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Weather Station Hardware => What Weather Station Should I Buy? => Topic started by: Beatnik on December 27, 2011, 07:28:49 PM
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Hello, I’m looking to purchase a weather station for my observatory. I observe semi-remotely from my basement so basically I’m blind to what’s happening in the wild. Meanwhile the wind is pounding the heck out of my scope and making smears out of my images. I am not a weather enthusiast, although I easily could be, but I do require some kind of warring as to what the wind is doing. Rain sensing would be a plus as well. Anyway, I thought I might ask this forum for help deciding on the best station for my needs and budget. Ideally any station would have the following requirements: first and MOST importantly, an anemometer that can accurately measure low wind speeds (as low as 2-3 mph) and gusts with an update of every second or so. Secondly, a programmable alarm for wind speed and gusts, and thirdly, my budget which is very modest; $150 would be about tops. Can I get a station with those specs and for that amount? I was looking at the AcuRite 01500/01515 Station, here’s the link:
http://www.acurite.com/weather/weather-forecast-stations/acurite-8-professional-digital-weather-station-with-weather-ticker-forecast-temperature-humidity-wind-speed-direction-rainfall-01500.html
But then I saw an earlier post on this forum that didn’t give the AcuRite anemometers much credit. Apparently they break and parts are scarce to find. Anyway, maybe this model is not so bad?
I’m not stuck on the AcuRite, it just has the features I want plus it is within my budget. The AcuRite also has other attractive features I like, nice backlight .. etc.
Regards -Scott
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It sounds like all you need is a good anemometer. You might want to look here:
http://www.inspeed.com/anemometers/Vortex_Wind_Sensor.asp
I don't have any experience with it, but I have read other's recomendations on it.
Some of the low-priced weather stations don't update the wind speed very often (120 second intervals). Davis stations update the wind speed every second or two, but they start around $300 (Plus the data logger is extra).
Good luck! :)
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Ok, thanks for your comments. Hopefully, someone can comment on the Acu-Rite or a comparable station. I guess I can live with longer update intervals to stay on my budget.
-Scott
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Hopefully, someone can comment on the Acu-Rite or a comparable station. I guess I can live with longer update intervals to stay on my budget.
Acu-rite sends updates every 18 seconds from the outdoor unit(s). As someone else said, Davis updates much quicker. There was a comparison table somewhere (Weather Underground?) that listed the update frequencies by manufacturer/model, and if I recall correctly most of the others were longer than 18 seconds. This is a general limitation of wireless sensors that run on batteries. If you can still find a wired unit, it should be the fastest updating option.
I recall reading somewhere that the Acu-rite anemometer has a pretty good low speed mechanism, and can detect down to 2 mph. You might want to dig around to find the details if this is important to you. They also have a 3-in-1 sensor that does wind speed but not direction which is cheaper, and it was on the shelf at Lowes last time that I looked. Haven't read much about it though, but suspect that it doesn't come with a PC interface option in the box if that was a requirement for your application.....
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Thank you for your comments. 18 seconds is still not ideal but I can live with that. Hopefully, the 2 mph threshold is correct. I don't start seeing the effects of wind buffeting until about 3 mph depending on the direction which is also important. But absolutely, 2-3 mph threshold is imperative. I will try to verify the 2 mph threshold on the Acu-Rite 01500/01515 as you suggested. PC connection is not necessary but it would be fun to post to Weather Underground but I didn’t see the Acu-Rite models listed on their website.
Thanks again. -Scott
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I just found the chart with weather station update frequencies. It was on Ambient Weather's web site:
http://ambientweather.wikispaces.com/Weather+Station+Comparison+Guide (http://ambientweather.wikispaces.com/Weather+Station+Comparison+Guide)
...and here's the post regarding the wind sensitivity compared with a Davis unit:
http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=12390.msg123086#msg123086 (http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=12390.msg123086#msg123086)
Hope this helps.....
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Yes, very helpful- thank you! I'm staring to feel more comfortable about purchasing the Acu-rite. I read somewhere that you can also post to Weather Underground which is a plus I wasn't expecting. Thanks again for your help.
-Scott