I want to buy a home weather station

[scipper77]

I live approximately 1 mile from lake Ontario. When you live that close to a major body of water you just can't go by the local weather stations to get the current temp. If they say it's 50 out it's probably more like 45 degrees at my house.

This started with me wanting a simple outdoor thermometer. A little shopping and I am now considering something along these lines. These are random examples. I have no idea what I will end up getting.
http://www.amazon.com/Acu-Rite-00634-Wireless-Weather-Station/dp/B002YVTTQ4/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1303073101&sr=8-15

http://www.wirelessnetworkproducts.com/TP1080WC.aspx?gclid=CPzyq6HEpKgCFUS8KgodvVa76Q


Can anyone recomend a good unit for me??

Any experiences/advice??

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: I want to but a home weather station.

Re: I want to but a home weather station.

Me to, I am looking forward to the information you guys provide!

 

[sasto]

Re: I want to but a home weather station.

Re: I want to but a home weather station.

Try this. http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=rochester,+ny. Scrool down to the bottom and see if you can find a station close to your neighborhood.

If that doesn't suit your needs I like that Tycon unit. That thing is sweet!

 

[scipper77]

Re: I want to but a home weather station.

Re: I want to but a home weather station.

Try this. http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=rochester,+ny. Scrool down to the bottom and see if you can find a station close to your neighborhood.

If that doesn't suit your needs I like that Tycon unit. That thing is sweet!

Very nice link. I couldn't find anything as far north as I am but there is one reasonably close.

I would assume that you need to install one of these units in an open area to get good readings. I'm hoping to install one on the ground instead of on the roof.

 

[sasto]

Re: I want to but a home weather station.

Re: I want to but a home weather station.

We have a guy in the hood that has his 6' above sea level. Works well except the wind speed and direction can be off at times due to obstructions, and funneling or swirling winds.

 

[lakelover]

Re: I want to but a home weather station.

Re: I want to but a home weather station.

My brother is hooked to Wunderground and it seems to me that he mentioned having recurring trouble. I don't know if it's the website or the station, he has an Oregon Scientific WMR968.

 

[jimr]

Re: I want to but a home weather station.

Re: I want to but a home weather station.

I have a lacrosse 2308 series and it is a piece of junk. You get what ya pay for like anything. My next one will be a Davis

 

[hostage]

Re: I want to but a home weather station.

Re: I want to but a home weather station.

Scipper - There is a local astronomy club here in Rochester: http://www.rochesterastronomy.org/. A few of the guys have set these up. You might be able to find a weather station near you that can give you this info.

If you do set it up, don't contribute to global warming by putting it to close to your house. A lot of people put these stations to close to buildings or on roofs where the temperature can be much warmer than it actually is. This is one of the reasons for the reported higher than average temperatures. Keep in mind a black roof absorbs a lot of heat.

 

[Krichbourg]

Re: I want to but a home weather station.

Re: I want to but a home weather station.

We got a Davis Vantage Vue and have been well pleased. You can spend less and also a lot more. This one got good reviews in our research and we have liked it. You can find us on Wunderground. We're Bears Bluff in Charleston, SC.

 

[Splat]

Re: I want to but a home weather station.

Re: I want to but a home weather station.

My folks have a Davis, I think its the vantage pro? It's the upgrade to the vantage cue. It's pretty sweet and they are extremely happy with just the basic instrument pack.

The one thing I kniw was the deciding factor on the Davis models was the update rate with the wireless systems. I think theirs updates every 1-3 secs. So when the wind is blowing and gushing you can loom at the display and get a accurate measurement. Some other manufactures may only update once a minute or once every few minutes so the information your seeing in the display may be from a few minutes ago.

Bill

 

[bassman284]

Re: I want to but a home weather station.

Re: I want to but a home weather station.

I don't know if it means anything, but the Wunderground station nearest to me uses a Davis Vantage Pro 2 and the wind speed indicator is broke about 95% of the time. Kind of a pain because wind speed and direction is ususally the amin thing I'm looking for.

[edit] Well, I checked some other stations and one of them that is ALWAYS working also uses the Pro2 so go figger.

 

[scipper77]

Re: I want to but a home weather station.

Re: I want to but a home weather station.

You guys are the best! It looks like those Davis units are the standard for amateur weather set up's. I'm not ready to shell out $300. Right now it's looking like I'll just get an outdoor thermometer. I may get a cheap weather station, but from what I'm seeing it won't last.

Jimr: I see you have experience with a non Davis unit and are not happy with it..
Does anyone else have any experience with brands other than Davis? Links are great

 

[rbh]

Re: I want to buy a home weather station

What ever you get, make sure the outdoor unit is AC not just batteries (DC) those lithium batteries only last so long, especially in the cold.
The wind meter should be set up in the middle of a field were trees and buildings do not deflect the wind ( I thought the peak of my roof was good, but the wind gets deflected up and around do to the pitch.)