduces the effective range. • Outdoor sensor are water resistant, not waterproof. • Mount outdoor temperature sensor vertically. • Avoid more than one wall between the outdoor sensor and the weather station. • The maximum transmitting range in open air is over 300 feet (91 meters). • Obstacles such as walls, windows, stucco, concrete and large metal objects can reduce the range. • Do not mount near electrical wires, transmitting antennas or other items that will interfere with the signal. • RF (radio frequency) signals do not travel well through moisture or dirt. MOUNT Option 1: • Install one mounting screw (not included) into a wall. • Place the outdoor sensor onto the screw (hanging hole on the backside). • Gently pull down to lock the screw in place. Option 2: • Insert the mounting screw through the front of the outdoor sensor and into the wall. • Tighten the screw to snug (do not over tighten). DISTANCE/RESISTANCE/INTERFERENCE Distance: • The maximum transmitting range in open air is over 300 feet (91 meters) between the sensor and the weather station. • Consider what is in the signal path between the weather station and the sensor. • Consider the distance the weather station is from other electronics in the home.

Page 7 • Resistance: • Obstacles such as walls, windows, stucco, concrete, and large metal objects can reduce the range. • When considering the distance between the sensor and the weather station (300 feet, 91 meters open air) cut that distance in half for each wall, window, tree, bush or other obstruction in the signal path. • Closer is better. • Do not mount the sensor on a metal fence. This significantly reduces the effective range. Interference: • Consider items in the signal path between the sensor and the weather station. • Simple relocation of the sensor or the weather station may correct an interference issue. • Windows can reflect the radio signal. • Metal will absorb the RF (radio frequency) signal. • Stucco held to the wall by a metal mesh will cause interference. • Transmitting antennas from: ham radios, emergency dispatch centers, airports, military bases, etc. may cause interference. • Electrical wires, utilities, cables, etc. may create interference if too close. • Vegetation is full of moisture and reduces signal. • Dirt: Receiving a signal through a hill is difficult. WEATHER STATION 12-HOUR TIME FORMAT • Time display: 12-hour or 24-hour format. • Default is 12-hour time. • Use the Program Menu to switch time formats. POWER REQUIREMENTS • 2-AA Alkaline batteries power the weather station. MANUALLY SET TIME: PROGRAM MENU 1. Hold the SET button 3 seconds to enter settings mode. 2. Press the + or - button to adjust the flashing values. 3. Hold the + or - buttons to adjust quickly. 4. Press the SET button to confirm adjustments and move to the next item. 5. Press the ALERTS button anytime to exit. Settings order: • Greeting “HELLO SET UP TIME” (automatic on power up) • Language (English | Español | Français) • 12/24 Hour Time • Hour • Minutes • Year

Page 8 • Month • Date • Month/Date or Date/Month format • Fahrenheit / Celsius • Thank You SETTINGS: On Power Up the Greeting will show each screen for 2 seconds. Then ENGLISH will show. Press the + or - button to select ESPAÑOL or FRANCAIS for weekday language. 1. Press SET to confirm and move to 12/24 hour. The 12Hr will flash and FORMAT will show. Press the + or - button to choose 12 hour or 24 hour time format. 2. Press SET to confirm and move to the hour. The HOUR will flash. Press the + or - button to choose the hour. 3. Press SET to confirm and move to the minutes. The MINUTES will flash. Press the + or - button to choose the minutes. 4. Press SET to confirm and move to the year. The YEAR will show. 2019 will flash. Press the + or - button to change the year. 5. Press SET to confirm and move to the month. The MONTH will show. Month number will flash. Press the + or - button to change the month. 6. Press SET to confirm and move to the date. DATE will show. Date number will flash. Press the + or - button to change the date. 7. Press SET to confirm and move to Month/Date or Date/Month format. MONTH/DATE will flash. Press the + or - button to change to DATE/MONTH. 8. Press SET to confirm and move to the temperature unit. TEMP °F will show. ̊F will flash. Press the + or - button if you prefer °C (Celsius). 9. Press SET to confirm and exit. THANK YOU will show for 2 seconds. Note: If no buttons are pressed in a 10 seconds period, set mode will time out and return to live display mode, reflecting whatever adjustments were made by user before timed out FORECAST ICONS INACCURATE The forecast icons are determined by the station's barometric pressure reading. Please allow 7-10 days for barometric calibration. Six forecast icons use changing atmospheric pressure to predict weather conditions for the next 12-hours with 70-75% accuracy. When Outdoor temperature is below 32˚F and the forecast is RAIN or T-STORM, the station will display SNOW. Forecast Icons: • Sunny • Partly Sunny • Cloudy • Rain • T-Storm • Snow

Page 9 • The weather station calibrates barometric pressure based on its location over a period of time to generate an accurate, personal forecast. Please allow 7-10 days for barometer calibration. • The station samples the barometric pressure every twelve minutes. These samples are averaged hourly and daily then stored in nonvolatile memory. The three-hour pressure icon change is based off the last four average hourly readings. • IMPORTANT: As the weather station builds memory, it will compare the current average pressure to the past forty day average pressure for increased accuracy. The longer the weather station operates in one location the more accurate the forecast icons will be. FORECAST TREND ARROWS The Forecast Tendency Arrows update every 15 minutes. The trend reflects changes in Pressure over the past 3 hours. • UP ARROW: Pressure is rising • RIGHT ARROW: Pressure is steady • DOWN ARROW: Pressure is falling INDOOR COMFORT INDICATOR The Indoor Comfort Indicator is based on the Indoor Humidity. The arrow will indicate comfort level. Too Dry 1% to 25% Dry 26% to 39% Comfort 40% to 75% Wet 76% to 83% Too Wet 84% to 99% WEATHER STATION IS BLANK: NO LETTERS, NUMBERS OR DASHED LINES • Check that the batteries connect correctly. • Batteries may be overpowered or underpowered. • Remove batteries from the weather station. • Press any button 20 times. Leave the batteries out of the weather station for 2 hours.