Davis Weather Stations

[A Newcomb]

Well, I've been running an Oregon Scientfic station since about 2001.

I have a wmr-968. I purchased the console separate a few years ago. I won't ramble on about my experiences with the station, but I've been looking at the the different products Davis has to offer.

I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations, or experiences, between the different stations, such as the VantagePro models and the "classic" http://www.ambientweather.com/dain74cowemo.html models.

I was thinking I might want a VantagePro station, but can't decide if one of the classic stations would be good enough for me.

I would like to be able to record the measurements on my computer as I do now with the OS, also.

Thanks in advance...as I will continue to explore and be indecisive.

 

[Richard Dickson]

For what it's worth, I've had the Davis VantagePro2 wireless model for about two and a half years and have been thrilled with it. Like other folks, I rigged a piece of hail screen around the top of the rain collector to form a bunch of spikes sticking up to keep the birds from building a nest in it. Software and a logger are available for a price to use your PC to record all of your readings. For what it's worth, I got a very good price at the time from Scientificsales.com but you may have better luck somewhere else. It is worth your time and money to do some internet searches.

 

[Jason Foster]

Vantage Pro 2 is great for home use....I prefer the Weather Monitor II for mobile weather stations. More compact and less expensive.

The wireless advantage is huge too, especially for home use. No drilling necessary. I also like that the computer software available for the newer VP2. Davis, or others, and seems to be more compatible if you have a Windows Vista machine.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

I have had a Davis Pro Vantage 2 for about 3 years. It has been a great weather station. I fried the circut board inside and Davis fixed it free of charge. I would recommend getting the data logger too so you can put your data on wunderground or other weather data sites.

 

[A Newcomb]

Hmmmm.

I just found THIS: http://www.proweatherstation.com/

I've never seen/heard of it before....does anyone know anything about it?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Jason Foster]

Hmmmm.

I just found THIS: http://www.proweatherstation.com/

I've never seen/heard of it before....does anyone know anything about it?

Thanks in advance.

I don't know anything about this product...but two things stick out at me:

1) None of the product literature says what the sampling rate is....which is critical. Considering the price...I would assume it isn't as good as the Davis

2) The company was only founded last year (2008), so there is no reliability history with this product or the company.

My personal opinion is to stay away....stick with known companies with proven performance.

 

[Dennis Sherrod]

I don't know anything about this product...but two things stick out at me:

1) None of the product literature says what the sampling rate is....which is critical. Considering the price...I would assume it isn't as good as the Davis

2) The company was only founded last year (2008), so there is no reliability history with this product or the company.

My personal opinion is to stay away....stick with known companies with proven performance.

http://www.proweatherstation.com/


Here is some additional information on this model. These are primarily made and geared toward the Wind Turbine Industry for site management.
Here is the info on the sampling rate:

"The actual sampling rate is every 48 secs. This is not adjustable.

The 5 minute minimum is the data storage rate. So the unit takes sample
every 48 secs and creates average for the data storage which is settable
from 5 min to 240 min."

 

[A Newcomb]

It said somewhere it updates every second. I found that hard to believe....and tried to find some better information.

I never really would consider getting that. If anything, I would get Davis. Of course, I think what is going to end up happening...is that I'll just continue to use my current OrgSci setup..(some shown in avatar along with cocorahs gauge) I'll need to fix the anemometer....which all it probably needs is batteries; although getting to it is another story; and maybe I'll get the Vortex Pole mount for getting good wind measurements during gusts.

The problem with the OS anemometer is that...of course it only sends every 14 seconds...but sometimes the turning of the wx vane in strong winds causes the pole to shake a lot, and the cups don't spin right in strong gusts. Also...I've had some incidents where, when lightning strikes nearby...it will report ridiculous readings (such as 180mph...in no winds). I think the Inspeed would make a big difference in storms. Anyone with Inspeed mounted have any history with it?

and...going off on another tangent....how about the Kestrel handheld model for 'out in the field'?

Thanks again for the responses.

 

[Jason Young]

I chased one year with Inspeed storm chaser , keep changeing from mph to km and back. So I got mad and sold it for $25 . Now I have a Davis Weather Wizard 3 .

 

[darnalljason]

Davis

I use a davis vantage pro 2 wired ssytem and love it updates every 3 seconds. I also use a maximum maestro annemometer for gust measurements and it works flawless and is real time although they are pricey

 

[Rocky Rascovich]

I too have been thinking about getting a Davis Pro.. I use to have a Texas Weather Instruments "Weather Report" it sampled wind speed data every 1 second. The Davis Pro wireless samples the wind every two and a half seconds. My question I pose is, can it still register those peak gusts within that two and a half second time frame, or does it measure the wind precisely at that moment?

 

[Heather Moser]

We've had a wireless VantagePro2 in our backyard for about two years now and love it. The only problem we had was that the aspirator fan for the temperature sensor would stop working from time to time, but that's not really a major issue (I think some of the models don't come with it anyway). I'm still waiting to see how it handles getting struck by lightning.