Topic: Camping Weather Station Recommendations

[Dr Obbins]

I go camping a lot and would like to take my weather hobby with me. I have a small trailer camper with 12v dc. No internet connection. Wish list is to wake up after a cold rainy night and check:

• Highest wind gust
• Lowest temp
• Any rain accumulation
• Current weather data
• Ect...

It could use a display or phone app. Any suggestions?

[PaulMy]

Hi Dave, long time between posts
You know the Davis, so a Vue ISS and the new "Colour" console   I think that is all you would need. 
https://www.davisinstruments.com/products/weatherlink-console


Enjoy,
Paul

[Dr Obbins]

Hi Dave, long time between posts

I was left unattended and wondered off.

That Davis console will do the trick. About time they came up with a less utilitarian looking unit. I see that it also has a Davis price tag. Thanks

[alanb]

I understand if you are tied to and prefer Davis, but if you want to consider something less expensive, why not consider Ambient Weather? The WS-2902 ($189.99) or if you want a fancier console and ability to add additional sensors, the WS-2000 ($299.99). The consoles for both of these stations can easily and inexpensively be adapted to 12V.

I am curious about your mounting plans. Will you have a post on your trailer that you will mount and dismount the array on each time you set up and tear down? Or a tripod? In either case I can see how leveling and north orientation could be a hassle every time you set up. I am not familiar with the Davis stations, so maybe they are more easily adjustable for level and orientation than the Ambient stations. I hope you will tell us when you decide what to get and how well it works out.

Also, are you wanting the array to be 12V powered? If so, the Ambient stations would not be a good solution as the array is powered by a solar panel charged capacitor with 2A batteries for backup. With a little creativity, I suppose you could come up with a way to power the array from a 12V source instead of the 2A batteries.

[Dr Obbins]

I have a Tempest, but I could not access the historical date without an internet connection. So I was looking to see what else is out there. The Ambient features look good, but would it be strong enough to withstand bouncing around in a trailer down a dirt road?

On the Tempest forum I was reminded that the phone can be a hotspot. The Tempest was disconnected from the internet last night. Then this morning it was connected through the phone and uploaded last night’s data. This will work for me as long as there is cell service.

The station is mounted on the front of the trailer. In the pic below, it is barely over the top of the trailer, but that is to keep the HOA happy. While camping there is a longer pipe used. being as it is for camping, the leveling and north orientation are - close enough. The pvc is not glued so it is easy to take apart and put together.

[Platokidd]

Hard to tell but it looks like you have a pop-up camper.
Davis is good stuff and glad to see they now have some eye candy. Bout time.

Don't think I travel with any pws mounted.

I would recommend The ws2000 or 2902.

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[Dr Obbins]

Hard to tell but it looks like you have a pop-up camper.
Davis is good stuff and glad to see they know have some eye candy. Bout time.

Don't think I travel with any pws mounted.

I would recommend the ws2000 or 2902.

Yes, the camper is an A-Frame. 2 door wranglers can pull only 2,000lbs. This A-Frame comes in at 1,000 leaving room for stuff. I'm pulling all the hobbies together - Weather, Trail Riding & Camping. The station is taken down while traveling. I like your idea of the beer temp monitor in the fridge.

[Platokidd]

Looks like fun times!

[ValentineWeather]

When I lived in northern Arizona loved to camp on the North Kaibab. That's the high plateau 8-9,000 feet on the north side of the Grand Canyon. Would spend about 3 weeks usually deer archery hunting because it went from mid-August to about the 10th of September. Many good memories. All I took back in the day was a cheap rain gauge and hung a thermometer on the north side of a tree. I like the idea of a weather station.