Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsFantastic value/quality for the money
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2014
After trying several different brands of weather stations - and putting up with their unreliability and premature failures, I decided to sink a bit more money than I had previously in hopes of a more reliable weather station. Also the slow response and reporting times of the other ones I tried created an exercise in frustration in that they missed wind peaks 90% of the time as they seemed to only report the wind speed at the moment of reporting.
I had an Acu-rite that lost contact with the transmitter every time the wind was above a stiff breeze. The transmitter was 25 feet away from the receiver and in direct line of sight. Plus its humidity sensor failed at just over a year old.
Installation took just under an hour as I already had a support set up for an older weather station so I just had to mount the ISS and anemometer. I elevated the anemometer to about 20 feet and this is included in my installation time.
You can get your latitude and longitude from a number of sources. I used the National Weather Service page to get the position of my local airport and then mapped my elevation with Google Maps (the 25 foot difference did make a difference with the barometer, so I got as close as I could).
Davis seems to have taken a different route with their weather stations and provide what I consider excellent value for the money. My Vantage Pro II has performed without flaw for over a month (I could NOT say that about the Acu-rite unit).
Update times of 2 1/2 seconds is a major plus tracking wind speeds (it updates the outside temperature every 10 seconds). The Acu-rite weather station I retired reported every 18 seconds and frequently missed an update so I had to wait 36 seconds.
Taking the receiver around the land, I was able to keep reliable contact for a bit over 1000 feet...and through a thick stand of trees and a dirt berm. Using the diagnostic screen, I called it quits at about 1400 feet when packet corruption reached about 50% (it reports reliability, but I did mental calculations with reported lost packets) of packets received. Here inside, it registers 99% reliability and only has to resync now and then. It has registered wind speeds way in excess of what the Acu-rite reported as the top recorded speed without even a hiccup.
This station is ideal for people with large plots of land, and if you need to monitor weather (or use any additional temperature, leaf or ground moisture sensors) outside the range where it is reliable, there are also two different types of repeaters available, and you have a lot of flexibility with the repeaters. Also, the receiver which comes with the station also serves as a repeater if you purchase other receivers for around the house, office, etc. which can't receive the transmitter.
I set the barometer for my elevation and it is in agreement with the one at the airport less than 10 miles away almost all the time. The only time the barometers didn't agree was with a fast moving front coming through the area which is understandable.
The moon phase icon takes a little getting used to as it is backwards to all the other ones I have here. Full moon is reported by the moon segments being empty while the rest of my clocks, etc darken the segments to show light (no big deal; just have to remember how they designed it!). The onboard clock keeps time better than the other weather stations or thermometers I have tried, plus Daylight Saving Time does work!
Graphing is a nice touch and it does take a bit of time to play around with to get the most out of....it is worth taking the time if you are into trends over time.
I cannot speak about the computer linking software, UV or solar detectors.
Others have mentioned the forecast feature. It may be more accurate than many of the others, but it still does not beat the good old weatherman! Having said that, I do not use it for forecasting the next 24 hours.
One gripe I have read from others is that many weather stations don't report or record rainfall for a while after it starts to rain. A heavy dew could cause false rainfall readings. Davis programmed their stations to not report until they get two bucket tips within a 15 minute period. This is documented in the instruction manual.
If I had a feature request: I would love to have two backlight brightness settings, but that is a personal thought and in no way detracts from how I feel about the Vantage Pro II station.
The backup battery for the transmitter is readily available at Walmart, Walgreens, or just about any other location which sells batteries for general electronics like cameras, etc, so it is not some odd battery with limited options for purchase.
Bottom line: If you want a reliable weather station with a lot of installation flexibility, it is worth the extra money.
UPDATE April 10, 2014:
Now that a month has passed since my review, I stick with my review. There have been no nasty surprises or even any unpleasant ones.
One concern from my bad experiences with Acu-rite and the others I have tried, the clock has kept time very nicely. I also still trust my Davis to not miss wind peaks in gusty weather...also unlike the others.
On a light note, the ticker tape often gives a bit of whimsy telling me it is good kite flying weather or it is raining cats and dogs!
I am still glad I purchased the Vantage Pro 2.
