Author Topic: CoCoRaHS Rain Gauges for sale (SOLD)  (Read 1046 times)

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Offline rjmodic

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CoCoRaHS Rain Gauges for sale (SOLD)
« on: May 15, 2023, 02:36:55 PM »
I have two 4" diameter CoCoRaHS Rain Gauges for sale.  These are the official gauges approved for use by the
Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS).   One is brand new in box and comes with a
mounting bracket and screws.  Asking $20 (new ones go for $46 shipped).  The other gauge was used for 7 years
and the plastic is a little yellowed and hazy, but is still functional.  It comes with a mounting bracket, but
no screws.  Asking $5.

Selling because I live in an apartment now and can't use the gauges.

I've already posted this to Craigslist over a month ago but have received few responses.  So I thought a weather
forum might be a more effective way to reach the right buyers.

If anyone is interested in buying this gear, please contact me off-list at robertjmodic at att.net

These items are now sold.  Thanks Dale.


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« Last Edit: May 17, 2023, 10:38:27 PM by rjmodic »

Offline WheatonRon

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Re: CoCoRaHS Rain Gauges for sale
« Reply #1 on: May 15, 2023, 08:56:49 PM »
This gauge is being sold new for $35 by Weatheryourway.com. A newer gauge has been released—called a “Tropo” significantly more expensive — $88.25 to be exact from weatheryourway.com.

Bottom line? Take most any offers and move on. For what it is worth, the newer Tropo gauge, in my view, is way over priced and provides minimal additional features.

« Last Edit: May 15, 2023, 09:46:36 PM by WheatonRon »
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 DaleReid

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Re: CoCoRaHS Rain Gauges for sale
« Reply #2 on: May 16, 2023, 07:11:17 AM »
Hi, Dale here in Eau Claire, WI

I sent you a personal message to see if the gauges were still available.  Thx. Dale
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Offline Cutty Sark Sailor

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Re: CoCoRaHS Rain Gauges for sale
« Reply #3 on: May 16, 2023, 09:07:47 AM »

...For what it is worth, the newer Tropo gauge, in my view, is way over priced and provides minimal additional features.

since you brought it up, with all respect:
As many of us have realized, the production, consistency, and calibration quality of the Stratus has been problematic for several years. The problem is serious enough that CoCoRaHS quietly, began 'looking around', rejecting all comers... ... Climalytic went out on a huge expensive limb to resolve, and came up with a real jewel that resolves virtually all issues with 'others'.  My suspicion is Stratus only remains 'approved' at this point BECAUSE of price, as the 'best' low end over all the others, and if Product Alternatives does mitigate the issues, especially in materials,  the cost will rise beyond the MSRP of $40.

Tropo Kicks Butt. I say this from experience as field tester since Dec 2022.
More Expensive? Yes. BUT (more or less) if you can afford 2 Stratus gauges, and/or keeping/re-ordering parts replaced for them, you can afford a Tropo. I say the 'pole mount' kit/assembly 'add on' is outrageous,... mount it on a post!.... but the gauge kit comes with what you need to mount on a pipe also.
Approved? Yes.
More Features? Yes, contrary to what WheatonRun states, and the more I became familiar with them the more I appreciate them.
Applicable to everyone?  Nope.  I suggest it's for serious, meticulous observers only.  At least, with Tropo, you'd know the cylinders are 100% accurate across production runs. 
-----------------

aside:
I've 2 unused, spanking brand new Stratus as backup.  Want em?  No guarantee of inner cylinder accuracy, as both are different on overflow and imprints.  One does appear reasonably accurate.  Also have 4 used inner cylinders and misc parts enough to make up about 2 1/2 additional Stratus, and one of those inner cylinders does appear to be accurate.   Some you can even read the calibration lines on....
NOT SERIOUS... actually I anticipate donating them to potential observers in my area, with caveats for accuracy.
----------- total disclosure----------
I did receive a production issue TROPO a couple of weeks ago as 'thanks' for the real PITA field testing/reporting/critique  during the winter months.
At least for now, Climalytic donates a small percentage of gauge sales to CoCoRaHs.
« Last Edit: May 16, 2023, 09:13:56 AM by Cutty Sark Sailor »
 


Offline gvmelbrty

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Re: CoCoRaHS Rain Gauges for sale
« Reply #4 on: May 16, 2023, 04:06:46 PM »
I've asked my wife for a Tropo gauge for my birthday :D .

Offline CW2274

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Re: CoCoRaHS Rain Gauges for sale
« Reply #5 on: May 16, 2023, 04:48:13 PM »
A newer gauge has been released—called a “Tropo” significantly more expensive — $88.25 to be exact from weatheryourway.com.
This is the only place I see that currently has the Tropo for sale. Gotta C-note lyin' around doin' nothin'?

https://store.climalytic.com/tropo-gauge/

Offline WheatonRon

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Re: CoCoRaHS Rain Gauges for sale
« Reply #6 on: May 16, 2023, 05:13:34 PM »
I think posters in this Forum are generally serious about weather and collecting and sharing results via CoCoRaHS, WU, CWOP, etc. But let’s not kid ourselves. Unless you live without any trees or houses nearby, our measurements are, at best, good-faith estimates, particularly in the winter when snow is drifting and blowing. In fact in the winter, I use two Stratus gauges—one to collect precipitation and the other is kept inside keeping warm ready to replace the gauge outside, if necessary, should snow or other precipitation exist in the outside gauge at measurement time. If the outside gauge has precipitation, I replace it with the warm one from inside, and measure the water content in the outside gauge by weighing the gauge including the water/snow content, deducting the weight of the gauge itself, and reporting that. I fail to see how the new Tropo gauge will help in the winter—the rest of the year—marginally so. That said, the ole Stratus gauge was due for a refresh. However, at a $100 a pop, (double that if you follow my winter approach) many “newbies” may be chased off due to pricing—and that is unfortunate.
« Last Edit: May 16, 2023, 07:51:14 PM by WheatonRon »
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 DaleReid

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Re: CoCoRaHS Rain Gauges for sale
« Reply #7 on: May 16, 2023, 10:04:31 PM »
I agree with Mike that the idea of the most accurate gizmo we can afford is the one we should like to have.

That being said, I know that there are design/manufacturing errors which an ethical company would strive to reduce as much as possible, and then there are measurement errors which are beyond any control by mankind.

I think of two situations which I've seen in the last year.  Looking across a field, I see waves of heavier snowfall coming down, and I know that one spot on the field will have  a tenth of an inch more than the field just a hundred yards away.   Which is correct?  Similarly, I've seen downpours with sheets of rain (a term I've heard and seen used in books, movies, etc) where a visibly more dense rainfall is occurring.  I 'm sure that it would be enough to throw an additional 0.01" into a  gauge.  The reason I say this is going back to an engineer friend who retired and has a strong interest in weather.  One summer he put up on his flat garage roof a veritable farm of rain gauges.  Expensive ones, tippers, NWS or old Weather Bureau one that he borrowed from me and open throated ones from the Stratus to the give away ones that  farm implement companies used to give away for advertising.  Anyway the roof was no where near any influence from trees etc. and was about as good of a setup as one could get.  During the summer rains most results were within a few 0.01s of each other and some were just hard to know (the old glass tube without volume amplification to get more careful results).

One rainstorm had one of his most consistently 'accurate' sets show an interesting anomaly; it was off nearly a 2/10ths of an inch, while almost all the others were in close agreement.  He kept great records and this had not happened before, nor did it happen again all the rest of the rain season. There were periods of extremely heavy downpours for a few moments, and the only thing he could come up with is a micro rain band dumped a lot right in the spot where that gauge was, and the others were not showing extra.

My point is that if you have a poorly made gauge with no calibration such as a large throat, volume amplifying system, and you get one of those rain excesses, you'll measure what you get and there isn't anything you can do to be 'more accurate' despite the manufacturer's attempts to fine tune their molds, their inscription and fiducial marks and so on.

I have (eBay) RM Young and a couple of High Sierra gauges which go for over $500 from the manufacturer, and they tip consistently and yet agree with the $80 Rainwise within a couple hundredths of an inch, spread out over a 5 acre place where I live.  spending oodles of money doesn't not make my rain reports any more accurate as long as my tippers are calibrated with one of those slow-drain drip bottles, or I have measured the diameter of my collection gauges throat and figured out how many grams of water should have been collected, then weighing the water and seeing where the tick marks on the barrel are.

There may be things about the gauge which make it easier to handle, or can be used for snow cores or such, but 4% error isn't too bad, and will be overwhelmed by a rain band deluge if one happens to be in your weather pattern. 

That being said, I'm going to check not rainstorm agreement, but pull a gauge in and do the careful throat diameter measurements, and weigh the water to within a tenth of a gram and do my best to see that the gauges I have do have accurate tick marks on them.  Always something to do when you have measurements in your hobby!
Dale
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Offline Cutty Sark Sailor

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Re: CoCoRaHS Rain Gauges for sale
« Reply #8 on: May 17, 2023, 12:35:57 PM »
FYI
Email excerpt from LMK Louisville KY:
Quote
...a new CoCoRaHS rain gauge ... sent to us (and other NWS offices), unsolicited, by Climalytic & CoCoRaHS.  ... it happened to arrive at LMK the day before we were scheduled to move the rain gauges to their new location along the sidewalk, so we took the opportunity to go ahead and install the new CoCoRaHS gauge and retire the old CoCoRaHS gauge....

Message goes on to emphasize that 'Co-Op' stations continue to use the official 8" NWS gauge for official NWS reporting....