Author Topic: Davis VP2 price  (Read 7363 times)

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Offline alhamilton

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Davis VP2 price
« on: September 27, 2007, 10:44:58 AM »
Hi, I am new to the weather station idea and have read a lot of the posts here and  other places. My question is will the Davis VP2 wireless at $399 from Scientific be good basic hardware at the right price or should I be looking at the more expensive stations. I am building a website for weather and a weather cam along the N. CA coast and want a high quality result. Any thoughts are appreciated.
al
al hamilton

Offline SLOweather

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Re: Davis VP2 price
« Reply #1 on: September 27, 2007, 11:31:49 AM »
Hi Al,

Glad to see that you made it here.

Here's my 2 sentence litany on Davis Vantage Pro 2s. They are excellent stations.

Wired- cheaper to buy, harder to install, easier to maintain, bulletproof comms over long distances, as long as you want to run wire

Wireless- More expensive, easier to install, harder to maintain, potentially more problematic comms (interference, shielding, etc)

(I chose wired because the installation didn't bother me, and I didn't want sensor batteries failing at inopportune times, and I have lots of interference potential for a wireless station.)

More...

If you think you want solar and UV, buy them up front as a part of a VP2 Plus. Those sensors are much more expensive to add later.

Wireless is the way to go if you want to add additional sensors.

Other suppliers that may have comparable prices:

www.ambientweather.com Ambient is also the make of the VWS software.

www.provantage.com

If it's important to you, pay attention to return policies as well as price. Provantage won't accept returns for any reason.

Offline alhamilton

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Re: Davis VP2 price
« Reply #2 on: September 27, 2007, 12:04:24 PM »
Thanks for the prompt reply. Do you think I can mount a wired Davis VP2 on the broadband antenna mast ? It is in a good location above my roof and close enough to my PC to use a wire.
al
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Offline SLOweather

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Re: Davis VP2 price
« Reply #3 on: September 27, 2007, 04:04:27 PM »
Heh. "Close enough" is pretty far for the wired unit. You can extend the cable between the outdoor sensors and the console by up to 4000', I believe. Mine is well over 200.

Which part(s) do you want to mount on the mast? How far above? The anemometer/wind vane can be separated from the rain gauge/temp/hygrometer unit.

Mounting the former too close to the roof will skew wind speed and possibly direction.

Mounting the latter too close above the roof can skew the temp and RH from roof heat.

And, if the rain gauge is on the mast and the mast sways too much in the wind, it can rock the tipping bucket and cause incorrect rain readings.
 
A pic would help.

Offline alhamilton

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Re: Davis VP2 price
« Reply #4 on: September 27, 2007, 05:04:41 PM »
The distance is less than 20" from the Davis unit to the PC. Since the temp along the Coast is very mild the roof heating shouldn't be a problem at 5'-6' I wouldn't think. The wind is a big problem since it sometimes blows over 80 mph. Trees, roof top and hills will have an effect but if its is off a bit that's OK. The plan is to have a webcam aimed at the airport windsock so you can judge the wind from that information. The wind sock is rated at It will also see the ocean and the waves breaking over the rocky coast.
I am not able to send a picture today since I live in Placerville and the station will be in Shelter Cove which is between Ft Bragg and Eurica, CA. I normally fly over to the Cove but right now its socked in with fog. The motivation to get me going on the WX station. Making phone calls to nonpilots leaves a lot to be desired.
al
al hamilton

Offline weatherforyou

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Re: Davis VP2 price
« Reply #5 on: September 28, 2007, 03:03:05 PM »
Until you get your weather station up, here's a link to a map with stations that may be informative to you.  This is what I use when I fly between Eureka and Sacramento...

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/sto/obsmap_eka.php

Also this site uses data compiled by weatherforyou.com/HAMweather from personal weather, RAWS and METAR stations...

http://www.northbayweather.com/

Also the person who runs northbayweather.com, Kevin, installed a couple Davis stations at airports a few years ago, so he may have some tips and warnings.

Unfortunately the Shelter Cove station hasn't reported in some time.  So it would be good to get another station there on-line.  :)
Joe Torsitano


Offline Pinster56

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Re: Davis VP2 price
« Reply #6 on: October 03, 2007, 01:54:34 PM »
I just bought a VP2 from Ambient Weather. They matched the price from Provantage and have a more generous return policy. They also shipped it the same day I ordered it. Just waiting for it to arrive now!

Offline WeatherBeacon

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Re: Davis VP2 price
« Reply #7 on: October 03, 2007, 02:21:36 PM »
Quote from: "Pinster56"
I just bought a VP2 from Ambient Weather. They matched the price from Provantage and have a more generous return policy. They also shipped it the same day I ordered it. Just waiting for it to arrive now!

Very good choice! You'll enjoy it.

Have fun!

Kevin...

p.s.  Now quit checking the status of your order every 10 minutes! You'll get it when it arrives! :wink:  :lol:
Mae govannen!
Kevin  (Member AMS) http://www.wxbeacon.com               Genesee County, Michigan
Hardware:  Davis Vantage Pro Wireless, Midland WR-300
Software: VWS 14.01p43, WeatherFlash, & GRLevel3

Offline mhweather

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Re: Davis VP2 price
« Reply #8 on: January 03, 2017, 10:45:39 AM »
With regards to price, is it worth it to actually buy the equipment from Davis directly ? I'm curious if by buying thru resellers you are actually getting the latest hardware revisions, sensor upgrades, that have come out in the last year or so ? Is there a way to know if I'm getting older equipment inventory , perhaps by packaging info ?
Mullica Hill Weather
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Powered by Kubuntu Linux and Wview weather software.

Offline Bushman

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Re: Davis VP2 price
« Reply #9 on: January 03, 2017, 11:09:46 AM »
Talk to Ryan at Scaledinstruments.com  He can set your mind at ease and give you a far better price than Davis direct.  Seriously.
Need low cost IP monitoring?  http://wirelesstag.net/wta.aspx?link=NisJxz6FhUa4V67/cwCRWA or PM me for 50% off Wirelesstags!!

Offline WheatonRon

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Re: Davis VP2 price
« Reply #10 on: January 03, 2017, 01:10:35 PM »
With regards to price, is it worth it to actually buy the equipment from Davis directly ? I'm curious if by buying thru resellers you are actually getting the latest hardware revisions, sensor upgrades, that have come out in the last year or so ? Is there a way to know if I'm getting older equipment inventory , perhaps by packaging info ?

As Bushman stated above, buy from Ryan at SI. He has the latest and greatest and if by chance he doesn't, he will tell you. I bought several enhancements to my VP2 systems in the last 9 months or so from SI, including the new SHT31 sensor. He knows at least as much as the Davis folks and his pricing rarely can be beat. 
Davis VP2 with SHT31 (3 complete VP2 systems—2 with a daytime fan and 1 that has a 24 hour fan); CWOP--CW5020, FW3075 and FW4350; WU--KILWHEAT17, KILWHEAT36 and KILWHEAT39; WeatherCloud.net; CoCoRaHS--IL-DP-132; and Weatherlink 2.0

Offline ValentineWeather

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Re: Davis VP2 price
« Reply #11 on: January 03, 2017, 05:30:42 PM »
Scaled will make sure you get the latest sensors. SHT31 is standard now on new stations but some places may still have older stock SHT15.
Randy

Offline CW2274

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Re: Davis VP2 price
« Reply #12 on: January 03, 2017, 05:41:46 PM »
Scaled will make sure you get the latest sensors. SHT31 is standard now on new stations but some places may still have older stock SHT15.
I don't believe the 15 was ever stock, just the 11.