Topic: UK Based home use station

[etaf]

I have been reading the forum, and getting quite confused on the best home use weather station for a bit of fun. now retired and may turn into a hobby. I live about .5Km from the sea, and we get A) strongish winds and B) suffer with corrosion on metal quite severely from the salt in air

Maybe upload to website , like WOW , met office but still looking into advantages, and subscription free

I seem to have quickly escalated to over £1000 for a system.
DAVIS VANTAGE PRO2 PLUS WIRELESS - 6162UK (INCLUDES UV & SOLAR RADIATION SENSORS) with datalogger £1400

I have had a couple of "toys" from oregan before with outside temp sensors, which have failed quite quickly
so just to summarise what I have picked up so far.

For good quality sensors that will last , then the Davis seems to be the units to go for - most reviews of other system seem to indicate the sensors may last 2 to 3 years at best. - is that correct
The advice seems to be avoid Bresser systems
and also Aercus systems
Watson seems to be mentioned as a UK version of the HP Ecowitt, from Navadaradio

Mention of HP and other makes dont seem to be available in UK

Most software will NOT work on the latest OSX Mac software which inly allows 64bit
I have an iphone IOS 13

so the systems i have looked at are Davis , and into the PRO 2
as the Vantage Vue system cannot have extra sensors added - Is that correct

i have read a few forums and websites, Weathershop, nevadaradio, amazon, greenfrogscientific

In Summary then
Ideally work on a MAC OSX with catelina , and IOS phone, BUT would prefer a standalone counsole to put in lounge for easy reading.
A console , that will be on a desk with most of the measures on, ideally Mains powered , NOT battery, as these do not seem to last
Sensors ,
Wind speed, direction, gusts,
temp , in various locations, chill factor, dew point,
humidity ,
Pressure
Rain
not so fussed about the date/time and moon phase, as some of the cheaper versions seem to have a large part of the display used up
UV
maybe soil, if i read up about that

I dont want a unit, where if i get interested I end up throwing away and starting again
I would like to keep cost to a minimum
good support and after sales service


I would be happy to answer further questions, so any advice for UK would be great
and what advantages i would get if the thing turns into a hobby, as now retired

Using software and websites like
weathercloud
wunderground
Met Office WOW

[johnd]

Quick answers to your main questions:

Weather stations are no different to anything else in life - to a first approximation you get what you pay for. Yes there are a whole load of relatively cheap stations mass-produced in China and retailed under a dizzying array of brand names, though typically with a  common heritage. The quality of these is definitely better than it used to be, but most people would agree that Davis is still a step up from these. (Remember also that there are many makes considerably more expensive than Davis.) Ultimately only you can decide how deep your pockets are. If you spend more then you will get better quality but it's not necessarily a linear relationship. Remember also to factor in the availability and quality of after-sales support - all weather stations obviously have to live outside in all weathers and all will typically need some sensor elements replacing after a period of several years, so ready availability of advice and spares is important.

Yes the Vue system is non-expandable (and is also an all-in-one design, which limits its sensor accuracy, ie high mounting is good for wind readings but bad for rainfall). To be accurate, you can add a supplementary anemometer transmitter to a Vue but that's the only exception.

Mac software: If you want to run local software then there's no doubt that Mac software (especially 64 bit) is more limited than for Windows. Many Mac users seem to be using the Weathercat software, but there are other options such as CumulusMX and a (possibly limited) version of Weather Display. An increasing number of users are storing and viewing their data online on cloud platforms such as weatherlink.com, in which case as long as you have a web browser available then it doesn't matter what operating system you're running. But be aware that to access all its features there is an annual subscription (ca £50pa) for eg weatherlink.com.

[etaf]

Brilliant thanks for the very fast reply, that confirms most of my assumptions from reading through all the material yesterday , which is good to get confirmed by an expert.
i'll look at those software options, I do have a windows 10 laptop, but rarely have that on, but could use at a push.

some sensor elements replacing after a period of several years, so ready availability of advice and spares is important.

which tends to point to the Davis Pro sytem and the Vue sensors are not replacebale from what I have read. Not sure who the main parts supplier in UK is for Davis

[johnd]

Not sure who the main parts supplier in UK is for Davis

 

[etaf]

oh, just saw your link in signature
been reading your website yesterday

[ConligWX]

Hi there and welcome to the forums. 

yes, purchasing a weather station can be expensive, however if you are in it for the long haul then purchasing a better model at the start can be in your best interests.

At I run a Davis Vantage Pro2 plus (UV and Solar)  system which I got with a 3 year warranty at the time of purchase. I did have the Vantage Vue prior to that which is a great station, but newer models apparently cannot have individual sensors replaced if something fails. The VUE cannot have any additional things added either.

The Vpro2 can have additional features added. I've upgraded mine in the last few years with a new AeroCone and Single Rain Tipping Spoon (which I think are now standard on all new vPro2's - please correct me if I am wrong @johnd - aka Prodata Weather Systems)  and also added a DFARS too.

The vPro2 is a great weather Station for the keen enthusiast. there are a number of sellers in the UK and it best to speak with them all regarding price.

Here are a few sites I would recommend.

https://www.weatherstations.co.uk/ (aka johnd)
https://weatherspares.co.uk/
https://www.mendipweather.co.uk/

As to dataloggers.  Davis do Serial, USB and Weatherlink.  all are expensive and some more than others.  I purchased a USB with  my vpro2 at the time, but managed to get a WeatherlinkIP datalogger for 5 quid if I remember rightly a few years back

you will then need a device (rasbpi, pc) with additional software to process the data and send it on to the likes of CWOP, Wunderground, PWS Weather, Windy etc. Weatherlink Live send directly to Davis (afaik)

There are two 3rd party external "data" loggers that connect directly to the Davis Console and can send data onto 3rd party sites..  Wifilogger and Meteobridge. (Meteobridge Nano, Metoebridge Pro)

https://wifilogger.net/

and

https://www.meteobridge.com/wiki/index.php/Home

I can only comment on the Nano SD that I own, but it is a tiny SBC that plugs into the back of the Console and connects to your Wifi network. it has a Web GUI interface which you then setup the device to report to other 3rd party websites, and if you have your own web site it will ftp data there too. the Davis Data logger is then not needed for this type of scenario.
and is pretty good at what it does.

I am in the process of possibly moving back to CumulusMX in the near future, which mean I will probably be selling my Nano SD sometime soon. I prefer the hands on approach to running a Server for CumulusMX which I have done in the past, and its extra feature/data set it provides, but dont get me wrong Meteobridge is awesome product too and an all in one package. it has a built in local web interface for viewing data too. which tbh is a much better approach than a davis datalogger, unless you are going to run your own server/pc at home 24/7.

There are several options you could go for so evaluate them all.

[etaf]

Thanks simon for the comprehensive reply, i will do some research on the products you linked

[weather34]

hello being your in the uk your very fortunate and if you can justify the cost of davis vantage pro2 package your in safe hands there are highly recommended resellers one is johnd in this thread and the other weatherspares uk both carry an extensive range of spare parts , optional extras ,knowledgeable support when you need it ..beauty of the vantage pro 2 is you can build it as funds permit just as i did i started out with standard vp2 with a solar radiation sensor , upgraded the rain tipper recently introduced single tipper, purchased a uv sensor when i could afford it and bought a spare temperature sensor for a piece of mind for the future. cant highlight enough buy from a trusted source not bulk box shifter where the price is often cheaper until you want the extras, the support, a trustworthy warranty because like anything electrical its prone to failure .but rest assured vantage pro 2 will last for years with a bit regular basic maintenance . sum it up buy from a trusted source and build it up as funds permit. as for loggers talk or call the dealers mentioned there human no robot emails or some bod employed to answer emails with a pre scripted response  .

you mentioned others years ago i worked in ham radio trade for many years watson was a brand created by a company out of hockley in essex waters and stanton (i worked there for a short time before leaving the trade) but they have since folded (they were the importer of the weather stations maplins distributed ) and now the company shut down and sold onto nevada a few years ago who to be honest are ham radio specialist not weather and today i guess there a box shifter working off low margins i mean low margins so dont expect in depth support probably refer you to the manufacturer..

bottom line it what your budget is but if you can justify it you wont regret it .brian

[johnd]

The Vpro2 can have additional features added. I've upgraded mine in the last few years with a new AeroCone and Single Rain Tipping Spoon (which I think are now standard on all new vPro2's - please correct me if I am wrong @johnd - aka Prodata Weather Systems)  and also added a DFARS too.

Yes, that's correct - all current VP2 stock should have the tipping spoon update fitted.

Since you mention the 3-year warranty, can I add a word of caution about this. The maximum official Davis warranty in the UK is two years, anything beyond that is unofficial and offered only by that particular dealer. The problem here is that if the dealer in question becomes very difficult to contact - not answering phone calls or returning emails - then that warranty becomes effectively worthless. As an official UK Davis distributor we have been dealing with customers in exactly this situation who have turned to us to try and find a remedy.

I'm not sure what's going to happen about this other than to say that discussions are ongoing. The reality is that, while it's non-zero, the incidence of VP2 faults in year 3 is really pretty low. And we (Prodata) have always been fairly sympathetic to genuine year 3 issues (but that can't include things like a cow has chewed through an anemometer cable (not that uncommon a fault report!) or the ISS has been dropped on to concrete) but these are dealt with on an unofficial case by case basis. But it's not a satisfactory situation for Davis's brand reputation  or anyone else involved when a customer is lured into a purchase by a 3-year promise which can then only be stood up with considerable difficulty.

[weather34]

i wont drift off topic but just to say Johnd  i worked for one electrical retailer very short time who made more profit off extended warranties than they did the product simply the claim rate was less than 2%  . anyway op your in safe hands buy from a trusted source ..

[etaf]

looks like for the Pro2 I'm in for about £1,500

Davis Wireless Vantage Pro2 Plus 6162UK £1,159.00 - includes extra UV sensor
Metrobridge Nano SD £279 - stores 20year data - not sure how to view the data
3m Pole & fixings, planning to place in the middle of garden - attach to and existing 3x3 post thats concreted into the ground and about 1.8m high with .6m in concrete (2.4m post) , which gives me open air, and orientation for sun most of day
Or perhaps side of garage
Around 30m away from the council on a desk with just one extrnal wall, hedge, trees , fence  - otherwise direct line of site,

£1,500
No Annual Subscriptions
will be able to store data on SD card

Not going to work well with the Mac OSX 64bit only - BUT hopefully i can view the data via a webbrowser, but this is where my research stopped

Thoughts/advice

I think davis offer a 2year warranty if registered

@johnd
I have been going through all the excellent info on your website - brilliant

[galfert]

I highly recommend a dedicated computer for weather software. Don't use your daily driver Mac for weather software. Because a daily driver computer is going to experience outages and more reboots in its daily use. There is a higher risk that the weather software will not be running in the background and you won't know unless you constantly check for it.

You can still use the Mac to remote into the dedicated weather computer. So you can put the weather computer in a closet or cabinet out of sight (even headless - no monitor, no keyboard/mouse). You don't need to install anything on the Mac as all you need is a browser to get to the live weather system software. To manage that other computer you can install some remote management software of which there are many choices to pick from.

Use a Raspberry Pi if cost, space, and power use are important. To make it totally silent use a Flirc case on the Pi so that it has no fan. Otherwise you could also use a spare Windows computer. Then you can run other software like Cumulus MX, Weather-Display, or WeeWX and they can pull data from the Meteobridge Nano that you are planning on getting.

[weather34]

hi if you go for a nanosd its all built in no need for an application , built in internal dashboard based on

https://weather34.com/homeweatherstation/weather34-standalone.html
free no extra cost or can run locally on a mac just like i do so it actually feels like a application.
nanosd does all the work and the mac doesnt have to be on 24/7..

or buy a bit of webspace and have your own website amongst being able to upload to all the popular weather services you can find many different templates to suit your needs .

hope it all comes together for you and have many years of reliable use ..brian

[galfert]

hi if you go for a nanosd its all built in no need for an application , built in internal dashboard based on

True, though I wasn't sure if the OP is looking to have more software options for no other reason than because you can. I run multiple software applications just for fun and I feel I get a little something different from each.

[etaf]

Thanks ALL
@weather34
Seems its a locked download, does it run as a standalone app on the Mac running Catalina (64bit software only) or via a browser
Quite like the idea of using it with Airplay onto appleTV to display on TV screen maybe
as a live screen perhaps

[weather34]

Hi well when you ordered or have it up and running drop an email request using the request form you will the receive a password to access download the password changes frequently it just eliminates/reduces any confusion for those trying to using it with non Meteobridge devices . glad to help be it email,skype etc guarantee your up and running in 30 minutes

Yes smart tv no problem I use it on android based smart tv and tested it upto 55'' locally but smart tv browsers especially pre 2017 models cant handle the modern css design and I found some of them have no means of using a variety of browsers fortunately Android TV based ones allow to use a variety of browsers and later Samsung models but I have an 2014-15 circa Samsung model I thought I would use but has no means of updating the internal browser stuck with a crappy Samsung browser but my later Samsung 2018+ models have the facility. best do your homework on smart tv browsers I wasn't aware of so many browser variations across the brands till I looked . screenshot below on android smart tv I picked up locally for around 100$ don't know the cost in pounds .ps im in istanbul expat (Matlock Derbyshire and Kent)

Mac Catalina compatibility I simply use a program called XAMPP it basically allows you run any website template directly on your MAC as installs all the necessary components so its just like a web server you buy to have a website. Confused ? its quite simple really and happy to help if you need help and once it is installed you can create a local web app using your Mac as web server as shown in screenshot below and you have a App Icon to use .Mac doesn't need to be running 24/7 has the nansd does all the work and your accessing the data over your local network so you don't need webspace however having webspace allows you to view the data wherever you are . Still confused ? it kind of opens up a minefield or maze to wade through . However having said all that talk to your dealer your buying from about other possibilities Im not the expert on Davis applications  .But as always glad to help if needed.

smart tv
 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

app simulation connected to local server installed on Mac  its not a true app but simulates but can access all the stuff as you would on the web but it uses the local Mac environment .

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

[etaf]

Thanks for all the offers of help and explanation.
I have a little experience in webservers etc - not on mac, but on windows and webdesigns from many years ago

my smart tv is old and a panasonic, that soon after purchasing changed all the portal and stuck with a useless machine, hence when i got the Mac pro laptop, I also got an Apple TV to use with TV and seems to work well, also with airplay

[weather34]

windows,linux or mac xampp https://www.apachefriends.org/index.html does the same pretty much click and install job done.. as for panasonic yes we had one got smashed during an earthquake last year basically toppled of a table stand fortunately insured so treated ourselves to 65” wallhanger samsung ..good luck lots to learn but best get familiar with the weather station hardware and then move on to the geek stuff 😁 ..

[ConligWX]

The NanoSD local dash will suffice your needs. Here is mine viewed just from a web browser direct to the NANO SD IP address:

http://ip.of.nano.sd/PWS/index.php

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you can in time then branch out and setup a website etc if you wanted too.

[etaf]

@ConligWX Thanks for the info and image

[Mandrake]

I will just say this...
and I am not trying to be controversial! Buying Davis will not make you immune to failure of sensors due to salty atmosphere.
Yes, they make very good quality weather stations and if you can afford them then by all means go this route.
If you are more budget minded then look at the Ecowitt route (Fine Offset) as you will save so much money that inevitable equipment failure will not be an issue and you can replace the individual parts as you need. You can buy a totally modular system if you wish (separate anemometer, rain collector etc) which helps limit issues.
Please take a look at the website (www.ecowitt.com)
They also have many more sensor options than Davis (Lightning, PM2.5, Soil Moisture/Temperature and CO2 to come shortly) and more in development.

The Ecowitt route is equally supported for all the software options that are mentioned above so that's no barrier either.

EDIT: To be clear Davis also offers Soil Temp/Moisture options

Just wanted to make sure that you consider all the options!

[etaf]

Thanks @Mandrake , i have been looking at the alternatives , as my wife said this morning, having looked at youitube videos, you could replace the unit 3 or 4 times !!!
but the ecowatt is not in the uk, as far as i can read, although I have read about a Watson model https://www.nevadaradio.co.uk/product/watson-w-8686/
fine offset
http://www.foshk.com/Wifi_Weather_Station/HP2550.html

[weather34]

i think the case of ecowitt would be more advantageous  if you were able to buy locally from a trusted dealer buying overseas especially in this period is problematic,slow and at times frustrating especially if you are having issues or failures .cant reiterate enough buying locally from a trusted source far outways the cost saving when things go wrong. 20 odd years in retail ive seen some rather frustrated consumers who buy overseas because its cheaper but when it goes wrong be it minor or large the regret kicks in. you dont expect things to go wrong and but they do and weather hardware is just like a car it needs looking after regular service and prone to failure . but let me say i live 100 meters aprox from the sea front taste the salt in the air and not seen any corrosion during a regular 3 monthly clean up and i look for signs of that as previous hardware owned like oregon,ambient all suffered from corrosion simply components did not have well thought out protection for these scenarios in design and ambient wind vane was baked in one summer due to the high uv we get it literally crumbled into a bakerlite dust pile..

i used to think my ambient was the dogs bollox until i got a vp2 and the difference in build quality was so apparent it smacks you in the face  , its like putting a hyuandi low end car next to a volvo for some reason you know the volvo will outlast or last longer just by looking at it.. however having said that if cost saving is of importance then ecowitt is your best alternative whilst there are others but again localized support is hit and miss . i dont class overseas email support as time zone differences can not be of much help when you might need a quick answer ..hence my advice buy locally .

[etaf]

Thanks for that
I had read about ecowitt and also that a store in portsmouth has the HP2550
http://www.foshk.com/Wifi_Weather_Station/HP2550.html
https://www.nevadaradio.co.uk/product/watson-w-8686/
Not sure , as you say difference in quality , but at a price.
£1300 ish v £200
still undecided

[weather34]

hi watson just a rebrand of fine offset , as earlier post i worked for the company that created the brand watson they sold there business to nevada a couple years ago , it was common for our puchasers to venture off to china once a year and have various products branded watson . so same thing your seeing there , they generally venture of to china buy 500-1000 pieces perhaps less these days and have them rebranded with branded packaging in your company name or product range. i get what your seeing in price difference but difference is their for a reason. tip look on nevada site for spare parts if you see a range of parts then you may be in safe hands in the future if something goes wrong if not then you will have a bit of a wait to resolve . however dont let the talk of things going wrong be the main decision or discourage your thoughts end of the day you want a weather station that suits your needs and budget and there are lots to choose from.. ps yes if my wife gets involved i normally have to compromise or buy her a surprise  gift to keep her sweet then drop the bombshell