Trixology

WeatherCat => WeatherCat General Discussion => Topic started by: Administrator on December 30, 2012, 10:00:47 PM

Title: POLL: What Station Are You Using
Post by: Administrator on December 30, 2012, 10:00:47 PM
As we come to the end of the year, we thought it'd be interesting to see what hardware people are running.

If you want to post more info, or you're planning to change hardware this year, please post in this thread.

Note: You need to be logged into the forum to see the poll

Thank you,
Your Friendly Admin.
Title: Re: POLL: What Station Are You Using
Post by: Steve on December 31, 2012, 04:43:40 AM
"Davis Vantage with extra sensors" was my choice. I'm using the Davis Wireless Vantage Pro2 w/24 hour FARS with added UV and solar (essentially a Vantage Pro2 Plus), wireless anemometer transmitter, and a Davis Leaf & Soil Station with 1 leaf wetness sensor, 3 soil temperature probes, and two soil moisture sensors. I may add 1 each additional soil sensor at some point.

Steve
Title: Weather Envoy special? (Re: POLL: What Station Are You Using)
Post by: elagache on December 31, 2012, 10:34:14 PM
Howdy Stu, Steve, and WeatherCat fans,  [cat]

I also "voted" Davis VP-2 with extra sensors.  I have a second temperature probe, solar radiation sensor, and a Weather Envoy connected to my MacBook Pro instead of connecting to the console.  Don't know if any of this matters, but . . . . . now ya' know!  ;D

Cheers, Edouard  [cheers1]
Title: Re: POLL: What Station Are You Using
Post by: WCDev on January 01, 2013, 04:34:38 PM
Good point Edouard, I've added an Envoy option  [tup]
Title: Re: POLL: What Station Are You Using
Post by: embayweather on January 06, 2013, 06:44:12 PM
Not a good showing for the Oregon 928, I feel awfully alone now!!!!

Best wishes

Mike
Title: Re: POLL: What Station Are You Using
Post by: Randall75 on January 06, 2013, 09:32:04 PM
Hi Mike
 Not everyone can afford a Davis
And my 2315 LaCrosse is no longer available
 [cheers1]
Title: Re: POLL: What Station Are You Using
Post by: embayweather on January 07, 2013, 12:08:34 PM
Thanks Randall, that does make me feel better. What will you get if yours croaks??

Best wishes

Mike
Title: Re: POLL: What Station Are You Using
Post by: Randall75 on January 07, 2013, 03:47:57 PM
Hi Mike
 I will Probably go with a Davis Vantage Pro if I can get a good deal on one but for now I have 2 2315's I bought another 1 when they were clearing them out for $100 so I got a good deal there
 [cheers1]
Title: Re: POLL: What Station Are You Using
Post by: WCDev on January 07, 2013, 05:08:13 PM
Hi Mike
 Not everyone can afford a Davis
And my 2315 LaCrosse is no longer available
 [cheers1]

You can get them here (updated case): http://www.weather-station-products.co.uk/lacrosse-weather-station
Title: Re: POLL: What Station Are You Using
Post by: Randall75 on January 07, 2013, 09:52:02 PM
Hi Stu
 Thanks for the info but I don't think they ship to the USA
 I think my next one will be a VP
 [cheers1]
Title: Re: POLL: What Station Are You Using
Post by: Doc on January 07, 2013, 10:09:08 PM
I'm running my original Davis wireless Vantage Pro 2 at my base and for WC.  I've been running the Monitor II and Wizard out in the Truck for my mobile installation, they are just about the right size inside the cab.  And I just added a new iPad Mini w/cellular to the mix. 

Doc
Title: Re: POLL: What Station Are You Using
Post by: SeaflyP on February 26, 2013, 02:56:45 PM
So Davis Vantage is most popular but do they deserve it?  I got one at the end of 2007. About 19 months later the wind speed started getting an intermittent fault which sometimes was associated with loss of outside temperature and/or humidity signals.  To be fair, despite it being more than 12 months old, the UK agents agreed to repair the system without charge. However since then I have had to replace the anemometer/vane sensor (wind direction failed) and the temperature/humidity sensor (no signal).  Recently I've had problems with the temperature/humidity connector in the ISS (despite use of contact cleaner, tlc,  etc.) and problems with the barometer in the weather envoy (reported elsewhere). As a retired observational climate scientist I'm used to maintaining met instruments in the field and I know that they have a harsh life. However for home use the Davis instruments are not cheap to buy and replacement parts are expensive compared to other manufacturers. I'm wondering about switching to an Oregon WMR200 which would allow me to buy extra sensors, and to replace them as they failed, at less cost than keeping the basic Davis system operating....

Looking at the poll results, I'll probably get shot for this suggestion!
Peter
Title: Re: POLL: What Station Are You Using
Post by: JosBaz on February 26, 2013, 07:25:42 PM
Hmm... I got my first Vantage Pro in 1992 and it lasted 12 years before the Humidity sensor failed. I sold it on the 2nd hand market and bought a Vantage Pro2 which has been working without any issues since.

Maybe you were just unlucky - or I have been very lucky.  :P
Title: Re: POLL: What Station Are You Using
Post by: jace on February 26, 2013, 08:41:29 PM
Looking at the poll results, I'll probably get shot for this suggestion!
Peter

Naugh Peter, I don't think so, the WMR 200 was on my shortlist of stations to get, but unfortunately Mac software support was very poor, it's only recently that Stu has been able to bring it and other stations into the fold ..  For instance he has just finished development for a Watson WH 3080 which costs about ?90, for that money my Davis station has to work flawlessly for almost 8 years. 

JC

Title: Accepting Davis for what they are. (Re: Station Are You Using)
Post by: elagache on February 27, 2013, 09:50:45 PM
Hi Peter, JosBaz, JC, and WeatherCat fans,

So Davis Vantage is most popular but do they deserve it?

Probably the best way is to think of a Davis Station as a Cadillac with all the ups and downs associated with that car maker.  In the glory days of Detroit, Cadillac was the best in terms of everything America had to offer in cars.  As technology passed US makers, what was left behind was the durability and style.

Davis is clearly slow to innovate and has only a lukewarm interest in the consumer market (even if it is probably their largest market.)  I believe they see themselves as a maker of instruments for industry, government and academia.  It is the needs of those consumers that Davis caters to first.  It isn't a foolish move because  . . . . .  those folks can afford to spend more on weather instruments that an individual consumer.  For a small privately-held company, it is a very reasonable strategy for survival.

That leaves us end users very much out in the cold.  I'll be the first to admit, the reason I bought a Davis was that they had Mac compatibility and I really wanted that.  I didn't realize what sort of reputation they had. However, since buying it I have to admit I very much like the Davis features.  The flexibility that allows professional meteorologists to use them was also handy for me.   I really appreciate their durability.  Also, I'm sure some end-users buy them for the bragging rights of having a Davis station.

Are the worth the cost?  Probably not.  However, so far nobody had really come up with a station that is very tough, accurate, innovative, user-friendly, and yet, still priced to way undercut Davis.  The competitors to Davis are  . . . . . .  I'm sorry to report - cheap.  There are many low-end station manufacturers and they are locked in that destructive aspect of capitalism: price-wars.  I have no doubt there is a place for very inexpensive stations, but you get what you pay for.  For someone curious about weather, it is enough to get their feet wet.  However, for those who ultimately decided they are interested enough to keep up their stations - what happens when their station breaks?

Some folks will just replace cheap with cheap.  However, for the folks who realize the real investment is in the time to get your instruments set up correctly, putting up cheap instruments every few years will be a real drag.  So, I am convinced, that Davis a sizable fraction of their money in the consumer market on folks who are trading-up rather than first time purchases of high-end Davis products.  Until someone else starts making a station that really can shoulder a reputation for quality - where else can you turn for a quality weather station?

Cheers, Edouard  [cheers1]
Title: Re: POLL: What Station Are You Using
Post by: SeaflyP on March 14, 2013, 07:00:30 PM
Probably the best way is to think of a Davis Station as a Cadillac

Edouard, That's a good analogy!

I've been looking at other options... there are some bad reviews around with regard to the Oregon Scientific WMR200 which have put me off that. The Maplin equivalent of the WH3080 is on sale at ?60 at the moment!!! ...but it won't do what I want! Maybe I'm stuck with Davis after all.
Peter
Title: Perhaps market is still too small (Re: Station Are You Using)
Post by: elagache on March 14, 2013, 10:01:08 PM
Hi Peter and WeatherCat fans,

I've been looking at other options... there are some bad reviews around with regard to the Oregon Scientific WMR200 which have put me off that. The Maplin equivalent of the WH3080 is on sale at ?60 at the moment!!! ...but it won't do what I want! Maybe I'm stuck with Davis after all.

It could be that the weather station market is really too small for anyone to easily take on Davis for the research/industrial market.  Clearly the "toy" station market is large enough for many player to be going after those customers.  However, monitoring the weather must be like so many hobbies - lots of people drifting in and then out.  Perhaps the number of hard core weather watchers is so small that we are only a modest addition to the research/industrial market.  So Davis gladly accepts our business and nobody else sees enough customers to try to challenge them.

Cheers, Edouard  [cheers1]
Title: Re: POLL: What Station Are You Using
Post by: embayweather on March 14, 2013, 11:40:21 PM
I wonder if the market for weather stations is too small, as there are tens of thousands of stations in the US alone. However, another question that might be asked as a supplementary poll is what do you use the weather station/data for, that may then give some indication of what sort of investment folk are likely to make. Looking at other weather websites (without naming names) it appears that many are just using the data for interest. Many spend much of their time making better websites to display their data, others upload to CWOP , Wunderground or the like, and very few take the data to the next level and become almost semi professional. That is at a level which, I believe, exceeds the standards set by Davis. Excellent kit as it is, professional kit is clearly better. For those of us on this side of the pond, spending upwards of $3000 dollars on a weather station would take an awful lot of grovelling to respective partners to persuade them it is a good idea. Considering also that may roughly equate to a dollar a day running costs for replacements. not a lot I know, but in one big lump??
There was a recent survey in Weather magazine, the journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, about the use that amateurs put their stations to, and what stations are used etc. I don't think it is available on the web yet but if interested parties want to contact me I will see if I can scan it and send it. Before I did though it would be nice to get an unbiased poll here of what we use our stations for. Any interest?

Best wishes


Mike
Title: Re: POLL: What Station Are You Using
Post by: Steve on March 15, 2013, 02:47:01 AM
There is another player in the high-end consumer market. Rainwise  (http://www.rainwise.com/products/index.php?Category=Consumer)makes a range of weather stations that are about the same price as the Davis VP2+ w/24 hr FARS station, and reportedly designed for more extreme conditions. For instance the VP2 is only accurate to -40˚, whereas the Rainwise Mk-III goes down to -66˚F. The long range models also have more powerful radios for extreme ranges. Rainwise doesn't appear to have as many options as the Davis stations.

Rainwise stations are not supported by WeatherCat, so wouldn't show up on our radar here in this forum. WeatherSnoop and Weather Display (the other two Mac weather stations software packages) both support Rainwise stations.


Title: Thanks Steve for the info on Rainwise (Re: Station Are You Using)
Post by: elagache on March 15, 2013, 08:11:40 PM
Hi Steve and WeatherCat fans,

There is another player in the high-end consumer market. Rainwise  (http://www.rainwise.com/products/index.php?Category=Consumer)makes a range of weather stations that are about the same price as the Davis VP2+ w/24 hr FARS station

Actually, I think I've run across Rainwise once or twice and forgotten.  Thanks Steve for the reminder.  So I was incorrect about assuming Davis had this market all to itself.  I wonder how the competition between these two companies has influenced their products?


Rainwise stations are not supported by WeatherCat, so wouldn't show up on our radar here in this forum.

 ;) Hmm, I wonder how long it will take for this to change?  Right now Stu seems to be busy beefing up support for the low-end stations, but  . . . . .  this is a "toy" that Stu has got to want!!   [biggrin]

Cheers, Edouard  [cheers1]
Title: Re: POLL: What Station Are You Using
Post by: Nick on June 30, 2013, 04:57:35 PM
The VantageVue is a great machine IMHO.

With WC is a totally awesome machine!

cheers to Trixology for a great product (and Davis Instruments of course),

Nick
UK
 [bounce]
Title: Re: POLL: What Station Are You Using
Post by: Tailspin45 on July 03, 2013, 01:51:17 PM
Recently replaced Ambient Weather WS-2080 after a year with Davis Vue.

WS-2080 was inexpensive but a constant source of headaches: two console failures, two temp failures, constant false alarms.

False alarms may have been caused by WeatherSnoop, which I've also abandoned in favor of the far superior WeatherCat.
Title: Re: POLL: What Station Are You Using
Post by: retired on November 09, 2013, 05:12:35 PM
I have a La Crosse 2316 from Costco. Had it for about 6+ years. Wind speed(lightning) and the rain gauge have gone bad and have been replaced. Within a couple of miles are 2 people running Davis weather stations, and are readings are very close to each other.
Title: Re: POLL: What Station Are You Using
Post by: HantaYo on November 11, 2013, 12:26:14 AM
My Vantage Pro bought in 2004 is still ticking and well worth the money.  Only issue was loosing the UV sensor but decided not to replace it has I did not really use it.   When my Vantage Pro finally dies, if Davis does not update their hardware line, I likely will look else where and see if anything comes close to the Davis quality.
Title: Re: POLL: What Station Are You Using
Post by: Randall75 on November 11, 2013, 01:41:52 AM
Hi Cat family


Well I'm now running Davis Vantage Pro Plus


cheers [cheers1]


But still have my LC2315 running also just not with WC any more
Title: Re: POLL: What Station Are You Using
Post by: Charlie Schorner on November 29, 2013, 12:26:42 AM
I've had a Davis Vantage Pro2 wireless setup with no extras for a couple of years now and don't plan to change. I don't have any extras, but was thinking about a rain gauge heater. It shouldn't be too hard to run a hundred yards of wire out to the sensor to power it up...
Title: Re: POLL: What Station Are You Using
Post by: Bull Winkus on February 05, 2014, 04:54:01 PM
Just found the poll and voted. Thanks for your interest, Stu. I know it must be important, business wise, to know your customers. But, I appreciate it anyway, 'cause I like what you're doing.  [cheer]

Now that you're all buttered up, I run the Davis VantagePro2 with a solar radiation sensor and two remote wireless temperature sensors. It'd be nice if you would incorporate the extra channels into your software a little more.  [lol]

Best,
Herb
Title: Re: POLL: What Station Are You Using
Post by: Wildwood on February 05, 2014, 05:53:04 PM
Davis - VP2plus I have added a 2nd sensor.
Title: Re: POLL: What Station Are You Using
Post by: Bull Winkus on February 06, 2014, 02:25:20 AM
So Davis Vantage is most popular but do they deserve it?  I got one at the end of 2007. About 19 months later the wind speed started getting an intermittent fault which sometimes was associated with loss of outside temperature and/or humidity signals.  To be fair, despite it being more than 12 months old, the UK agents agreed to repair the system without charge. However since then I have had to replace the anemometer/vane sensor (wind direction failed) and the temperature/humidity sensor (no signal).  Recently I've had problems with the temperature/humidity connector in the ISS (despite use of contact cleaner, tlc,  etc.) and problems with the barometer in the weather envoy (reported elsewhere). As a retired observational climate scientist I'm used to maintaining met instruments in the field and I know that they have a harsh life. However for home use the Davis instruments are not cheap to buy and replacement parts are expensive compared to other manufacturers. I'm wondering about switching to an Oregon WMR200 which would allow me to buy extra sensors, and to replace them as they failed, at less cost than keeping the basic Davis system operating....

Looking at the poll results, I'll probably get shot for this suggestion!
Peter

I'd have to agree in principal, but say that when it comes to reliability, the optimal solution is seldom more and cheaper parts. I'd prefer to go with better and more reliable parts, if I can find them.

I'm a bit disappointed with the reliability of the Davis sensors as well. And, I've only been at this for 2 years. I too had trouble with the anemometer. Turned out to be the wire connection at the source instruments. Replaced for free, but what a great big hassle. My anemometer is on my roof, so troubleshooting it involves precarious trips up and down an extension ladder. But, surrounded by forest trees, it's my best location to get wind data.

I also had the barometric pressure sensor drift on me. Over a 9 month period, it gradually introduced a negative error of ~1 inch of mercury. My offsets lead to more frustration after it suddenly corrected itself in one day.

My solution may not be appropriate for everyone, but I decided to get another VantagePro ($418 @ Ambient Weather) and just swap out the whole thing, send the original one back to be refurbished, and establish a routine of recertification with Davis every two years, and thereby always having a spare on hand except when the spare was out to be refurbished. I'm hoping that will eliminate down time or at least reduce it to hours instead of weeks, when something goes wrong.

Davis' charge for full refurbishing is around $100 to $120 for the ISS and console receiver, if I recall that conversation correctly. Sounds like a reasonable enough price. I'll see how it goes.

Best,
Herb
Title: Interesting idea (Re: What Station Are You Using)
Post by: elagache on February 06, 2014, 08:29:34 PM
Dear Herb, Peter, and WeatherCat "love'em and hate'em" Davis types,

I too have had mixed feelings about Davis for about as long as I've owned mine.  However, (knock wood) at least my station has been reliable.

So Davis Vantage is most popular but do they deserve it?

Unfortunately, I'm afraid this is a case there the old story about the two guys being chased by the bear comes into play.

One fellow says to the other: "I don't have to outrun the bear, I only have to outrun - you!!" (http://www.canebas.org/Weather/LWC_forum/Custom_emoticons/eek2.gif)

Given the mediocre quality of most of Davis's competition, we really don't have much of a choice do we?

My solution may not be appropriate for everyone, but I decided to get another VantagePro ($418 @ Ambient Weather) and just swap out the whole thing, send the original one back to be refurbished, and establish a routine of recertification with Davis every two years, and thereby always having a spare on hand except when the spare was out to be refurbished. I'm hoping that will eliminate down time or at least reduce it to hours instead of weeks, when something goes wrong.

That does sound a bit extreme at first.  However, it might be worth it particular for somebody who has decided to become an important reporting station for something like the CWOP program.   I'm not sure I'm ready for extra hassle just yet, but it is an interesting idea.

I suppose another way to think about it is to buy a new station if you have a problem with your present station and then send the old components to Davis for refurbishing.  Certainly, you can have new station at most places in as little as 1-day.  That way don't have to make that investment until trouble hits.

Thanks for the suggestion Herb!

Cheers, Edouard  [cheers1]
Title: Re: POLL: What Station Are You Using
Post by: marzio2515 on July 05, 2015, 10:55:37 AM
I'm Using this station:

WeatherHawk 611 Heated cable connected
that's the site to check further futures
http://www.weatherhawk.com
Bye
Marzio
Title: Re: POLL: What Station Are You Using
Post by: idunn on November 21, 2021, 03:45:13 PM
Hi folks,
For a number of years I have been using the WH 1080 with a built in solar panel for data transmission. These cost about $100 at Amazon etc.
I have had to replace a broken wind rotor and the rain catcher, which I have found on the Internet.
There is a nice little display unit for inside and outside data. Also the time updates to summer and winter automatically.
All in all I am very satisfied with it.