Cumulus Support

Hi folks,

Well after about 7 years my old Fine Offset WH1080 has finally died. I'm in two minds as to try and fix it or just upgrade and replace it with something much newer. What's your recommendations? The Oregon Scientific WMR200 or Davis Vantage Pro2 - anyone got any comments? I'm UK based and the £250 price tag on the WMR200 sounded reasonable, the VP2 would be a stretch.

I'm currently still running an old version of Cumulus, but will probably upgrade to MX on Windows (or possibly a Pi) if I'm going to start changing stuff.

A rapid response would be appreciated as I like to knwo what's happening otuside before I open the curtains in the morning

Chat soon.

It would probably help if you gave a price range or upper limit. I had an Ambient WS 1090 (Fine Offset) for about 3 years that cost $139 USD. It would lock up every week or so and quit communicating via USB. I had to pull and replace the batteries from the console to fix it. I finally bit the bullet and got a Davis VP2 and the data logger for around $500 USD. It was been solid for over two years now.

Hi.
I use the Oregon WMR200 though I would love to upgrade to the Davis system. The WMR200 works fine but replacing the batteries is a pain! My system is up a 6 m pole and I have to drop the whole system to get access. I have also had issues with the main temperature sensor packing up after 3 years. (I also have a WMR2300 which has run reliably for over 9 years with no failures.). The rain gauge is also poor in that the circuit board is exposed, especially in heavy rain.

Although I have no experience of the Davis system, it seems to be better with a much improved resolution on all counts than the Oregon system. However, it really does come down to what you can afford.

You can't go wrong with a Davis... and the VP2 is their top but lots of people are very satisfied with a Vue which has similar build quality and accuracy.

Good luck, and enjoy,
Paul

Hi

I would go for a Davis Vantage Vue which is available for £299 online. The VP2 is a big step up in price but gives you freedom to site the anenometer and takes additional sensors.

I had the barometric sensor fail on my VP2 console just outside the warranty (non repairable) and it was cheaper to replace it with a Vantage Vue console as they are interoperable!

Hope you find a suitable replacement.