Which weather station for a beginner?

[kedar301]

hi all,

i was reading about what to get to put my first baby step in the Weather world? Davis seems really good to me, but for my budget it is too expensive.

Can someone please suggest something within £100? does Maplin one works well? i been through this article http://benvironment.org.uk/post/3449209 ... tionreview .

I am not bound to Maplin only though but any other good Weather station suggestions are welcome. I can stretch budget a bit for a better one.

Thanks in advance

Kedar

[steve]

Of the stations which work with Cumulus, my opinion is that you would have to spend significantly more than £100 to get something significantly better than a Fine Offset (which is what the Maplin ones are) despite the idiosyncrasies of the Fine Offset.

I don't have any experience of stations which don't work with Cumulus, so someone else may be able to advise.

[tfavors]

I started with WS-2080 spent $100.00 and was a fun learning experience. I have since now upgraded and like that as well..

[kedar301]

I started with WS-2080 spent $100.00 and was a fun learning experience. I have since now upgraded and like that as well..

WS-2080 on Amazon for 69.99
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pro-Wireless-We ... er+WS-2080

And Maplin N96FY for 59.99 on the previous link, can some one please tell me which one will be better for me as a beginner in Weather world?

[AllyCat]

Hi,

Welcome to the forum. Fine Offset manufacture several slightly different models of station which are sold under a large number of different "brand names". In addition to Maplin there is Clas Ohlson (but currently over-priced), Signatrol (but currently no stock) and many others. However, the MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR is to buy from a seller which will give good after-sales service, because you may well need it !

The model numbers are often of the form "WH n08x" where "n" is 1, 2 or 3 and "x" is 0 or 1. Typically, n=1 indicates a touchscreen and n=3 has solar data. x=0 indicates it has a Radio Controlled Clock and x=1 that it does NOT. The Maplin does not have a RCC so is generally considered as a WH1081.

The "Touchscreen" version is the original design and (IMHO) has the disadvantage that it rather spoils the contrast of the LCD screen (and the Console design looks rather "old fashioned").

The RCC is also a mixed blessing. It can actually make setting up the system more complicated and can cause the weather data to cease being updated for a few minutes "on the hour".

Finally, at least the "early" Solar models had serious design and manufacturing faults so probably should be avoided. Also the (supplied) "Rechargeable Alkaline" batteries are of such low quality that they will probably fail before normal non-rechargeable cells would need replacing !

Otherwise, the stations are basically all the same (compare the photos of the sensors), so the choice is yours. Typical target prices are £60 for non-RCC versions, £70 for RCC and £90 for Solar.

Cheers, Alan.

[kedar301]

hi Alan,

thanks for a good insight of the numbering system with Fine Offset models,

From you post i figured out i should avoid any WS which has Solar Data, and the one with Maplin is 1081 as you said. And this seems good in your opinion?

Or i should go with the 2080 version which has Solar and RCC as well i suppose?

And what is the meaning of n=2? as this one i am looking ta is 2080.

[AllyCat]

Hi,

It may depend a little on if you have a local Maplin shop? Also beware that many of the items from "Amazon" are actually in their "marketplace" so Amazon is not really the seller.

It might be helpful if you could look at a working touchscreen model because IMHO the contrast of the LCD display is rather poor (not obvious in most photographs, but see this sticky thread) so I prefer the non-touchscreen models. However, many people don't even look at their Console but rely on the PC screen/Cumulus.

AFAIK the 2080 is NON-solar, although some 208x models may have solar battery-charging. Maybe the n=2 versions all have buttons rather than touchscreens, but I'm not sure.

All these Fine Offset stations can generally be considered "good value for money", but just a few warnings: A few years ago they introduced a design change which appears to cause occasional "USB Lockups" (probably mainly an issue if the station is "permanently" connected to a computer). Also recently they appear to have used a very "bad batch" of bearings in their wind sensors. Finally, don't rely on the "100m wireless range", nor believe that their photos are the best way to install the sensors.

Cheers, Alan.

[kedar301]

so apart from Fine Offset do i have any other choices within my budget?

http://www.foshk.com/Weather_Professional/WH2080.htm : straight from their website it has Solar Transmitter in 2080 model.

But i am open for any other options if anything else is available.

[AllyCat]

Hi,

I can't see any reference to Solar in that link*. The "Sun" on the LCD is just part of a "weather forecast". The Solar Data version has fields for "Lux" and (two for) "UV".

At the sensor end, a "Solar Pod" is mounted on top of the transmitter/sunscreen and cannot be mounted elsewhere (IMHO a really stupid design decision).

There are a few other stations at similar prices but I have no experience of them. Features to check for are a sufficiently large logger memory and compatibility with Cumulus (and some don't have a computer interface at all).

Cheers, Alan.

*EDIT: It looks as if FO have an error in their data/links. The upper level selection page appears to show that the 2080 has solar battery-charging (with a pod on the TX) but the 2081 (and the lower level "2080" page and Amazon listing) does not.

EDIT2: Ah, FO are also using WA and WS prefixes, the WA appears to have solar charging.

[kedar301]

there are mix reviews and seems like the biggest issue with Fine Offset stations is the outdoor sensors are in one set so you cant have temp sensor just above the grown and the anemometer on the roof. you have to mount everything in one place and maintenance will be hassel.

Please correct me if i am wrong and i am tempted to get the 2080 model.

[AllyCat]

Hi,

The FO wind and rain sensors actually have moderately long cables (a few metres) which also can be extended with standard RJ11 ("broadband") cables if desired. So mounting the "transmitter" under the eaves, with the rain sensor just above and wind sensors on an "aerial" mast (to get above the roof line) is one possibility.

Concerning "maintenance", the transmitter batteries may well last a couple of years, but there are many posts on this forum about spiders (webs) in rain gauges, seized wind sensor bearings and water in cable connectors, etc.. And of course improving the "sun shield".

Cheers, Alan.

[iceberg]

You can try this link to get the best prices on the market for a very good weather station vantage vue or vantage pro 2.

http://www.scientificsales.com/Davis-Va ... s-s/34.htm


Good luck.

[bigmac]

Unfortunately, the OP is from the UK so the link to scientific sales, whilst useful for US/Canadian people, won't be any good for UK people unless they are happy to run an illegal wireless frequency or opt for a cabled version. They are probably still out of the budget range as well.

I run an Oregon Scientific WMR200 which is possibly still above your budget. Their UK customer support is dire and I have had a temp sensor fail after 18 months, but it has still been a great introduction to the hobby. I have also developed "Davis Envy" which I understand is a fairly common affliction amongst us less well off participants in the hobby but am saving up for that nice "upgrade". It's also possible the WMR200 may now drop in price as a new WMR300 is being launched so keep your eyes out for a bargain.

There are many on here who run the Maplins WH devices and produce some amazing stuff, I will cite Helen from "La Locherie" as a prime example.

Good luck, there are many helpful bods on here to help you on your journey whatever you choose

[kedar301]

just noticed this one as well

Wh-3080: http://www.nevadaradio.co.uk/weather-st ... 3080-solar

Anyone has any experience or comment for this? and this is within my budget range and seems really good to me.

[AllyCat]

Hi,

Finally, at least the "early" Solar models had serious design and manufacturing faults so probably should be avoided. Also the (supplied) "Rechargeable Alkaline" batteries are of such low quality that they will probably fail before normal non-rechargeable cells would need replacing !

Try searching this forum for "3080" or "3081". Mine ate two sets of batteries in 6 months, until the supplier sent a new "Pod" which solved that particular problem. It's since suffered a "crash/hang", probably due to the high light level issue and required the "rechargeable" cells to be replaced. But currently it only suffers the problem that it's impossible to find a suitable single location to position the Transmitter (temperature) and attached Solar Pod. Oh, and the Console often stops receiving signals when the USB cable is plugged in!

But apart from that I do quite like the station.

Maybe also available a little cheaper from Amazon.

Cheers, Alan.