Author Topic: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018  (Read 7151 times)

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Offline Bushman

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Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #25 on: April 29, 2018, 07:23:16 PM »
I have a couple tablets that are always on and show the wx station data 24/7. In full colour, too!  Honestly, for under $10 bucks for a 10" tablet paying for a console is crazy IMHO.
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Offline ocala

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Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #26 on: April 29, 2018, 07:56:32 PM »
Reading about these units on their website it sounds like there is no live data. It says the wind is sampled every second but only available in 1-5-15 minute intervals.
Also it says the rain accuracy compares to a large tipping bucket. That's not very appealing.
As for the battery power they even mention that getting updates more then once a minute will greatly reduce the battery power.
If I am interpreting this wrong someone correct me.
No live data because it would use too much power?
Rain accuracy comparable to a tipping gauge?
Something doesn't seem right.
The blues had a baby and they named it Rock & Roll

Offline CW2274

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Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #27 on: April 29, 2018, 08:48:32 PM »
Also it says the rain accuracy compares to a large tipping bucket. That's not very appealing.
A quality tipper that's solidly placed, level, and at the proper height, can be very accurate in most instances. Whether this unit can deliver on that....

Offline hankster

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Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #28 on: April 29, 2018, 10:08:50 PM »
Made using a modified Saratoga template. Been running this 24/7 for a couple years, no problem with burn in. Any modern LCD table should not have a burn in problem. Or you can use Steel Series Gauges.
« Last Edit: April 29, 2018, 10:12:05 PM by hankster »

Offline waiukuweather

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Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #29 on: April 29, 2018, 11:19:23 PM »
@ Ocala
the wind data is updated every 3 seconds for the weatherflow station

Offline weather34

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Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #30 on: April 30, 2018, 01:10:15 AM »
Reading about these units on their website it sounds like there is no live data. It says the wind is sampled every second but only available in 1-5-15 minute intervals.
Also it says the rain accuracy compares to a large tipping bucket. That's not very appealing.
As for the battery power they even mention that getting updates more then once a minute will greatly reduce the battery power.
If I am interpreting this wrong someone correct me.
No live data because it would use too much power?
Rain accuracy comparable to a tipping gauge?
Something doesn't seem right.

wind updates can also be set  every 10seconds in power save mode .

3 seconds in normal

power save mode is expected to give you two years of battery life using energizer ultimate lithium AA

solar panel on the roadmap

rainfall measurement is far more sensitive than  the traditional tipping bucket, it detects the rain as it starts not wait for the tipping method to fill..

there are pro and cons as it is now but im sure just like the davis product range it will mature over time .

console is on the roadmap however right now you can pick up a cheap tablet i use an old ipad mini 1st generation permanently using the app it stays on 24/7 .

connectivity out of the box requires no additional cost for internet or viewing data however additional optional
third party options are already available like meteobridge so any template designed to work with meteobridge will work , weewx  vriehen has compiled a solution  .the popular weather display package fully supports the hardware..

what you have is temperature,humidity,dewpoint ,lightning,wind ,rainfall ,uv index, solar radiation,(last two weeks i have focused on uv,solar and got to say its perfect and reliable measurement) lux brightness at no additional optional extra costs ..

numerous other apps and server based code has been developed and the positive is it all available prior to release often we have to wait weeks or months for new product release to be supported .

a pro version is on the roadmap so it has all the hallmarks just like the davis range it will mature over time and not one step forward and two steps back.

i may be sounding pro and somewhat bias but im on my third test unit and the last for the last 4 weeks has performed exactly as what i have become to expect from a weather station .

test units prior to this one had teething issues and these have been dealt with and i would honestly say based on what im using now if it was shite i would say so . i guess its easy to be skeptical and quite rightly so but i think its a bit of a game changer and they have made this technology affordable for the home weather enthusiast. note the home weather enthusiast.....

ill be completely honest 6-8 weeks ago i was beginning to doubt the technology and design concept due to bizarre anomalies during adverse high wind conditions however they sent another unit having focused on those anomalies and it was like wow factor this is so different and I had frequent high wind periods in fact this weekend it was pretty awful for strong 50-65kmh winds frequently (third period since using this particular unit) and it was pleasing to see again that the hardware was able to perform perfectly under those conditions .living here next to the sea front this particular area of Istanbul is prone to frequent high wind periods of 50-60kmh or more on a regular basis so its a perfect urban area to put these to test and note i don't have a back yard the size of a football pitch mine is mounted on short mast on the roof.

i think its a breath of fresh air for the home hobbyist last few years seen the weather hobbyists market get saturated with these low end ambient , fine offset products that seem to have a working life span of 1 year or two before it needs replacement or repairing ..first hand of experience of that of seeing a ws1001 get baked in sunlight and the wind vane just crumble and the rain  bucket rain area just crack off at the edges after 18 months of relatively high uv periods..

is it a replacement for a davis vp2 probably not but it certainly is a better choice of product than many of the low to mid range all in one solutions ..

and you have to give credit where it is due as for themselves I live in a country and moment I say Turkey most suppliers,dealers start putting brick-walls up about support,shipments that cost three times as much as the product itself  and so on ,so when buying any product here overseas you learn never to concern yourself about ongoing support because 99% of the time it dont exist even under a warranty so over the last year this has never been the case when liasing with weatherflow staff so there are many positives about this product and company ..



using the app on ipad mini which allows you full acess to the settings  .below

« Last Edit: April 30, 2018, 02:44:20 AM by weatherist34 »

Offline doubleohwhatever

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Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #31 on: April 30, 2018, 03:30:33 AM »
I honestly feel like it's a bit premature for anyone but a few testers to have a final opinion (good or bad) on the WeatherFlow station. It's a brand new station with final hardware just now beginning to be shipped to customers. I plan on installing mine right next to my VP2+ and comparing the data over the next 6-12 months.

When I do have a final opinion on the WeatherFlow station, I'll be taking into consideration what many people appear to be overlooking. That's the fact that WeatherFlow is marketing this as a station for the "HOME Weather Enthusiast". WeatherFlow does intend on producing a professional station in the future but this first station is not targeted at that market. I'm personally expecting this first WeatherFlow station to fit somewhere between a high-end Acurite and a Davis. I think it'll be the future WeatherFlow "Pro" station that really gives Davis and friends a run for their money.


Offline weather34

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Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #32 on: April 30, 2018, 03:44:01 AM »
exactly if your going to use it alongside existing installation of hardware then take the time to evaluate and if there are differences there are means and ways resolve them . i got into my head is when comparing any  hardware over the years  be  it weather,hifi,ham radio is the comparison hardware is also prone to anomalies also,mis calibration, failing parts etc again its a calibrated electronic instrument so i always looked at the marginal differences i never expected for once to see identical readings . if i had then my opnion would have been bias to existing hardware..  most consumer based electronic devices give you a relative indication.. and if its in that tolerance of marginal error then all is good and when you see drastic differences then it is a concern and you also have too look have i done something wrong  did i contribute to the anomalies ...process of elimination ..

i also think this popular nearby station comparison is flawed to some extent where i see many enthusiasts try to compare with stations across a city,district , i can walk 500 metres to the north of me and not experience the same wind , it always feels warmer and so on .. then walk 200 metres to the sea front and somewhat cooler and very very noticeable on hot summer days and obviously feels colder in winter periods..however again a relative indicator but such difference in such short distances show nearby stations comparisons can be flawed..
« Last Edit: April 30, 2018, 04:30:32 AM by weatherist34 »

Offline ggsteve

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Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #33 on: April 30, 2018, 04:55:14 PM »
I'm seriously considering this.  Has anyone received a non-test production model yet?

Offline doubleohwhatever

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Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #34 on: April 30, 2018, 05:00:17 PM »
I think a few testers have but that's it at the moment. They're supposed to be sending out the final hardware to customers any day now.

Offline jas340

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Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #35 on: April 30, 2018, 08:12:31 PM »
How will potential buyers keep birds from landing on the SKY unit? Their droppings will render the solar and rain sensor inaccurate even with a very small amount of droppings. Also, as larger birds come in for a landing they can and do cause phantom wind spikes. Plastic changes it's properties over time due to UV radiation. How will the haptic rain sensor adjust to changing sensitivity as the plastic ages?

I own another brand of haptic rain sensor. I have had to deal with the frustrating bird problem. The sensor cover is also made of stainless steel instead of plastic to mitigate the aforementioned changing sensitivity issues.

Offline Bushman

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Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #36 on: April 30, 2018, 09:38:19 PM »
The bird spikes are a great idea.  I don't know enough about how aging plastics affects haptic sensors, but certainly haptic sensing is not compromised with very hard surfaces (think Gorilla Glass on your cell phone)
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Offline weather34

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Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #37 on: May 01, 2018, 12:36:06 AM »
How will potential buyers keep birds from landing on the SKY unit? Their droppings will render the solar and rain sensor inaccurate even with a very small amount of droppings. Also, as larger birds come in for a landing they can and do cause phantom wind spikes. Plastic changes it's properties over time due to UV radiation. How will the haptic rain sensor adjust to changing sensitivity as the plastic ages?

I own another brand of haptic rain sensor. I have had to deal with the frustrating bird problem. The sensor cover is also made of stainless steel instead of plastic to mitigate the aforementioned changing sensitivity issues.

good morning

bird droppings is something you will always have to live with , my davis aerocone last week had a plop the size of a splattered egg in it whilst the debris capture blocked it but it had dried out to cover the small debris vents .. this is would also be the case for any uv.solar sensor on any product if its covered in some bird crap.we just have to live with that and do some form of regular cleaning maintenance (something I've always done hence i spotted the bird crap in the aerocone) ..
weather stations are not install and forget devices they need some form of regular maintenance like cleaning for various reasons to make them last that bit longer..

has for birds finding the weatherflow unit an attractive perch last year i was plagued with this, best solution i found which i use now is a small reflective nearby object , birds are deterred by reflective mirrored objects . spent hours reading around the internet for solutions and this was the best practice used in agricultural where it was not possible to use some form of electric current or sound .. mine is positioned below the weatherflow sky unit at around 12 inches below and 7-8 inches offset therefore it doesn't interfere with wind or rain sensor.. next time im up there ill take a photo but can verify 100% it works . its basically a small square aprox 3 inches  wrappped with https://www.amazon.co.uk/KING-DO-WAY-Reflective-Self-Adhesive/dp/B018JZ1420/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_60_bs_img_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=K5999PBQKCV2XZ194B14

i also old dvd's too keep birds of the bedroom ledges as they sit there sheltering from the cold wind and just used to crap everywhere now no problem. reflective objects work really well..

as for UV and its affect on sensitivity due to changes caused by UV, im not aware of any issues reported however Im fast approaching that silly high UV season so time will tell , at present last two weeks averaging uv index of 7 not quite at the damaging levels but in June July August we will be .. so if any arise that will be the time to observe. however its not our rainy season apart from flash flood burst that dissapear in an hour so may be hard to compare  with real actual rainfall.

i had also tried bird spikes based on an idea by someone called hankster whilst it deterred but risk of causing vibrations was a concern shown below is how I did it .the spikes were solid stolen from one of my wife's kitchen gadgets :-)  and definitely worked as it was intended.


brian
« Last Edit: May 01, 2018, 12:57:07 AM by weatherist34 »

Offline weather34

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Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #38 on: May 01, 2018, 01:12:09 AM »
I'm seriously considering this.  Has anyone received a non-test production model yet?

yes in use now albeit one slight non visual change internally made in the release version .. good to go ! :-) https://smartweather.weatherflow.com/share/1200

the official line

Orders are shipping primarily according to first-in, first-out although there is some some necessary batching by destination country. All orders placed before September, 2017 (approximately 85% of the total) are being shipped now and should be complete in the next two weeks. But fear not, orders placed after August, 2017 (approximately 15% of the total) are in production and on track to ship just a few weeks later.

Offline CW2274

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Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #39 on: May 01, 2018, 01:34:28 AM »
How will potential buyers keep birds from landing on the SKY unit? Their droppings will render the solar and rain sensor inaccurate even with a very small amount of droppings. Also, as larger birds come in for a landing they can and do cause phantom wind spikes. Plastic changes it's properties over time due to UV radiation. How will the haptic rain sensor adjust to changing sensitivity as the plastic ages?

I own another brand of haptic rain sensor. I have had to deal with the frustrating bird problem. The sensor cover is also made of stainless steel instead of plastic to mitigate the aforementioned changing sensitivity issues.
the spikes were solid stolen from one of my wife's kitchen gadgets :-) 
:lol: Well that explains why they look like fondue forks! UU

Offline weather34

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Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #40 on: May 01, 2018, 01:39:03 AM »
spot on thats the word i was looking for fondue ... however not being the master of the kitchen and not brave enough to ask her what there callled and being prompted with why you asking .. sometimes best to say nothing..

Offline ggsteve

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Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #41 on: May 01, 2018, 03:24:23 PM »
Well, net me and pull me into the boat, I took the bait hook, line and sinker.  I placed my order, or in the words of you urban youth "selected my perk" last night.  My plan is to mount the Sky up at the peak of the roof near my Rainwise anemometer and place the Air on the North side of the house.  I'm not that bothered by the non-standard mounting of the temp sensor.  My Rainwise always reads warmer than my Bloomsky  when in the sun, so I'm interested to see what the Air reports.

 

anything