Most Accurate Home Weather Stations
Weather station quality and features offer a classic case of you get what you pay for. You can install a very inexpensive back-yard weather station with inside remote display for perhaps $200 and get satisfactory results, or you might opt for a "Cadillac" version with a more rugged construction and additional features at a steeper price. The high-end units offer computer data logging, longer-range wireless sensor placement and more robust sensor construction.
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Determine Station Placement
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Consider your needs to begin zeroing in on a weather station design. Determine where you want to place the weather sensors. Plan to locate them away from nearby trees or buildings for more accurate results and longer life. Pace off or measure the distance from the selected site to the base unit. Cheaper units may lack the range needed if you have a big yard or acreage.
Examine Accuracy Specifications
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Decide how important accuracy is to you. If you are a National Weather Service cooperative observer, you will need a very accurate rain gauge, whereas a casual observer can get by with something less elaborate. Check the on-line specifications of various station types. For instance, Davis Instruments offers a wide variety of weather station solutions. The least expensive ones will have a greater percentage of error versus high-end units.
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High-End Stations
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Consider a top-quality weather station solution if your budget is not a large concern. For example, the New Mountain Innovations NM150 Ultrasonic Weather Station offers professional-grade construction and accuracy. The wind unit promises readings to a tolerance of 1/10 of a mile-per-hour and a temperature accuracy of 0.2 degrees F. The wind sensor is an ultrasonic variety that has no moving parts. This greatly reduces wear and susceptibility to ice and rust. The New Mountain station has a GPS locator as well for precise plotting when the unit is used in a mobile application.
This unit sells for $1400.
Mid-Level Stations
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A more conservative budget can still allow for a well-built unit with the Davis Vantage Pro 2. Davis Instruments has been one of the leaders in mid-level home weather units for more than 25 years.
The Vantage Pro 2 claims a temperature accuracy of 1 degree F. It does not operate to the level of the NM150, but it is quite sufficient for a typical back-yard application. It sells for around $600, less than half of the NM150's sticker price.
Economy Weather Stations
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The least expensive weather stations with outdoor sensors will run $100 to $200 dollars. The Oregon Scientific WMR968 Cable Free Complete Weather Station is a typical example. It provides all of the traditional sensors from rainfall to wind and humidity in a wireless configuration. The sensor housings are plastic and are more prone to weather and sun fatigue, but in general it's a good basic home-style unit that will offer many years of service barring storm or ice damage.
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References
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