Topic: Was ready to buy first ws, now waiting for Atlas line--

[BeaverMeadow]

Hi all, new member here--
I was so close to ordering an Acurite or Ambient when I read about the new Acurite Atlas line coming out this spring. Doesn't it look like Acurite is waiting to sell off old stock at discount before releasing their new line? I'm hoping, at least for the Elite, that there is a new, higher build quality more comparable to Davis (but at an appealing price differential). I presume a lot of people are waiting just like me. Well, I guess when new bits of info drizzle out this will be one of the first places to read about it.

[Billyram]

Welcome BeaverMeadow.
You came to the right place for good imformation.
Be cautious buying something new and untested. Acurite has had quite a few problems with their products and software. Some no fix yet.
Billy

[vreihen]

I don't think the delay is from selling off old stock, but rather the time needed to develop the final production molds, boards, start mass production, and get the stuff here via the slow boat from China.

I'm part of a crowd-funded purchase of another weather station, and their turnaround was 3-4 months from final design approval to having products in the USA ready to ship.  ASSuming that Acu-Rite was rushing to show the final pre-production test units at the consumer electronics trade show last month when they made the announcement, their timeframe seems to be in line with what the other weather station developers had posted.....

[tygunn]

Yeah I wouldn't be too excited about a new Acurite station.  They're inexpensive for a reason.  I've had my system for going on 7 years now and it has suffered from the same glitched and software bugs since. 

If you want something that is accurate and reliable, look elsewhere.  If you are okay with having a rough idea of the weather around you, then you will be fine.

I liken my Acurite to a step up from a graduated cylinder for rain measurement, a wind sock, and a traditional thermometer.

If I try to compare it to the fancy David stations some neighbors have them I'm invariably disappointed.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

[BeaverMeadow]

A lot of the stations around me are Acurite or Ambient and they seem to be in fairly close agreement with the Davis stations. I get the impression from reading a cross section of user opinions that these lower priced units suffer more from build and longevity issues than from accuracy issues (when well placed). Tygunn, your unit has been going for 7 years-- that's pretty impressive! The Atlas line is supposed to have faster sensor updates and  greater +/- accuracy. I hope they step up and produce a higher build quality than they now do. As far as glitches with a new product-- it would be a miracle if there were none..

[Billyram]

My 5in1 Pro was just as accurate as surrounding Davis instruments when it was working properly but reliability suffered. The fan would run when it wanted too and when it didn't I would have 10% higher temps than actual. Acurate has had problems with their new MyAcurate software that took too long to fix if it is fixed and is limited to what can be done with it. My temp sensor died after 2 yrs and I decided to move on. Don't get in a hurry to buy and do your research.
Billy

[DoctorKnow]

When you buy a weather station, I recommend taking a good look at the radiation shield, because if the shield is not sufficient, all your readings are going to be way out of line. The air sensor itself may have a rating of + or - 2 degrees, but that is assuming it is not affected by direct sunlight, or the heating influence of the sun on the plastic... You do not have to have a fan for accuracy, but it certainly can help depending on the situation... I am not a fan of the rain gauge being attached to the anemometer... I have problems with wind tipping my gauge when winds exceed 20 MPH on my 5n1.

[BeaverMeadow]

Having the outside temp separate from the wind and rain gauges should be a simple way to get much more accurate data. This sure would eliminate a lot of kludge-like fixes such as solar powered fans, extra large shields, etc. Didn't you say in another post that you have devised a way to get the Acurite to work with a separate temp gauge? This type of setup should be the norm and not the exception.

Would having a rock solid mount for the anemometer/rain gauge unit mitigate the tilting problem you have with inaccurate rain readings or is there just too much flex built into the unit and/or mounting system?

When you buy a weather station, I recommend taking a good look at the radiation shield, because if the shield is not sufficient, all your readings are going to be way out of line. The air sensor itself may have a rating of + or - 2 degrees, but that is assuming it is not affected by direct sunlight, or the heating influence of the sun on the plastic... You do not have to have a fan for accuracy, but it certainly can help depending on the situation... I am not a fan of the rain gauge being attached to the anemometer... I have problems with wind tipping my gauge when winds exceed 20 MPH on my 5n1.

[DoctorKnow]

I didn't devise it, that credit goes to Docbee of Meteobridge, and Kevin Key. Both methods work nicely. My experience is that the high wind itself gets into the system and tilts the see saw spoons. If you put it down on the ground, this doesn't happen, but for good wind readings, I have my sensor at 30 Ft.

[waiukuweather]

there is no information on how this new station gets data to say wunderground or if it will be available to say 3rd party software etc?

[DoctorKnow]

there is no information on how this new station gets data to say wunderground or if it will be available to say 3rd party software etc?

It's Wifi from the HD console. Maybe they will have one with no internet and one with the option, not sure on that part.

[waiukuweather]

wifi as in able to upload straight to WU?
I wonder if Kevins software will work?

[DoctorKnow]

I believe so. You won't need Kevins software, or anything extra I don't believe... Not 100% sure, but I believe it will be like the Ambient wx wifi panel.

[nincehelser]

Some units are going to continue to use the SmartHUB.

Some higher-end ones are moving to 900MHz spread-spectrum.

[tygunn]

The rain fall accuracy of my unit falls in close line with the nearby Davis stations, except when I get random erroneous periods of high rainfall rate with no actual accumulation. 

The wind direction is not at all accurate. My direction plots through the day are almost completely random.   I had a nice stable reading for a week but it turns out a spider built a web to the direction vane.   

That said if they fixed their reliability software bugs I'd be mkrr than happy enough with the unit.  I got mine on sale at Costco for $70 years ago and it provides me a decent picture of the weather in my own yard. 

I have been considering a wired Davis unit mainly because I'd like to improve reliability of reporting, and also because I think it might  r interesting to track solar and uv. 

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

[DoctorKnow]

If you put some washers on the nose of the wind vane, it will settle it down nicely. When I put my sensor up recently to replace my dead WMR100a, I forgot to put the washers back on, but with the leaves off the trees it isn't too bad right now.

[BeaverMeadow]

So I gather that right now the Accurites and Ambients are considered consumer/beginner level and the Davis line makes the transition to serious hobbyist and/or prosumer level. Beyond that are the pro level systems costing thousands of dollars.

The question that I am waiting to get answered (and only time will tell) is whether the Atlas line, and more specifically the Elite, will successfully make the jump from the lowest level, sometimes called "toy" here at wxforum, to the mid-level of serious hobbyist / prosumer level Davis units.

[tygunn]

If you put some washers on the nose of the wind vane, it will settle it down nicely. When I put my sensor up recently to replace my dead WMR100a, I forgot to put the washers back on, but with the leaves off the trees it isn't too bad right now.

Awesome!   I'll give that a try, thanks!

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

[junianby]

If you put some washers on the nose of the wind vane, it will settle it down nicely. When I put my sensor up recently to replace my dead WMR100a, I forgot to put the washers back on, but with the leaves off the trees it isn't too bad right now.

What size washers and do you have a picture of how you put them on the wind vane??

[haroldashe]

Nick, I used just one small washer (5/8") with a hole a little bit larger than the TIP of the vane.  Then "snugged" the washer onto the vane.  Works like a charm!

[junianby]

Thanks!!  I'll try it!

[DoctorKnow]

Sorry I missed the question Junianby, but Harold has you covered. I didn't see the text originally in the quote. I did what Harold did as well, and had the washers close to the front tip.

[junianby]

Thanks!!!

[alanb]

I am new to the forum (this is my first post) and a compete newbie to weather stations. I am in the same situation as BeaverMeadow. I was ready to buy the Ambient WS 1001, but while doing some research in this forum, I ran across the Acurite Atlas announcement. So now I think I will wait until summer to see the pricing and early reviews of the Atlas Elite. That will also give me some time to continue learning by digging through all the valuable information in this forum.

[BeaverMeadow]

Yay, back on topic! I don't know where you are located AlanB, but where I am Mother Nature just dropped 15" of new snow and the ground is still frozen. This makes it a lot easier to wait for the Acurite Atlas line. When spring finally gets here in New England and I can start setting up ladders and sinking poles the wait will get harder. If Acurite proves to be a letdown then I will be looking towards Davis. It seems like a long time since anything new has come onto the scene to challenge the entrenched systems.