Topic: New to forum - Upgrade weather station?

[mi77915]

Hi,

I am new here and I am looking to upgrade my current home weather station. I currently have a La Crosse WS-9035U. This has been a great little weather station for the last 5-6 years. I would like to upgrade to a newer type of weather station. In addition to the current functions (Humidity, wind speed, temp...) I would like to be able to read the wind direction. The ultimate (for me) would be able to monitor the stats on my PC. I was considering the La Crosse WS-2308 with the PC software. As with most of my purchases, price is always a consideration. I would like the new station to be wireless. Any help/info/comments would be a great help.

Thank you,

Tom

[SlowModem]

There will certainly be a variety of opinions here!  You can see that if you review more posts in this thread.  Also note that you can spend as much as you want to on one of these stations.  Also remember that each station has +'s and -'s.

I'm not familiar with the station you have and the one you mentioned you wanted.  I googled them and read a little about them.  I am still trying to figure out why the 2308 is so expensive.  I must be missing something.  You can get a 2315 that seems to me to have the same features for around $100.

The OS WMR968 is a reliable station for around $180-200.  It is solar powered and wireless.

I think you can buy a Davis starting around $500, but you have to buy additional attachments.

I'm sure others will chime in, but it really boils down to what you want and what you want to pay.  Just be sure and look around for the best deal because prices will vary.

Good luck,

Greg

[wuhu_software]

If you check your local Costco or Sams Club, you can find La Crosse stations (WS-2308, WS-2316) for around $80. Both of these stations support a PC interface.

If you look on the web, you will find these same stations selling for upward of $200.

Honeywell also sells a station for around $80. The only problem there is a lack of open software support. The Honeywell software exports data at 5 minute intervals. If you want something that is closer to real-time, go with the La Crosse, it can update every 7 seconds in wired mode.

[SlowModem]

Whatever station you get, I would definately recommend WUHU software to upload your data with.  It is FREE and has performed flawlessly for me and has great technical support.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wuhu_software_group/

[wxtech]

Someone should prepare a survey to show cost vs features and owner satisfaction of all makes/models.
 
I want to keep varmits, critters and lightning out of my house.  For that main reason, I use the wireless wx stations.  So, the lightning vaporizes what's on the pole, hopefully the damage stays outta' my house.  Lightning has repeatedly struck trees on my acre and have an NWS report of lightning strking my house and starting a fire (before I bought it).

My praise for Davis; I can talk to or email a tech/engineer; they shipped a replacement module before I returned the failed part; they honored the warranty even months after the warrenty expired; lots of equipment options and parts are available.

I have experience with LaCrosse WS2310, Davis VP, Taylor, RainWise, Belfort, R. M. Young, Vaisala, One-Wire, & others.

[d_l]

Although I don't own a La Crosse station, one problem with them that I have noticed on Weather Underground in my local area is that they heat up much faster than other station brands. I'm attributing this to a lack of adequate solar radiation shielding, either passive or active.

I hadn't noticed this during the winter, but as the spring season has became more advanced, I realized that I could pick out all the La Crosse stations with nearly 100% accuracy on a the WU maps simply by selecting the excessively hot stations. During the mid morning hours, the La Crosse stations will run from 5-10 degrees F hotter than the all the other model stations in the area!

I'm sure that this could be corrected by adding a commercially made passive or active radiation shield to a La Crosse station or even constructing one of your own design.  There have been several threads here covering ingeniously designed and relatively inexpensive, home made radiation shields.

[tomcj2]

Here is a link to an AMBIENT page that I found helpful before I chose my last weather station:
http://www.ambientweather.com/station.html

[mi77915]

Thanks for all the info, I have a lot to think about! One question that I do have is: does a rain gauge need to be mounted where I can access it or can it be mounted up high, near my wind speed indicator?

Thanks again,

Tom

[Bushman]

Hy Davis stuff is all on the roof.

[SlowModem]

Thanks for all the info, I have a lot to think about! One question that I do have is: does a rain gauge need to be mounted where I can access it or can it be mounted up high, near my wind speed indicator?

Thanks again,

Tom

This guide tells all the pros and cons to sensor placement:  http://home.comcast.net/~dshelms/CWOP_Guide.pdf

[Anthony]

I have had my OS WMR-968 for 6+ years. In those 6 years I have had to replace the anemometer & transmitter and have had to replace the outdoor temp/humidity sensor. Not bad if you ask me for 6+ years of operation. So if money is an issue. I would recommend the OS WMR-968.

Now if you have the money and want better rain resolution and better wind speed/gust updated. The basic wireless davis station is the way to go. Last time I checked prices using Ambient's special quote. This station including weather link was less than $550. Again this was the last time I checked well over 6 months ago.

It all boils down to features wanted and the amount of money you have available to spend.

[wxtech]

Thanks for all the info, I have a lot to think about! One question that I do have is: does a rain gauge need to be mounted where I can access it or can it be mounted up high, near my wind speed indicator?

Thanks again,

Tom

On the DavisVP2, the rain sensor is on the same platform with all the outdoor sensors/transmitter except the anemometer.  The rain sensor and the ISS battery are the only modules that needs servicing.  Wind and birds carry twigs, seeds to the funnel cone and clogs the funnel (even with the screen installed).  The rain sensor is the only one that possibly needs cleaning & adjusting. 
The anemometer should be high enough to be clear of wind obstructions/turbulance.
Short answer: anemometer high; everything else low.
P.S. Keep the weight and wind load at the top of your wx mast as light as possible.  <12 feet no guy wires needed.  >12 feet or heavy wind loading needs guy wires.

[mi77915]

.......The OS WMR968 is a reliable station for around $180-200.  It is solar powered and wireless.......

Good luck,

Greg

Thanks Greg, This looks like a pretty nice unit!! I see it listed at ambientweather.com for $199.95. That seems to be about the lowest that I have found so far.

Thanks,

Tom

[mi77915]

I realize that I have been asking a lot of questions, I am just trying to find a good station to replace my older one. I have been doing a lot of reading here on this forum and have read many great write-ups on the OS WMR968 (that was suggested to me) and also on the Honeywell Honeywell TE831W-2. The honeywell is a little bit less money ($138.95) verses the OS WMR968 ($199.95). It seems to be coming down to one of these that will eventually replace my older La Crosse station. Between these (2), do any of you have an opinion on witch one is the better of the two? I do realize that both must have pluses and minuses, just looking for input from people who might have experiences with ether/or stations. Thanks to everyone who has helped so far!!!

Tom

[mackbig]

I have never seen any posts from people with a Honeywell station.

A few things I noticed in reading the description on ambient site.
All the sensors are battery powered.  os and many other are solar powered, cant imagine climbing up to swap batteries on anemometer on a regular basis.
It says there is a computer interface... but not sure to what.  So you need to figure out which software (if any) work with the station, if you ever want to post your data on the internet or wu, etc.  (weather display, and virtual weather station do not appear to support this station.  The OS is supported by both these software packages...

Andrew

I realize that I have been asking a lot of questions, I am just trying to find a good station to replace my older one. I have been doing a lot of reading here on this forum and have read many great write-ups on the OS WMR968 (that was suggested to me) and also on the Honeywell Honeywell TE831W-2. The honeywell is a little bit less money ($138.95) verses the OS WMR968 ($199.95). It seems to be coming down to one of these that will eventually replace my older La Crosse station. Between these (2), do any of you have an opinion on witch one is the better of the two? I do realize that both must have pluses and minuses, just looking for input from people who might have experiences with ether/or stations. Thanks to everyone who has helped so far!!!

Tom

[mi77915]

Thanks Andrew! I did not think about that. 

[tomcj2]

Here is a quotation from the User's Manual for the Honeywell:



Hardware Requirement for WeatherView PC software
Operating System: Windows 98/NT/2000/ME or XP
Memory size: Ram 128 MB or more
Hard disk size: 100 MB free space or more
Media Device: 1 x CD-Rom drive
Available serial USB port


Power (12 AA Batteries)
Main unit: 4 x UM-3 or AA 1.5V battery; 7.5V AC/DC power adaptor (200mA; center pin positive)
(2)Remote Thermo Hygrometer: 2 x UM-3 or AA 1.5V battery
Remote Anemometer: 2 x UM-3 or AA 1.5V battery
Remote Rain Gauge: 2 x UM-3 or AA 1.5V battery


Battery life (alkaline)
Main unit: 2 month (without adapter)
Thermo-Hygrometer: over 12 months
Anemometer: 2 years
Rain Gauge: 2 years


The full User's Manual can be found here:http://www.honeywellweatherstations.com/Manuals/TE831W(ENG).pdf

[info]

check this site out
http://www.scientificsales.com/?gclid=CKqB1MXt9IkCFRnHEAodf2JhBA

rick

[Garth Bock]

If you want to do some hardware software comparison check this link http://www.weathermatrix.net/wxstation/hardware/ and to check out the hardware http://www.weathermatrix.net/wxstation/software/. Once you decide, contact the folks at Ambient, they will help you out with your purchase.

Another link you can try is http://www.wunderground.com/weatherstation/index.asp

[offroadjosh]

I had a  honey well before my davis and i loved it!! it was a great station for its price and it seemed pretty accurate.



Josh

[mi77915]

I have been doing a lot of reading in regards to some of the La Crosse units (online manuals.....) and have noticed that they instruct you to mount the wind sensor onto the mast, that it must be pointed in the east-west direction. Does that mean the the assembled sensor must be pointed east or pointed west? Is there anyway to adjust this? Lets say, for what ever reason, I wanted it to be pointed north, can I do this? Sorry for all the question, I'm somewhat new to all of this.

Thank you,

Tom

[Axelvold]

If you don't fit the wind meter according to the manual you will get a wrong wind direction from the station

[mi77915]

Whatever station you get, I would definately recommend WUHU software to upload your data with.  It is FREE and has performed flawlessly for me and has great technical support.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wuhu_software_group/

I am also considering a Honeywell unit (TE831W-2), with this software work with The Honeywell units? I checked on that site but I didn't see Honeywell listed.

Thanks,

Tom

[wuhu_software]

WUHU supports the Honeywell in file monitoring mode only, I am not sure what the update rate is to this file, I would guess no less that 1 minute, it could be as low as 5 minutes.

You would have to also be running the Honeywell software.

[mi77915]

Thanks everyone for your information and suggestions. I certainly have a lot to learn!!! I'm still not sure which unit I will get to replace my older La Crosse unit, my budget will play a big part in my decision process. I only have about $150 to spend.

Tom