Home weather station suggestions

[Grumpycat]

Glad it works for you!

It does. Now wire me $100 to make this reply even better!

 

[Popgadget]

. I'd use a Raspberry Pi these days but there is no point when the Tempest does a good job on its own.

The Tempest does a great job of uploading and hosting the data.
My disappointment is with the quality of the data it collects. Temperature is dead on, everything else is off by varying degrees, the rainfall being the most inaccurate.

 

[ponytug]

The Tempest does a great job of uploading and hosting the data.
My disappointment is with the quality of the data it collects. Temperature is dead on, everything else is off by varying degrees, the rainfall being the most inaccurate.

That pretty well is the same experience we have here between my Davis, and my neighbor's Tempest.

I think from an electronic sensor perspective, temperature is easy, and from there it starts to get more difficult, and the rain and wind speed is not easy. Accurate weather stations without moving anemometers and rain gauges seem to be extremely pricey when I have looked at them, and they do the non-contact measurements differently from the Tempest methods.

I do hope that Tempest succeeds on improving their accuracy. Given that by now they would appear to have more than enough data at this point in time to improve their software/firmware, I suspect that they have some hardware deficiencies/impediment(s) in the existing versions. I think that sites like @Popgadget's would be ideal for software improvements. I think that does beg the question why they haven't rolled out a new generation of more accurate sensors.

All the best,

Peter

 

[B7510HSD]

That pretty well is the same experience we have here between my Davis, and my neighbor's Tempest.

I think from an electronic sensor perspective, temperature is easy, and from there it starts to get more difficult, and the rain and wind speed is not easy. Accurate weather stations without moving anemometers and rain gauges seem to be extremely pricey when I have looked at them, and they do the non-contact measurements differently from the Tempest methods.

I do hope that Tempest succeeds on improving their accuracy. Given that by now they would appear to have more than enough data at this point in time to improve their software/firmware, I suspect that they have some hardware deficiencies/impediment(s) in the existing versions. I think that sites like @Popgadget's would be ideal for software improvements. I think that does beg the question why they haven't rolled out a new generation of more accurate sensors.

All the best,

Peter

I guess my main problem with the "All in One" stations is you cannot mount them according to the suggested site installations. Typically rain gauge for 4 to 6 feet above clear open space and the anemometer ideally at 33ft above ground.

 

[Popgadget]

I think that sites like @Popgadget's would be ideal for software improvements.

As an early adopter of the Tempest, I let them know that I had the Davis colocated with the Tempest, and gave them links to the data to compare.
Over time, they greatly improved the accuracy of the rain measurement, and some improvement in the wind, the barometric pressure was always in the ball park, until it went to 23” and stayed there on my present station, but the bottom line is that it is not as accurate, but is probably decent for the price point.

 

[ponytug]

As an early adopter of the Tempest, I let them know that I had the Davis colocated with the Tempest, and gave them links to the data to compare.
Over time, they greatly improved the accuracy of the rain measurement, and some improvement in the wind, the barometric pressure was always in the ball park, until it went to 23” and stayed there on my present station, but the bottom line is that it is not as accurate, but is probably decent for the price point.

I think that was extremely good and civic minded of you to do.

With my neighbor's Tempest, I see the same issues. Both the rain and the wind are the two sensors that are most at variance to nearby sites, occasionally by amusingly large amounts. A recorded 3.5" rainfall at his gauge for a 0.25" rainfall here was one that stuck in my memory.

All the best,

Peter

 

[Oz_Kioti]

With my neighbor's Tempest, I see the same issues. Both the rain and the wind are the two sensors that are most at variance to nearby sites, occasionally by amusingly large amounts. A recorded 3.5" rainfall at his gauge for a 0.25" rainfall here was one that stuck in my memory.

We had a Davis Vantage Vue which started acting erratically reporting rainfall. Checked the battery, the funnel for blockages, the inside for spiders, phoned the Australian reps, but all to no avail. Rather than pack it up and send it to them for examination and possible repair, I just bought a new cheaper one. It's pretty good, less refined than the Davis, with longer updating intervals to the inside display, but lo & behold, it too started giving wonky rainfall readings.
At that point I read the manual!
It clearly stated to ensure the unit was mounted to something rigid & steady, else rainfall readings could be erratic in windy conditions!!!
All good now.

 

[ponytug]

We had a Davis Vantage Vue which started acting erratically reporting rainfall. Checked the battery, the funnel for blockages, the inside for spiders, phoned the Australian reps, but all to no avail. Rather than pack it up and send it to them for examination and possible repair, I just bought a new cheaper one. It's pretty good, less refined than the Davis, with longer updating intervals to the inside display, but lo & behold, it too started giving wonky rainfall readings.
At that point I read the manual!
It clearly stated to ensure the unit was mounted to something rigid & steady, else rainfall readings could be erratic in windy conditions!!!
All good now.

That's a great story. Thanks for sharing it.

All the best,

Peter