Topic: Two thumbs up, 100% rating across the board

[jcookjr82]

After 4 years offline, I finally did some maintenance on my La Crosse 2813 unit (mainly just battery replacement) and got it back up online. Once I started streaming my data to CWOP, my rating came back. 100% QC on all 4 checks. What does this mean? My inferior equipment can't be producing the best data, can it? There are several PWS uploading to WU in my area, but only a couple uploading to CWOP. Unfortunately, the Davis Vantage Pro 2 station about a mile from me isn't uploading to CWOP, only WU, so I cannot compare with a high-end system. I have the temp/humidity sensor in a radiation shield (from Ambient Weather) on the north side of my house. The only sun it gets is about a half hour in the morning from 8-8:30. I noticed during the day, my reading is about one degree lower than the Davis unit, but at night mine is about two degrees higher. I will always bow to the superiority of high-end units, but I also understand it is about proper siting. My anemometer is mounted on my chimney, 10 feet above the roofline, but I live in a tract housing community and my next door neighbor's two-story home obstructs a clear path of the north west. Still, my wind readings seem to be acceptable.

My MADIS is DW9278. I am pretty much a newb when it comes to weather data and only do this for fun, like most of us. Because the NOAA uses my data, I have a sense of pride in trying to be as accurate as possible with what I have and where I live. Does having 100% across the board mean that I truly have great data or are the ratings not really anything to celebrate? I like AccuWeather as my mainstream source for commercial weather data and my stats are generally close to their data, but there are a ton of sources of data. I like WU to see how my stats stack up to other local PWS, but I know some don't necessarily take it as serious as others.

Thanks for listening to me ramble on.

[CW2274]

Not sure what you're looking at, but here, you're rockin' it. http://mesowest.utah.edu/cgi-bin/droman/regress_database_top.cgi?stn=d9278
Like you said, it's not necessarily the quality of your PWS, but much more important how you site it.

[Imageek2]

I'm curious, have you ever tried to meet the Davis owner? I am about to put up my first PWS and there is another one in the same small community I live in, possible as close as a football field. I have tried to see which house has it but so far no luck

[jcookjr82]

I haven't tried to meet the Davis owner. I can see one of the PWS near me, because it is visible from the main street coming into my development. He has an Ambient Weather system, but it appears he doesn't factor into the CWOP averages because of bad data. The next closest to me is an AcuRite, but it seems to go on and offline many times throughout the day. Always reads 10 degrees warmer during the day and 5 degrees colder at night. That station does not upload to CWOP. I think there are 4 stations in my city that do. I upload to CWOP, WU, PWS, and AWEKAS.

For the record, even though my La Crosse unit seems to be in good order, a Davis unit with all the bells and whistles is on my radar someday. I really love the dependability of the system and the rugged testing each station goes through before it is packaged up for sale.