[aprssig] River Gauging APRS setup

Frank or Barbara Rossi n3flr at bellatlantic.net
Fri Dec 17 22:34:50 EST 2010


Here is the river gauge closest to Downtown Pittsburgh PA.
    Check out the Drainage area into the Ohio River !

*DESCRIPTION:*
    Latitude 40°26'22",   Longitude 80°00'39"   NAD83
    Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Hydrologic Unit 05030101
    *Drainage area: 7,400 square miles*
    Datum of gage: 694.23 feet above sea level   NGVD29.



On 12/17/2010 9:53 PM, Frank or Barbara Rossi wrote:
> It is a great Web Interface.
> Here is Pa. Click <http://waterwatch.usgs.gov/?m=real&w=gmap&regions=pa>
> Already well covered by the USGS.
> It may be more a matter of the USGS not talking to the NWS if there 
> not getting enough data from this interface.
>
> In Pittsburgh the Hydrologist at the Pittsburgh NWS do a pretty good 
> job estimating when there will be any flooding.
> His tools are the automated river gauges, and rain gauges reports from 
> Skywarn Hams .
>
> I think around Pittsburgh Pa area, APRS Weather Stations with rain 
> gauges would be more useful.
> Hams are not always available to give rain gauge reports, APRS Weather 
> station would be 24/7.
> In the summer, hit and miss Thunderstorms can dump 2 inches of rain in 
> one area, with other areas with no rain.
>
> In Western Pa, ALL rain runoff ends up in the Ohio River, downtown 
> Pittsburgh.
> Major river flooding usually happens the day after the rain comes.
> Small creeks and streams are the ones that will flood first, day of 
> the rain.
> Lots of hills around Pittsburgh. From 3,200 Ft Mt Davis to 680 ft in 
> altitude Pittsburgh in less than 50 miles.
> Water goes down hill.
> N3FLR - Frank
>
>
> On 12/17/2010 9:10 PM, Steve Noskowicz wrote:
>>
>>     Thanks Frank,
>>     http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/nwismap/?site_no=05550001&agency_cd=USGS
>>     <http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/nwismap/?site_no=05550001&agency_cd=USGS>
>>     That's him!  Boy, they sure have a nice Web interface.
>>     And the Thompson road bridge unit is still reporting, so it is
>>     still there...somewhere.
>>     Steve
>>     ...  Check this link Click <http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/rt>
>>     N3FLR - Frank
>>
>>     On 12/17/2010 8:11 PM, Steve Noskowicz wrote:
>>>     Hey!  Wait a minute...!   This is *already* done automaticlly
>>>     and by radio.
>>>
>>>       Cycling last spring on the bicycle path from Cristal Lake, IL
>>>     to south of Algonquin, IL the path crosses the Fox River.  What
>>>     easily caught my eye was the UHF beam, only feet from the path,
>>>     pointing toward Pluto.  There was a pretty big outdoor box,
>>>     though I couldn't see the water sensor.  I don't recall the
>>>     detail, but it had a sign and was a water montoring setup
>>>     beaming obviously to a satellite.  The sign had specifics and it
>>>     may have been USGS, I just don't remember.  I had no pencil or
>>>     I'd have Googled it back home.  Shoulda' used the cell to leave
>>>     a memo @ home.
>>>       The McHenry County Conservation District also recently drilled
>>>     a well on one vacant space near here and now there is a solar
>>>     panel, a box and another beam pointing at Pluto.  The sign there
>>>     even has the satellite name -  Geos - something or other and the
>>>     beam still has the frequency label.
>>>       They're just rebuilding our Thompson road bridge, but until
>>>     recently it had a box and what looked like something that could
>>>     be dropped/cranked down to the water, and I think had a USGS
>>>     label.  Without any visible sub-space radio, I often wondered
>>>     how they actuated it from Pluto..  (;-).  Now I know.
>>>     --
>>>     73, Steve,
>>>     --- On *Fri, 12/17/10, Lee Mushel /<herbert3 at centurytel.net>
>>>     <http://us.mc386.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=herbert3@centurytel.net>/*
>>>     wrote:
>>>
>>>         Gentlemen,
>>>         I find this to be a very interesting topic.   You see, next
>>>         spring I might get a phone call from the National Weather
>>>         Service and then I take the key and drive to the river
>>>         gauge, open the padlock, lower the "sensor" and read the
>>>         value, then restore everything and drive to the next gauge
>>>         and then the next.   This may take 45 minutes.   Then I
>>>         email NWS my report---or I could radio it to them but the
>>>         email is preferred because it provides a record that is
>>>         easily handled.  Now, since there is that padlock to be
>>>         considered I hope that any plans would include provisions
>>>         for security---especially if I am paying for this!
>>>         But I must warn you that a suggestion by me that realtime
>>>         water/flood photos be "radioed" by ham radio to the
>>>         hydrologist was met with absolutely no enthusiasm. 
>>>         Acceptance of new ideas, even though they have merit, can be
>>>         difficult!
>>>         73
>>>         Lee  K9WRU
>>>
>>>             ----- Original Message -----
>>>             *From:* Jim Tolbert
>>>             <http://us.mc386.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=jim@riverridge-wi.net>
>>>
>>>             *To:* TAPR APRS Mailing List
>>>             <http://us.mc386.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=aprssig@tapr.org>
>>>
>>>             *Sent:* Friday, December 17, 2010 6:29 AM
>>>             *Subject:* Re: [aprssig] River Gauging APRS setup
>>>
>>>             http://www.graphicartworks.net/xpondr_main/floodadvisor.html
>>>
>>>             On 12/17/2010 5:30 AM, Wes Johnston, AI4PX wrote:
>>>>             http://www.xpondr.com/041202/flood_advisor.pdf
>>>>             I just searched my email archives and this is what I
>>>>             found. Link doesn't work.  I do remember this thing
>>>>             though, it was in a PVC pipe and shot an ultrasonic
>>>>             transducer down the pipe to measure the distance to the
>>>>             water surface.  I think the guy that made it was in
>>>>             Florida.... but not sure.
>>>>
>>>>             Wes
>>>>             ---
>>>>             God help those who do not help themselves.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>             On Thu, Dec 16, 2010 at 23:54, Daron Wilson
>>>>             <daron at wilson.org
>>>>             <http://us.mc386.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=daron@wilson.org>>
>>>>             wrote:
>>>>
>>>>                 Somewhere I've seen plans for a simple river gauge
>>>>                 setup with APRS, seems to
>>>>                 me it was a micro power transmitter, the thing ran
>>>>                 on several 6v lantern
>>>>                 batteries, PVC conduit into the river for the
>>>>                 sensing portion and an antenna
>>>>                 on top of the PVC.  I can't find it, does anyone
>>>>                 remember this and have the
>>>>                 link or info on this?
>>>>
>>>>                 Thanks,
>>>>
>>>>                 Daron N7HQR
>>>>
>>>
>>>
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