Questions About Weather / WX Stations

[tropicstorm]

There was a recent thread started a few days ago about amateur home weather stations. This hobby sounds pretty cool & I'd like to get started with one but don't know much about them. Obviously, these are home kits with instruments to measure temps, humidity, barometric pressure, wind speeds & direction, dew points, rain gauge, etc.

Some questions about how to get started -

1. Which are the better home weather stations to buy - Davis, Oregon, Huger or others? I believe in buying top quality equipment for any hobby. How much would someone expect to pay for these stations to get started?

2. I assume you must mount some of this equipment on the outside of your home, perhaps rooftop. I happen to live in an apartment community but have a large sun balcony. Will this work as well (screened porch type)?

3. It seems that there is hardware & software to buy. Is purchasing software separate from the purchase of the actual instruments? In other words, if you buy a top of the line Davis station, would there be supporting software for this or would you have to buy the software from a separate vendor?

4. Is wired or wireless better & how complicated is it to integrated the software into a home PC?


Any and all information or comments would be greatly appreciated.

[hookemfins]

2. I assume you must mount some of this equipment on the outside of your home, perhaps rooftop. I happen to live in an apartment community but have a large sun balcony. Will this work as well (screened porch type)?

I'm going to take a wild stab at this one. Sun area won't work. Best place for weather stations is on the N side of a building in the shade. In that balcony do you get wind from all directions?

Most apartment complexs have rules about attaching anything to building.

[SouthernWx]

There was a recent thread started a few days ago about amateur home weather stations. This hobby sounds pretty cool & I'd like to get started with one but don't know much about them. Obviously, these are home kits with instruments to measure temps, humidity, barometric pressure, wind speeds & direction, dew points, rain gauge, etc.

Some questions about how to get started -

1. Which are the better home weather stations to buy - Davis, Oregon, Huger or others? I believe in buying top quality equipment for any hobby. How much would someone expect to pay for these stations to get started?

2. I assume you must mount some of this equipment on the outside of your home, perhaps rooftop. I happen to live in an apartment community but have a large sun balcony. Will this work as well (screened porch type)?

3. It seems that there is hardware & software to buy. Is purchasing software separate from the purchase of the actual instruments? In other words, if you buy a top of the line Davis station, would there be supporting software for this or would you have to buy the software from a separate vendor?

4. Is wired or wireless better & how complicated is it to integrated the software into a home PC?

1) I have two Davis home weather stations...a Weather Wizard III and wireless Vantage Pro and they're great...extremely accurate. The WWIII cost me $175 in 2001, the Vantage Pro $529 (on sale at Wind & Weather) this past February.

2) An apartment community and their rules can be a problem. I lived in an apartment in 1995-96, and all the wx equipment I had then was an indoor/ outdoor thermometer. A lot depends on what side of the apartment bldg you live on, and how much space there is on the balcony.
At my apt. in Mississippi, I could probably have set up a wireless Vantage Pro on my balcony, in the courtyard, or possibly on the roof (but the apartment manager and I were very good friends, and she appreciated my "free" weather info....every apt. community would be different). Your biggest problem would be getting accurate wind information....with some directions being blocked by the building. I have my Vantage Pro mounted in the backyard...the anemometer 8' above the ground on a tripod, and the anemometer doesn't catch wind from the south or east like the Weather Wizard III anemometer mounted high on a mast above my roof (19' above the ground). Peak gust on my WWIII anemometer this year is 48 mph...compared to only 28 mph for the Vantage Pro.

3) I don't own a computer (ISP is Webtv), so know little about software.

4) I definitely recommend a wireless home weather station....it's easier to install, and is much safer in regards to lightning. My Weather Wizard suffered a lightning strike in 2002 that took several months to get repaired (fried circuit board). With a wireless system that's much less of a threat.

Since you live in an apartment...there are other options to having a complete home wx station. You can purchase wireless rain gauges from many companies that can be mounted on a balcony...with a base unit that can be mounted on a wall or sit on a table in your apartment. I also have a Radio Shack thermo-hygrometer that gives temperature and humidity readings from three remote outside locations (base unit sells for $69, and comes with one remote unit...I purchased two additional remotes). It's small, takes up very little room.

You can purchase dial-type aneroid barometers at discount stores such as Wal-Mart or Target, or more expensive digital barometers from Davis, Wind & Weather, and other online sites.

Another possibility for wind speed measurements is a company I only learned about last week....called "Inspeed.com". They specialize in low-cost, easy installed anemometers....hand held, pole mounted, and portable anemometers for chase vehicles (I just ordered one for my Cavalier for storm spotting purposes for $71 + shipping/ handling).

Here's a few links...

http://www.radioshack.com

http://www.inspeed.com

http://www.davisnet.com

http://www.windandweather.com
(has many different types of home weather stations and weather equipment....from different companies)