Cumulus Support

Do I need a Data Logger/Weatherlink if I'm going to run Cumulus connected to my PC 24/7 ?

I searched but havn't found what at a minimum I need. I currently use FreeWX connected to my OS WMR968 but need to upgrade

Thanks

Yes, you can't connect a Davis station to a PC at all without an interface, and the Weatherlink logger provides that interface.

Ummm

Yes you need an interface but it does not HAVE to include a logger but a logger is HIGHLY recommended. If you don't buy the Davis unit (which has a logger) then you will have to buy or build a 'clone'.

The Davis Weatherlink is the gold standard for Davis systems but unfortunately comes at a price - cheapest @ $US118 (depending on where you are) is available here http://www.archertradingpost.com/atp/ Would suggest the USB version (but configure as serial when installing on the PC).

I'm not familiar with FreeWX but you could download Cumulus and test it on the interface you now have for FreeWX.

All the new VP2 and Vue consoles now shipping will be the 'green-dot' units. (Note I'm talking about green-dot console hardware and not v3.x firmware revision, which is probably irrelevant to this issue.) And it's far from clear - to me at least - what the compatibility of the console so-called clone loggers or interfaces might be. A few users seem to report that they (most probably interfaces rather than loggers) are compatible, whilst others report that they're not. It would be good to see this clarified, ie which units or applications are verified to be compatible, but in the meantime caveat emptor applies.

Also, unless you build your own, the clone units are not free, but have a cost of up to around $50. So the extra cost (eg in the US) of getting the official, guaranteed-to-work WL logger is not necessarily any more than $60 or thereabouts. (I don't want to quibble about the exact cost - I know some ready-built interfaces might be somewhat cheaper, even after shipping - but my point is that for most users it's not a zero-cost option to use an alternative to the official logger. So you need to weigh up possible compatibility concerns and potentially fewer features against a relatively limited saving.)

Prodata, I know you are being cautious as I am.

My take on the VP2 situation is that;
serial (non logger) clone interfaces are compatible with old and new EXCEPT FW 3.00,
and
clone interfaces with logger are compatible with old and new EXCEPT FW 3.00.
BUT, note that not all clone loggers are equal and to be safe need to properly handle Weatherlink software. This requires the correct lines to be jumpered on the serial interface. Note that ready-made FTDI USB to serial cables don't do this!

For Vantage Vue - not determined.
I know my clone logger works with FW 2.14 that it came with but am not game to try upgrading to FW 3.00 and there is no FW 3.12 for the Vue yet.

All the gory details here http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=18391

BCJKiwi wrote:My take on the VP2 situation is that;
serial (non logger) clone interfaces are compatible with old and new EXCEPT FW 3.00,
and clone interfaces with logger are compatible with old and new EXCEPT FW 3.00...

I may be wrong, but I'm not convinced that the situation is as clear-cut, hence my caution. After months of reading trying to keep up with all the various wxforum threads on this, my take is that some users are suggesting that compatibility is there, but others seem to disagree. The number of concrete reports (once simple opinion or tests with irrelevant - ie non-green-dot - consoles has been weeded out) is actually very small, probably reflecting the very small number of users of these alternative interfaces, and often not all the pertinent facts are reported. For such long and sometimes tortuous threads, it's a shame that a few more clear-cut compatibility tests haven't been posted.

Personally, I'd expect that the plain alternative serial interfaces (ie no logging capability) would be compatible whereas any clone loggers would not be. Certainly the older Davis loggers are not compatible with green-dot loggers even with v3.12 F/W.

But I just haven't seen enough factual reports posted to confirm this analysis independently. No doubt things will become clearer over the next few months, but in the meantime my view is that it might pay to continue to be cautious about compatibility.

I agree.

What is really needed is for someone to analyse the data in the wxforum thread(s) and generate a truth table of the various combinations.

The added complication is the variations in the clones. My homebuilt logger does not have the necessary loopback links in place and so will not run Weatherlink (I've tried). I can use terminal software to talk directly to the Vue console. I have no idea if it would handle a direct-to-PC FW upgrade.