Weather Stations

[LJG]

Does anyone have a recommendation for an advanced Weather Station? Something that can use wireless technology to talk to maybe 5 - 10 output sensors?

The key thing is one that will connect to your PC so you can download data and track it, graph it, etc.

[PalmGuyWC]

Yesterday I bought another wireless indoor/outdore temp. sensor from Radio Shack for $29 and it has large digital read outs. They had a more expensive model that gives the realitive humidity inside, but that would be useless info. for me. You can have 3 different sensors on the model I bought and it works like a charm. I have two other remote sensors, that were more expensive that I got from Sharper Image a few years back.

I put all three sensors together outside, and they all agree within .05 of each other, so they are pretty accurate. My property is flat, but depending on canapy, there can be as much as 4 or 5 degrees difference from one location to the other.

I've considered getting a remote weather station, but I can get all that information off the weather channel on TV every 10 minutes, or I can check the doppler in real time from my computer at any time. The only specific info. I need are the temps at different locations in my garden.

Dick

[freakypalmguy]

This is the unit I'm looking at Len.  Honeywell TE923W Complete Wireless Weather Station w/ Remote Control

Weather Shack  seams to have good prices.

Matt

[freakypalmguy]

Actually just found it at AmbientWeather.com for $199.00 and they have it in stock.

Matt

[doubravsky]

Matt ... I've been thinking about something like this. Can you summarize your thoughts on this one for me? I want something that I can use 4 or 5 wireless outdoor sensors to compare the different microclimates in my yard. \\

Have you looked at any other units?

thanks!

[freakypalmguy]

(doubravsky @ Dec. 28 2007,10:54)

QUOTE

Matt ... I've been thinking about something like this. Can you summarize your thoughts on this one for me? I want something that I can use 4 or 5 wireless outdoor sensors to compare the different microclimates in my yard. \\

Have you looked at any other units?

thanks!

Hi Dave,

I've just started looking into these units this week and found a broad array of prices into the thousands as you can imagine.

Some of the less expensive units did not include wind reading, which I would like to record as I'm contemplating a wind generator for my electicity.

Also rain was not included in the $100 and below category or if it did, I dont think they were self emptying.

Here's a copy and paste of the features of the  Honeywell TE923W Wireless Weather Station:

The Honeywell TE923 Complete Weather Station includes a unique Remote Control with Atomic Clock monitors temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, windspeed and direction, rainfall and UV index.

This wireless weather station also has 12 to 24-hour weather forecasting and a 24-hour barometric pressure history chart.

The Honeywell weather station accepts up to four additional temperature and humidity sensors. The wireless transmission range is approximately 100 feet (line of sight).

Includes weather station software software, and USB adaptor.

Time

Automatically sets to the US Atomic clock

Dual crescendo alarm with programmable snooze

User-friendly sunrise & sunset calculator

Moon Phase Calendar

Weather

12 to 24 hour weather forecast

24 hour barometric pressure history chart

8-channel capability-accepts up to 4 additional sensors(sold separately)

Programmable ice warning alarm

Indoor/Outdoor Temperature & Humidity

Infrared remote control of all display’s functions

Included sensors:

Anemometer measures wind speed and direction

Rain gauge measures rainfall amount

Wireless UV sensor measures UV levels

Thermo-hygrometer measures temperature and humidity

200 weather records without PC connection

Programmable memory intervals – from 10 minutes to 24 hours

PC software (included) and USB port

Operating range from 100 feet (30 meters) up to 328 feet (100 meters)

Display

LED backlight

Automatic backlight control

     The jump above the 200-250$ goes into the $500's on up (Davis units which seem to be top of the line) was more than I wanted to spend.

So I narrowed it down to a few units:

-Oregon Scientific WMR968 Wireless Weather Station

-Honeywell TE923W Wireless Weather Station.

Of the two, the Honeywell had better reviews. It also included the software and cable whereas the O.S. unit did not.

There are also a lot of units with very favorable reviews in the low to mid 100's, but most had smaller displays and did not include the software or cable either.

There are also some sub 100$ units that have great reviews from La Crosse, they just did not include all the features I was looking for.

Good luck in your search, and I hope this info helps.

Matt

[steve 9atx]

Matt

Did you notice that if you bought the WeatherUnderground version of the Oregon Scientific station from ambientweather they throw in the software, cable, etc. as long as you agree to post your data to their website?  I wonder if this limits you to one temperature sensor.

Steve

[_Keith]

(freakypalmguy @ Dec. 28 2007,10:07)

QUOTE

This is the unit I'm looking at Len.  Honeywell TE923W Complete Wireless Weather Station w/ Remote Control

Weather Shack  seams to have good prices.

Matt

Temperature accuracy was stated at + or - 2 degrees.  That is a 4 degree window and may not be accurate enough for a detailed study, especially one of microclimates.

keith

[galveston1602]

I have a oregon scientific WMR968   its wireless, been conected to the cpu (wunderground too) for over a year.  all in all I like it, had a temp sensor issue and they replaced it no questions asked.....

the hardest part about a weather station that no one ever mentions is that to get accurate reading your temp sensor has to be in a enclosure and theyre a pain in the but to get right, unless you use a fan, so now im in the process of making a solar powered fan!  as my temp can be off a bit in the middle of the day or on extremely still cold nights.  also without a fan the humidity seems to get off a bit

[freakypalmguy]

(steve 9atx @ Dec. 28 2007,13:38)

QUOTE

Matt

Did you notice that if you bought the WeatherUnderground version of the Oregon Scientific station from ambientweather they throw in the software, cable, etc. as long as you agree to post your data to their website?  I wonder if this limits you to one temperature sensor.

Steve

I didn't Steve, I just noticed the reviews on Amazonwere not as good on that unit.

Matt

[freakypalmguy]

(keiththibodeaux @ Dec. 28 2007,13:49)

QUOTE

(freakypalmguy @ Dec. 28 2007,10:07)

QUOTE

This is the unit I'm looking at Len.  Honeywell TE923W Complete Wireless Weather Station w/ Remote Control

Weather Shack  seams to have good prices.

Matt

Temperature accuracy was stated at + or - 2 degrees.  That is a 4 degree window and may not be accurate enough for a detailed study, especially one of microclimates.

keith

I did notice that, but to get the real good stuff, like a Davis the price jumps to the $500's and on into the $1000's, and unfortunately that does not fit my budget.

Matt

[freakypalmguy]

(galveston1602 @ Dec. 28 2007,14:08)

QUOTE

I have a oregon scientific WMR968   its wireless, been conected to the cpu (wunderground too) for over a year.  all in all I like it, had a temp sensor issue and they replaced it no questions asked.....

the hardest part about a weather station that no one ever mentions is that to get accurate reading your temp sensor has to be in a enclosure and theyre a pain in the but to get right, unless you use a fan, so now im in the process of making a solar powered fan!  as my temp can be off a bit in the middle of the day or on extremely still cold nights.  also without a fan the humidity seems to get off a bit

Have you seen this unit? Ambient Weather SRS100 Temperature and Humidity Solar Radiation Shield

[freakypalmguy]

I looked back into the Oregon Scientific unit again and found that many of the bad reviews are because of the bad users manual. It has solar powered sensors, which is a plus. Hmmmmm which one?

Edit: looked further into the reviews and lots of failures reported and some trouble with the solar????

[MattyB]

You mean like this Len?

[LJG]

Matt, once I get the results I am looking for and have implimented everything, I will not share the data collected with you. You will be on your own for weather station recommendations.

[MattyB]

You're like an evil weather lord.  You're like Mr. Heat Miser.

[happ]

Thanks for the additional info on weather instruments [seems like I can never get enough thermometers  :laugh:

freakypalmguy

My experienced with Oregon's products [ie solar-powered sensors] hasn't been satisfactory.  It seems rainwater collects and rots out the batteries.  Since I purchased the unit online via another manufacture the warranty wasn't honored by Oregon Instruments  

Davis has good instruments but are expensive.

[freakypalmguy]

That's what some of the reviews were saying on the Oregon unit. Lot's of failures.

Here is a helpfull link to a Comparison of Home Weather Station PDF file

Matt

[mnorell]

I have a Davis VantagePro2, it was about $500 and worth every penny! If you do this, make sure you get Virtual Weather Station software as it's much better than the included software in terms of graphing, etc. This wireless unit is full-featured, rock-solid accurate. Shop around for the best deal, price varies widely between internet dealers.

I'm on wunderground as are many others around the country and having a professional-level station is extraordinarily valuable to me. it is money well spent.

[freakypalmguy]

Well I made the decision and bought the Honeywell TE923W from Ambient Weather for 200 clams. It was here in two days. Packaged nicely, all the components look like nice quality. It was very easy to set up, just a little confusion with the pressure entry but Ambient helped me out. The sensors are all over 100 feet away from the base unit but were instantly picked up and have not lost signal since I have turned on the unit. So far I am very happy. If I were a little fatter in the wallet I definitely would have gone with the Davis Pro due to it's reputation, but for my purposes this thing is great for the dough. Just like the Davis, the software included is very basic so I will probably be upgrading it.

Just out of the box

Setup in my office

Lot of bang for the buck,

Matt

[ariscott]

Definitely get Davis Pro2, if you can afford one!! Worth every penny!! Trust me, my other half is a storm chaser.

Regards, Ari

[Walter John]

I put one of these in my Toyota ute last year, now it's 1994 and it still doesn't work.

[Neofolis]

I have been looking again at weather stations, since my current La Crosse system no longer has a PC option for me, because it doesn't work with Vista.

I like the Davis/Watchdog systems, which I assume are actually the same hardware, but with different branding.  I am rather confused as to what I actually need though.  I can save some money, because I don't need the console, I just want to get the information from the sensors to the PC.  They have dataloggers listed, which I assume serve this purpose, but I also noticed I need a "Weather Envoy" to get the information from the sensors to the datalogger.

I'm not sure exactly what the dataloggers do.  I assume they are just software that stores the data from the console/envoy and then the actual weather data software of choice uses the information from the datalogger.

Any help would be appreciated.

Also my main requirements are temperature/humidity sensors and solar radiations sensors.  As I will mostly be monitoring conditions in my polytunnel, the plants are going to be mostly affected by temperature, humidity and light.  Would I need a radiation shield inside my polytunnel? I assume yes and would I need one for each sensor, including those in the shade?

Too many questions, too much confusion.

My La Crosse system is probably totally inaccurate and certainly doesn't have all of the features I want, but at least it is easy.

P.S. Nice Flux capacitor Wal, I didn't realize the forum was also capable of time travel, but you managed to get your post up, so I guess it must be.

[JimR]

(ariscott @ Jan. 09 2008,03:13)

QUOTE

Definitely get Davis Pro2, if you can afford one!! Worth every penny!! Trust me, my other half is a storm chaser.

Regards, Ari

I have been looking at the Davis Vantage products for about a year now.  They are pricey, but seem to offer the most features and the best accuracy.  Does anyone NOT like them?  Has anyone had problems with them?

On another tack, I do not live at the property at which I would set up the station.  I am there about 2 weekends a month on average.  Part of my purpose is to be able to monitor the weather remotely.  I am somewhat concerned about the idea of having a computer running 24/7 while I am not around.  Does anyone have experience with this?  Does the internet software piece require an always-on broadband connection or could it use a dial up connection in sort of a "burst" mode?

[Neofolis]

It states on one website that I was looking at the the IP models don't require a computer to be active for them to send data.  There are dial-up versions, but it looked like they are permanently connected, because it stated that they refresh every 2.5 seconds, although that may be configurable.

The Watchdog systems that I was looking at are definitely not the same hardware as Davis, as I first suspected and are even more expensive, but they also offer extra options, like co² meters, etc.

I finally worked out that the datalogger is hardware that uses EEPROM to store data, until the PC is turned on to retrieve it, but I still can't work out exactly what I do or don't need.

Is the 24/7 aspirated radiation shield worth the quite large premium over the standard version?

[freakypalmguy]

Yes, my station has to be connected 24/7 and the computer on to be on the web. I just got mine up and running on the Weather Underground yesterday, here's a link to My Weather Station . I plan on putting up a web cam also. That way I can make sure there are no extra cars in the driveway

[Neofolis]

OK, I think I've worked out what I need from the Davis Vantage Pro 2 range.

6152 Wireless Weather Station

6382 Wireless Temperature/Humidity Station

6450 Solar Radiation Sensor

6510 Weatherlink USB + Weather Station (Internet Version)

I'm assuming this is all I would need to have a standard weather station assembly outside and have temperature, humidity and solar radiation sensors in my polytunnel and be able to connect it all to my PC and upload data to Weather Underground and to my own site.

Does anyone know if there is any reason the US version would not work in the UK, with appropriate AC adaptors of course?

I also quite like the idea of the soil temperature and moisture sensors, but as everything I have is in pots, I would need about 80 of each, which is just a little price prohibitive.

[spockvr6]

(Neofolis @ Jan. 10 2008,01:52)

QUOTE

Is the 24/7 aspirated radiation shield worth the quite large premium over the standard version?

I have used both fan aspirated and non aspirated shields and the fan aspirated ones are certainly more accurate.

I have tested mine by turning the fan off and on, and I can see the reading change.  It invariably reads higher (day or night, but especially during the day) with the fan off.

[spockvr6]

(JimR @ Jan. 09 2008,20:04)

QUOTE

 I am somewhat concerned about the idea of having a computer running 24/7 while I am not around.  Does anyone have experience with this?  Does the internet software piece require an always-on broadband connection or could it use a dial up connection in sort of a "burst" mode?

I use freeware called FreeWx for my data uploads to weatherunderground.

Athough I dont use this feature (as I have DSL), I believe this software does allow dial up connections.  But, the software can be used only with Oregon Scientific stations.

http://insvr1.midcoastwater.com.au/FreeWX/_sgt/f10000.htm

[ariscott]

(Neofolis @ Jan. 10 2008,10:42)

QUOTE

Does anyone know if there is any reason the US version would not work in the UK, with appropriate AC adaptors of course?

It should work as most of my friends bought theirs from the US. Although you have to check with the UK mobile phone network, as one of them interfered with one of mobile phone network here. So, their neighbour wasnot impressed. I am sure it was not the Davis Pro2 though... just check anyway, if you can.

Regards, Ari

[galveston1602]

(freakypalmguy @ Dec. 28 2007,14:38)

QUOTE

(galveston1602 @ Dec. 28 2007,14:08)

QUOTE

I have a oregon scientific WMR968   its wireless, been conected to the cpu (wunderground too) for over a year.  all in all I like it, had a temp sensor issue and they replaced it no questions asked.....

the hardest part about a weather station that no one ever mentions is that to get accurate reading your temp sensor has to be in a enclosure and theyre a pain in the but to get right, unless you use a fan, so now im in the process of making a solar powered fan!  as my temp can be off a bit in the middle of the day or on extremely still cold nights.  also without a fan the humidity seems to get off a bit

Have you seen this unit? Ambient Weather SRS100 Temperature and Humidity Solar Radiation Shield

Thats what I currently use BUT mine was only ~ 10$ made from a bunch of plant saucers mounted to a couple of pieces of allthread...

Im with larry, you really need a fan aspirated system, im currently schemeing on how to get a solar powered fan on my housing....

[Dypsisdean]

FYI --- Here is the address for a friend of mine's Davis online weather unit, just down the road. I have been referring to it for 5 years and it is always working and providing what appears to be accurate info.

http://www.turquoise.net/~cmoss/weather/Cu...Vantage_Pro.htm