Author Topic: Which barometer would you get and why...  (Read 5866 times)

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Offline WX4GPS

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Which barometer would you get and why...
« on: January 22, 2018, 01:17:32 AM »
I am wondering if anyone has looked closely at these two digital barometers and which one you think is the better quality and feature set that is more important to you...


DBX2 HIGH PRECISION DIGITAL BAROGRAPH     http://www.digitalbarograph.com  $599
High precision Bosch Pressure Transducer Accuracy ±0.25 mb/hPa
Supports multiple units of measure: mb, inHg, mmHg, psi, h20, atm, pas, includes a one Day Graph and a one Week Graph, Ability to display multiple formats at once
Audible and visual alerts and warnings.
Display Sea, local and User definable pressures
Nist Test Certificate


Mintaka Duo Sensor Digital Barometer      http://www.weems-plath.com/Mintaka.html   $595

Two independent, high-precision atmospheric pressure sensors
Pressure units include: mb, hPa, kPa, in Hg, in H2O, cm H2O
Graphic pressure history display, past 30 minutes to 120 days
Choose between station or sea-level pressure display
<B>North Elkhorn Creek Weather Station</B><P>
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Offline openvista

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Re: Which barometer would you get and why...
« Reply #1 on: January 22, 2018, 08:16:44 AM »
I have the DBX2, and I like it.

With it, I am confident that the airport is, indeed, off, not me. CWOP agrees (http://weather.gladstonefamily.net/site/search?site=KSAW&Get%20information=Get%20information;). However, as you may know, that's certainly not gospel truth. So the DBX2 confirmation is essential to knowing who to trust.

One thing to note is that currently, although this may have changed since I got mine a few months ago, there is no battery power should the AC fail. I was told by ASI that a battery option would be forthcoming. Until then, if you unplug it, you lose all your history graphs and have to set the elevation & preferences again as they aren't stored in non-volatile memory. To keep from having to go through that, I hooked mine up to my battery backup unit.

6 months ago, when the airport had accurate pressure readings, I took my various iDevices down there to see which ones were closest to the truth. My wife's iPad Pro was virtually dead on. Turns out, that's the one closest in readings to the DBX2. Closer, in fact, than either my Davis VP2 (+1.2mb) or Vue console (-0.4mb).
« Last Edit: January 22, 2018, 08:21:15 AM by openvista »
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Offline openvista

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Re: Which barometer would you get and why...
« Reply #2 on: January 22, 2018, 08:18:57 AM »
I should also say that I received very good service from Chris @ ASI before and after the sale.
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Offline ValentineWeather

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Re: Which barometer would you get and why...
« Reply #3 on: January 22, 2018, 12:59:56 PM »
The airport and CWOP use altimeter does the DBX2 unit have options to pick altimeter? Looks like it does if altimeter is what they call local pressure. Quote: Display Sea, local and User definable pressures
Randy

Offline openvista

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Re: Which barometer would you get and why...
« Reply #4 on: January 22, 2018, 01:04:41 PM »
The airport and CWOP use altimeter does the DBX2 unit have options to pick altimeter? Looks like it does if altimeter is what they call local pressure. Quote: Display Sea, local and User definable pressures

Local pressure = station pressure (a.k.a. raw atmopsheric pressure).

Sea level pressure = altimeter

User defined pressure currently is the same as local pressure but, according to ASI, forthcoming firmware options should distinguish this from the others.
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Offline openvista

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Re: Which barometer would you get and why...
« Reply #5 on: January 22, 2018, 01:06:39 PM »
I should also point out that the DBX2 has been officially released for less than 2 months (announced Nov 30). I got mine when it was still in beta testing in September. It's been rock solid.
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Offline ValentineWeather

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Re: Which barometer would you get and why...
« Reply #6 on: January 22, 2018, 01:11:28 PM »
 Nope, Sea level pressure isn't altimeter. Maybe that's the issue this barometer doesn't do altimeter. The exact problem with the VP2 it doesn't do altimeter either but the Vue console does.
« Last Edit: January 22, 2018, 01:13:45 PM by ValentineWeather »
Randy

Offline openvista

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Re: Which barometer would you get and why...
« Reply #7 on: January 22, 2018, 01:16:42 PM »
Nope, Sea level pressure isn't altimeter. Maybe that's the issue this barometer doesn't do altimeter.

No, I mean they call altimeter "sea level pressure". I can say with 100% certainty they are using altimeter. They even have the formula in the manual. It's the ASOS 1 formula. It's the same formula that the Vue console uses.

In fairness, most barograph manufacturers (as well as iPhone app developers) refer to altimeter as "sea level pressure". Technically, altimeter is the current atmospheric pressure reduced to sea level, except it uses standard atmospheric conditions (ISA) rather than actual atmospheric conditions to calculate the reduction.
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Offline CW2274

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Re: Which barometer would you get and why...
« Reply #8 on: January 22, 2018, 03:04:59 PM »
Nope, Sea level pressure isn't altimeter. Maybe that's the issue this barometer doesn't do altimeter.

No, I mean they call altimeter "sea level pressure".
Well they'd be wrong, they're not the same. For instance my SLP earlier was 30.35", my altimeter 30.26". That's significant.

This is from the NWS:

ALTIMETER SETTING: This is the pressure reading most commonly heard in radio and television broadcasts. It is not the true barometric pressure at a station. Instead it is the pressure "reduced" to mean sea level using the temperature profile of the "standard" atmosphere, which is representative of average conditions over the United States at 40 degrees north latitude. The altimeter setting is the pressure value to which an aircraft altimeter scale is set so that it will indicate the altitude (above mean sea level) of the aircraft on the ground at the location for which the pressure value was determined. The altimeter setting is an attempt to remove elevation effects from pressure readings using "standard" conditions.

MEAN SEA LEVEL PRESSURE: This is the pressure reading most commonly used by meteorologists to track weather systems at the surface. Like altimeter setting, it is a "reduced" pressure which uses observed conditions rather than "standard" conditions to remove the effects of elevation from pressure readings. This reduction estimates the pressure that would exist at sea level at a point directly below the station using a temperature profile based on temperatures that actually exist at the station. In practice the temperature used in the reduction is a mean temperature for the preceding twelve hours. Mean sea level pressure should be used with caution at high elevations as temperatures can have a very profound effect on the reduced pressures, sometimes giving rise to fictitious pressure patterns and anomalous mean sea level pressure values.

Offline openvista

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Re: Which barometer would you get and why...
« Reply #9 on: January 22, 2018, 04:11:11 PM »
Nope, Sea level pressure isn't altimeter. Maybe that's the issue this barometer doesn't do altimeter.

No, I mean they call altimeter "sea level pressure".
Well they'd be wrong, they're not the same. For instance my SLP earlier was 30.35", my altimeter 30.26". That's significant.

Look, I get it. MSLP or "SLP", as NOAA sometimes employs the term, is not the same as altimeter (example: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mesowest/timeseries.php?sid=E7933&num=48). Aviation refers to it as either QFF or QNH. My point is that different communities, for instance mariners who depend on barographs in closed cabins, refer to sea-level pressure differently with varying degrees of precision. It results in a lot of confusion.

Bottom line is this: how would a digital barograph intended for indoor usage that lacks external sensors calculate MSLP? It couldn't. So the only sea-level reduction method available would be altimeter.
« Last Edit: January 22, 2018, 04:17:13 PM by openvista »
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Offline CW2274

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Re: Which barometer would you get and why...
« Reply #10 on: January 22, 2018, 04:34:20 PM »
Yes, it's very confusing. I use the altimeter merely so I can be on a level playing field with what the rest of the country uses for public consumption, nothing more, nothing less.

Offline CW2274

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Re: Which barometer would you get and why...
« Reply #11 on: January 22, 2018, 05:20:02 PM »
Here's a perfect example why I use the altimeter; when the cold front barreled through a couple of days ago, I could tell pretty much down to the minute when it happen as the subsequent pressure took off and accompaniment wind shift. The two ASOS's 8 miles SE of me, had not. Within minutes, I could tell at a glance, they followed suit. Is it life and death stuff, no, but it is fun, at least for me.

Offline openvista

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Re: Which barometer would you get and why...
« Reply #12 on: January 22, 2018, 05:33:33 PM »
Here's a perfect example why I use the altimeter; when the cold front barreled through a couple of days ago, I could tell pretty much down to the minute when it happen as the subsequent pressure took off and accompaniment wind shift. The two ASOS's 8 miles SE of me, had not. Within minutes, I could tell at a glance, they followed suit. Is it life and death stuff, no, but it is fun, at least for me.

The DBX2 sensor is VERY sensitive. It reads to the thousandth of an inch of mercury or hundredth of a millibar. It's almost always in motion, even when the Davis console pressure trend reads "steady".
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Offline CW2274

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Re: Which barometer would you get and why...
« Reply #13 on: January 22, 2018, 05:39:20 PM »
Here's a perfect example why I use the altimeter; when the cold front barreled through a couple of days ago, I could tell pretty much down to the minute when it happen as the subsequent pressure took off and accompaniment wind shift. The two ASOS's 8 miles SE of me, had not. Within minutes, I could tell at a glance, they followed suit. Is it life and death stuff, no, but it is fun, at least for me.

The DBX2 sensor is VERY sensitive. It reads to the thousandth of an inch of mercury
So does WL. Is the Vue as accurate or responsive, surely not, but it is as precise.

Offline jas340

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Re: Which barometer would you get and why...
« Reply #14 on: April 23, 2018, 03:12:53 AM »
An excellent digital barometer for a reasonable price.  http://www.dracal.com/store/products/usb_bar20/index.php

A comparison with much more expensive units:  https://www.analogweather.com/-accuracy-of-digital-barometers.html

Offline galfert

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Re: Which barometer would you get and why...
« Reply #15 on: July 25, 2018, 07:08:21 AM »
Can someone enlighten me as to why you'd spend $600 on a barometer?

I get that it has more precision digits and is more accurate. But why do you need this? Just to check the acuracy of your station? There has got to be more to this I think. What am I missing?

Is it possible to use this high end barometer data instead of your weather station barometer in feeding cloud services? If yes, what are the requirements and setup for this?
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Offline blizzardof78

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Re: Which barometer would you get and why...
« Reply #16 on: April 29, 2020, 12:25:52 AM »
I have the DBX2, and I like it.

With it, I am confident that the airport is, indeed, off, not me. CWOP agrees (http://weather.gladstonefamily.net/site/search?site=KSAW&Get%20information=Get%20information;). However, as you may know, that's certainly not gospel truth. So the DBX2 confirmation is essential to knowing who to trust.

One thing to note is that currently, although this may have changed since I got mine a few months ago, there is no battery power should the AC fail. I was told by ASI that a battery option would be forthcoming. Until then, if you unplug it, you lose all your history graphs and have to set the elevation & preferences again as they aren't stored in non-volatile memory. To keep from having to go through that, I hooked mine up to my battery backup unit.

6 months ago, when the airport had accurate pressure readings, I took my various iDevices down there to see which ones were closest to the truth. My wife's iPad Pro was virtually dead on. Turns out, that's the one closest in readings to the DBX2. Closer, in fact, than either my Davis VP2 (+1.2mb) or Vue console (-0.4mb).

So you've had the Barometer for over two years now. Your thoughts? I'm considering the purchase of one. Any input would be appreciated. Thank you.

Don in Ohio

Offline blizzardof78

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Re: Which barometer would you get and why...
« Reply #17 on: May 09, 2020, 12:02:23 AM »
I did purchase a DBX2 and it is currently in transit to my home here in eastern Ohio now. I do not take the purchase lightly as it is the most expensive piece of weather equipment I have ever purchased. I expect delivery next Tuesday; Monday if I'm lucky. When I have it set up I'll post a video review. I discovered absolutely NO video of this Barometer in action. Thanks to all of you for your comments directly relating to the DBX2 above. I purchased the unit in the photo.
« Last Edit: May 09, 2020, 12:08:45 AM by blizzardof78 »

Offline CW2274

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Re: Which barometer would you get and why...
« Reply #18 on: May 09, 2020, 12:20:03 AM »
I did purchase a DBX2 and it is currently in transit to my home here in eastern Ohio now. I do not take the purchase lightly as it is the most expensive piece of weather equipment I have ever purchased.
Will it have to go through a two week learning period?

Seriously, nice piece of equipment. [tup]

Offline blizzardof78

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Re: Which barometer would you get and why...
« Reply #19 on: May 09, 2020, 11:35:49 AM »
I did purchase a DBX2 and it is currently in transit to my home here in eastern Ohio now. I do not take the purchase lightly as it is the most expensive piece of weather equipment I have ever purchased.
Will it have to go through a two week learning period?

Seriously, nice piece of equipment. [tup]

LOL it better be more like a 2 hour curve at that! I'm sure hoping this bad boy does what I think it's gonna... I think the black against my light colored office wall will look awesome too!

Offline tweatherman

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Re: Which barometer would you get and why...
« Reply #20 on: May 09, 2020, 12:34:50 PM »
Awesome piece for sure Don!

tweatherman

Offline blizzardof78

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Re: Which barometer would you get and why...
« Reply #21 on: May 09, 2020, 04:30:16 PM »
I did purchase a DBX2 and it is currently in transit to my home here in eastern Ohio now. I do not take the purchase lightly as it is the most expensive piece of weather equipment I have ever purchased. I expect delivery next Tuesday; Monday if I'm lucky. When I have it set up I'll post a video review. I discovered absolutely NO video of this Barometer in action. Thanks to all of you for your comments directly relating to the DBX2 above. I purchased the unit in the photo.
I have both DBX1 and DBX2... basically two different machines. I prefer the DBX2 display, but it is not dim-able and definitely lights up the room at night.

I'm always curious to see what folks have as a set-up. Have you ever placed photos of the DBX1 and 2 on here or could you? Just curious. Thanks!

Offline WheatonRon

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Re: Which barometer would you get and why...
« Reply #22 on: May 09, 2020, 10:23:51 PM »
Can someone enlighten me as to why you'd spend $600 on a barometer?

I get that it has more precision digits and is more accurate. But why do you need this? Just to check the acuracy of your station? There has got to be more to this I think. What am I missing?

Is it possible to use this high end barometer data instead of your weather station barometer in feeding cloud services? If yes, what are the requirements and setup for this?

I am with you. I don’t see a good reason to spend that kind of money on a barometer. No one has answered galfert’s question.
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Offline blizzardof78

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Re: Which barometer would you get and why...
« Reply #23 on: May 09, 2020, 11:59:54 PM »
Can someone enlighten me as to why you'd spend $600 on a barometer?

I get that it has more precision digits and is more accurate. But why do you need this? Just to check the acuracy of your station? There has got to be more to this I think. What am I missing?

Is it possible to use this high end barometer data instead of your weather station barometer in feeding cloud services? If yes, what are the requirements and setup for this?

I am with you. I don’t see a good reason to spend that kind of money on a barometer. No one has answered galfert’s question.

Well personally myself, because I want a Barometer that'll give me the most accurate reading when important things like cold fronts go by. I'm also interested in when Thunderstorms go through or near the area to see what type of impact they have on the pressure.

Aside of this, it's because I have / had a few spare $'s and wanted to treat myself to a new piece of weather equipment.

The rest of my commentary I'll keep to myself because I will get banned or kicked off the Forum if I give you my real thoughts on your question. And BTW, I did NOT pay $600 for the Barometer. Do your research. The web site to go to is https://www.digitalbarograph.com/barograph_order.asp for "pricing". Check eBay, you MAY be able to get it cheaper than what they are asking for it. ;)

Offline Jim_S

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Re: Which barometer would you get and why...
« Reply #24 on: May 11, 2020, 03:09:40 PM »
I'm always curious to see what folks have as a set-up. Have you ever placed photos of the DBX1 and 2 on here or could you? Just curious. Thanks!
Me too! I hope when you get your barometer you'll post some pictures and a report. I wonder what the OP bought? They never posted again in the thread.