Weather Stations

[JRMcLeod]

Can anyone help me...

I am looking to get a weather station of some description...i would like it hooked up to my computer...i have no idea where to start!! Does anyone know where i can get one that isn't too expensive and is good...even if you could provide me with some links to some good websites...i would prefer a weather station that i know will give me as little hassle and problems as possible!!

Any Ideas Anyone???

[Anvil Crawler]

Have a look here http://www.meteorologica.co.uk/prodtype.asp?PT_ID=84 If your budget will let you go for Davis,I use oregan wmr928 myself which is a little cheaper.

Edited July 25, 2006 by Anvil Crawler

[The PIT]

Well since the Dollar exchange rate is very good at the moment.

http://weatherstation.net/index.php

Now you'll need a lot of patience with the company and don't let them bully you. You'll have a customs charge of course but you can make a huge savings and buy a complete Davis Vantage Pro2 at probably less than half the price you could get in the UK. Divide the prices by 1.8 which is rougyhly the exchange rate. Customs haven't got a clue what the UK value is so what they add still means you make a huge savings.

[JRMcLeod]

Wow cheers for the info...another question!!! What about watches with weather applications?? i have noticed a few but they seem to be very very hard to come across??

[Essan]

Alistair at Weatherfront is very helpful

http://www.ukweathershop.co.uk/

[Michael Fishermans Friend]

I'm looking to buy a Davis station and looked on ebay to try and import one in for nearly half the price but was informed that Davis Wireless versions interfere with mobile phones frequency over here and would be convescated by customs - which has put me off that route!

By the way I am now looking at the Oregon wmr928, what are they like? are they accurate - are the thermistor sensors protected etc?

[Thundery wintry showers]

I have a WMR928NX weather station and it generally works very well. The rainfall recorder is sometimes a bit dodgy (it only tips after 1mm has been recorded, and doesn't always reliably do so) but readings for temperature, pressure, wind and humidity can be relied upon. It isn't too hard to set up if you have a decent sized area to put the equipment into.

For data archival purposes you would need to have a computer on 24 hours per day to get the readings into a CSV file, unless you are prepared to fork out another £150 for a data logger from Skyview (which I personally think is a bit of a rip-off)

The Davis Vantage Pro is supposed to be better, but rather more expensive, so essentially what you get is proportional to what you pay for.

If you want to have representative weather data archives for your area then getting a professional weather station of this kind is definitely recommended; most of the people on Weather Underground use either a Davis or Oregon WMR series weather station.

[Osbourne One-Nil]

I'm looking to buy a Davis station and looked on ebay to try and import one in for nearly half the price but was informed that Davis Wireless versions interfere with mobile phones frequency over here and would be convescated by customs - which has put me off that route!

By the way I am now looking at the Oregon wmr928, what are they like? are they accurate - are the thermistor sensors protected etc?

I'm sure thousands of Davis owners would disagree!

[The PIT]

I'm looking to buy a Davis station and looked on ebay to try and import one in for nearly half the price but was informed that Davis Wireless versions interfere with mobile phones frequency over here and would be convescated by customs - which has put me off that route!

By the way I am now looking at the Oregon wmr928, what are they like? are they accurate - are the thermistor sensors protected etc?

Complete twaddle. You can buy the UK version from the address I posted earlier.

[Red Raven]

Complete twaddle. You can buy the UK version from the address I posted earlier.

i'd agree - i've got a vantage pro2 and a mobile phone -- all very modern up here in cumbria you know!

Edited July 27, 2006 by Red Raven

[parmenides3]

Are any of the 'budget' stations worth getting (in the £200-400 bracket)

[Hairy Celt]

another happy wmr928nx owner here. runs fine, bought from some german ebayer new a few months ago. glued a big (i mean huge) funnel to the rain gauge to increase sensitivity to 0.1mm tips. why pay for a davis?

[parmenides3]

Thanks. Trouble is, they all sound so great, until you realise that they are tricky to set up, don't measure to the accuracy you might want, come with no software or just crash twice a month. Is the wmr928nx numpty-proof?

[WindWatcher]

I'm looking to buy a Davis station and looked on ebay to try and import one in for nearly half the price but was informed that Davis Wireless versions interfere with mobile phones frequency over here and would be convescated by customs - which has put me off that route!

By the way I am now looking at the Oregon wmr928, what are they like? are they accurate - are the thermistor sensors protected etc?

Catching on to this one late, but I thought I should put you straight. The wireless Davis stations work just fine in the UK if you buy the uk/european version. The American version that you will find on e-bay will operate on a different frequency and may well interfere with uk mobiles and other wireless devices.

I have never known customs be so thorough as to confiscate incorrect wireless devices, but you could well get a knock on the door when you turn it on and it interferes with emergency channels or something else.

As usual it is a case of having to pay the "rip off Britain" premium if you want the wireless version.

Steve.

P.S just installed one today and they are great!

[Hairy Celt]

Thanks. Trouble is, they all sound so great, until you realise that they are tricky to set up, don't measure to the accuracy you might want, come with no software or just crash twice a month. Is the wmr928nx numpty-proof?

yes. the only drawback is that the base station has a rather crappy display and can only show current conditions and some min/max readings so you really need to hook it up to a pc to get the best out of it. mine's connected to a laptop which is on 24/7, maybe not ideal but there you go. also waiting for some whizzkid to explain in words of one syllable how to get it online, hint hint....

[Michael Fishermans Friend]

Sorry for being vague on my post but that was what I was refering too (WindWatchers post), about importing cheaper US wireless versions through customs and their frequency as I have been told does interfere with mobiles over here.

I will probably get a Davis Pro2 but is it worth paying the extra for the FARS and solar radiation sensors? which accounts for an extra £400 odd pounds!

[Osbourne One-Nil]

The Pit has a aspirated shield thingy and says it makes a difference, but over the hot spell I put a normal thermometer in the shady, windy bit of the garden, and compared it to my non-aspirated VP2 and the readings were the same.

From what I understand is you only require the aspirated one if you are in a very sunny location which has little wind. The slightest breeze is enough to ensure accurate readings according to Davis (and you think they'd try to make you buy one).

Always fancied the solar radiation sensors, until I learnt that they don't necessarily equate to sunshine hours, so then I lost interest.