More reliable alternative stations to Fine Offset

[Johnny Cyprus]

I have owned three 'wireless' Fine Offset Stations, bought from Maplin and Amazon suppliers.

All the wind speed sensors have failed, been replaced and failed again. Communication between the sensor and the data logger has been erratic, although the distance has never been more than 25m. The base stations have all suffered from recurrent hang ups, that can only be overcome by unplugging the USB and removing the batteries to force a reboot.

Sometimes these stations work for a few weeks or more without too much trouble and sometimes they never work for a reasonable period. There are lots of theories, but no-one has come up with a solution as far as I can see.

I have tried various things myself and in the process examined the components in detail. I would say that they are very flimsy and cheaply made. For instance the bearings on the anemometers are not up to the job and prone to fail. I have no idea how well the operating system and software have been written, but if the hardware is anything to go by, these devices are unlikely to prove reliable weather stations, instead owners may expect frequent component failures and hang ups.

My best station has managed to stay up for a month or two at the longest, but now it has started hanging up every week. I am not there to reboot it, so it has to be off the air for a few weeks at a time.

My question is; what are the alternatives, and is there a station that can be said to be reliable? I mean something that is robustly constructed, with sound software and communications. The link between the metering station and the data logger needs to ne wireless.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, otherwise I will have accept defeat and leave it to the professionals.

[steve]

You would be looking at a Davis, but you would also be looking at paying nearly ten times as much as Fine Offset, for a Vantage Vue. And even then you may not get 100% reliability. Some people have Davis stations which operate for many years without any problems at all, but a few others (like myself) have found they have had to replace parts fairly frequently over the years. My VP2 is nearly eight years old and I have replaced the anemometer (once), the transmitter board (once) and the temp/humidity sensor (twice - or is it three times?). The weather here is somewhat challenging, however.

Instromet stations seem to be a quality product, but they don't do a wireless version.

Your references to the station's software suggest to me that you're not actually using Cumulus (as if you were it wouldn't make any difference which station you used), so there may well be other stations that you could consider, but I know little about those. I am told that Rainwise stations have a good reputation.

[logjam]

There are things that can be done to get the most out of the Maplin Fine Offset weather stations. The bearings on the anemometer invariably come with no proper lubrication, and left to their own devices can seize up very quickly. I have found that adding some light oil to the bearing from the beginning means they will function as they should.
The communication between the console and transmitter depends on many factors which are impossible to tie down. I have discovered that the location of the console can give continuous spike-free reception, but it takes trial and error. Locate it away from any other electric equipment, especially thermostats and anything with a motor or radio transmitter in it. Making the distance between the console and transmitter as short as possible helps. I have mine at 50ft with no problems. The signal goes in a straight line, so check for thick walls, radiators and other metal obstructions between the console and transmitter. The exact position of the console makes a lot of difference too. In my case moving the console just 2 cm cured all of my 'lost sensor' problems.
Ideally have a computer dedicated to the console. Plugging and unplugging USB equipment can cause the console to lose communication with the computer. I can't afford to do that, but I've found that carefully inserting the plugs at right angles, and not jiggling them about prevents most problems. Also trying to insert the USB plugs in upside down invariably causes the console to lose its connection.
Finally the Cumulus software itself has several tricks up its sleeve to give the best chance of continuous, good data reception and recording.