Which new weather station to buy

[thegasman]

Ok, I know this question has been asked many times before, but....

My trusty WMR918 of 8 years use has finally met its end. A gust of wind in yesterday's storm ripped my rain sensor from my flat roof and smashed it to smithereens on the decking below. It's irreparable, and as they aren't made new any more and there are none on eBay, I guess I'm looking at a new weather station unless anyone has any bright ideas?

So my criteria for a new weather station:
1. It must work with Cumulus
2. It should be reliable and accurate
3. I need to be able to mount the temperature, wind, and rain sensors separately and wirelessly. I have a good mounting point on my roof for the wind sensor, and have a homemade Stevenson box 1m above my lawn for accurate temp readings.
4. Cost - not my main issue. Cheaper is obviously better but I can spend up to £800 or so if need be.

Point 3 is my main sticking point. The Davis units all seem to have integrated sensors. Even the pro has a wired link between temp and wind it seems. The WMR88 seems to have separate sensors. Is it reliable and durable? It looks from the OS website that the WMR200 goes back to an integrated sensor group. Is that right? Could I add an additional wireless temp and ignore the main one? Is the WMR200 better than the WMR88 for nearly twice the price?

What about the WMR300?
Any other suggestions?

Any advice gratefully received.

Thanks,

Martin

[steve]

You can separate the VP2 wind sensor by buying a separate transmitter for it. Separating the rain gauge from the ISS is trickier, but I think I have heard of people doing that - somehow.

The WMR200 does have separate sensors with their own transmitters; it's pretty much the same as the WMR88 except that importantly the WMR200 has a data logger. As you're used to a station that doesn't have one, that may not be an issue for you.

I still have the rain gauge from my WMR928 (somewhere), which I assume would work with your WMR918, and you're welcome to have it, but I don't know whether it still works. I don't think I can test it as my console fell on the floor and broke.

Cumulus doesn't work with the WMR300, and is unlikely to for the foreseeable future.

[thegasman]

Thanks for the suggestions.
I've actually managed to get the rain sensor electronics to talk to the console using a spare transmitter, although the plastic housing is in several pieces. It might be salvageable!

From what you've said the WMR88 looks tempting. I'm seeing it for sale for under £90 which looks like tremendous value for what you get. Clearly the Davis equipment is the best, but at over £800 I'm disinclined, and spares look extortionate too.

Does anyone know if the wireless range on the WMR88/200 is similar to the WMR968 (which is just adequate for me), or is it better or worse?

Thanks again,

Martin