Author Topic: WW-2 Weather Station Kurt, Newfoundland  (Read 3706 times)

Offline Daryl J.

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WW-2 Weather Station Kurt, Newfoundland
« on: July 17, 2014, 11:46:37 PM »
How heavy would the NiCad batteries for that weather station the Germans installed in Canada be? 
And, is there a problem with them being in a tropical climate?   

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Offline jcf

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Re: WW-2 Weather Station Kurt, Newfoundland
« Reply #1 on: July 18, 2014, 01:39:42 AM »
Less than lead-acid batteries of the same output.  ;D

Yes, NiCd batteries are temperature sensitive in regards to charging cycle, with
problems coming over 40° C. So precautions would need to be taken in the tropics,
but they were used all over the world, except in the US, during the pre-war period.
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Offline Old Wombat

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Re: WW-2 Weather Station Kurt, Newfoundland
« Reply #2 on: July 18, 2014, 01:32:28 PM »
Given what jcf has said then the tropics, generally, would not be too big an issue. Tropical environments rarely get over 35°C because the moisture in the air absorbs heat (as humidity). It’s when you get into tropical & sub-tropical deserts that you’d have issues because in the summer/dry months, & sometimes even in the winter/wet months temperatures are regularly 45°C & higher, some regions regularly reaching 50/55°C.

However, that being said, the humid tropics are not a good place for metals generally, especially dissimilar metals, because electrolysis is accelerated by the humidity. In coastal regions, where salt laden air is also a factor, the tropics are down-right cruel to dissimilar metals. Just imagine one of the early steel-block/aluminium-head motors running salt water through its cooling system, instead of inhibitor-laden coolant.
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Offline Jeffry Fontaine

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Re: WW-2 Weather Station Kurt, Newfoundland
« Reply #3 on: July 18, 2014, 03:17:45 PM »
How heavy would the NiCad batteries for that weather station the Germans installed in Canada be?  And, is there a problem with them being in a tropical climate?

Daryl,

Some details regarding size and weight for the batteries are provided in the Wikipedia article on Weather Station Kurt (Wetter-Funkgerät Land-26):
Quote from: Wikipedia link=url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weather_Station_Kurt
[The WFL (Wetter-Funkgerät Land-26) was] designed by Dr. Ernest Ploetze and Edwin Stoebe. Twenty-six were manufactured by Siemens.  The WFL had an array of measuring instruments, a telemetry system and a 150 watt, Lorenz 150 FK-type transmitter.  It had 10 cylindrical canisters, each 1 metre (3.3 ft) by c.47 cm diameter (1.5 metres (4.9 ft) circumference) and weighing around 100 kilograms (220 lb).  One canister contained the instruments; it was attached to a 10-metre (33 ft) antenna mast.  A second, shorter mast carried an anemometer and wind vane. The other canisters contained nickel-cadmium batteries that powered the system. The WFL would broadcast weather readings every three hours during a two minute transmission on 3940 kHz.  The system could work for up to six months, depending on the number of battery canisters.
 
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