Support

Please try self-help first or submit  a support ticket, as described below. Support phone calls are usually not the best way of resolving problems quickly, but if you really want to phone then please do so mornings ONLY from 0930 to 1330.

Self-help support

In the first instance, please always try to see if you can resolve any problem from the information in the manuals and, in particular, from the troubleshooting sections towards the end of each manual. The Davis manuals are, in general, lucid and well-written, and contain most of the information you will ever need to understand and correct any operational issues.

If you’re still using the Davis Weatherlink for Windows program, the WL Help menu is the place to look for help with any software issues. Other programs my have their own Help menus and user forums.

In addition, we do also have our own online knowledgebase, which provides additional detailed troubleshooting advice on many issues that crop up from time to time with Davis stations and loggers. This KB can be viewed at the following URL:

www.manula.com/manuals/pws/davis-kb/1/en/topic/general-please-read

But if you still need further help or have identified a fault that needs to be fixed by a service centre then you’ll need to know who to talk to next.

If you purchased your system from Prodata

For customers who purchased their Davis station from us, please raise a new support ticket or: CLICK THE IMAGE TO THE RIGHT ==>

Prodata Weather Systems aims to offer a helpful, responsive and expert support service via our simple Spiceworks online ticketing system and email. Sorry, but we cannot provide support for users who bought elsewhere unless you wish to make a new purchase from us. Please do not use this support ticketing system for pre-purchase enquiries – email us at sales@weatherstations.co.uk instead.

To log a new support request with us please click on the Help image to the right and fill out the form with as much detail as possible. It is only necessary to create a new ticket when you have a new issue. If you have a support issue that is ongoing and the ticket has not yet been closed then please continue with the email exchange that has already been started.

Please only make support requests online as detailed above and not via telephone. This helps us considerably to provide a good, prompt support service because it provides an automatic and trackable record of the details of your support request. You will also typically get a quicker answer via the ticketing system than by phone. If you feel it’s essential to phone then please do so between 0930 and 1300 ONLY. We do try to ensure that someone able to offer detailed technical advice is available during these hours, but this often won’t be possible during afternoons.

Once again, regrettably we can only help our own customers (unless you’re seeking paid support or wish to buy Davis spares – we do carry a wide range of Vue and VP2 spares and accessories for sale, which are available to all EU-based users.)

Support for Weatherlink for Windows software and data loggers

Software/logger support can present particular challenges. When problems occur, they are often caused by  updates to Windows or PCs or by other external causes such as interference or noisy AC mains and are not directly the result of any fault with the Davis product. Such issues can also be time-consuming to troubleshoot. While we do always aim to offer top-quality customer service, it’s not realistic for us to be able to offer unlimited free software support for years after the initial purchase, especially when there is often no fault attributable to the original product. So our software/logger support policy is as follows:

1. There is a considerable amount of self-help available for logger/software issues, for example on the Weatherlink program Help menu, our own Davis knowledgebase at www.manula.com/manuals/pws/davis-kb/1/en/topic/weatherlink-logger and, more generally, on the Internet eg in various weather forums. Please always use these resources in the first instance – in many cases they will provide a fix for the problem.
2. If you do have a question, especially of course if you’re a new user, then please raise a new support ticket as described above. If it’s a quick and easily-answered point then we’ll do our best to provide a prompt answer or to point you towards more troubleshooting information for example on our knowledgebase. But please try not to phone us with software support questions – the chances are small that someone with the right technical background will be available at that moment to handle a potentially lengthy call. If you have any problems raising a new support ticket then please let us know by email at once.
3. If the issue does not have a quick answer but needs more in-depth troubleshooting then we will probably still be able to help, but this will need to handled under paid-for support. This is available to purchase on our online shop – please see this link for terms and conditions of this support service.

Smartbedded products (eg Meteobridge)

Please note that support for Smartbedded products such as Meteobridge Pro is provided directly by Smartbedded – we do not have the specialist knowledge of the program code to troubleshoot possible problems nor any spares/replacement stock. Please make support requests as follows:

• Check the Meteobridge wiki for troubleshooting hints;
• Ask on the Meteobridge forum;
• Direct email to Smartbedded at info@smartbedded.com;

If you did not buy from Prodata

When contacting your support provider with a support request, we would strongly encourage you (please!) to provide as much relevant detail as possible. Many dealers will be supporting over a thousand – maybe many thousands of – Davis stations and, even for recent purchases from a given dealer, it becomes impossible easily to recall the details of individual customers and system specifications. So the more background information you can provide about the fault and the particular station, the more likely you are to receive a prompt answer. (This also applies to follow-up emails about support incidents already raised – with the best will in the world, it’s very difficult to remember the details of a phone call from ‘Charlie’ some 6 or 8 weeks or more ago!)

While you don’t need to write a multi-page document to ask about a minor issue, please remember that we’re not telepathic  and customer’s systems vary considerably in age and complexity. So the sort of information that’s needed includes:

1. A clear description of what appears to be wrong, which should be brief but specifying all relevant details. For example, if there’s a reading that seems inaccurate then is that reading on the console or in the PC software? Detail briefly what troubleshooting measures have been tried to date and with what result;
2. Spell out the system specification details, the VP model number, wireless or cabled, any accessories fitted (eg Anemometer Transmitter), which wireless channels are being used, any wireless repeaters in use and, ideally, the Mfg Code for the console (to give the support provider a good idea of the system’s age);
3. When was it purchased? (To give an indication of age/version and whether or not the unit is still under warranty.) Do you have an invoice number and/or date that you can quote?
4. If it’s a problem with the Weatherlink software or the data stored on the PC then which versions of data logger and Weatherlink program? Which version of Windows is on the PC? It may very often be extremely helpful to attach a copy of the current monthly Weatherlink database file (eg the file called 2009-05.wlk for May 2009 – do a search for *.wlk files in Windows if you don’t know where to find these wlk files) to an email.

NB Software support is typically only available from dealers for the Davis Weatherlink program itself. Third-party programs, such as Weather Display, Virtual Weather Station, Cumulus etc will all have their own dedicated user forums from which help should be sought.

Returns to Prodata Weather Systems

If – and please only if – you’ve already contacted us about a problem and we’ve agreed that you should return a part to us at Prodata for investigation/repair then please use the following procedure:

• Please pack it carefully to survive rough handling and include no more parts than are requested. For example, for anemometer repairs it is not usually necessary to include the wind cups which are more easily damaged in transit;
• Be sure to include your name and address (most important – you’d be surprised by how often people forget this!) AND a brief description of the problem AND a note of the purchase date (if still thought to be under warranty);
• Address it to our office in Littleport – see our contact page for postal address details;
• Send it by a signed-for service to ensure that the package can be tracked, eg in the UK by Royal Mail Recorded Delivery or – preferably – Special Delivery (provided the weight doesn’t exceed 2kg). The latter costs a bit more but is a faster, more reliable and better-tracked service.

UK Service Centre

Prodata are a Davis-approved service and repair centre. We are happy to provide an experienced and knowledgeable front-line support service for our Davis products and for our own customers, so please continue to contact ourselves at Prodata Weather Systems in the first instance, by email or phone, with any question or problem that you may have. We will very often be able to provide an answer or solution at this stage.

If you aren’t one of our customers and are having issues in the warranty period (2 years usually but this is dependent on the dealer) you should contact the dealer you bought from in the first instance, if this unsuccessful you should contact Davis directly, support@davisinstruments.com.