Much should depend on where you will site the equipment and can you take daily readings every day between 0600-0900hrs (preferably the latter). a simple way may be to look at the COL website and use their station grading system (bases on trad' equip') to obtain a grade for where your stn would be sited. If you can site it well, afford 'proper' trad' equip' and can do daily readings then the answer will be go for trad' equip' - however, it should be borne in mind that: 1.) a lot of sites using trad equip' (even those who report to the Met'O) will use a Davis Vpro2 as back up. 2.) trad' equip' is expensive, (eg: a grass thermom' delivered to the door £118) a few bits and bobs and you have the price of a vpro2 - little point in buying naff non standard trad' equip' because in no time you will want standard equip' - best look at the fairmount website. There is something an AWS simply can't provide when going out each day to read the weather. Even if you do get an aws do go out each day and note the prevailing weather, cloud type and amount, snowfall and depth, etc, etc. it will add to the experience of weather watching. I know that this will anger some, but a Vpro2 is simply the best, not cheap, but why waste money on anything else? If your site is 'less than ideal' (some lucky people and I'm not one of them, do have good sites, but most are compromised in at least one aspect) then an AWS may be best, as much in that it may not be wise to spend so much on trad' equip' at an overly compromised site. obviously you can also go away and an aws will still be taking readings, whereas with trad' you will need to ask a friend
