Topic: Seeking Opinions for a New Station

[Farmtalk]

Hey guys! I haven't posted a lot the last few months, but I've been back on here reading quite a bit since the start of the new year.

Last year, my old WS-1090 finally died after a storm, and I'm looking to finally purchase a new station. Here's a few things that I'm trying to keep in mind:

• To be available to upload online through Wifi - (wouldn't mind hearing about weather software in the past. I used Cumulus a few years ago)
• To keep the station total under $300
• The station to be able to pick up the home module from at least 100 feet away (my setup's on the other side of the house).
• I remember the WS-1090 needing a nice radiation shield to help prevent temperature spikes - recommendations for this are also welcomed!

I'd like to hear what a few folks currently have if it's close to the above statements and how they like their products. I appreciate any and all suggestions!

[CW2274]

Hey guys! I haven't posted a lot the last few months, but I've been back on here reading quite a bit since the start of the new year.

• The station to be able to pick up the home module from at least 100 feet away (my setup's on the other side of the house).

If you even think you'll have reception problems...save up for a VP2. Guarantee you'll be glad you did, in more ways than one.

[Bushman]

For the upload part, look at the new logger/wifi options.  Pretty neat stuff.  Also, Meteobridge or a Raspberry Pi offer a computing base.

[Soweather]

Well, stay away from Acurite, they only allow sharing to WU, which has become problematic to deal with since IBM took them over.  I have both Ambient and Acurite stations for my business, home, and hobby (a paragliding club where we have several), and I fervently wish I hadn't bought Acurite for the club, as we can't switch away from WU.  WU has made it difficult to obtain _our_ data from _our_ stations to display on our club website.  It would be a snap with Ambient, as they support all sorts of sharing with PWS,  Weather Station by Pierre Lannoy (Plugin for WordPress), etc.  That said, both stations (plug and play Internet connected types) work well from a hardware standpoint, one located in a very remote mountain at 5k' with a fair amount of lightning strikes.  It's just a the sharing aspect really blows with Acurite.

[Bushman]

The sharing of Acurite is easily fixed by Acuparse or weewx-SDR.  And as much as it pains me to say it since Chaney screwed me over on the Access upgrade, the 5-n-1 station I have is still trucking along.  It is not the quality of my Davis VP2, but it is the Everready Bunny.

[Soweather]

Thanks for the response, but adding more hardware would be adding more complexity, especially since two of the sites run on solar.  What I liked about both the Acurite and the Ambient stations is that it's all included, just put them up and plug them in.  It's the sharing for the Acurite that is a big bummer.  I've still got one station running on a Raspberry and WeeWx, so very familiar with that route.  Fun, but complex and hard to hand over to non-tech people.

[Mandrake]

Well it seems straight cut to me.
You are already well invested in the Ambient Ecosphere....and familiarity is worth a lot.

I would go for a AW WS2000 or WS5000 (has a much longer transmission reach)
And crucially a Ecowitt GW1000 (915Mhz) (<50USD)

The GW1000 will gather the sensor data from your new AW station and allow you to use CumuluxMx so allowing you to keep a stream of data.
Or alternatively you could use other weather software like Weewx etc

You don't have to stay AW though, you could alternatively purchase all the kit from Ecowitt (Primary reseller) although there are rumours that AW are trying to prevent Ecowitt from selling in the USA.
If you go Ecowitt you could buy the console (HP2550/1) and any variation of external sensors if you don't want an all in one.
These will allow you to add additional sensor types like Lightning, Soil Moisture, PM2.5 Air Quality, additional internal Temperature modules and many more in the pipe line. Though be warned that if you stay AW they lock the firmware and you must buy the sensors from AW to display on the AW branded console. The GW1000 from Ecowitt will work with everything.

I think you will find the Fine Offset stations that your old station is a form of have moved on significantly technology wise.
Take a look in the AW/Ecowitt forum and feel free to look at the sticky's or pose questions. Plenty of folk will be happy to answer.

[jjh92]

I'll put in a good word for Acurate Atlas.  Several design features not available in other 'low cost' PWS that I really like:

• STH31 sensor (0.3C temp, 2% humidity accuracy)

• FARS for more accurate temp

• Removable/relocatable anemometer

• Lightning sensor

• Wind updates every 10sec (can see a gust of wind out my window and then watch it record on WeatherUnderground a few seconds later)

I am getting 4 bars of wireless signal strength from about 125' direct line of sight so for me no problem with range.
Easy to install on a pole and to remote the anemometer.  See my install pics:  https://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=36585.0

Early quality problems seem to have been worked-out by Atlas, mine is working fine, no issues.

PS - I'm in MN and it worked flawlessly through winter.

[PaulMy]

Quote"They have the complete setup for around $270 plus shipping"EndQuote


But you will also need the Weatherlink kit, or an alternative... WLLive, WiFiLogger...


Enjoy,
Paul

[blizzardof78]

I removed my comment since it apparently did not meet the comment guide lines.   

[Jim Ace]

I had two Acurite weather stations, along with two access hubs and all I had was failures, first with access and then dropped or week signals from the stations. I moved to Ambient and Ecowitt and have not had a single issue with either setup.  Just saying...

[Farmtalk]

Thank you all for the suggestions! I appreciate it! I will send some pictures once I make the decision - it's not a decision I'm taking lightly!

[Farmtalk]

I want to thank everyone for their replies and suggestions! I ended up purchasing a WS-2000 this evening, with an added bird spike, and an extra console. Total was around $350 with tax and shipping, so I stayed pretty close to the budget, and only went over with the added console.

I plan on getting this guy online pretty soon! I'll send photos of the setup when it comes in and I get a day off of working at the station!

Thanks again everyone, I appreciate it! 

[ocala]

Congrats on the weather station Joseph!

[Bswartz95]

Well, stay away from Acurite, they only allow sharing to WU, which has become problematic to deal with since IBM took them over.  I have both Ambient and Acurite stations for my business, home, and hobby (a paragliding club where we have several), and I fervently wish I hadn't bought Acurite for the club, as we can't switch away from WU.  WU has made it difficult to obtain _our_ data from _our_ stations to display on our club website.  It would be a snap with Ambient, as they support all sorts of sharing with PWS,  Weather Station by Pierre Lannoy (Plugin for WordPress), etc.  That said, both stations (plug and play Internet connected types) work well from a hardware standpoint, one located in a very remote mountain at 5k' with a fair amount of lightning strikes.  It's just a the sharing aspect really blows with Acurite.

I’ve had an Atlas for about a month. Not only is the data sharing limited, but my display constantly fluctuates and drops signal.  No amount of troubleshooting has solved the issue.  Like the OP, I just purchased the WS-2000.  As soon as it arrives, the Atlas is being swapped out, boxed up and returned.

I may buy the Ambient ObserverIP so I can use an Ethernet cable to transmit. The console only connects to 2.4ghz WiFi, and mine can act wonky at times. 

[galfert]

I may buy the Ambient ObserverIP so I can use an Ethernet cable to transmit. The console only connects to 2.4ghz WiFi, and mine can act wonky at times. 

Trust me, just pass on the ObserverIP, it is outdated older technology and is limited in compatibility with other software. Instead go with the Ecowitt GW1000. It will pick up your Ambient WS-2000 perfectly. Yes the GW1000 is WiFi and not Ethernet. You have more placement flexibility with WiFi. Most issues that people have are picking up the RF signal from the sensors (it isn't WiFi). This RF in the case of Ambient is 915 MHz. Most people do not have problems with the 2.4 GHz WiFi part itself. Comparing the RF performance between the ObserverIP and the GW1000, the reception performance of the GW1000 is much much better. This is what matters most. If your WiFi is not up to snuff then you should focus on getting that squared away as it will be important as you adopt more and more IoT devices. Yes, I too prefer to Ethernet connect most things whenever possible, but I'm not going to let that be the deciding factor over a superior device that just happens to only connect via WiFi.

[Bswartz95]

I may buy the Ambient ObserverIP so I can use an Ethernet cable to transmit. The console only connects to 2.4ghz WiFi, and mine can act wonky at times. 

Trust me, just pass on the ObserverIP, it is outdated older technology and is limited in compatibility with other software. Instead go with the Ecowitt GW1000. It will pick up your Ambient WS-2000 perfectly. Yes the GW1000 is WiFi and not Ethernet. You have more placement flexibility with WiFi. Most issues that people have are picking up the RF signal from the sensors (it isn't WiFi). This RF in the case of Ambient is 915 MHz. Most people do not have problems with the 2.4 GHz WiFi part itself. Comparing the RF performance between the ObserverIP and the GW1000, the reception performance of the GW1000 is much much better. This is what matters most. If your WiFi is not up to snuff then you should focus on getting that squared away as it will be important as you adopt more and more IoT devices. Yes, I too prefer to Ethernet connect most things whenever possible, but I'm not going to let that be the deciding factor over a superior device that just happens to only connect via WiFi.

Thank you.  I will check out the GW1000. Not an expensive device.  If the WS-2000’s console connects to WiFi, would I just not figure its network connection and use the GW1000 instead?  I wouldn’t want both transmitting data, would I?   The console should still pick up and display sensor data.

Still going around the learning curve.   

[galfert]

If the WS-2000’s console connects to WiFi, would I just not figure its network connection and use the GW1000 instead?  I wouldn’t want both transmitting data, would I?   The console should still pick up and display sensor data.

I would still configure both the WS-2000 display console and the GW1000 to WiFi. This way the WS-2000 can upload to Ambientweather.net. Then the GW1000 can upload to Ecowitt.net. But yes you are correct that you would not configure any service by more than one uploading device. One thing I've done, to test, is to create separate WU IDs for each console. I don't put all the WU stations on top of each other on the map. I spread them out some, like over in the woods about 1000 feet away from my house. This way I can see both. Helps to test new firmware and compare the consoles to each other. Right now they all do the same thing, but there have been times when I've switched one out for the other for my main WU station ID upload.

Even if you aren't going to use the WS-2000 to upload anywhere, like if you weren't interested in Ambientweather.net or extra WU IDs, I would still recommend to connect to WiFi so that the time can always be synchronized with Internet time servers.

[Bswartz95]

If the WS-2000’s console connects to WiFi, would I just not figure its network connection and use the GW1000 instead?  I wouldn’t want both transmitting data, would I?   The console should still pick up and display sensor data.

I would still configure both the WS-2000 display console and the GW1000 to WiFi. This way the WS-2000 can upload to Ambientweather.net. Then the GW1000 can upload to Ecowitt.net. But yes you are correct that you would not configure any service by more than one uploading device. One thing I've done, to test, is to create separate WU IDs for each console. I don't put all the WU stations on top of each other on the map. I spread them out some, like over in the woods about 1000 feet away from my house. This way I can see both. Helps to test new firmware and compare the consoles to each other. Right now they all do the same thing, but there have been times when I've switched one out for the other for my main WU station ID upload.

Even if you aren't going to use the WS-2000 to upload anywhere, like if you weren't interested in Ambientweather.net or extra WU IDs, I would still recommend to connect to WiFi so that the time can always be synchronized with Internet time servers.

Wealth of information!  It’s like taking an online class. Easy to understand too!  I would assume one wouldn’t upload faster than the other?  I think sensor data is transmitted every 16 seconds.  I would like the closest to real time as possible. 

[galfert]

I would assume one wouldn’t upload faster than the other?  I think sensor data is transmitted every 16 seconds.  I would like the closest to real time as possible.

Each sensor transmits at its own determined rate for the console to receive (factory set...cannot be changed).

WH65 16 seconds (all-in-one Osprey type - 2 wing and 3 wing)
WH32 64 seconds (outdoor temperature / humidity)
WH31 61 seconds (indoor temperature / humidity)
WS68 16.5 seconds (regular anemometer)
WS80 4.8 seconds (ultrasonic anemometer)
WH40 49 seconds (rain gauge )
WH41 10 minutes (PM2.5 outdoor version on solar)
WH43 60 seconds (PM2.5 indoor version when AC/USB powered)
WH51 72 seconds (soil moisture)
WH45 60 seconds (5-in-1: PM2.5, PM10, CO2, Temperature, Humidity)

Each console just listens for these RF transmissions, whenever they happen as that is up to the sensors themselves and how they have been designed. The console then always has current data from each sensor. On each console the data will expire if there is no recent transmission received...basically a sensor that just falls out (dead battery, broken, out of range....etc.).  Then the console will upload a complete set of the most recent data to any configured service. It uploads to Weather Underground every 16 seconds, but it uploads to Ambientweather.net/Ecowitt.net every 60 seconds (unless you change the interval to be longer). Same for other services if you choose to configure them; WeatherClould (10 min), MetOffice WOW (5 min), PWSweather (1 min), AWEKAS (5 min), or your own server at any rate you set.

The most real time data will only be available at the display console itself (for WS-2000) or on the WS-View app (for GW1000), and 3rd party software if you connect the GW1000 via its local network API for software like Cumulus MX, Meteobridge, Weather-Display. Also you can use WeeWX (via "Customized" server upload). The Weather Underground upload is pretty close though.

** Warning: The Ambient WS-2000 can only use Ambient branded sensors. The Ecowitt GW1000 can use Ambient or Ecowitt sensors as long as the frequency matches.

[Farmtalk]

My station is up and running! I do plan on running to Lowe's soon and purchasing a taller pipe (and subsequently digging a deeper hole  ), or perhaps even saving up for a telescoping pole. The WS-2000 is out in the open, with trees on the east side of it about 15 feet away (picture looks closer than it actually is), and the house about 50 feet diagonally from it. It does only sit up about 5 feet for now, but again, I do plan to change that soon.

The station has been running great! I'm impressed by the lack of sun interference like I used to have with some of the older fine offset stations. I bought two displays for the house and both are working great with it!

I've gotta thank Galfert, Mandrake, and several others who have helped me pick a station out! Appreciate it everyone! 

[galfert]

Looks great. Thanks for sharing pictures. I like your snow depth gauge as it is decorative and nicer looking than most ruler looking ones you tend to see, although I don't have much need for one of those. 

[Bswartz95]

My station is up and running! I do plan on running to Lowe's soon and purchasing a taller pipe (and subsequently digging a deeper hole  ), or perhaps even saving up for a telescoping pole. The WS-2000 is out in the open, with trees on the east side of it about 15 feet away (picture looks closer than it actually is), and the house about 50 feet diagonally from it. It does only sit up about 5 feet for now, but again, I do plan to change that soon.

The station has been running great! I'm impressed by the lack of sun interference like I used to have with some of the older fine offset stations. I bought two displays for the house and both are working great with it!

I've gotta thank Galfert, Mandrake, and several others who have helped me pick a station out! Appreciate it everyone! 

Looks great!  I have a 1.25" steel pole in the ground that is about 8 feet tall.  I'm debating rather to bolt the weather station to 10 foot PVC and slide that over the steel pole or just use the pole.    Thinking of ease of mounting it.  Mine should be delivered Monday.  Then I send the Atlas back.   

Now.. if only Weather Underground can get their servers up to speed. 

[galfert]

There are plenty of mounting discussions on this forum if you search. But here is a link to the most recent and active thread discussing mounting options that has had several posts just today:

https://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=39503.0

[Farmtalk]

Looks great. Thanks for sharing pictures. I like your snow depth gauge as it is decorative and nicer looking than most ruler looking ones you tend to see, although I don't have much need for one of those. 

I haven't needed it much at all over the last couple of years, either. Usually I do though! I don't really have much of a better spot to place the station - but the spot that it is located overall I don't believe is bad. The trees are on the eastern side, and there is a lot of clearing both to the south, west, and north - so most of the time, the wind shouldn't be obstructed (my wind rarely comes from east/northeast).

But I do plan on hanging it higher - probably in the neighborhood of 15 or 20 feet soon. I think that will improve the wind accuracy a bit. Thank you Galfert for the mounting link!

My station is up and running! I do plan on running to Lowe's soon and purchasing a taller pipe (and subsequently digging a deeper hole  ), or perhaps even saving up for a telescoping pole. The WS-2000 is out in the open, with trees on the east side of it about 15 feet away (picture looks closer than it actually is), and the house about 50 feet diagonally from it. It does only sit up about 5 feet for now, but again, I do plan to change that soon.

The station has been running great! I'm impressed by the lack of sun interference like I used to have with some of the older fine offset stations. I bought two displays for the house and both are working great with it!

I've gotta thank Galfert, Mandrake, and several others who have helped me pick a station out! Appreciate it everyone! 

Looks great!  I have a 1.25" steel pole in the ground that is about 8 feet tall.  I'm debating rather to bolt the weather station to 10 foot PVC and slide that over the steel pole or just use the pole.    Thinking of ease of mounting it.  Mine should be delivered Monday.  Then I send the Atlas back.   

Now.. if only Weather Underground can get their servers up to speed. 

It'll fit perfectly - I'm a big fan of Ambient's method of fitting any pipe between 1 and 2". I tightened it up a little extra underneath but it should bode well for you!