Steve Kelly

Owner/operator since 2002. An engineer, I've also studied weather, maths, physics and stuff like clouds.

[Steve Kelly @ThatchamWeather]

@goodbeerhunting @markdredge Best beer article I'm ever likely to read. Maybe the longest too, but I didn't stop reading. Great photos too.

[Steve Kelly @ThatchamWeather]

@Herring1967 @fishfingers74 I did cancel due to the crap courier. So why did you call me today? It was hot and I thought my left piston shickle was doing a knobbly and about to blow Sainsbury's up. Beer was OK, courier IS shite. Like really SHITE. And that's why I stopped giving you >£300 a year. Sad.

[Steve Kelly @ThatchamWeather]

The red light. Helimed24. G-TVAL, EC135 Helicopter. was 30 mins ago.
Either a good sign it was not needed by now, or a bad sign, it's not even needed now.
I donote to @TVairamb I think it is bloody wrong we have to donate to an Air Ambulance. Bit like the @RNLI

[Steve Kelly @ThatchamWeather]

@Stavros6 @ArlingtonArts @MADTour2019 Looking forward to meeting you there sir. Lovely venue. 2 years late..., even more special.

[Steve Kelly @ThatchamWeather]

@Ri_Science I booked a ticket for the talk that is happening now. @eventbritehelp whatever account they want to use, sends me to @Vimeo They say page does not exist. Which one of you took my money an hour ago? WHY? I want it back! Going around in circles for 30 mins!

[Steve Kelly @ThatchamWeather]

21st wettest day in my history of 6,807 days continually recording the weather in Thatcham. 29.6mm. Still light rain and more forecast later today. https://t.co/TeQZyjOB8F 🌞 💨 ☁️ ☔️

[Steve Kelly @ThatchamWeather]

Yesterday CLEAR. Today, recording data with LOTS of cumulus as there is a partial eclipse. Put my 10” telescope solar filter in front my phone. I’ve many ways to take better photos, but this was way too simple. Also visible through cloud with a naked eyeball.

[Steve Kelly @ThatchamWeather]

@joneseye34 As is a straight swap, and YES, I stupidly nudged it accidentily, then had to reset the rain and database..., so I know it 'works/counts', yet I've got no reliable way to measure if it is more accurate. Ideally, old and new operating side by side, but it's just a component.

[Steve Kelly @ThatchamWeather]

27.1C max is optomistic. Just spent £175 on upgrades as the fan had failed (again). A new solar panel. New rechargable battereries and a new type of rain measuring upgrade. Surrounding stations reporting even warmer. But you could get two brand new of those stations for that!

[Steve Kelly @ThatchamWeather]

So before and after. All ship-shape and Bristol fashion, with no change out of the wrong side of £175.

[Steve Kelly @ThatchamWeather]

The £30 cover! Well after 7.5 years, the old one looking tatty. The solar panel charges a capacitor. The CR123 cell is for back up and lasts over a year. No wind plugged in as that has it's own transmitter on the mast above the roof. Solar UVi have very long cables from the roof.

[Steve Kelly @ThatchamWeather]

The thermometer (tiny black thing on the circuit board) was cleaned. It lives in the circular beehive shaped 'thing', technically called a FARS. And all the white bits, drying having been scrubbed clean with an old toothbrush using Fairy liquid and Domestos.

[Steve Kelly @ThatchamWeather]

The fan draws air through the thermometer housing so temperature/RH% are that of the ambient air, and not how hot you can bake plastic. It had failed (again). Powered by the larger of the two solar panels, with rechargable batteries to assist at night/dull days.

[Steve Kelly @ThatchamWeather]

Rain gauge. Completely new design. Old was like a sea-saw. (Yes, there is a pebble holding it down.) Used to filled and tip from the funnel. New one not affected by wind and allegedly more accurate. Both use 0.2mm increments using a reed switch to count pulses.

[Steve Kelly @ThatchamWeather]

This is what £175 of spares look like. New fan, comically £62. New rain gauge called a 'spoon' rather than tipping bucket. Cover for the transmitter as it was a bargain at £30. 2x rechargable C-cells for the fan. 1x CR123 alkaline battery for the transmitter. More to follow.

[Steve Kelly @ThatchamWeather]

Graph/charts looking messed up. They will sort themselves out in 1,440 minutes. Changed data recording to 1min intervals for professor Ed that wants high res data for the partial eclipse on the 10th. I love helping, but there's always a blooming surprise! No data was harmed.

[Steve Kelly @ThatchamWeather]

And the rain gauge upgrade. Well it goes from a tipping bucket to a spoon! Hopefully more accurate and MORE STABLE. Touched the bloody thing earlier and recorded 0.2mm which takes a while to reset. In wind, it can/does flap around during maintenance.

[Steve Kelly @ThatchamWeather]

The solar panel was on offer, and nothing to do with the solar panel for the fan system. This powers the main transmitter. Mine looking very ragged after 6.5 years. £30 seems a bargain if you knew how much spare parts cost. Like £14 for a screw!

[Steve Kelly @ThatchamWeather]

Thatcham: 27.4mm on the 16th May.
The 5th wettest May day, and the 27th wettest day in my record that has 6,756 days in it, going back to the 26th October 2002.
Just the 33rd day with an inch or more of rain.