Topic: Ambient WS-2080 vs. TP1080WC ProWeatherStation

[BradBinder]

These seem to be similar in price and feature set.  Both fit my budget. 
This is my first weather station and I am looking for something to interface with weather underground.

Please do not hesitate to email me if you have very strong opinions either way.

Thanks

A weather newbie

[Gulfcoast]

I'm not a negative person but after owning several I'd save my $$$ and at least get the Davis Vantage Vue... or better yet the VP2.  Just my hard learned opinion...  

[mike_b]

I would agree to save money a bit longer and get the Davis Vantage Vue. This would be a solid first weather station.

Scientific Sales has it for $256.99 http://www.scientificsales.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=6250&e=Y

Next, you would need something like the Davis data logger to connect the Vue to your computer. This comes in a serial cable or USB version.
http://www.ambientweather.com/dain65sewefo.html

SLOweather has built a serial cable interface to connect the Vue to your computer. I don't think he has released a price yet, but it should be much less that the Davis data logger. http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=12432.0

[meteolarissa]

Me too, after 10 yrs worked with lacrosse and oregon i look these wsations like toy...i am sorry if say bad but vantage vue and vp2 the best and no more spend money...

[wxtech]

Most of us started with a frugal approach to this wx hobby.  You're on a Davis happy forum, so many of us ended up with a Davis.  If you don't get a Davis first, you'll be wishing you'd saved your money and waited on the Davis.  Davis products rides the border between hobby wx and professional wx eqpt.

[DanS]

These seem to be similar in price and feature set.  Both fit my budget. 
This is my first weather station and I am looking for something to interface with weather underground.

Please do not hesitate to email me if you have very strong opinions either way.

Thanks

A weather newbie

You can read though all the various threads on the different brand stations here but it appears the models you mention have the least complaints of failures and/or accuracy of them all. Maybe because there are so few in use comparatively but the members that do use them seem happy with them. An affordable entry into the hobby and for some reason it doesn't work out not a big loss. Good luck with your decision and welcome to the forum!

[Skywatch]

I agree with everyone else, I've pretty much seen it all as far as weather stations go. I bought a WMR100 4 years ago. She's still working but I soon realized the WMR100 wasn't going to give me 100% satisfaction. So like many of us, I saved up a little and eventually I moved up to a Davis Vantage Pro2. But depending on budget and personal needs the Vue should work as well. So If you ask me or anyone else, you'll be far better off saving up for a real weather station than to settle on something that won't guarantee you max performance.

[AZDesertRat]

I bought the Pro weather station 1080 and am very happy with it for the price. I got the one with two master panels so I can place one remotely in my living room and the other next to the PC, very convienient. It replaced a LaCrosse 2317 which would not communicate with my new Windows 7 PC and USB ports.

I looked at the Ambient but being in AZ they had to charge sales tax and had no local pickup so shipping too. Could have done Amazon but the Pro was still less money, no tax and free shipping.

The Davis would have been my second choice but money was an object at this point.

[Stetson1]

I've had my 1080 clone (Zephyr PWS-1000TD) for almost two years now. Runs fine and is as accurate as any of the Davis systems around me. I am not knocking Davis, but $500+ is a lot for a hobby. I change the batteries (Lithium) once a year and it keeps working. The Ambient 2080 is the same basic system, so either will work.

There are a few of us out there that are not running Davis systems and I think most are just fine with it. I almost pulled the trigger on a VP2 earlier this year but could not justify the $$$ for a system that reports a little faster then the one I have. It is always a personal choice, so you have to choose the value for the dollar you want to spend.

T

[Skywatch]

I've had my 1080 clone (Zephyr PWS-1000TD) for almost two years now. Runs fine and is as accurate as any of the Davis systems around me. I am not knocking Davis, but $500+ is a lot for a hobby. I change the batteries (Lithium) once a year and it keeps working. The Ambient 2080 is the same basic system, so either will work.

There are a few of us out there that are not running Davis systems and I think most are just fine with it. I almost pulled the trigger on a VP2 earlier this year but could not justify the $$$ for a system that reports a little faster then the one I have. It is always a personal choice, so you have to choose the value for the dollar you want to spend.

T

I wouldn't be to shure. The PWS-1000TD or WS1080 is a great station for it's price. But in general the Vantage stations have every advantage over the cheaper units. It's not just accuracy, but reliability, durrability, and performance. The Vantage Pro2 you can add things like UV, solar radiation, leaf wetness, soil moisture, soil/water temperature, additional temperature and humidity. I mean not everyone needs those but it's nice to have the option. On screen graphing is another thing I and many like.

The forecasting of the Vantage stations is more advanced. The PWS-1000 only uses air pressure and trend. The Vantage stations use everything. Plus the VP2's ticker tape is cool.

Also, faster wind updates makes a big difference. If a wind gust suddenly hits the anemometer but comes back down before it's registered you lost that wind gust. Those PWS-1000 update every 40 something seconds in comparison with other stations on the market 40 seconds is pretty bad. That's why sometimes the Davis stations report higher winds is because they caught it while slower stations don't. Depending on budget the PWS-1000 is a great station for it's price. But if you can bite the 500$ bullet, do.

[AZDesertRat]

As Stetson1 said, this is a hobby for many of us and the Pro weather station does everything we or I need it do and its plenty fast.
If I were earning my living with it, just as I don't buy my tools at Harbor Freight I wouldn't buy my weather station by price alone either. For what I do it fine though.

[Skywatch]

As Stetson1 said, this is a hobby for many of us and the Pro weather station does everything we or I need it do and its plenty fast.
If I were earning my living with it, just as I don't buy my tools at Harbor Freight I wouldn't buy my weather station by price alone either. For what I do it fine though.

Just saying, don't put your money to something you can get better even if it's a little more. At least that's the way I work.
Not saying the PWS won't work. But from my own experiences I can promiss you a Vantage Station will work better in my honest opinion.

[Skywatch]

BradBinder, My advice would be to take into consideration what you read on the forums. Do a little research. Read reviews, come up with a list of the top 10 stations you feal most comfortable with. Compair them side by side. Narrow it down to 5. Compair those, then bring it down to your top 3. Keeping tally of budget so you don't go broke and see which station seems more economical or offers you more for the price. I mean those PWS-1000TD's are great. They include touch screen. Some models have the built in data logger. PC interface is already included at no extra cost. And the sensor suit is easily customizable. Even comes with it's own pole section! But if you can go with a Davis.

[AZDesertRat]

If the prices were similar I would have easily gone with the Davis, but at $130 shipped for the Pro with two consoles and data logging there was no comparison. We are really talking apples and oranges here. The apples work but the oranges would be nicer, for a price that I was not willing to pay though. Someday down the road if I get serious about the hobby I may change but for now I am perfectly satisfied with my purchase.

The software it comes with is OK but I found Cumulus to be much better and will contribute to its developer once I am employed again. Losing a job after 35 years in the industry really sucks.

[Stetson1]

For me when I decided to get a weather station, if my only choice was the Davis products, I would not be on this forum as it's simply a hobby. It's a hobby that I really enjoy but I don't see myself ever getting so serious about it that I could justify the cost of a Davis system. That is just me, I know there are many serious weather enthusiasts on this forum and more power to them.

I just wish everyone would quit pushing the Davis systems on everyone. We all know they are much better than the cheaper systems, but it seems that when someone talks about anything other than a VP2 the whole "you should save up and not make the mistake of getting a cheaper unit" chorus starts. Not everyone needs all the great features the Davis systems provide, and not all of us are willing to sink that much money into it.

Just my 2 cents worth.

[Skywatch]

For me when I decided to get a weather station, if my only choice was the Davis products, I would not be on this forum as it's simply a hobby. It's a hobby that I really enjoy but I don't see myself ever getting so serious about it that I could justify the cost of a Davis system. That is just me, I know there are many serious weather enthusiasts on this forum and more power to them.

I just wish everyone would quit pushing the Davis systems on everyone. We all know they are much better than the cheaper systems, but it seems that when someone talks about anything other than a VP2 the whole "you should save up and not make the mistake of getting a cheaper unit" chorus starts. Not everyone needs all the great features the Davis systems provide, and not all of us are willing to sink that much money into it.

Just my 2 cents worth.

This is kind of opening up something that's already been settled. You have a point. However many of us recommend the Davis station because we may have dealt with the cheaper units. We've been there and done that and weren't happy. And we're just trying to save someone else from going through the same thing. Now I can't speak for the PWS-1000 because I've never owned that model. But such stations are comparable to others that may have given bad experiences. Not saying one specific model is bad. But it's guilt by affiliation
if you get my point there. So when some of us recommend the Davis models, that's coming from personal experiences. The main idea is, if your budget will allow it, and your enthusiasm is all for it, then do it. It 's all a matter of personal comfort and ability.

[SlowModem]

For me when I decided to get a weather station, if my only choice was the Davis products, I would not be on this forum as it's simply a hobby. It's a hobby that I really enjoy but I don't see myself ever getting so serious about it that I could justify the cost of a Davis system. That is just me, I know there are many serious weather enthusiasts on this forum and more power to them.

I just wish everyone would quit pushing the Davis systems on everyone. We all know they are much better than the cheaper systems, but it seems that when someone talks about anything other than a VP2 the whole "you should save up and not make the mistake of getting a cheaper unit" chorus starts. Not everyone needs all the great features the Davis systems provide, and not all of us are willing to sink that much money into it.

Just my 2 cents worth.

I have three types of stations on one pole so that people can compare the accuracy and update frequency.  While price is a major factor, update rate, ability to separate sensors, solar vs.battery, etc., are also factors worth consideration.

[DanS]

I've had my 1080 clone (Zephyr PWS-1000TD) for almost two years now. Runs fine and is as accurate as any of the Davis systems around me. I am not knocking Davis, but $500+ is a lot for a hobby. I change the batteries (Lithium) once a year and it keeps working. The Ambient 2080 is the same basic system, so either will work.

There are a few of us out there that are not running Davis systems and I think most are just fine with it. I almost pulled the trigger on a VP2 earlier this year but could not justify the $$$ for a system that reports a little faster then the one I have. It is always a personal choice, so you have to choose the value for the dollar you want to spend.

T

I'm with ya. If my Timex keeps time accurately, looks nice and fits the budget, then I'll go with it and leave the Rolex and Tag's for other folks.

[Stetson1]

I knew I could count on Dan as the voice of reason!

With respect to all the Davis fans who claim that the cheaper units have higher failure rates, I simply point out the Davis specific forum and the myriad of issues listed there. Sometimes listening to all the badmouthing of less expensive systems is like a car dealer that says his competitors are crap and his is the best car out there. While it may be nice to drive a Lexus, it isn't necessary to get from A to B, for some folks a Kia will do.

I've had my 1080 clone (Zephyr PWS-1000TD) for almost two years now. Runs fine and is as accurate as any of the Davis systems around me. I am not knocking Davis, but $500+ is a lot for a hobby. I change the batteries (Lithium) once a year and it keeps working. The Ambient 2080 is the same basic system, so either will work.

There are a few of us out there that are not running Davis systems and I think most are just fine with it. I almost pulled the trigger on a VP2 earlier this year but could not justify the $$$ for a system that reports a little faster then the one I have. It is always a personal choice, so you have to choose the value for the dollar you want to spend.

T

I'm with ya. If my Timex keeps time accurately, looks nice and fits the budget, then I'll go with it and leave the Rolex and Tag's for other folks.