DAVIS EZ-Mount GroWeather User Manual download pdf (Page 23)

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1. What weather variables are

measured and recorded?

Most other stations offer barometric pres-

sure, outside humidity and dew point,daily

and yearly rainfall,wind speed and direc-

tion,wind chill, and outside temperature.

Some also offer inside temperature and

humidity, and a few even give you extra

outside temperature readings and current

rain rate. Only Vantage Pro gives you all

these,plus:

• Additional Rainfall Information:15-

minute rainfall,hourly and monthly rain-

fall,and rainfall amounts for each of the

last 24 storms.

• Additional Wind Speed Information:10-

minute average wind speed,direction of

high speed, and 10-minute dominant

wind direction.

• Apparent Temperature:Heat index (the

combined effects of temperature and

humidity) and,with the addition of a

solar radiation sensor, temperature-

humidity-sun-wind index.

• Optional Sensors for Solar and UV

Radiation,something that’s becoming

more important as we become increasing

aware of the dangers to health caused by

excessive exposure to the sun.

• Additional Information (with optional

sensors) for agricultural users:evapotran-

spiration,leaf wetness,soil moisture,and

soil temperature.

2. How easy is it to set up ?

With most of the competing stations, you

need to install each sensor separately,

which adds complication and takes time

and effort. Our Vantage Pro® weather sta-

tions are designed to make setup as easy as

possible.The Integrated Sensor Suite is fac-

tory-assembled.Just complete a few minor

assembly steps,insert the battery, and then

you’re ready to mount the sensors.Mount

them all together using our optional tripod,

or detach the anemometer to mount it sep-

arately. Flexible mounting options make it

easy,either way.

3. What is the maximum

transmission distance?

The wireless transmission range for most of

the competing stations is generally quite

limited.Although transmission range is high-

ly variable (depending not only on the sur-

rounding physical features of the land and

structures but also on the RF interference in

the area),our Vantage Pro weather stations

will almost always out perform the competi-

tion.And—unlike the competition—we

offer wireless repeaters should you wish to

extend the range.

4. How many highs and lows are

measured and recorded?

Most other stations simply give you the

current readings. If highs and lows are

available at all, they are usually quite limit-

ed.Only Vantage Pro gives you the highs

and lows (and/or totals or average read-

ings) for just about all available weather

conditions,with the time and/or date they

occurred, for the last 24 days,months,or

years.No other weather station on the

market even comes close.And not only can

you view the data numerically, you’ll also

see it on Vantage Pro’s on-screen graphs,

giving you instantaneous visual represen-

tations of long-term trends.

5. How often is the information

updated?

The Vantage Pro transmitter sends a data

packet to the console every 2

2 seconds.

The weather conditions that are the most

variable (such as wind speed and direction)

are updated with each packet, while most

other conditions are updated every 10 sec-

onds.With the competition’s stations,the

update interval is much longer: 30 seconds,

or even up to 3 minutes.This may not seem

like an important distinction. But try

watching the wind gust, or the rain sud-

denly come pouring down.It’s very discon-

certing to be looking out the window, see-

ing something happening weather-wise,

and not see it reflected on the console for

what seems to be an eternity.

6. How is the forecast generated?

The competition generally bases their fore-

casts strictly on whether barometric pres-

sure is rising or falling.This results in none

too accurate a prediction.Vantage Pro uses a

sophisticated forecasting algorithm which

takes into account not only barometric pres-

sure, but also wind,rainfall, temperature,

humidity, and longitude and latitude.The

result? A much more accurate forecast.Not

perfect,but even the guys with the satellite

pictures don’t always get it right!

7. How is the forecast displayed?

The competition gives their forecast by

means of an icon.We have similar icons,

plus over 80 different forecast messages

that scroll across the bottom of the display-

when you press the FORECAST key. None of

the other stations have this scrolling mes-

sage—it is unique to Davis.The ticker tape

also gives additional information, depend-

ing on which key you press.For example,

press the WIND key to display wind speed,

and you’ll see a message showing you the

10 minute average wind speed. If it’s rain-

ing,you can press the RAIN YR key to see

the last 15 minutes of rain, or RAIN DAY to

see the last 24 hours of rain.And these are

just a few examples! None of the competi-

tion has anything like this.

8. How much data can you graph

on the screen?

With Vantage Pro,you can graph just about

every weather variable, with averages and

highs and lows for most,and go back in

time for minutes,days,months,and years.

The competition typically graphs just one

variable—barometric pressure—and typi-

cally just for the last 24 hours.With all the

graphs on Vantage Pro, you can do tons of

analysis,even without purchasing an addi-

tional software package (although we offer

one of those,too).And you’ll find that the

more dramatic the weather is,the more fun

it is to look at the graphs.Just how windy is

it,and how does it compare to the last wind

storm? And how much rain did we get this

month,as compared to last month?

9. Can you use the station at

higher elevations?

Our stations can be used up to 12,500 feet

in elevation.Many of the competing sta-

tions are limited to 6,000 feet or below.If

you’re lucky enough to live and work—or

perhaps enjoy a vacation home—in the

mountains,you’ll find that our Vantage Pro

weather station works just fine,no matter

what elevation you’re at.

10. Is there a computer interface?

If you’d like to do even more analysis,you

can add our WeatherLink data logger and

software package.The data logger stores

data at the interval you choose (from one

minute to two hours) for up to six months.

You can transfer the data whenever you

like, or leave your computer on to have it

automatically transfer every day.The data

logger uses non-volatile memory, so you

won’t lose the data even if you lose power.

For some of the competing stations,no

software package is available.And while

other stations do offer a software package,

they don’t include a data logger—so your

computer must be on and the software run-

ning at all times.

11. How many alarms are there?

Our alarms can be set for just about every

weather variable,for just about any reason

imaginable—over 70 alarms, in all.Like the

graphs,the alarms found on the competi-

tion’s stations are generally quite limited.

12. What is the accuracy,

resolution, and range?

Our stations generally beat the competi-

tion’s in accuracy, resolution,and range.It

can be difficult to find the specs for com-

peting stations.When we do find them, our

testing shows that they are a bit, shall we

say, optimistic.We are very proud of our

specs,stand behind them 100%, and are

proud to publish them in our catalog and

on our website.

13. How many other people are

using the stations?

Although our Vantage Pro stations are new,

we have an installed base of thousands and

thousands of happy Davis weather station

users around the country and around the

world. If you check out the “Weather Around

the World”section on our website

(www.davisnet.com/links),you’ll see a listing

for Norman,Oklahoma.Click on that link, and

you’ll go to the website for the National

Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center.

They’re using our Weather Monitor II (a pre-

decessor to the Vantage Pro station) to

update the local “unofficial”weather condi-

tions to their website.In addition,many

Davis weather station owners participate as

volunteer observers for the National Weather

Service,the National Hurricane Center, and

numerous local TV and radio stations.

14. How long has the company

been in business?

In business since 1963,Davis Instruments

opened up the home weather station mar-

ket back in 1989.The competition has only

appeared within the last few years.Our

weather stations are manufactured right

here in Hayward, California, and we have a

full customer service and support staff.Most

of the competing weather stations are made

overseas, and it can be difficult (if not next

to impossible) to get any kind of customer

service or aftermarket support.

Things to consider when

Purchasing an Electronic Weather Station

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DAVIS EZ-Mount GroWeather User Manual Page 23

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