Should i buy a Davis Vantage Vue

[Intheswamp]

If the Vue is definitely your budget peak then I would install it at a reasonable height, maybe your 3m mark. Install the unit so that you can easily lower it to check the rain gauge and make a point to check it. Also, know that there are better and worse situations. Accept what you end up with, don't stress over it (too much! ), it's supposed to be fun!!!

If you put the unit in a fairly decent location without close-by obstructions the biggest problem you will have is the rain gauge getting clogged, as I've already mentioned. My gauge is around 5' high...I can easily walk up to it and peer over inside. Many days I walk out to it, peer over in it, and it is clean. Today is an interesting day with a change of rain (and snow) as is tonight, so I figured I'd make sure the gauge was clear. I walked out to it (and was actually thinking about you so I carried my camera with me), peered over into it, and image below shows what I found. Had I not checked, if nothing else, my rain rate would have been full of errors and more seriously it could have completely clogged up.

The "scratches" you see in the bucket are actually where I've used broom straw from the pasture to scratch off bird poop in the past...I guess I need to give the bucket a good cleaning which will take most of those marks away.

Something else I'll add here since you've had a peek down in the bucket is that the bucket on the VP2 is larger than the Vue, though they both work well.

Anyhow, I just thought I'd throw this picture at ya.

Ed

[Intheswamp]

Btw, here is another link to a CWOP pdf with more visual illustrations of installing/locating a weather station: http://weather.gladstonefamily.net/CWOP-Siting.pdf .

Ed

[fiestaman]

Hi, ive been thinking and reading over the weekend and now im gone from thinking of spending €100 on a Maplin to a Davis Vue and now a Davis Pro2. I dont know if a Pro2 is overkill for an amatuer like me, i know little or noting about this weatherstation stuff really. I just cant see the point of buying a unit on the cheap side thats not accurate and gives problems, thats really a waste of time and money, why log incorrect data for years. If i buy a Pro2 id be looking at mounting the anemometer on my garage gable end, its 16ft to the ridge and il clear it by 4ft so it will be at 20ft. Now for the best place for the Iss would be in the middle of my garden away from everything BUT that would be 80-100ft away. Can the cable between the Iss and the anemometer be extended and if so is it a good idea? Is the weatherlink IP worth the extra money,as far as i can see its only benifit is if you want to have a website it saves running a PC 24/7. But what do all the none Davis users do if they want to have a website.

[mermaidbeachweather]

Thanks steve but id rather not have to do that if i spend €400.00. After 43 views on the topic your the only on that gave advice so i think il either buy a Maplin WH-1081(N96FY) there £49.99 on the maplin site at the moment or just buy the Vue and mount it at my high point which is actually 16feet (completley exposed all around) i measured thisevening. I dont know if there will be much difference in temp at 4feet and 16feet. I dont know if there will be much difference between 16feet and 33feet for wind speed either so il learn as i go along. I wouldnt be mounting the Maplin anemometer much higher than the 16feet anyway, maybe 20max. I know theres a big difference in the quaility of the stations but thats why i asked the question in the first place but obviously nobody has any info. Thanks

Hi, I have had a Vantage Vue for over four years and have no problems, just the usual battery change after 18 months or so.
It is featured on my website at http://www.mermaidbeachweather.com I put plastic cable ties around the rain collector as birds had a habit of dropping seeds into the rain bucket.
You will always get help on this forum, and what Steve doesn't know is not worth knowing, he will help when he gets the time.
Good luck in your choice.

I have my Vantage Vue on top of a two story building, however it is a bit of a challenge when it comes to servicing, especially if you fear heights. If you know what I mean.

Cheers

Brian


Cheers

Brian

Hi brian, thank you. Where have you got your Vue mounted. How high up is it?

[ayde_bury]

You say that you have a budget of around €400 exc VAT.

How about the Vantage Pro 2 ISS (giving you the long cable to raise the anemometer to a good 10m) along with a Vantage Vue console. That way you get the best of both worlds. Good data gathering with a budget console that still has some flexibility to be expanded.

[fiestaman]

You say that you have a budget of around €400 exc VAT.

How about the Vantage Pro 2 ISS (giving you the long cable to raise the anemometer to a good 10m) along with a Vantage Vue console. That way you get the best of both worlds. Good data gathering with a budget console that still has some flexibility to be expanded.

That dosent seem to be working out much cheaper as id still have to buy a logger.

[Johnny Cyprus]

Hi all, im new here and looking to get into home weather monitering. I have a windvane, rain guage & thermometer all manual, i dont record anything now so was hoping to get a weatherstation and log data to my laptop. I can afford up to a Vantage vue,roughly costing me E400 euro delivered to ireland incl data logger (i dont have to pay vat). So is the Vue a good buy or should i be looking at something else for that money? Are they accurate being all in one unit. I am 250mtr ASL and exposed so winds are always strong. Id be fairly particular about accuracy. Id have an option of mounting it 4-5mtrs high or 3mtrs. Which would be best, id like the lower option because id like to get true readings for temp but is there much difference in not having it up high for wind data? At 3mtrs it would be exposed from all sides, same as 4-5mtrs, exposed from all sides. Its hard to pick a unit theres so many but id like to get a good kit rather than cheap and get trouble. If anyone can share there view i be very gratefull.
Cheers

I would be interested to know what weather station you did decide on and what your experience has been so far.

With regard to the 'Fine Offset' device, I have some experience over more than two years now. I have bought three and suffered many problems. Generally they are flimsy, the anemometer in particular is prone to fail the wireless communication between the metering station and the console can be problematic and the USB connection to a pc is very prone to stall, requiring a reboot of the console and incurring data loss.

I think some of the units sold today may be returns from other dissatisfied customers; buyers should be wary of boxes that appear to have been opened before.

I have decided to get rid of my Fine Offsets, because they are just too unreliable. I am considering replacing with the Davis system, which I note is used by the operator of this forum.

Whatever you bought, I would like to know how you got on with it.