Vaisala Forward Scatter Sensor FD70

Overview

FD70 is powerful technology that can potentially replace many separate sensors such as your visibility and present weather sensor, rain gauge, disdrometer, and freezing rain sensor. It can also outperform them in delivering highly accurate visibility and precipitation reporting in all weather conditions, as well as unsurpassed detection sensitivity and reliable identification of present weather.

The FD70 is engineered to meet WMO SYNOP reporting guidelines for precipitation and obscuration types. Its sensors excel with fast response times and the highest sensitivity to correctly detect and identify individual droplets. They provide accurate visibility measurement with proven calibration traceability and a range of up to 100 km (62 mi) and are the first sensors on the market that can reliably report a full range of present weather types including freezing precipitation.

The FD70 is a factory-calibrated, plug-and-play sensor that can potentially replace many separate sensors such as your visibility and present weather sensor, rain gauge, disdrometer, and freezing rain sensor. It can function as a standalone unit, as an integral part of Vaisala systems, or with most third-party systems.

Vaisala’s pioneering sensor design provides constant, reference-grade performance unlike any other forward scatter technology — even for incidents of freezing rain, ice pellets, intense precipitation, or mixed precipitation.

State-of-the-art, forward scatter technology detects and analyzes current precipitation to identify type, intensity, accumulation, particle size and fall speed distributions with a visibility sensor range up to 100 km (62 mi) Meteorological Optical Range (MOR).

The high sensitivity of the FD70 sensor means it’s able to detect precipitation onset right from the first droplets, and it reacts quickly to meteorological visibility changes from 1m to 100km (3ft to 62mi).