Home weather stations

hurleronditch

Hi All,

Just looking for some advice, since the 'cold snap' (hate that term btw), my dad has gotten very into following the weather forecast, and particularly trying to do his own analysis. I think theres a website that people use to feed in their own info and he's got into looking at that???

He has asked my mother for a home weather station for putting outside the house for christmas. She hasnt a clue and has asked me to source one, and to be honest i havent a clue either, but im better able to use the internet!!

So what ive come up with is these two

here

and here

Are these any good? He is a microelectronic engineer type by trade so i think he would prefer the most technical and professional one available, so if theres something more hardcore out there im sure he'd welcome it.

Id say price range would be max 200-250 quid, but thats not a fixed limit.

Any of you folks have any pointers, or which of the two i listed are better value?

blindsider

hurleronditch wrote: »

Hi All,

Just looking for some advice, since the 'cold snap' (hate that term btw), my dad has gotten very into following the weather forecast, and particularly trying to do his own analysis. I think theres a website that people use to feed in their own info and he's got into looking at that???

He has asked my mother for a home weather station for putting outside the house for christmas. She hasnt a clue and has asked me to source one, and to be honest i havent a clue either, but im better able to use the internet!!

So what ive come up with is these two

here

and here

Are these any good? He is a microelectronic engineer type by trade so i think he would prefer the most technical and professional one available, so if theres something more hardcore out there im sure he'd welcome it.

Id say price range would be max 200-250 quid, but thats not a fixed limit.

Any of you folks have any pointers, or which of the two i listed are better value?

Hurler - I have no vested interest in this but you could look at

http://weathershop.co.uk/

for ideas.

http://www.irelandsweather.com/

might be worth a look also.....esp for feeding weather info to a www

Best of luck!

B.

giggsirish

hurleronditch wrote: »

Hi All,

Just looking for some advice, since the 'cold snap' (hate that term btw), my dad has gotten very into following the weather forecast, and particularly trying to do his own analysis. I think theres a website that people use to feed in their own info and he's got into looking at that???

He has asked my mother for a home weather station for putting outside the house for christmas. She hasnt a clue and has asked me to source one, and to be honest i havent a clue either, but im better able to use the internet!!

So what ive come up with is these two

here

and here

Are these any good? He is a microelectronic engineer type by trade so i think he would prefer the most technical and professional one available, so if theres something more hardcore out there im sure he'd welcome it.

Id say price range would be max 200-250 quid, but thats not a fixed limit.

Any of you folks have any pointers, or which of the two i listed are better value?

Hi hurleronditch,

I got a WH1090 Prodessional Home Station last week from PJ Boner online. Had it up and running in 30 minutes and reporting to 3 sites including my own by the end of the day. Example www.kilcullenweather.com

Cant fault it. If money is no object the experts on here have leaned towards the Davis range.

But for €135 delivered the WH1090 seems a good starting point.

gbee

hurleronditch wrote: »

Hi All,ore hardcore out there im sure he'd welcome it. Any of you folks have any pointers, or which of the two i listed are better value?

Up that price and get your dad the Davis Vantage Vue [or Pro].

You won't get better!

Otherwise the second one you posted.

g0g

Anyone know anything about this yoke? It appears to be the most popular weather station selling on Amazon (if I read the page correctly) yet has no reviews! Maybe that's because it's weather stations listed under "kitchen". Can't find anything about it elsewhere either! I like the look of that 1090 yoke as a more expensive option, but I'd be left stuck deciding whether to hook it up beside my PC (to download data) or my bed (to see the data handily in the morning)!

Jimmy Garlic

The ones they sell in Maplins are pretty good.

jenningso

How easy are these weather stations to set up reporting back to a website? Is it all Wifi? I would like to set up a station in the new year when we move to our new house :rolleyes:

gbee

jenningso wrote: »

How easy are these weather stations to set up reporting back to a website? Is it all Wifi? I would like to set up a station in the new year when we move to our new house :rolleyes:

No WiFi on most of them ~ it might not be such a bad idea, except for battery consumption.

There are basically three types: Two have receivers and transmitters on a radio frequency: Others simply report the local conditions.

The primary difference in the two main types is in the transmitters. Some have a simple sensor box that goes under the eves of your roof and transmits back to the base station in you living room.

The more advance units have mini weather station transmitters, these need to be put on a pole and they consist of an Anemometer [wind speed], Wind Vein [direction], Sensor box [temp & Pressure] and a rain gauge.

No all weather stations are wireless, some need wire back to the sensors ~ so watch that one, it's [imo] not worth the hassle for a wired unit.

Both usually allow the receiver unit to attach via USB to the PC. The free software can then read the receiver's data. There is other software available, both free and at a price: however; [imo] they are all unnecessarily complex and do not fit well or look well in the modern computer environment.

It's like going back to Dos. But they do work and one can send info to various weather sharing sites from the PC.

gbee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUwMsMmBHMQ

giggsirish

jenningso wrote: »

How easy are these weather stations to set up reporting back to a website? Is it all Wifi? I would like to set up a station in the new year when we move to our new house :rolleyes:

Very easy. All come with basic software but most can be used with software called Cumulus. From here data can be uploaded to a website (yours or 3rd party) and to anywhere else you can think of.

PauloMN

gbee wrote: »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUwMsMmBHMQ

What's the clicking noise on that video? Please tell me that's not from the weather station. :eek:

0lddog

I was wondering if anyone has experience of using an Apple instead of a PC in a WH1090 setup ?

All comments, tips and suggestions ( good & bad ) very welcome


0lddog

jenningso

gbee wrote: »

No WiFi on most of them ~ it might not be such a bad idea, except for battery consumption.

There are basically three types: Two have receivers and transmitters on a radio frequency: Others simply report the local conditions.

The primary difference in the two main types is in the transmitters. Some have a simple sensor box that goes under the eves of your roof and transmits back to the base station in you living room.

The more advance units have mini weather station transmitters, these need to be put on a pole and they consist of an Anemometer [wind speed], Wind Vein [direction], Sensor box [temp & Pressure] and a rain gauge.

No all weather stations are wireless, some need wire back to the sensors ~ so watch that one, it's [imo] not worth the hassle for a wired unit.

Both usually allow the receiver unit to attach via USB to the PC. The free software can then read the receiver's data. There is other software available, both free and at a price: however; [imo] they are all unnecessarily complex and do not fit well or look well in the modern computer environment.

It's like going back to Dos. But they do work and one can send info to various weather sharing sites from the PC.

Cool, thanks. So a bit of wiring/cabling involved :eek: Still, it'll be a nice project to get my teeth into.

gbee

PauloMN wrote: »

What's the clicking noise on that video? Please tell me that's not from the weather station. :eek:

Yes it is, but I think the video makes it sound harder, and it was blowing a bit of a gale in gusts.

PauloMN

gbee wrote: »

Yes it is, but I think the video makes it sound harder, and it was blowing a bit of a gale in gusts.

Reason I ask is I've ordered a weather station which looks very similar to that, and was planning to place it on my garden shed - which is right beside the neighbours house. That noise would probably drive them mad. Might have to locate it elsewhere.

gbee

PauloMN wrote: »

Might have to locate it elsewhere.

I'd give it a go first, the wind was blowing a fairly strong in the lead up to Hurricane Carmen ~ you'd not really be out 'enjoying' your garden at those times and the noise would be lost in the background.

As per the units, they are made by everyone, they are the same units I believe they are Fine Offset Electronics and branded by everyone.

PauloMN

gbee wrote: »

I'd give it a go first, the wind was blowing a fairly strong in the lead up to Hurricane Carmen ~ you'd not really be out 'enjoying' your garden at those times and the noise would be lost in the background.

As per the units, they are made by everyone, they are the same units I believe they are Fine Offset Electronics and branded by everyone.

Thanks. Yep the unit I'm getting is available in numerous brands - just the same unit rebranded. Here's the one I'm getting:
http://www.elecsa.biz/USB-TOUCHSCREEN-Wetterstation-RegenWindmessung-6975_c124_p905_x2.htm

which looks to me to be the same as this from Maplin:
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=223254

No comparison in price, if that is £125 in Maplin UK, it must be around €170 here.

Will try it first on the shed, if the noise is bad I'll move it. Wouldn't bother me but I like my neighbours.

bbam

Santa has it wrapped and under the tree :D:D
WH1080

PauloMN

The ironic thing is that it looks like my weather station might be held up by the.... ermm... weather!

ednwireland

ok so for all those that got weather stations for xmas what are you doing with yours, this is mine

http://www.edcoconsulting.com/weather/start.html

http://www.edcoconsulting.com/weather/current.html

bbam

ednwireland wrote: »

ok so for all those that got weather stations for xmas what are you doing with yours, this is mine

http://www.edcoconsulting.com/weather/start.html

http://www.edcoconsulting.com/weather/current.html

Nice one... without hosting a site is there anywhere to upload my weather data to ? Are there hosters already set up for people to upload to?

Villain

bbam wrote: »

Nice one... without hosting a site is there anywhere to upload my weather data to ? Are there hosters already set up for people to upload to?

There are several ways to host your data, I can help, what station do you have and what software are you using?

H2UMrsRobinson

ednwireland wrote: »

ok so for all those that got weather stations for xmas what are you doing with yours, this is mine

Mine's just a cheapie Aldi job with no PC connection but thought I might just keep a little spreadsheet and make some pretty graphs with the daily data I collect. Hubby says if I stay interested for a year I can upgrade to a WS with all the bells and whistles for Christmas next year.

talkabout

I have a WH1080 re branded for Maplins. Had to send wind vane back and i'm still awaiting a replacement. Would be interested putting data online but no idea where to start. I use Cumulus software.

gbee

I don't host mine, not convinced my results are accurate enough and I suffer from all the oddities of the WHxxxx models ~

But have a look at weather underground.net

whitesands

PauloMN wrote: »

Thanks. Yep the unit I'm getting is available in numerous brands - just the same unit rebranded. Here's the one I'm getting:
http://www.elecsa.biz/USB-TOUCHSCREEN-Wetterstation-RegenWindmessung-6975_c124_p905_x2.htm

which looks to me to be the same as this from Maplin:
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=223254

No comparison in price, if that is £125 in Maplin UK, it must be around €170 here.

Will try it first on the shed, if the noise is bad I'll move it. Wouldn't bother me but I like my neighbours.

I got that WS in maplins a few weeks ago, it was reduced to €90.

P.S. Any noise it makes will be masked by the noise of the wind. I've mine on my shed & never noticed it making any noise so I reckon your good.

whitesands

talkabout wrote: »

Would be interested putting data online but no idea where to start. I use Cumulus software.

You'll need web space for a start, along with a ftp username & password. I'm sure there is plenty of free ones if you do a search or maybe someone else can recommend free space.
After you have your account or webspace you enter your details in the cumulus configuration.

Any questions you have, I can guarantee you the answer will be on the cumulus support forums, I got all my questions answered just using their search.

talkabout

Thanks Whitesands, I must look into that.

PauloMN

whitesands wrote: »

I got that WS in maplins a few weeks ago, it was reduced to €90.

P.S. Any noise it makes will be masked by the noise of the wind. I've mine on my shed & never noticed it making any noise so I reckon your good.

Must have been a limited offer, I did hear about someone on here getting it for €90, but I rang Blanch and it was €180 or something. You got a bargain there.

Mine is lost in transit somewhere, been 3 weeks now since I ordered it. One of the downsides of ordering online I suppose, but I couldn't pay €180 for one.

gbee

PauloMN wrote: »

Mine is lost in transit somewhere, been 3 weeks now since I ordered it. One of the downsides of ordering online I suppose, but I couldn't pay €180 for one.

I paid that for mine in Cork ... definitely not worth this kind of money [I suspect they are selling the GPS Solar version and none GPS/Solar version for the SAME price, they don't knowing the difference, that's just my theory on the vastly different pricing].

Where was yours coming from?

PauloMN

gbee wrote: »

I paid that for mine in Cork ... definitely not worth this kind of money [I suspect they are selling the GPS Solar version and none GPS/Solar version for the SAME price, they don't knowing the difference, that's just my theory on the vastly different pricing].

Where was yours coming from?

Coming from Germany, was shipped on Dec 16th.

Regarding Maplin, I rang and quoted the code from the catalogue. Was told they had them in stock, but they were €180 or so (could have been €190 even, I just can't remember - I just remember being shocked!). Given that they are £125, I'd have bitten an arm off to get one here for €90.

gbee

PauloMN wrote: »

Coming from Germany, was shipped on Dec 16th..

Yer sound I'd say. Just stuck with the weather, but I'd give them a ring or email to say it's late.

whitesands

PauloMN wrote: »

Must have been a limited offer, I did hear about someone on here getting it for €90, but I rang Blanch and it was €180 or something. You got a bargain there.

It was in the xmas specials catalog, must be expired now so I'll shut up...:p

PauloMN

whitesands wrote: »

It was in the xmas specials catalog, must be expired now so I'll shut up...:p

Muppets, I used to get that catalogue posted to my address, but when I moved they never sent one to my new address even though I rang them, mailed them, called in etc.. Would have saved me a load of bother.

gbee

PauloMN, any update?

PauloMN

No, fraid not, , package still in Koln (since Dec 16th according to DHL tracking site). I've asked the company for a refund but they've not responded to my email.

Don't know what's going on tbh.

bbam

Villain wrote: »

There are several ways to host your data, I can help, what station do you have and what software are you using?

Hi..
I have a WH1080 station and the software that comes as standard with it.. "EasyWeather" although I find the software very basic... I'd be interested in hosting somewhere...

Thanks..

PauloMN

Yay, it came today! Now for some fun after work.

gbee

PauloMN wrote: »

Yay, it came today! Now for some fun after work.

Yippeee!!!! :pac::pac::pac::pac::pac:

Danno

bbam wrote: »

Hi..
I have a WH1080 station and the software that comes as standard with it.. "EasyWeather" although I find the software very basic... I'd be interested in hosting somewhere...

Thanks..

Do NOT use EasyWeather, after a week it will kill the speed of your PC/Laptop. Download Cumulus instead.

Also the WH1080's will read incorrectly in sunny weather as the shields are not good. The IWN removed a few of these from the map. IIRC, Liam on the IWN who owns the Stacks Mountain Weather Station, built his own Stevenson's Screen to house his Oregon Temperature sensor because he felt it was over reading in sunshine.

Ahorseofaman

any chance of a stickied thread where people who have weather stations give reviews of the equipment they use ,why its good/bad and comment on gear they have used in the past and why they changed?A lot of us lurkers are after getting a bit obsessed and are thinking of getting our own stations.
regards Patrick

m0nsterie

Danno wrote: »

Do NOT use EasyWeather, after a week it will kill the speed of your PC/Laptop. Download Cumulus instead.

AFAIR you'll still need EasyWeather if you want to change the logging interval (but that's all you'll probably use it for!)

eskimocat

I got one of those Maplin ones and i have to say although its far from perfect, i just love it. Its such a step up from running out to side of the shed with a torch on a dark morning to see what temp it is on my garden ornament...:D

I have to send back my rain guage... has only measured 0.2 mm of rain since last sept!lol If I was hoping to upload to some of the sites I wouldn't be 100% sure of the accuracy but I think that has a lot too to do with the positioning of the station.

As for the easy weather softwear, can't say i have noticed a change in lap top speed since downloading but only have a few months on it to date.


Good luck to all the new station owners... May it snow, hail, gale, rain and shine all in the one day to give you an all round test run

vonbarracuda

As someone who knows very little about computers, how hard easy is it to get your own webpage going?

Apogee

Am I correct in thinking that the weather station module will continually store/log data and that the PC/Cumulus doesn't need to be left running continually?

If so, then how many days data can a home weather station typically store? It's an Elecsa/Watson W-8681/Fine Offset model.

gbee

Apogee wrote: »

Am I correct in thinking that the weather station module will continually store/log data and that the PC/Cumulus doesn't need to be left running continually?

If so, then how many days data can a home weather station typically store? It's an Elecsa/Watson W-8681/Fine Offset model.

I'm not sure of your question: WH801: Weather Display: If not running will start collecting data as soon as it's connected. It will [for me at my level of understanding] only show records for what it collected live from the monitor unit.

I've not really tried the Easy Weather [though it#s needed to clear memory on my model and set it up].

If left to default recording my station should get about one month [perhaps 28 days] with my station I need to dump this data more or less monthly or some of the live data stop transmitting. I don't know whether this is a hardware or software issue.

In any even, with the right software one should be able to download all the data once a month.

talkabout

Hi all,

The gusty weather seems to have resulted in my rain gauge reading impossible rates of rain. I use Culumus and i was wondering does anyone know how i can adjust the values. I have a wh1080. I am reading 487mm rain for last 24 hrs:eek: Thanks

mickger844posts

talkabout wrote: »

Hi all,

The gusty weather seems to have resulted in my rain gauge reading impossible rates of rain. I use Culumus and i was wondering does anyone know how i can adjust the values. I have a wh1080. I am reading 487mm rain for last 24 hrs:eek: Thanks

Follow the link to reset your values but if i were you i would look into fixing your problem with tipping by strong wind as this will be a constant problem if you don't fix it.

http://wiki.sandaysoft.com/a/FAQ#My_station_invented_some_rain_that_didn.27t_really_occur.2C_and_I_want_to_set_it_to_zero

talkabout

Thanks Mickger844

I'm going to move the rain gauge off the pole and attach it to something more solid.

Thanks for the linlk

talkabout

On special again at Maplins

http://www.maplin.co.uk/usb-wireless-weather-forecaster-223254?ordercode=n96fy&c=email-newsletter&u=11p02-3-n96fy&t=1054674&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=n96fy&utm_campaign=11p02-3

bogman

Maplins offer is probably the older model WH1080


For 20£ extra I went for the next gen model

http://www.signatrol.com/product/35_weather-station.html

Not sure how much better it is but its good value