• After witnessing the continued decrease of involvement in the SpotterNetwork staff in serving SN members with troubleshooting issues recently, I have unilaterally decided to terminate the relationship between SpotterNetwork's support and Stormtrack. I have witnessed multiple users unable to receive support weeks after initiating help threads on the forum. I find this lack of response from SpotterNetwork officials disappointing and a failure to hold up their end of the agreement that was made years ago, before I took over management of this site. In my opinion, having Stormtrack users sit and wait for so long to receive help on SpotterNetwork issues on the Stormtrack forums reflects poorly not only on SpotterNetwork, but on Stormtrack and (by association) me as well. Since the issue has not been satisfactorily addressed, I no longer wish for the Stormtrack forum to be associated with SpotterNetwork.

    I apologize to those who continue to have issues with the service and continue to see their issues left unaddressed. Please understand that the connection between ST and SN was put in place long before I had any say over it. But now that I am the "captain of this ship," it is within my right (nay, duty) to make adjustments as I see necessary. Ending this relationship is such an adjustment.

    For those who continue to need help, I recommend navigating a web browswer to SpotterNetwork's About page, and seeking the individuals listed on that page for all further inquiries about SpotterNetwork.

    From this moment forward, the SpotterNetwork sub-forum has been hidden/deleted and there will be no assurance that any SpotterNetwork issues brought up in any of Stormtrack's other sub-forums will be addressed. Do not rely on Stormtrack for help with SpotterNetwork issues.

    Sincerely, Jeff D.

WeatherFlow/Tempest vs Davis Vantage Pro 2

Joined
Aug 31, 2021
Messages
96
Location
Hot Springs, Arkansas
I currently have a Davis Vantage Pro 2. I'm debating whether to eventually purchase the necessary hardware to publish its data to the Internet (such as a WeatherLink Live, which I can pick up around $175 from Scientific Sales), or if I should invest in a WeatherFlow/Tempest station instead. I've heard some good reviews on the WeatherFlow/Tempest, and I believe Baron is using them to build out their Critical Weather Institute network. The fact that they include an on-site Lightning Sensor also interests me.

If someone has compared the Davis Vantage Pro 2 with the WeatherFlow/Tempest, which one do you prefer?

Thanks!
 
The Tempest is a nice concept (compact, no moving parts, etc.), but, there are some things that have caused some people problems. These include:

- The haptic rain sensor can produce false readings if the unit is receiving vibrations from the mount (so, mounting the Tempest correctly is critical).
- The sonic wind sensor can produce false readings if water collects in a bad spot (a rare occurrence due to a hydrophobic coating, but, in heavy rain it could happen ... also could happen if the coating gets damaged).
- Poor battery performance in cases where the the solar panels are not receiving sufficient sun. Once the battery voltage drops, sensors are throttled or turned off.

To name a few :) .

Mine works pretty well (I have only had wind issues in torrential rains during T.S. Ida and T.S. Isaias and they were brief). I do have a Vantage Pro 2 as well ... it works well with good maintenance ... my biggest problem is the rain gauge getting clogged with "stuff" (but, the rain gauge is near ground level, so, not hard to clean out). I have had the anemometer freeze over in ice storms ... something that has not occured with the Tempest (but, with enough ice, I guess it could happen if the gap gets blocked such that the sonic sensors are not hearing what they should).
 
For the Tempest, it'd be nice to know if WeatherFlow is working to improve the rain and wind sensors. I have my doubts that the rain sensor will ever do a really good job compared to a co-located, good rain gauge. But it would be nice if they could work out any issues with the wind sensor. Thanks for the review Lou.
 
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