Rod N
Well-known member
I wanted a nice one, but the selection is overwhelming.
Any advice?
(yes I did a search)
Thanks
Rod
Any advice?
(yes I did a search)
Thanks
Rod
Weather station
- Thread starter Rod N
- Start date
Outlander
Well-known member
Interesting question. I was wondering about upgrading my simple indoor/outdoor electronic thermometer. In a crazy world, I would like to see basement (crawlspace) temp, detached garage temp + indoor and outdoor temps. What else is there to see?
Thanks for posting.
Thanks for posting.
I went through this search for a weather station two or three yr ago after growing disgusted with the cheap import junk that would work for a few months then go dead. Every one of the less-expensive set-ups I read about would have similar complaints: worked a while then just quit, or it would read wind but no temp' or whatever.
I finally went for a Davis Weather system [Vantage VUE]. They are pricey, but the reviews were all great, or at least the reviews I could find. I bought the simplest one, which gives humidity in and out, temp in and out, wind speed and direction, RH, wind chill, and a number of other things. Plus records daily/monthly/annually if you care about that. And, you don't have to go thru button-pressing hassles to get to the various parameters, they are all up on the screen at the same time except for the recorded things from prior to the current day. The screen is 3 x 4 inches, plenty of room for all that info'.
Cost was list at $399, I put it on my wish list at Amazon and it soon came up at $299 and I bought it. I do not regret it, very good system and I've had zero trouble.
This Davis uses a remote digital control pad and info' screen you can put anywhere, I have mine in the house. The instrument package you stick up on a pole outdoors. They make poles that one can attach to the roof, I just used a couple ten-ft. lengths of old 3/4" black pipe I had lying around to make my own pole out about a hundred feet from my house. If I recall, the control pad can be put up to a thousand ft. away from the instruments [wind vane, temp sensor, humidity sensor, rain gauge]. But don't quote me on that one. You can read up on their web site, if you wish.
There is a small photovoltaic panel on the instrument cluster to assist powering the outdoor stuff.
Great product if you can stomach the 3 or 4 hundred bucks. But that isn't so much when considering how many of those $25 to $150 I bought and had to junk.
I finally went for a Davis Weather system [Vantage VUE]. They are pricey, but the reviews were all great, or at least the reviews I could find. I bought the simplest one, which gives humidity in and out, temp in and out, wind speed and direction, RH, wind chill, and a number of other things. Plus records daily/monthly/annually if you care about that. And, you don't have to go thru button-pressing hassles to get to the various parameters, they are all up on the screen at the same time except for the recorded things from prior to the current day. The screen is 3 x 4 inches, plenty of room for all that info'.
Cost was list at $399, I put it on my wish list at Amazon and it soon came up at $299 and I bought it. I do not regret it, very good system and I've had zero trouble.
This Davis uses a remote digital control pad and info' screen you can put anywhere, I have mine in the house. The instrument package you stick up on a pole outdoors. They make poles that one can attach to the roof, I just used a couple ten-ft. lengths of old 3/4" black pipe I had lying around to make my own pole out about a hundred feet from my house. If I recall, the control pad can be put up to a thousand ft. away from the instruments [wind vane, temp sensor, humidity sensor, rain gauge]. But don't quote me on that one. You can read up on their web site, if you wish.
There is a small photovoltaic panel on the instrument cluster to assist powering the outdoor stuff.
Great product if you can stomach the 3 or 4 hundred bucks. But that isn't so much when considering how many of those $25 to $150 I bought and had to junk.
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I have this one, it is nice that it is an all in one outdoor unit. Has worked well for 3 years now.
http://www.vantagevue.com/
http://www.vantagevue.com/
91FE
Well-known member
If the weather was more important to me...maybe. Until then, I'll keep with licking my finger and holding it up to see which way the wind is blowing.
Nick Danger
Well-known member
I'm not skilled enough to get my old Heathkit ID-5001 to work, so a couple of years ago I got a Davis Vantage Pro 2. It's a nice unit, and you can buy software to have it communicate with your computer.
I wish I could fix the Heathkit, because the instrument boom seems to be better.
I wish I could fix the Heathkit, because the instrument boom seems to be better.
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Buckgnarly
Well-known member
Davis,
I have the Vantage 2 wireless, love it. I also am on the web as a reporting station for a few sources. My station.....
http://www.weatherlink.com/user/hintopsham/index.php?view=main&headers=1
I have the Vantage 2 wireless, love it. I also am on the web as a reporting station for a few sources. My station.....
http://www.weatherlink.com/user/hintopsham/index.php?view=main&headers=1
kd3pc
Well-known member
if not davis, peet or vantage.....not worth messing with, the rest are junk.
Stuart in MN
Well-known member
I have a La Crosse Technology and it works fine. Mine is a basic model but they have more advanced versions.
There are a few basic questions that will help people guide you. Are you looking for a wired or wireless setup (meaning how the various sensors communicate with the head unit). Are you looking for a display that you can look at or are you also wanting to access it via a PC or even the internet?
oldwino
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I have a Davis Vantage Pro2 that I was very happy with. Changed computer to a Mac and the Davis software for Mac *****!!! Can't even get display to work on screen now. Weather station worthless without software so am switching back to PC just for the station.
Great unit for a mid range price IF you run a PC
Great unit for a mid range price IF you run a PC
This is exactly what several of us have with the Davis mentioned earlier. You can use a computer if you want. I don't. The display has it all right there.
Buckgnarly
Well-known member
I also am linked in wunderground and CWOP, you need the WeatherlinkIP. I have mine uploading directly to the net from my wireless Vantage. No computer needed.
http://www.davisnet.com/weather/products/weather_product.asp?pnum=06555
Thanks, but it looks like Weatherlink IP needs to be hardwired from the console to the router.
I was wondering if you can go from console to wireless router via WiFi vs. cable.
Buckgnarly
Well-known member
My bad, you also need the weather envoy. The IP mounts inside the envoy, then the envoy connects to my router. Just checked mine, forgot about that.
http://www.davisnet.com/weather/products/weather_product.asp?pnum=06316
That is exactly the set up I have. I use a Davis Pro wireless, and all of the sensors are mounted on a pole at the side of the walkway onto my dock. It is about 100 yards from my house and I get great "reception" from the unit. I never have had any data missed, even in winds of up to 90 miles an hour.
I put it there for a couple of reasons, the primary one is because I did not want any of the houses around to distort the data, and everything is clear out by the water. I can just glance at the display that I mounted on my kitchen wall and get all the info.
darwyn
Well-known member
Not sure what your skill/interests are, have you looked at making one from an arduino or raspberry pi?
d.swanson
Well-known member
This place has a lot of good info:
http://ambientweather.wikispaces.com/Weather+Station+Comparison+Guide
I have a Davis Vantage Pro:
http://home.earthlink.net/~swanson....~swanson.systems/Current_Vantage_Pro_Plus.htm
http://home.earthlink.net/~swanson.systems/http:/home.earthlink.net/~swanson.systems/Current_Vantage_Pro_Plus.htm
http://ambientweather.wikispaces.com/Weather+Station+Comparison+Guide
I have a Davis Vantage Pro:
http://home.earthlink.net/~swanson....~swanson.systems/Current_Vantage_Pro_Plus.htm
http://home.earthlink.net/~swanson.systems/http:/home.earthlink.net/~swanson.systems/Current_Vantage_Pro_Plus.htm
rrudd2
Well-known member
I have an Ambient Weather WS-2080.
The receiver is hooked into my computer, and I run Cumulus software to upload to Weather Underground, CWOP and pwsweather.com.
This setup has been very reliable for me over the past 3 years. All I do is change the batteries twice a year. The station and the Cumulus software do the rest.
The receiver is hooked into my computer, and I run Cumulus software to upload to Weather Underground, CWOP and pwsweather.com.
This setup has been very reliable for me over the past 3 years. All I do is change the batteries twice a year. The station and the Cumulus software do the rest.
pepi
Well-known member
The Davis is a nice product, the weather console when it rains real heavy has a banner on the bottom saying "raining cats and dogs" gets an extra 5 points for the comedy.
This station does all the tricks, network wise if you need that, I strictly enjoy knowing what is happening on my spot on the planet. It even has settings for altitude, longitude and latitude so it corrects the reading
Another point it is wireless, I have owned a Davis Weather station for 30 years, running on Mac hardware and Davis weather application, this is the second station.
"Will not run on a Mac" inexperienced user. This is a screen shot Davis Vantage Pro2 on a Mac, also have UV and Solar Rad, of course no sun.
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radrush
Well-known member
I have one of these that is wireless and it works great.
kelpaso1
MEMBER EMERITUS
Well no one has brought it up yet so...why does someone need or want to waste money on a weather station? Stick you head out the door and put a cheapo thermometer out side the window. When the rain or snow is blowing sideways and I feel the north wall and bench that it's attached to move from 60km gusts, I defiantly know what the weather is. I don't need some electronic device to tell me what my eyes, ears and skin to tell me. Weather stations only tell you what's happening now, not what's coming 3 hours from now.
pepi
Well-known member
Hey oldwino,
Tell me more about your Mac and I will see it I can help you sort out the problem. Weatherlink should run just fine.
66HertzClone
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Any one had any experience with the Oregon Scinetific equipment? They have systems that can be viewed from iPads or smartphones, not just the included monitor or PC.