Airmar WS-PB200 Network Weatherstation

The PB200 WeatherStation instrument informs you of instantaneous changes in the weather around you. Wind Speed and Direction are measured using four ultrasonic transducers. No moving parts results in better durability and reliability. The internal WAAS GPS engine and three-axis, solid-state compass make it possible for the PB200 to provide both Apparent and True Wind Speed and Direction without the need to add on additional sensors. Additionally, the WAAS GPS provides navigation data as well as magnetic variation and is suitable as your primary GPS source.

Furuno sells this item under its own name as the WS-200 weatherstation, for Navnet 3D systems. The Airmar WS2-C06 6M cable is Furuno part number 22-1025-02. See the Furuno datasheet posted below for details.

The internal temperature and barometric pressure sensors help predict changing weather patterns. Combined with the internal heading sensor, all of your navigation needs are provided! No other sensor on the market incorporates all of these sensors in one compact housing. What sets Airmar apart from the competition is the ability to provide 2° heading accuracy under dynamic conditions, such as rough seas. Airmar's unique dynamic motion correction software is the key difference. The PB200's heading is highly accurate and stable under most sea conditions, even if the vessel is pitching and rolling up to 30° in rough seas. Also unique to the PB200 is that the 3D accelerometer and rate gyro are temperature compensated resulting in precise tilt and rate of turn data. This allows the PB200 to accurately measure True Wind Speed and Direction even when tilted up to 30°.

Product Features

• True wind speed and direction
• Apparent wind speed and direction
• Barometric pressure
• Air temperature
• Wind chill temperature
• Measures wind speed and direction ultrasonically
• Wind calibration traceable to NIST
• Internal WAAS GPS
• Three-axis solid-state compass
• Three-axis accelerometer provides pitch and roll information
• Outputs both NMEA 0183 and NMEA 2000®
• WeatherCaster™ Software included
• Better than 1° compass accuracy in static conditions
• Best-in-class 2° compass accuracy in dynamic conditions
• Yaw rate gyro provides rate-of-turn data
• Very easy installation and two-year warranty
• Maintenance-free operation—no moving parts
• Mounts on standard 1"-14 base
• NMEA 2000 LEN=13
• Cables sold separately

Important: Airmar cables are sold separately. This unit does not ship with any cables. Standard NMEA 2000 connectors will not fit this unit. You must use the special Airmar cables which are available in NMEA 0183 or NMEA 2000 versions, or as combination cables that enable both standards to be used. This unit has a special Airmar 9-pin connector at the base and only the Airmar cables will fit.

Weathercaster Software

To monitor readings from the PB200 on a PC, use the Airmar U200 interface which ships with an NMEA 2000 version of the Airmar Weathercaster software. This enables you to both calibrate the PB200 and display weather data from the PB200 on-screen. You can download the latest version of the software, plus firmware updates for the PB200, here.

Calibration

Calibration of the compass can be carried out using the Weathercaster software. Alternatively, you can use the built in auto-calibration mode. Each time that the device is powered up it looks for a continuous rate turn within the first 60 seconds of operation. If it senses a consistent rate of turn it waits until one complete revolution is complete and then it automatically goes into the calibration mode. The operator will know it is in auto-calibration as the data will temporarily disappear from the display screen. Once two additional revolutions are completed the data will re-appear on the display screen, signaling that the auto-calibration process is complete.

Terminating Airmar Cables

The Airmar NMEA 2000 cables used for the PB200, G2183, GH2183 and H2183 are available in lengths of 2M, 6M, 10M and 30M. The 2M and 6M cables are for use as drop cables, where the device is mounted no more than 6M from the network backbone. If you are using the 10M or 30M cables, these are too long to be drop cables under the NMEA 2000 standard. These longer cables should be installed so that they become one end of the network backbone. The 10M and 30M cables have an NMEA 2000 inline terminator built in to the cable, so that when you plug the cable into an Airmar device, that end of the backbone is correctly terminated without any need for a separate inline terminator.

Before May 2010, the inline terminator was built in to the Airmar devices, not the cable. This design was changed to better conform with the NMEA 2000 standard.