Topic: about ready to give up weather reporting

[Allie]

It's getting where it's not enjoyable anymore.  It's becoming a mine field of obstacles, far less support, 401 pages, blah blah. 

So I'm venting in hopes a solution I can live will come to mind.  But I have firmnware vs notice, that I can't find on any download site.  I've seen blogs where others have encountered the same, and actually regret doing upgrades.  So the obstacle maybe a blessing.

My quandry: I get the hardware calibrated, reporting, and then something changes to throw a wrench.  I guess I know how well this COULD be done, but it reminds me of archaic practices from 20 yrs ago.  Stable...but, divinely CLUNKY at best. 

I moved from the 2902 to 2000 because it had more features, lightning detector, in ground sensors, more in general.  I have 3 temperature monitors, a lightning detector, and ground moisture sensors. 

At this point I'm going to not do anymore to update anything.  The day it stops, is the day I'm done - that's my plan this far.

Which is sad because I went to the trouble and successfully participate in Ambient CWOP/NOAA reporting.

It's been a good learning experience.  I do not so far like any of the displays for Davis (again - why aren't their standards better with color etc that can be read across a room)?

I think after writing this, I will just let this play out

[CW2274]

I do not so far like any of the displays for Davis (again - why aren't their standards better with color etc that can be read across a room)?

Simple. Power consumption. The monochrome display is very power friendly. Name me another brand's console that can power itself for nine months on batteries alone. It's meant to be functional, not pretty.

[vreihen]

I didn't even buy a console with my Davis VP2, since I have no need for one.  I'm using a Davis Wireless Envoy receiver and USB data logger to feed WeeWX on a Raspberry Pi, which then feeds APRS/CWOP and several other weather services via standard WeeWX uploaders.  I have a $99 Amazon Fire 10" color tablet on the wall running the WeeWX Belchertown skin in dark mode 24/7 as my quick-reference console.

Everything was set up and is managed from my MacBook.  Davis doesn't send out frequent firmware updates, and I have never even checked to see if any are available.  WeeWX and the Belchertown skin do have occasional updates, but keep on running with the old versions and you can address them on your schedule if they add any additional functionality that you need.

After having gone ten rounds with AcuRite and other consumer-targeted weather stations trying to intercept/hijack their cloud data for local use, I spent up for Davis and am not looking back.....

[vinceskahan]

Seems to me that you simply need to buy a better station, but that all comes down to your budget (for time, money, sustaining labor, and blood pressure) as well as how modern/snazzy a display you want that fits your eye.

If you're an IT person you can fix this in maybe a day of your time plus a bit of $$$ investment and then it's no-hands-on-required other than perhaps cleaning the rain cone out occasionally.

FWIW - I have a Davis VP2 that's been online for 13-1/2 years now that just-plain-works.  All I added was the serial datalogger and usb-to-serial adaptor and a small $12 ARM box to run weewx on.  Any raspberry pi would work.   If you did that you could use any skin you cooked up or grabbed to display on a 7" kindle for a nice always-on color display.  (I took @vheihen's advice on the kindle some months ago which let me retire a more complicated pi+screen setup by far).  Or use a meteobridge as an appliance to feed things.  So many ways to get there.

Invest the time 'once' and you'll be done+done.

Davis gets you no-Internet-required and you can run fully LAN-only if that's your goal.   Add weewx on a pi or old mac and you can feed just about anything on Internet that you want.....and you can cook up just about any kind of display that suits your eye.   The Belchertown skin is what most people like best.

If you want to go cheaper, Ecowitt is super cheap but it 'does' require their gateway and their internet connectivity to ping their servers and time servers, which lots of people object to.  Weewx integrates great with that too.  You can use their color display if you like it (I don't) but the sensors are super cheap to add for sure.

Punting completely because you have a vendor with shaky gear is kinda silly.  Just vote with your wallet and change vendors.

[crecre9]

I didn't even buy a console with my Davis VP2, since I have no need for one.  I'm using a Davis Wireless Envoy receiver and USB data logger to feed WeeWX on a Raspberry Pi, which then feeds APRS/CWOP and several other weather services via standard WeeWX uploaders.  I have a $99 Amazon Fire 10" color tablet on the wall running the WeeWX Belchertown skin in dark mode 24/7 as my quick-reference console.

Everything was set up and is managed from my MacBook.  Davis doesn't send out frequent firmware updates, and I have never even checked to see if any are available.  WeeWX and the Belchertown skin do have occasional updates, but keep on running with the old versions and you can address them on your schedule if they add any additional functionality that you need.

After having gone ten rounds with AcuRite and other consumer-targeted weather stations trying to intercept/hijack their cloud data for local use, I spent up for Davis and am not looking back.....

Acurite works just fine with WeeWx with no tricks necessary. Just plug the console into a USB port on a Raspberry Pi running WeeWx.

[RJFRIKI]

Allie,

Here is a different perspective on what has been posted so far.  Sometimes we just need a break from what we are passionate about.  Recharge our batteries so to speak - it's not only the sensors that need recharging, sometimes we do too!  Appreciate what we have enjoyed for so long.  It makes us human.  It just happens.  So take a break and see what happens.  Hope this different perspective helps.

All the best, Rick.

[GHammer]

Yeah, I felt the same in the early days of Ecowitt and Ambient.
Some things were compatible, some not. Some updates to the console would break this or that. Some erased data. Then there was the "this gets updated with a file on USB, that gets updated by a finicky app". Then bad/inaccurate data from various sensors.

Luckily, my spouse supported my PWS and I went full boat on a 6163 and WLL, even got a separate anemometer transmitter.
That rekindled my interest in the hobby. I did have to replace the fan in the Aspirated Radiation Shield, but that was kind of easy. Else, I take a look at the rain bucket once in awhile.

I do have a tablet running Belchertown from WeeWX. Makes the display portable and better for viewing.

Maybe you just need a better experience and a Davis unit will provide just that. I looked on my Ecowitt/Ambient time as my training wheels.