Author Topic: Which Weather Station? (Read 5652 times)

MikeSatter · « **on:** January 16, 2014, 11:12:29 PM »

I am new to weather stations and currently just have only an Acurite Wireless Thermometer which works flawlessly. I am considering purchasing a new Acurite Weather Station Model 01055 and looking for comments or suggestions. I want a unit that I can send my data wirelessly to Wunderground.com without having to have my computers running all the time. I currently have AT&T Uverse Internet with router. Thanks for any advice, comments, or recommendations.

nincehelser · « **Reply #1 on:** January 17, 2014, 01:20:46 AM »

That's a good start. For some people it may be all they needwant. At $130 shipped for the entire kit, you really can't go too far wrong. I'd jump on it now before the price goes back up.

Without the need for any computer, it will send real-time data to MyBackyardWeather.com which you can access via mobile apps. You can also have the site forward data to wunderground.com in 15-minute increments out-of-the-box.

If you wish to send data more frequently to weatherground than every 15 minutes (and also to additional network services), there are various ways to do that. They all require a computer or some other computing device. I do it with a Raspberry Pi described here in my still-incomplete instructions *sigh* http://nincehelser.com/ipwx All that can wait for a later time, though. Like I said, I'd jump in on the bargain price while you have the chance.

MikeSatter · « **Reply #2 on:** January 17, 2014, 07:27:49 AM »

Does anyone know when the sale ends?

tandy1000 · « **Reply #3 on:** January 17, 2014, 08:13:39 AM »

Not sure when it ends, but the additional 20% off might work as well. I got mine right after Christmas and the 20% worked in addition to the sale price.

http://www.acurite.com/weather-stations-discount.html

One word about their free shipping - they use SmartPost, which is rather slow and tracking ability is limited.

MikeSatter · « **Reply #4 on:** January 17, 2014, 09:41:26 AM »

Thanks everyone for the information provided it help close the sale. I placed my order using the discount code and it worked, and I upgraded my shipping with the savings from the discount.

I am right with my setup.

Full Sun
Open area
5ft off the ground

Thanks again, I could not have asked for any better help!!!

tandy1000 · « **Reply #5 on:** January 17, 2014, 10:20:06 AM »

Congratulations!

Roof mounting isn't really an option for me, so I have to mount from the ground as well. Once Spring arrives, I plan on doing about an 8' post (8' exposed from the ground to the station) - that's about as far as my ladder will go.

However in the meantime I bought 2 sections of 4' threaded galvanized pipe with a coupler, and stuck them in an umbrella stand in the middle of the yard. Seems to work OK for me!

ctccbc · « **Reply #6 on:** January 17, 2014, 10:49:42 AM »

Make sure you get the solar add-on for the 5-in-1, otherwise your temperature readings on warm days will be incorrect.

MikeSatter · « **Reply #7 on:** January 17, 2014, 03:20:35 PM »

I have the option of roof mounting but doesn't that throw the wind gage off by being up where the winds blow harder? I want thank everyone for their help, and I ordered the add on solar panel.

nincehelser · « **Reply #8 on:** January 17, 2014, 04:28:55 PM »

Quote from: ctccbc on January 17, 2014, 10:49:42 AM

Make sure you get the solar add-on for the 5-in-1, otherwise your temperature readings on warm days will be incorrect.

In most cases that won't be true. It's mostly for those at latitudes or other reasons where it can't catch enough sun to drive the aspiration fan, yet there's still just enough sun to cause a temperature spike. Typically this happens around sunrise and sunset and will be evident if you see a temperature spike at those times.

I've never had the problem, but I'm right in the middle of the country and have no shading issues.

dj1111s · « **Reply #9 on:** January 17, 2014, 07:41:33 PM »

Quote from: nincehelser on January 17, 2014, 04:28:55 PM

Quote from: ctccbc on January 17, 2014, 10:49:42 AM
Make sure you get the solar add-on for the 5-in-1, otherwise your temperature readings on warm days will be incorrect.

In most cases that won't be true. It's mostly for those at latitudes or other reasons where it can't catch enough sun to drive the aspiration fan, yet there's still just enough sun to cause a temperature spike. Typically this happens around sunrise and sunset and will be evident if you see a temperature spike at those times.

I've never had the problem, but I'm right in the middle of the country and have no shading issues.

Has anyone wired in a second solar panel aiming in a different direction so you can take advantage of more direct sun at different times of the day?

After posting this I read what the 5 in 1 was and had a dual solar panel option. Wasn't familiar with it. I guess I was thinking more of my Davis VP2 with adding a second panel.

nincehelser · « **Reply #10 on:** January 17, 2014, 07:58:08 PM »

Quote

Has anyone wired in a second solar panel aiming in a different direction so you can take advantage of more direct sun at different times of the day?

After posting this I read what the 5 in 1 was and had a dual solar panel option. Wasn't familiar with it. I guess I was thinking more of my Davis VP2 with adding a second panel.

The dual-panel option is pretty new. I haven't heard of anyone who has received a production unit yet.

Yes. Several folk have rigged up auxiliary panels in various fashions. It's not too difficult as the fan and panel(s) are electrically separate from the batteries and other electronics. Others have by-passed the problem by rigging up a permanent power supply to the fan so that it runs 24 hours.

MikeSatter · « **Reply #11 on:** January 17, 2014, 10:29:39 PM »

I ordered the new add on solar panel it's arriving Tuesday, I guess time will tell whether I need it or not. This forum has been really beneficial to me, and I appreciate everyone's help! I still would appreciate any tips and advice you may have to offer!

tandy1000 · « **Reply #12 on:** January 17, 2014, 10:46:50 PM »

As far as mounting, I think a lot of the professional stations recommend the anemometer at least 30 feet! That's mainly to eliminate interference from houses and such. (The NOAA has a 50+ page document on weather station siting!)

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/coop/standard.htm

This is helpful as well:

http://www.wind101.com/index.php?route=cms/subpages&id=39

Alas since the Acurite is an all-in-one sensor, I'd say do what works for you, there will always be a compromise between accuracy standards and convenience. There will be times when you'll have to clean out the rain gauge, change the batteries, etc.

Either way - have fun!

nincehelser · « **Reply #13 on:** January 17, 2014, 11:03:36 PM »

Quote from: MikeSatter on January 17, 2014, 10:29:39 PM

I ordered the new add on solar panel it's arriving Tuesday, I guess time will tell whether I need it or not. This forum has been really beneficial to me, and I appreciate everyone's help! I still would appreciate any tips and advice you may have to offer!

Well, it's not really an add-on. It's a replacement for the entire wind-cup/panel/fan module. It wouldn't hurt to install it, but then you'll never really know if you needed or not.

Whatever you do, don't throw away anything... you can use the original module for spare parts in the future.

vreihen · « **Reply #14 on:** January 18, 2014, 06:03:16 AM »

Quote from: nincehelser on January 17, 2014, 07:58:08 PM

The dual-panel option is pretty new. I haven't heard of anyone who has received a production unit yet.

As of a few hours ago, mine is in a FedEx processing facility in Allentown, PA. Over a week in transit from Wisconsin to New York, when it is 3 days via UPS ground. &* ]$)!#%)#@%*@ FedEx SmartPost!!!!!

nincehelser · « **Reply #15 on:** January 18, 2014, 08:31:58 AM »

Quote from: vreihen on January 18, 2014, 06:03:16 AM

As of a few hours ago, mine is in a FedEx processing facility in Allentown, PA. Over a week in transit from Wisconsin to New York, when it is 3 days via UPS ground. &* ]$)!#%)#@%*@ FedEx SmartPost!!!!!

I hear that! Smartpost and its UPS equivalent ("Mail Innovations"?) are both horrible. I don't understand why they just can't send things regular US mail...even that is faster!

MikeSatter · « **Reply #16 on:** January 18, 2014, 04:23:03 PM »

I checked on my station and it is still in Illinois but scheduled to be delivered on Tuesday. The one thing I like about FedEx is they deliver earlier where I live than UPS and on Tuesday I get off work at 12a.m and hopefully can get it up and running.

ctccbc · « **Reply #17 on:** January 18, 2014, 04:27:23 PM »

I actually have the solar panel add-on, had it since just after Christmas, and it makes a major difference. My maximum temperatures are now within a degree or two of the local ASOS about 6 miles away. The sun is still kind of low in the sky, so I'll be interested to see if this great performance continues this spring and summer.

Chris
moreheadcityweather.com

AWL · « **Reply #18 on:** January 18, 2014, 04:32:09 PM »

Quote from: nincehelser on January 18, 2014, 08:31:58 AM

I hear that! Smartpost and its UPS equivalent ("Mail Innovations"?) are both horrible. I don't understand why they just can't send things regular US mail...even that is faster!

Last time I used Fedex I told them the Pony Express could have gotten my packages to me quicker...

Doug

vreihen · « **Reply #19 on:** January 18, 2014, 06:47:07 PM »

Quote from: nincehelser on January 18, 2014, 08:31:58 AM

I hear that! Smartpost and its UPS equivalent ("Mail Innovations"?) are both horrible. I don't understand why they just can't send things regular US mail...even that is faster!

I ordered two items from Amazon Prime on Thursday afternoon, with the free 2-day shipping option. They shipped both packages via the UPS->US Mail plan that they have, with scheduled delivery on Saturday (today). Rather than dropping them off at the local post office yesterday afternoon where they would sit until today, the UPS computer routed them to a UPS delivery truck and Big Brown delivered them a day early! Not like I'd ever get that lucky ever again, but I have my 3-day weekend project in my hands that by all rights should have been delivered next Tuesday.....

MikeSatter · « **Reply #20 on:** January 18, 2014, 10:31:39 PM »

I prefer UPS when I have the option but with Acurite.com I only had Smartpost or FedEx.

MikeSatter · « **Reply #21 on:** January 21, 2014, 06:58:56 PM »

I received my new station today and it was very easy to setup and start receiving data. It seems to be very accurate comparing it to my outdoor thermometer within fractions of a degree, at least temperature wise. I also was able to get it online with Wunderground.com and should be listed by tomorrow night. I plan on building a website soon to host my weather data and some astronomy stuff. Here is a link to my site: http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=34.725%2C-82.781&sp=KSCCENTR7&MR=1

Thanks again for everyones help!!!

MikeSatter · « **Reply #22 on:** January 22, 2014, 05:12:20 PM »

I'm curious, is it better to mount on top of the house or out in an open grassy area? My station seemed neck and neck with another station except for last night when it got about five degrees colder than the other and it made me wonder.

nincehelser · « **Reply #23 on:** January 22, 2014, 06:38:21 PM »

Quote from: MikeSatter on January 22, 2014, 05:12:20 PM

I'm curious, is it better to mount on top of the house or out in an open grassy area? My station seemed neck and neck with another station except for last night when it got about five degrees colder than the other and it made me wonder.

It depends on what you're after and the siting options you have.

If you're really interested in wind data, the higher you can get the better. 10 meters (about 33 feet) is the standard many shoot for, but it's just not practical in a lot of cases.

Personally, I prefer a flat open field, 1.5 meters (5 feet) off the ground. Give or take. My rational is to put the suite about face-high of a typical adult so as to get a sense as to how the weather might feel to me if I were standing there. In other words, the sensor suite acts as my proxy. This also has the advantage of being very easy to service when needed.

Some people see this has a huge compromise in wind data. I don't. I want to know how the wind would feel against my face if I were outside. Measuring the wind speed at 10 meters certainly has its uses, though. Don't get me wrong about that. To me the "ultimate" personal weather station would have anemometers at both face-level and 10 meters.

I'd also advise not getting to obsessed with "matching" surrounding stations too closely. Obviously your readings should usually be in harmony with your region, but you have to allow for hyper-local variances. To me that's the whole purpose of a personal weather station.... getting hyper-local data that reflects, literally, the conditions in your own backyard. If I want my readings to match exactly what my local NWS office reports, then I really don't need a personal weather station in the first place. Of course, there is value in trying to understand why your readings vary from others. That's part of the learning process and is great if you really want to understand the technology.

These are my opinions only. I recommend you do whatever enhances your enjoyment of the hobby. If doing things a certain way becomes unfun, try it another way.

MikeSatter · « **Reply #24 on:** January 22, 2014, 07:01:23 PM »

I currently have my station about 6ft off the ground and it is a 5-in-1 station. I noticed the difference last night but all the other times during daytime it appears very close with in 1 degree but last night it was off by about 5 degrees made me wonder.

News:

Author Topic: Which Weather Station? (Read 5652 times)