Topic: Help! Need to buy two stations ...

[Sequimjim]

Just joined the forum, and looking forward to really good advice.  Here's my problem:

I live in an area (Olympic Peninsula in Washington State) with a large number of micro climates.  I've just purchased a new lot up in the hills, hoping to avoid the cooler temperatures and high winds of our current place, which is close to the water.  I'd like to put a remote unit on the new lot (bare, no power) and collect data over the next few months/year and compare it to similar data at the current house, to find out if I'm really going to be better off by building a new house on the new lot.

I'm mostly concerned about temperature and wind speed/gusts.  Ideally, I would periodically visit the new lot and download data to a USB drive, then put that data on my computer and compare it with data gathered from our current address.  I've visited web sites and read owner's manuals on several systems, but can't tell if it's possible to batch download data.  I'm not sure just how involved it will be (do I have to take the unit from the new lot back to the house to get the data?  How often do I need to replace the batteries on the new lot?  How often do I need to visit the new lot?)

I'd like to do all of this with a total budget (two units) of less than $400. 

As an option, it might be nice to also have UV index, or something that relates to sunshine... it tends to get a bit foggy by the water.  I realize this could break the budget ...

I'd appreciate your suggestions!  Thanks in advance,  Jim

[SLOweather]

Davis Vantage Pro2s will meet all of you criteria except budget. Sorry...

You'd need wireless stations to use solar for the ISS and reduce load on the console batteries, and the WeatherLink data logger. Or, you might be able to do it with the wired station and an outboard battery to carry the load longer. Let me know if you want an idea of how tat might be done.

You'd need an on-site enclosure for the console. Set up the datalogger first with an archive period that you can live with, and then just take the laptop to the site sometime within the archive period to download the data and clear the logger.

Chris

[Bushman]

Dallas 1-Wire will do this within your budget IF you want to roll your own.

[tinplate]

You could look at the Honeywell TE831W-2 or Honeywell TE923W. They come with the ability to download to a pc. I don't know whether the base station runs off batteries or not, but the sensors run off batteries and have last a year or two between battery changes. I also don't know what kind of archive ability the base station has between downloading to a pc. Maybe somebody with one of these stations knows. The software that comes with it seems to garner a universal thumbs down, but there are third party software that support them. Search for them on amazon to read about them and get some user reviews. As mentioned earlier, the VP2 from Davis is the best for your purpose, but you aren't going to find VP2 quality in a sub $400 weather station.

[Bushman]

I don't think that any of the Honeywell devices log more than 24 hrs of data do they?

[tinplate]

from what I understand, the 923 and 924 honeywells (but not actually made by honeywell) have 8k of memory for 200 records. I don't know how often records are written though. I've read that the record interval can be set from 1 minute to 24 hours. The same unit is sold outside the USA as the Irox-Pro, and apparently contains 1 MB of memory so it holds much more data (3300 records). I don't know if that is available in the US.

[Sequimjim]

Just checking out weather shack, and noticed that the Lacrosse ws-3610 seems to feature 1750 data sets.  Are there reasons I shouldn't consider this model?

[Rotorwing]

Hi

Not sure the Davis Vantage Pro with WeatherLink data logger will be a viable option as it will only hold 42h of data at 1min intervals .  Oregon Scientific WMR200 has a built in data logger.  At 1min interval logging will hold about 29days of data with standard sensors.  If you add the UV sensor it will hold about 19days of data.  If you set logging at greater intervals you'll get the following days of logging with standard sensors
1min   29days
2min   58days
5min   145days
10min  291days
15min  436 days.

I have both WMR200 and Davis VP2 Plus - personally I think the Davis unit is more robust. 

Cheers
Henri

[info]

Davis Instruments 6250 Vantage Vue Wireless Weather Station
299.95
receive instant pricing and ordering capability by email
www.ambientweather.com
Reply

[chubbo]

I realize this information is a little dated from the original post, but it may help someone else.

You can save a few bucks on the Vue by ordering the Vue ISS and the Vue Console separately from Ambient.com.  I haven't checked closely, but if you order the ISS and console separately it should be the same as ordering the complete Vue package.

Davis Instruments 6250 Vantage Vue Wireless Weather Station  $349.95     (as of 12/31/09)
Regular Ground Shipping                                                       $15.50
                                                                                      $365.45

Davis Instruments 6357 Vantage Vue™ Wireless Integrated Sensor Suite  $168.75
Davis Instruments 6351 Wireless Vantage Vue Console                          $139.00
                                                                                                  $307.75
Regular Ground Shipping                                                                    $14.76


Jerry
                                                                                                  $322.51

A $42.94 savings.

Of course, scientificsales.com has the 6250 Vue Weather station for $279.95 + $13.71 regular ground shipping for $293.66.  Saving you  $28.85 from buying the Vue ISS and Console separately from Ambient.com and Ambient doesn't have the Price Match sticker on the Vue web page.
It doesn't look like scientificsales.com offers the Vue ISS for sale separately.

[tomcj2]

I
It doesn't look like scientificsales.com offers the Vue ISS for sale separately.

Ask them for a price.