Dr_G

--> QUOTE(Ross B @ 8 Nov 2006, 08:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Possibly, but i would assume it's also because the US version of the station is ilegal here. Thats why i'd like to buy the UK version but i dont want the UK price tage with it Ross B, No, they could supply UK versions no problem if they were allowed - they freely advertised a choice of zones in previous adverts, including UK. It is simply price fixing by Davis. Regards, Garth.

Guys, According to wikipedia (which I know doesn’t necessarily mean a great deal), “Precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmosphereic water vapour that is deposited on the earth's surface”. So I suppose by that definition it should be included then? Following on from that, are the tipping bucket type rain gauges accurate for hail and snow or not? Regards, Garth.

Guys, FYI, I e-mailed the people from http://www.davisweathersite.com/blank.html (a company called 'Weatherkeeper'), and got the reply that they could under no circumstances export any Davis system to the UK. They said however that they could export Lacrosse systems. I am now pursuing, lets just say "other lines of enquiry". Since seeing the US price of a Davis system and knowing what that price will buy as an equivalent over here, I simply refuse to pay the UK price for a Davis system. It is a blatant rip-off plain and simple. Its time to turn the tables... Thanks again to everyone who gave advice - I will keep you posted. Regards, Garth.

Stuart, Osbourne, Thank you both for your comments. I will research further! Regards, Garth. By the way, even if additional costs were £100 or so, the potential saving would be almost equivalent to TWO low spec. Lacrosse units....

Stuart, Yes, but what are the charges in terms of cost? Surely still cheaper than the system over here? The retailler in the first link (from ThePit) sells UK versions as well as US ones, so they would obviously be legal over here. That is simply not an issue as far as I can see. Regards, Garth.

Hello again, After an offline exchange with ‘The Pit’ , I was just looking further at his intriguing proposition of importing a Davis Vantage Pro from the address he posted on this forum: http://weatherstation.net/index.php In another thread, Paul suggested these people, also in America, selling it for $595 : http://www.davisweathersite.com/blank.html but they only appear to sell US versions, and there is a disclaimer on their site saying they can only sell within USA. With todays exchange rate, the wireless Vantage Pro would cost the equivalent of £260, compared with £500 over here. This £500 is a total rip-off, and is way over my budget, but £260 for a quality system…is a totally different proposition. I would consider upping my budget for a quality product at this price. Does anyone know what Tax would be added to this, and any other costs involved? The contact procedure at the retailler in America is pretty hopeless at the moment, but I am determined to find out what the overall cost would be! Has anyone else actually gone through this? Would there be any chance of importing a few units for people on the forum? Regards, Garth.

Ross B, Paula, Thanks very much for that info. Regarding the gliders, I really want to be able to look at the forecast option as well as the wind and direction. The flying slope is several miles from where live, so I'm always looking for westerly winds on average! A hand held unit wouldn't be much use at home. I have an old Dwyer wind meter for when I'm on site. According to another post on this forum, I caould possibly cet a Davis Vantage Pro cabled, for about £330 from America. I would have to add tax to that, and maybe postage, but that would be my preference over the 928. I noticed the American website mentioned had a British branch as well - I wonder if they do discounts Thanks again, Garth.

Hello everyone, My name is Garth, and I live in Sheffield, England. I am new to this forum, and I wondered if I could ask some advice? I have always been interested in meteorology, and have even made a few weather vanes and anemometers over the years. I fly model gliders, so it is good to know wind speed and direction! Since my cobbled together instruments are now failing (or failed), I have been looking at getting a ‘proper’ weather station, and there is a bewildering array to choose from. Briefly, I would like the following primary features: Wind speed Wind direction Outside temperature. Barometric pressure. Barometric pressure trend. Forecast icon of some kind. Secondary features would be: Wireless - if at all possible (depends on accuracy and reliability). Humidity – if possible Inside temperature - if possible. PC data recording - if possible. I am not intending to leave the station connected to my pc permanently, if I had data recording I would anticipate downloading hourly data every 2 or 3 days or so. I would simply use this for my own records. I do not particulary want or need to display real time data on my pc, or upload data to a website. I am looking at the Lacrosse WS1600, WS2300 or WS3600 stations, since these are the only ones within my price range. I am getting very confused about the wireless transmission rates and apparent problems with under-reading wind speed and interference on these models. Could someone explain how wind speeds are achieved? Presumably by averaging a sample of readings over a time period, but is this sampling time period the same as transfer rate time? Second question is how reliable are the sensors on these things, I’d hate to spend money on something that will pack up after a year. I fully understand that these are mass produced items which will have a finite life, but I simply cannot justify spending money on something of higher quality such as a Davis system. These are the systems I am looking at: The Lacrosse WS1600 is the cheapest at £95, but has by far the best wireless transfer rate of 4.5 seconds (with the new IT system), BUT it doesn’t have indoor temperature, or humidity, dew point or any pc connection. I do like the cup type anenometer though, because I think they are better for lower wind speeds. The WS2300 is 8 seconds – even with a cable, but does allow download of data. No baragraph though. It is priced around £145. Same 8 seconds cabled, with the WS3600, but I have heard bad things about the overall reliability of this model, and interference problems leading to winspeed and direction bugs. It seems however the most complete of the three. Price about £165. Why isn’t there a model with all the features I want <_< I am drawn towards the WS1600 simply because it has most of the features I want, and also happens to be the cheapest. It is very annoying not to have an indoor thermometer though. How reliable is this unit?? So…which is best for me, or are there any alternatives for under £200? Any comments from the experts much appreciated! Thnak You, Garth Nicholson.