Skywatch® BL-1000 – Bluetooth® weather station with wind-speed and direction, temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, tracking and data-logger with alarm function

The Skywatch BL-1000 is a rugged portable weather station designed for rapid deployment. It has been developed by and for professionals who need to make measurements of and document local weather conditions, e.g. fire brigades, incident response, police, open-air exhibitions, stage operators, construction companies and agriculture.

The Skywatch BL-1000 is a complete weather station which provides accurate measurements of wind speed, wind direction, temperature, humdity and barometric pressure, and relays these to a dedicated smart-phone application and secure data warehouse.

The BL-1000 is capable of storing data locally on an iOS™ or Android™ smart-phone or tablet, and transferring the measurements to Weathercloud with map visualisation. Data can subsequently be extracted from the map to a CSV (comma separated variable file) for subsequent processing evaluation.

Skywatch® BL-1000 Applications

Precision ballistics

Long-range ballistics. Use with Strelok Pro or other ballistics applications to provide wind direction and speed measurements.

Public event safety

Monitoring of open-air events for adverse weather conditions and safety compliance.

Aerial work platforms

Monitoring wind speed and alerting operators when the wind speed is too high for safe operation.

Crane & construction safety

Safeguarding workers at height and using tower cranes by warning of high wind speeds and gusts.

Agriculture

Wind speed and direction monitoring for safe pesticide application.

Atomic, Biological & Chemical events

Wind speed and direction real-time and history monitoring. Monitoring and prediction of safe and evacuation areas.

The Skywatch® Guard Android™ and Skywatch® BL iOS™ application:
weather measurements, local data logger with alarm functions, online data transfer to Weathercloud

The smartphone applications for the Skywatch® BL1000 have been designed for easy and quick usability and clear operation. Once installed on the device, it is sufficient to turn on the Skywatch® BL1000 and the connection is already established. Thanks to Bluetooth, the days of protracted pairing attempts are over. The status of the Skywatch® BL1000 is indicated by a blue LED at the base of the device.

Depending on the configuration, the application offers several options for weather monitoring.

Menus are in English, German or French (selected by the language settings of the smartphone or tablet).

Visual monitoring of live measurements

The overview screen offers all important data at a glance. This makes it easy to check the measured values simply by observing the display.

In addition to the measurements, the overview screen also indicates:

  • Battery charge level of the BL1000
  • If an alarm has occurred
  • Blinking red circle to indicate recording is in progress (default).

Historical data stored on the smartphone

By tapping on one of the screen quadrants, you may view the measurement data history of the individual sensors (wind speed, temperature, air humidity and air pressure as a line chart).

Mean values, minimum and maximum values are recorded with dashed lines. The period for which the measured data remains visible as a line chart is adjustable between 10 seconds and 6 hours. The line graphs can be scaled to take a closer look at specific measurement points.

Two adjustable alarm levels for wind speed

The Skywatch® Guard Android™ APP is equipped with two wind speed alarms: warning and danger.

In addition, a normal wind speed may be defined which cancels the alarms if the wind speed reduces below a defined level (if the normal wind speed is undefined, any alarms created will continue until manually cancelled).

The two wind speeds at which the alarm is to be triggered can be freely defined in the settings in meters per second.

Data-logging function and tracking

The logging function can be easily toggled on and off in the upper right corner by activating the red record button. The measurement interval is set to 1 second. As long as the logging function is switched on, the measured data is averaged every 10 seconds and then stored in a local log file on the smart device. To track the movements, the application accesses the GPS data available in almost all smart devices.

If internet access is temporarily unavailable, the measurements are stored locally until they can be uploaded to the server

Online data stored on Skywatch® map server

The Skywatch® BL1000 offers even more: create a free password-protected account on the Weathercloud site. If the application has an Internet connection, then your current measurement data will be uploaded to the server and may be viewed on the map, viewed and downloaded as a CSV (comma-separated variable) file.

This possibility enables command centres to monitor multiple spatially-separated measuring stations.

Content and packaging

The Skywatch® BL1000 comes in a sturdy carrying case, providing safe storage in a foam-lined enclosure and facilitating ease of assembly and dismantling.

The two-sided printing on the case allows a quick and easy orientation regarding the contents, and QR code linking to user-instructions on the JDC web site.

What’s included

The Skywatch® BL1000 is delivered with a removable stainless-steel spindle with ¼” tripod mount, spring-loaded detachable base and charging cable.

Easy attachment to a tripod and emergency vehicle

Two different bases are provided for the adjustable ball-joint secure base, enabling it to be mounted securely on both flat and slightly curved surfaces (such as vehicle roof) by 3M VHB weatherproof adhesive pads.

Thanks to the proven click-lock, the ball joint mount may be simply clipped in and out of the GoPro-compatible base plate.

To mount the Skywatch® BL1000 on a tripod, it is sufficient to unscrew the spindle from the ball-joint base and simply screw it onto the tripod.

With the switch position UNLOCK, the Skywatch® BL1000 can be easily detached from the spindle and the ball-joint enables the spindle to be folded flat.

Robust and sensitive at the same time – with high performance

Designed for professional use, all components are designed for longevity and frequent use. The Skywatch® BL1000 is manufactured in Switzerland by JDC and only components of the highest precision are utilised and thoroughly tested for their function. Both the weather station and the software for the Skywatch® BL1000 are designed to combine straightforward and intuitive operation with the ultimate in precision.

The sensitive sapphire bearing wind impeller is safely protected by a robust cage housing.

The black knurled ring at the base of the Skywatch® BL1000 weather station selects the operation mode: three positions ON, OFF and UNLOCK (detach the probe from the spindle), and has been designed for unambiguous operation  even wearing gloves and under the most difficult conditions.

Conclusion

This Swiss-made precise highly-mobile world-first for the professional measurement and documentation of local weather conditions is a valuable aid for all emergency services and service companies. It has been successfully tested in our own wind-tunnel at speeds up to 150 km/h!

Its key features are compact size, ease-of-use, multiple deployment options and robustness.

A top-quality innovative device that works reliably and may be operated within a short time by anyone who can also operate a smartphone or tablet.

Skywatch® BL-1000 – Technical data