Recommend a weather station

Trotter · 10-12-2007 8:53pm #1

Hi all,

I'm noticing that recently I'm starting to take a bit of interest in the fluctuations in the weather and the science that goes behind it.

Can anyone recommend one of the digital weather centres with the outdoor sensors?

I've seen one or two in Argos, but maybe you'd point me in the right direction of an online one? Nothing spectacular.. well under €100 would be nice!

Thanks!

Snowbie · 10-12-2007 9:11pm

Welcome new weather nut.

Try the oregon scientific.They come with a few outdoor sensors for measuring humidity and temperature relaying back to a console. Not bad for starting off.

I think argos still do these and try here to get all the specs

Damomanye · 10-12-2007 9:52pm

Snowbie wrote: »

Welcome new weather nut.

Try the oregon scientific.They come with a few outdoor sensors for measuring humidity and temperature relaying back to a console. Not bad for starting off.

I think argos still do these and try here to get all the specs

I got the oregon

I have this one which i got from argos. As a beginner i find it great fun to work with.Have it for a while and no problems yet.It comes with one outdoor sensor. im a happy camper with it.:D and the lads on here are great teaching newbies like meself.

Trotter · 10-12-2007 11:00pm

Damomanye wrote: »

I got the oregon

I have this one which i got from argos. As a beginner i find it great fun to work with.Have it for a while and no problems yet.It comes with one outdoor sensor. im a happy camper with it.:D and the lads on here are great teaching newbies like meself.

Cheers! How accurate is it?

Damomanye · 10-12-2007 11:12pm

it seems very acurate.particulary i notice with pressure.currently reading a 0.8c outside(and it bloody feels like it!!)

Trotter · 10-12-2007 11:25pm

Damomanye wrote: »

it seems very acurate.particulary i notice with pressure.currently reading a 0.8c outside(and it bloody feels like it!!)

Great! Whats the sensor like? Is it just something you leave in a quiet corner of the garden or do you fix it to a wall?

Damomanye · 10-12-2007 11:50pm

It comes with this sensor, 4x6 inches. i have it down the garden away from any humanity, stuck to the shed ,facing north about 2 meters off the ground.

it's just a case of hanging it on a screw or nail. or somthing along those lines. thats just the way im doing it, not sure if it's right or not. Im sure the lads here have better ways of doing it.

rc28 · 16-12-2007 7:07pm

Sort of off-topic but what do people think of the following product- seems like a good deal.
http://www.ukweathershop.co.uk/acatalog/info_1_IR_HRG150.html

21-12-2007 1:38am

rc28 wrote: »

Sort of off-topic but what do people think of the following product- seems like a good deal.
http://www.ukweathershop.co.uk/acatalog/info_1_IR_HRG150.html

Looks good if all you want is to monitor rainfall & temperature (inside & outside).

rc28 · 21-12-2007 8:11am

Deleted User wrote: »

Looks good if all you want is to monitor rainfall & temperature (inside & outside).

Ye, that's all I want- Cheers.

Villain · 21-12-2007 9:45am

I'm looking at getting a weather station which can plug into a website I will be creating, nothing too major, mostly temps, pressure, dew point etc. Would http://www.ukweathershop.co.uk/acatalog/oregonscientific_WMR100.html be the best option or does anyone know any other product suitable?

arctictree · 21-12-2007 12:46pm

I have one of these. It has worked OK for me but note the following:

1) If you want a weather website, it comes with trial software. After a month you have to pay circa 60 euro for the software licence.

2) After 10 months the remote thermometer broke. (Its currently reading 24c!). I had to get a replacement temp sensor for 50 euro. The new temp sensor is on channel 2 but the PC software will only take dewpoint and some other readings from channel 1 (the broken outdoor sensor), so I have taken these readings off my website.

3) Sometimes (happened twice this year) you get a wacky temp reading which I couldn't remove from the database. This means that the monthly readings can be skewed.

Otherwise, it is working OK. That said, I'd say all stations have their problems and bugs!

A

Villain · 27-12-2007 1:12am

Ok so I have narrowed down my choice to either http://www.ukweathershop.co.uk/acatalog/info_2_OS_WMR928NX.html or http://www.ukweathershop.co.uk/acatalog/info_2_ES_WS2300.html

There is a big difference in price, I don't mind paying the higher if its worth the difference, I want to put the data on my web-site, Any opinions welcome.

Danno · 02-01-2008 8:44pm

I am planning to buy a good rig out. I would like to get stuff approved by the MET Eireann crew - someone on here has a recognised weather station at Ashford Wicklow - right? If so, what is the equipment you have?
I also want to have support in it for a lightning detector - please advise!

Supercell · 02-01-2008 9:25pm

The absolute best stations you can get that would be suitable for automatically updating a website would be the Davis Vantage Pro 2.
Snowbie, Mothman and Tristrame all have one, I've a slightly older version 1 of the same thing. They don't come cheap but will be as good as you are going to get at an amateur level. You can sometimes get the original versions for quite chea on the likes of ebay if your lucky. Also with the American dollar being so weak it may be possibly to get them at much cheaper prices than over here but you will pay VAT on them that way.

The proper stations (such as the one Mothman runs) that Meteorological Organisations use around the world use human measurements and highly calibrated instrumentation and have strict requirements for locationing and would be entirely unsuitable for a website unless you were to pay someone to take measurements every few mins and input them for you. I'm sure that there are extremely expensive ones that automate the process but they probably input into extremely expensive computers programmed by extremely clever people!

Danno · 02-01-2008 9:34pm

So it's Mothman I need to speak to! Thanks Longfield. Does that Vantage Pro have lightning detection - or can it be got as an add on??

Supercell · 02-01-2008 9:55pm

Not sure if there is a lightening module for the Vantage stations, Snowie is nuts about thunderstorms so he's the man to fill you in there.

Snowbie · 02-01-2008 10:00pm

Danno,the lightning detector is seperate to the VP or VP2.
I use weather display to upload my data from the VP2 and my detector.They both work together on the software(weather display) but you need extra software(nexstorm) for the detection itself.

Any more info just post here and i'll do my best to provide same.

Danno · 02-01-2008 10:04pm

Cheers lads - so what lightning detector is the best - or should I get the same one as you so we could have a composite coverage for Ireland?

Villain · 02-01-2008 10:07pm

LOL Am I black?? I post for advice and get no replys and Danno posts and has 3 in no time, bloody Laois lads always beat us Carlow boys lol

Snowbie · 02-01-2008 10:08pm

Oh goody triangulation.
I use the boltek pci stormtracker and is the best amateur(near profesional) thats widely available to the public.

Snowbie · 02-01-2008 10:10pm

Villain wrote: »

LOL Am I black?? I post for advice and get no replys and Danno posts and has 3 in no time, bloody Laois lads always beat us Carlow boys lol

Missed that with all this talk about snow going on's:p

SpitfireIV · 02-01-2008 10:14pm

Villain wrote: »

bloody Laois lads always beat us Carlow boys lol

Another scallion ater?

What part of the county are you in?

I got a La Crosse WS2300 off theweathershop uk, got it back in August and its going grand so far, not too expensive and good for beginners, gives you a feel for weather watching etc, then if you like it you can dish out more money on a larger setup later on.

Just a thought

Danno · 02-01-2008 10:21pm

Snowbie wrote: »

Oh goody triangulation.
I use the boltek pci stormtracker and is the best amateur(near profesional) thats widely available to the public.

Flip! $799 - whats that in €uro+VAT?

Snowbie · 02-01-2008 10:26pm

Try here.

http://www.provantage.com/boltek-stormtrackerpci~7BOLT001.htm

I just gave you that other site as it has more info on the product.

Also if you use the link in my sig,it will give you an idea of what you can do,but all in all,it costs.

Danno · 02-01-2008 10:52pm

So that would be the complete hardware kit for $349 as opposed to $799 on the other site - if thats the case then it is some saving! :eek:

Snowbie · 02-01-2008 11:13pm

Danno wrote: »

So that would be the complete hardware kit for $349 as opposed to $799 on the other site - if thats the case then it is some saving! :eek:

Aye,people still buy from there website direct and not the affiliate companies:eek:

Huge saving indeed.

Danno · 02-01-2008 11:17pm

Would that site selling it for $349 be recomended - credit card safety and all that kinda stuff. I am keen to purchase now while the €uro and the U$ Dollar are at such a low rate.

Villain · 02-01-2008 11:19pm

Where are you going to buy the whole station from?

Danno · 02-01-2008 11:21pm

Don't know Villain - where ever the cheapest site is for the one that Mothman has is! Have to keep the costs down as herself would be looking over the Mastercard bill in February asking serious Questions!

Snowbie · 02-01-2008 11:25pm

Danno wrote: »

Would that site selling it for $349 be recomended - credit card safety and all that kinda stuff. I am keen to purchase now while the €uro and the U$ Dollar are at such a low rate.

I got both of my detectors from there aswell as a lot of other pc equipment.Have been using them for years.

Just remember you also pay for shipping using DHL,and get collared for duty and vat.

I say add another 100 euro(includes shipping) to the price or therabouts when converted from dollar to euro.

http://www.xe.com/ucc/

Snowbie · 02-01-2008 11:32pm

Sorry Danno,just checked my DHL vat bill and it was 73 euro for duty and vat.
When i got my second detector in June the exchange was 1.21 now its 1.46 so another saving there.

Also the nexstorm software costs (seperate) at about 100euro and the CVM (custom vector map) at around 45-50 euro.There is a nexstorm lite version which is cheaper

http://www.astrogenic.com/products.html

Relko is the developer from Sweden and is a sound bloke.

This weather business is costly i tell you.

Danno · 02-01-2008 11:34pm

http://www.provantage.com/davis-instruments-vantage-pro-2-weather-stations-accessories~110DAVS.htm <- What do I buy on that page? Seems like alot of choice!

Snowbie · 02-01-2008 11:41pm

What are your needs mate.
I have the VP2 plus with FARS.
The standard is much cheaper.
Cabled/wireless, is your decision

I started out with the bog standard VP2 (after the VP1) and upgraded it and added until it transformed to VP2 plus etc etc.

Danno · 02-01-2008 11:56pm

Don't really know Snowbie! I suppose wireless straight to my Buffalo router would be handy. My wireless router has a booster aerial in the attic meaning my home network can be picked up almost 100m away! (I was planning ahead!) I have power to back garden which is 45m by 20m.

What I want from my weather station is:

Low maintainance - set it up down there at the back of the garden, fence her off from kiddys playing about and pretty much have my router take care of the data putting it online etc... - or is that possible - do I have to download from the station first to my PC before putting data on the net?

I am a TOTAL novice here! - Sorry!

Mothman · 03-01-2008 12:04am

Danno wrote: »

http://www.provantage.com/davis-instruments-vantage-pro-2-weather-stations-accessories~110DAVS.htm <- What do I buy on that page? Seems like alot of choice!

**Important**
There are different versions of wireless vantage pro for US, UK and continental Europe market.
Differences between UK and European is the plug, but the US version differ by using a totally different transmission frequency range. Using them here could interfere with vital equipment here and is probably illegal as well.
No idea of the likelihood of issues with using such a setup though.

Not applicable to cabled versions

Danno · 03-01-2008 12:13am

Well I am no where near hospitals or airfields here - what other vital equipment can these interfere with? Are the channels not selected like a normal wireless internet card on a laptop? Hmmm, time to investigate this a bit better so! [/Puts back the credit card in wallet/]

03-01-2008 12:15am

Mothman wrote: »

**Important**
There are different versions of wireless vantage pro for US, UK and continental Europe market.
Differences between UK and European is the plug, but the US version differ by using a totally different transmission frequency range. Using them here could interfere with vital equipment here and is probably illegal as well.
No idea of the likelihood of issues with using such a setup though.

Not applicable to cabled versions

Only likely to be an issue if near a communications site of some description, or anywhere that uses equipment that's sensitive to radio frequencies (extremly low risk imho) more likely that your system will be knobbled by strong radio signals from a legitimate source.

It you're out in the sticks you can forget the above, just have the legal issue to deal with.

Snowbie · 03-01-2008 12:17am

The wireless is radioed straight to the console for the station.The cabled is obviously cabled to the console at different cabled lenghts.

NB what MM said about wireless.

No problem like that with the lightning equipment though.

Danno · 03-01-2008 12:19am

http://www.provantage.com/davis-instruments-6152~4DAVS045.htm wrote:

PROVANTAGE cannot ship Davis Weather Products to the following countries: Argentina, Australia, Chile, Finland, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Peru, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, and the UK

Does that include Ireland?

Danno · 03-01-2008 12:22am

This is harder work than I had envisaged! Never mind setting one up when I get it! LOL!

Thank all you guys for the advice! I think I will get that lightning kit Snowbie - but if I can get it and the weather station from the one website then thats what I am going to do.

Villain · 03-01-2008 12:24am

I was going to do the same Danno but I decided to go with a cheap La Crosse for starters and see how I get on, plus I'm meant to building a house this year so splashing €600 or €700 on a weather station when I only really have an interest for a few months isn't the best idea. Best of luck.

03-01-2008 12:27am

Danno wrote: »

Does that include Ireland?

Uk & ireland have similar radio spectrum regulations

Danno · 03-01-2008 12:27am

Feck - there goes that Idea. Hmmm, I might get the wired version so - I can put a hub in the out-house as I already have a 50m patch cord coming from the attic to there - and it works!

Always have a plan B lads!

Danno · 03-01-2008 12:32am

Hmmm, I am confused now - the site seems it can't ship their cabled versions to the UK either!

Mothman · 03-01-2008 12:35am

Danno wrote: »

Does that include Ireland?

Ireland is not mentioned, so no. All the above probably have official Davis importers.

You can get a UK spec direct from Davis.
http://www.davisnet.com/weather/products/stations.asp
€50 more, but it's legit.
If you do go this route, you may have to gentle remind them that you are not in UK and so are not covered by the UK importer.

Danno · 03-01-2008 12:41am

Cheers Mothman - what one would you reccomend from them?

Snowbie · 03-01-2008 12:45am

All VP2 do the same job but the frequency they use in the wireless versions are different as was mentioned in previous posts.

Some can be bought fully upgraded or you can buy the standard version at much lower cost.Id start out on the standard first and upgrade later if needed.

Danno · 03-01-2008 12:53am

http://www.provantage.com/davis-instruments-6152c~7DAVS043.htm <<< good one to start off with then?

The wireless will make no odds as I will just link it to a hub which will be on my network.

Mothman · 03-01-2008 12:55am

UK version for starters
Cabled is more reliable, but the option for adding on sensors, or a separate anemometer transmitter is not available.
The wireless can suffer interference from other wireless paraphanalia about the house. A bad one is DECT portable phones.
My Dad rang to say say his console was not picking up data. He had just installed a portable phone in the same room. Once it was removed, everything was fine. my Dad's is a VP1, and although the VP2 is better in this regard, it can suffer.
Once cabled/wireless decision is made, then its whether you go for the "plus" version with UV and Solar Radiation. Note Solar Radiation does not give you sunshine hours, though Weather Display and probably other software will will do a calculation, but its more likely to be wrong than right.

While I haven't digested all the thread, I don't see mention of a datalogger.
This is NOT standard and is needed to store the data. The computer will then download from the datalogger. Its costs quite a bit and weatherlink software comes with it.

In case this is a misunderstanding, while I have a VP1, this is nothing to do with Met Eireann and is not good enough equipment for standard obs. I also have manual instruments from which I take once a day readins, and it is these readings that I submit to Met Eireann.

One would need to spend at least £5000 (and maybe much more) for a Met office approved AWS

Mothman · 03-01-2008 1:02am

Danno wrote: »

http://www.provantage.com/davis-instruments-6152c~7DAVS043.htm <<< good one to start off with then?

As its a US version, the transformer plug will be rated for 110v, so you'll need to get a 220-240v equivalent.

The cabled version means, that you need to permanently have the ISS (integreted sensor suite, ie. the AWS) cabled to the console, and the computer cabled to the console

Recommend a weather station

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