Wind Machine Station (ST100/ST101) FAQs

Does the your Station work on any wind machine? 
Our controller will monitor any wind machine make/model that has been manufactured in the past 30 years. In order to control your wind machine, you will need an autostart installed. If you have a wind machine without an autostart, let us know and we can connect you with one of our dealers.

How does the station control the autostart?
The station can communicate directly to the autostarts through digital RS-485 communication. Other autostarts require a 'call to run' which can is through a dedicated input or the temperature port (e replace the temperature probe with our temperature probe).

How often does the Wind Machine Station connect to the cloud?
The Station connects to the cloud once every 15 minutes. However, if the temperature drops to within a few degrees of your preset stop temperature, the Station connects continuously (60-90 seconds). 

How long does it take to install the Wind Machine Station?
It takes approximately 1 hour to install the Altrac station. Depending on the setup, you may also need to install a solar panel, which takes approximately 30 minutes. 

Do I need to calibrate the temperature probe?
No. You do not need to calibrate our temperature probes. We use a digital probe that is pre-calibrated in the factory.

Do I need an Altrac Station for each of my wind machines?
Yes. Each station controls a single wind machines. When ordering, you must select a Station (ST100), temperature probe (SN100_40), and a wiring harness specific to your wind machine.

What is the warranty of the hardware?
All Altrac hardware comes with a 1-year warranty from date of purchase. During the warranty period, Altrac with replace or repair, at no charge, any product or parts of product that prove defective due to improper materials or workmanship under normal use.

How do you support your hardware?
Ideally we work with your preferred wind machine or irrigation company to fully install and service your equipment. They know the ins and outs of the existing system and can quickly and safely upgrade the electronics. If you don’t know who can install your equipment let us know. We have many distributors that can install and service your equipment.

How do you support your software?
Altrac manages all our own frontend and backend software as well as firmware on all our equipment. Building the entire system ourselves allows us to maximize uptime and add new features quickly.

Am I able to send text or phone call alerts to multiple people?
Yes. We do not have a limit to the number of recipients or texts/calls you can setup.

Can I give someone access to my account but limit what they see or change?
We provide two levels of access. 'Viewer', a read only account, where the user can view all the data and set up alerts, but they cannot change any settings. And 'Manager' an account that can view all the data and change settings. We can also limit the devices a viewer or manager sees in their account.

What are the power requirements of the Altrac station?
Our average power draw is < 30mA @ 12VDC when connecting to the cloud every 15 minutes. When the Altrac station is in Frost Protection mode it connects continuously and the power use would be < 50mA @ 12VDC. We recommend fitting your wind machine with a solar panel (10W minimum) to recharge the battery.