WXforum.net
Weather Station Hardware => What Weather Station Should I Buy? => Topic started by: billunger on November 19, 2011, 09:52:19 PM
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I have wanted to buy a wireless weather station for my home for quite some time and now have the budget to get started, which is about $300.
I live in a city in Northern Michigan, have an attached garage, and would ideally like to put the data collecting equipment on the roof of the garage. My house is a traditional bi-level home, my computer is in the lower level less than 100' from the top of the garage ( though through a handful of walls and roof ), and I would like to be able to wireless view/monitor/gather the data on a Mac. Ideally, the station would connect to my wireless network ( 2.4Ghz ).
I am completely new to all of this and would greatly appreciate any information on equipment to buy or if my idea is even reasonable at my price range.
Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!
tia,
Bill
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Hi Bill!!! The only station in the range you mentioned I have experience with is the Oregon Scientific WMR968. I had mine going for over a year and while at times it was frustrating, it worked very well. It is an excellent starter station. The biggest problem was the lack of anything that can be termed technical service. They were rarely a help on the couple occasions I needed help. Thankfully I found this pool of expertise. You will get excellent advice from the various stations on the forum. The WMR968 is usually around $220 I think, or in that range. Good luck on your choice and can't wait to see what you choose.
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Hello Bill. Along with Downlinerz2's suggestion you may want to check out Ambient's WS series stations, such as this one http://www.ambientweather.com/amws2080.html . Members on here that have them appear to be quite satisfied with operation and technical/sales support of these.
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The OS Site says the 968 has been discontinued.
http://www.oregonscientificstore.com/oregon_scientific/product.asp?itmky=659831
There are a few sites that have some in stock to sell.
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I believe the WMR968 has been discontinued. For around the same price Davis has their Vantage Vue which in my honest opinion outperforms Oregon Scientific. Better accuracy, easier installation, more features, durable, reliable. The link may be able to tell you more.
http://www.archertradingpost.com/atp/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_6_7&products_id=77
Even with shipping you'll get a better price. This dealer is a winner with me. Good prices. Expidited or priority shipping is usually good priced too, and still stay under 300$!
Davis stations are a better fit for most situations.
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Expidited or priority shipping is usually good priced too, and still stay under 300$!
Davis stations are a better fit for most situations.
Add ~$120 for the datalogger to connect to the computer
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The OS Site says the 968 has been discontinued.
http://www.oregonscientificstore.com/oregon_scientific/product.asp?itmky=659831
There are a few sites that have some in stock to sell.
Wow, that is a surprise. Wasn't expecting that. :shock: So much for that recommendation
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Great suggestions! I like the Davis, but the lack of computer integration is a bummer and adding it for $120 puts me well over my $300 budget <sigh>.
On the other hand, it looks like the AmbientWeather unit requires a PC. <another sigh>
bill
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Great suggestions! I like the Davis, but the lack of computer integration is a bummer and adding it for $120 puts me well over my $300 budget <sigh>.
On the other hand, it looks like the AmbientWeather unit requires a PC. <another sigh>
bill
or a http://www.ambientweather.com/weambnslu2.html
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Great suggestions! I like the Davis, but the lack of computer integration is a bummer and adding it for $120 puts me well over my $300 budget <sigh>.
On the other hand, it looks like the AmbientWeather unit requires a PC. <another sigh>
bill
or a http://www.ambientweather.com/weambnslu2.html
That unit alone breaks the budget, but it is very cool! :-)
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I am now seeing that Ambient Weather actually has a Mac-compatible software: Weather Snoop. Does anyone know what the differences are between the Weather Snoop application ( Mac-based ) and the Virtual Weather application ( PC-based )?
I *really* like the Davis products, but would be pushing $400 for a unit, station, and mac-interface while I *might* be able to get into a total solution with the Ambient line for $300. Which begs another question: is there a $100 difference in quality/reliability in the Davis line vs the Ambient line?
thanks again for all of the help!!
Bill
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Hi Bill, and welcome to the forum.
As a fellow Mac user, I understand the frustration in trying to find a good solution.
WeatherSnoop is a nice little application for presenting the your local conditions on your Mac. However, you still need some way to get the data from your weather station to your Mac. Does the Ambient package have some sort of data logger or connection to get it there? Or is the receiver/console wired directly to the Mac? I played with WeatherSnoop a bit but I didn't have a station yet, and then the next time I tried WeatherSnoop I already had the Davis data logger. WeatherSnoop will send your data to Weather Underground,CWOP, and WeatherBug.
A few of us here with Macs use Lightsoft Weather Center. Here's a thread describing it in a bit more detail.
http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=8545.0
The guys on the MacWeather.net forum mostly seem to use Davis, Oregon Scientific, and LaCrosse weather stations. Even if you don't get LWC, stop in ther to discuss Mac specific problems. I use both forums a nd find they compliment each other nicely. This has a lot more hardware and knowledge and the MW forum has the Mac side covered.
Hope that helps,
Steve
(you can peek at my site in my sig to see an example output from LWC's custom web template, but the data is stale, as my hard drive croaked yesterday...)
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Somebody mentioned the 2080; what about the 1090?
What about battery life? Has anybody tried to adapt a solar charger to keep them charged?
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Do most home wireless weather stations require a console? I don't really need a console if I am monitoring on my computer, so maybe there is a solution that just contains the outdoor sensors ( solar and wireless ) and maybe an adapter/receiver that connects to the computer? Not sure if that would still stay in budget though...
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Bill,
It looks like the Ambient Mac Verizon's of the 1090 and 2080 connect the console to your Mac via a USB cable. The console is still needed,as that is what receives the signal from the outdoor wireless station. Once it is hooked up, you could use WeatherSnoop or possibly LWC to view the weather conditions on your Mac and send data to Weather Underground, CWOP, WeatherBug, etc.
Steve
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A Vantage Vue for $258 - http://www.rainmanweather.com/site/catalog/Davis-Instruments-Best-Price-Quote/Weather%20Stations
A Weatherlink logger for $109 - http://www.rainmanweather.com/site/catalog/Davis-Instruments-Best-Price-Quote/WeatherLink%20Software
So $367 plus some shipping vs. $300 and shipping for Ambient stuff. Yes that extra $67 will be the best money you ever spent. I'm pretty biased against non-Davis equipment. Everyday I have to look at their readings on WeatherUnderground and wonder how they could be so wrong compared to nearby Davis units.
In the summer mornings they often show excessive temperatures due to poor solar shielding. During windy rains, their tippers flip in the wind giving excessive rainfalls. So goofy rainfall readings are common. Beats me how they show winds of less than 25-35 mph, while I'm getting blown away at 60-70 mph and higher.
I realize that the mounting location can make a big difference in results, but as a rule the the other Davis units in the neighborhood are in ballpark agreement with my readings. These non-Davis stations sometimes seem to be reporting results from another planet.
The previous opinions are from results I've seen over the past three years. If $300 is all you have, then that's that.
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^^ I'm pretty much the opposite. Both Davis units I had were unreliable at best and stopped updating the console frequently for no apparent reason. I will never buy another Davis. To me, they are the Monster Cable of weather stations, overpriced based on name only.
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^^ I'm pretty much the opposite. Both Davis units I had were unreliable at best and stopped updating the console frequently for no apparent reason. I will never buy another Davis. To me, they are the Monster Cable of weather stations, overpriced based on name only.
What is your experience with the Ambient Weather units?
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^^ I'm pretty much the opposite. Both Davis units I had were unreliable at best and stopped updating the console frequently for no apparent reason. I will never buy another Davis. To me, they are the Monster Cable of weather stations, overpriced based on name only.
You had 2 failed Davis units? Sounds like user error but I could be wrong. I and many have been happy with our Davis stations.
Always good to diagnose the situation before confirming or assuming anything. Frequent dropouts seems like an RF problem.
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Bill, Ambient's WS-2080-WU-MAC-KIT includes the interface software for your MAC for a total of $179.95 (exc. shipping) which is well below the budgeted $300. With this setup you will have a station with sensors that are detachable to be placed in optimum locations ( http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/coop/standard.htm ), a console that communicates with your MAC and can upload your data to wx sites like WeatherUnderground. No additional equipment is required such as pc interface/loggers and such. The needed interface is inside the console already. The only thing left you may have to buy is some mounting hardware like a mast which you would need with any station you buy.
If you haven't already, take a look on here at the comments members made that own these stations and compare with the comments of the other station brands. Not much complaining, if any, with these.
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Bill, Ambient's WS-2080-WU-MAC-KIT includes the interface software for your MAC for a total of $179.95 (exc. shipping) which is well below the budgeted $300. With this setup you will have a station with sensors that are detachable to be placed in optimum locations ( http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/coop/standard.htm ), a console that communicates with your MAC and can upload your data to wx sites like WeatherUnderground. No additional equipment is required such as pc interface/loggers and such. The needed interface is inside the console already. The only thing left you may have to buy is some mounting hardware like a mast which you would need with any station you buy.
If you haven't already, take a look on here at the comments members made that own these stations and compare with the comments of the other station brands. Not much complaining, if any, with these.
Dan - I greatly appreciate the info! Do you run this brand?
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No I don't. But if it were easily available (in Thailand, w/ shipping breaks that $300 budget) and I were starting over with a limited budget, I'd probably go with it from all the reviews I've read about it (although I've finally got the stations I'm running now how I want them).
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I don't have the Ambient/Fine Offset unit and have read on this and another forum of a lot of satisfied users, especially as a beginning station, but some concern on quality control http://sandaysoft.com/forum/search.php?keywords=fine+offset+quality&terms=all&author=&sc=1&sf=all&sk=t&sd=d&sr=posts&st=0&ch=300&t=0&submit=Search (http://sandaysoft.com/forum/search.php?keywords=fine+offset+quality&terms=all&author=&sc=1&sf=all&sk=t&sd=d&sr=posts&st=0&ch=300&t=0&submit=Search)
If the cost of a Davis is absolutely out of the picture for you then choose another, but to your question Which begs another question: is there a $100 difference in quality/reliability in the Davis line vs the Ambient line?
I would ansewer: yes! and even more so if the difference is only $67 as mentioned in a previous post.
But remember the Vue is an all-in-one unit which may not be the most suitable for every user.
Paul
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How do any of these stations handle snowfall? Or do they handle it?
Tia (again!),
Bill
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None of all the stations mentioned will measure snowfall as supplied. You would need to add a heater to the rain gauge to melt the snow as it's collected in the cone. There are threads on here with ideas that members used, small lamps, reptile cage heaters, pipe anti-freeze tape, etc. Some manufacturers have heater kits for their systems, such as NovaLynx and Davis.
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None of all the stations mentioned will measure snowfall as supplied. You would need to add a heater to the rain gauge to melt the snow as it's collected in the cone. There are threads on here with ideas that members used, small lamps, reptile cage heaters, pipe anti-freeze tape, etc.
Not shure how the heater will fit in the Vue. I think it's only for the Pro2 and the older Davis stations like Weather Monitor and Weather Wizard.
Note the Vue's rain gauge doesn't meet the WMO's 8" standard dimentions like the Pro2 does. You can build your own heater but be prepared to open up the Vue's ISS. The Pro2 sells for about 200-300$ more, then you have to put aside another 115-195$ for the heater. By then you have to decide what you what's more important the heater or WeatherLink.
Other than that no station Davis or non-Davis has a heater avalible unless you build it your self. These are common obsticals almost every weather station owner has to deal with. I've taken wire a few resistors and diodes to rig up a heater and hooked it up to an AC adaptor. You will also need to have some insulation so the heat is retained and focused to the funnel.
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I am not looking to "cheap out," but was curious if anyone had heard of these guys:
http://weatherwiseinstruments.com/wireless-weather-stations/solar-weather-station.html
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I would still recommend the wmr968 as a good starter station. Served me well for several years, and still have parts of it in service going into year 6.
Ambient still has it in stock. $229.
The anny is wireless, so you dont have to sacrifice wind for rain/temp, or temp/rain for wind like with the all-in-ones. You dont need a $120 cable to hook up to the pc. And you can make a rain gauge heater for a few dollars (add $20 if you dont have an existing low volt lighting system you can steal power from). An extra sensors are around $20-30. You can monitor an extra room two or three, and/or the poo/spa/hvac. And in a few years when your outside sensor fails, you can use one to measure your outdoor temps/humidity. If you buy, I would grab at least one thgr122, or THGR968 while they are still available as a backup.
Andrew
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I am not looking to "cheap out," but was curious if anyone had heard of these guys:
http://weatherwiseinstruments.com/wireless-weather-stations/solar-weather-station.html
Interesting. For $120 including shipping, that might be what I try since it will be in a place not easily accessible to change batteries.
Looks identical to the WS-1090, but with the added feature of Solar power.
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I am not looking to "cheap out," but was curious if anyone had heard of these guys:
http://weatherwiseinstruments.com/wireless-weather-stations/solar-weather-station.html
It's not a 'cheap out' and that's a Fine Offset station (also known as Watson, National Geographic, Elecsa, Ambient Weather, Tycon, Zephyr) which have good reviews.
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Does anyone know if the Davis or Ambient units show up with good deals on Black Friday?
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Here's one. found it here after googling "black friday weather station sale"
http://www.facebook.com/notes/BigLotsBlackFridayAd/Black-Friday-Sale-DAVIS-VANTAGE-WIRELESS-WEATHER-STATION/142696105834464
The special price button links to this amazon page.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0040PQNP2?tag=2012-patiolawngarden-15-20
The special price is $314.28 (down from "list price" $585.51)
hmmmm. The special price is a bit cheaper than Ambient's list price of $355, but not quite as good as their everyday low price quote of $279
I dont think you are going to find any liquidation sales of popular current models on any of the big sites
Andrew
Does anyone know if the Davis or Ambient units show up with good deals on Black Friday?
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Last year about this time, there was a pseudo "price war" on Davis equipment. The prices never really dropped, but the retailers apparently violated their MAP agreements with Davis and exposed their actual sale prices to the public. For a while you didn't have to email the retailers to get their best prices, you just checked their public web pages.
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It looks like Rainmanweather has the best price...