diff --git a/src/join.py b/src/join.py
index 066b0340857c5de77638ec2bd1749bd631187251..f20623a08d91e8a2f8fdd95c97183c4c1d6359eb 100644
--- a/src/join.py
+++ b/src/join.py
@@ -53,8 +53,8 @@ def download_join(station_name: Union[str, List[str]], stat_var: dict, station_t
             logging.info('load: {}'.format(var))
 
             # create data link
-            opts = {'base': join_url_base, 'service': 'stats', 'id': vars_dict[var], 'statistics': stat_var[var],
-                    'sampling': sampling, 'capture': 0, 'min_data_length': 1460}
+            opts = {'base': join_url_base, 'service': 'stats', 'id': vars_dict[var], #'statistics': stat_var[var],
+                    'sampling': sampling, 'capture': 0, 'min_data_length': 1460, 'format': 'json'}
 
             # load data
             data = get_data(opts, headers)
@@ -116,7 +116,11 @@ def _save_to_pandas(df: Union[pd.DataFrame, None], data: dict, stat: str, var: s
     :param var: variable the data is from (e.g. 'o3')
     :return: new created or concatenated data frame
     """
-    index = map(lambda s: dt.datetime.strptime(s, "%Y-%m-%d %H:%M"), data['datetime'])
+    if len(data[0][0]) == 19:
+        str_format = "%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%s"
+    else:
+        str_format = "%Y-%m-%d %H:%M"
+    index = map(lambda s: dt.datetime.strptime(s, str_format), data['datetime'])
     if df is None:
         df = pd.DataFrame(data[stat], index=index, columns=[var])
     else:
@@ -164,4 +168,5 @@ if __name__ == "__main__":
                    'v': 'average_values', 'no': 'dma8eu', 'no2': 'dma8eu', 'cloudcover': 'average_values',
                    'pblheight': 'maximum'}
     station = 'DEBW107'
-    download_join(station, var_all_dic)
+    # download_join(station, var_all_dic, sampling="daily")
+    download_join(station, var_all_dic, sampling="hourly")
diff --git a/src/join_settings.py b/src/join_settings.py
deleted file mode 100644
index d6843630f5bffff6995f8a5ce9f107f0bad4c627..0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
--- a/src/join_settings.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,11 +0,0 @@
-
-def join_settings(sampling="daily"):
-    if sampling == "daily":
-        TOAR_SERVICE_URL = 'https://join.fz-juelich.de/services/rest/surfacedata/'
-        headers = {}
-    elif sampling == "hourly":
-        TOAR_SERVICE_URL = 'https://join.fz-juelich.de/services/rest/surfacedata/'
-        headers = {"Authorization": "Token 12345"}
-    else:
-        raise NameError(f"Given sampling {sampling} is not supported, choose from either daily or hourly sampling.")
-    return TOAR_SERVICE_URL, headers