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The Weather Channel WS-2310TWC Professional Weather Station

The Weather Channel WS-2310TWC Professional Weather Station


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Average Customer Rating:
List Price: $299.99


Features:
  • Professional weather center with three remote sensors (thermo/hygro sensor, rain gauge, wind gauge)
  • Displays radio controlled time/date, barometric pressure, indoor/outdoor temperature and humidity
  • Also reports wind speed/direction; wind chill; dew point; rainfall for 1 hour, 24 hours, or total
  • Forecast icon forecasts weather 12-20 hours in advance; storm warning alarm
  • Included CD-ROM software uploads 175 sets of weather data to PC
  • Product Description
    This device is geared to the serious weather nerd rather than the amateur as it gives a more complete picture of weather patterns and has more complicated accessories and a more complex screen to decipher for readings. About the size of a thermostat, the base unit mounts on a tabletop or wall and has numerous wireless gadgets that feed information into the weather center. First, the station reports the humidity and temperature in Fahrenheit and Celsius for indoor locations and outdoor locations using a remote sensor positioned up to 80 feet away. The weather station records the minimum and maximum temperatures and humidity readings within a 24-hour period and recalls them at your prompting. The unit also displays wind chill and dew point temperatures for folks looking for very exact weather information.

    Other features of this station include a weather tendency indicator, which predicts weather for the next 12- to 20-hour time period based on air pressure changes in easy-to-understand grapichal icons. Air pressure, either absolute or relative, is shown just below the weather forecast icon in inHg or hPa. A remote wind transmitter provides detailed information on wind speed and the weather station reports measurements in mph, km/h, m/s, knots, or Beaufort. The base unit also shows wind direction via an easy-to-read compass display. This kit also includes a remote rain transmitter, which measures and displays data on rainfall for 1-hour and 24-hour periods and also provides a total rainfall amount in either millimeters or inches. The wireless station even has a storm warning alarm to give you ample time to prepare for foul weather.

    For added convenience, the wireless weather station has a clock that reports time in hours, minutes, and seconds in either a 12- or 24-hour time mode and the accurate date and day of the week. For precise time- and date-keeping, the gadget has a built-in antenna system that receives signals from the WWVB radio transmitter in Fort Collins, Colorado, which is in turn is regulated by the atomic clock.

    This weather station comes with its own software on CD-ROM that allows users to upload up to 175 full sets of weather reports to a PC. Other accessories include a thermo-hygro transmitter, a rain transmitter, a wind transmitter, and a serial port cable. The wireless weather station requires three AA batteries for the receiver and another two for the thermo-hygro sensor and is covered by a one-year warranty. --Cristina Vaamonde

    Spotlight Customer Reviews:
    Customer Rating:
      
    Summary:
       I have to fix mine every few months.
    Comment:
       I've never left a review for anything yet, but I'm making an exception for this one. I've had two of these over the last 3 years. I'm just getting frustrated with having to fix it so often. First, mine have been back to the manufacturer 2 or 3 times for warranty work. Some may have been lightning damage from strikes only as close as one-fourth mile. They just don't have good surge suppression on the interconnection cables. I've put torriod suppressors on all cables now and it seems like that helped some.

    Speaking of the cables, they are indoor modular telephone cables that aren't really suited for outdoor use. I'm always having to clean the contacts or replace them.

    The software they provide is really an old Beta version which is very limited. There is much better third party software available, some free and some for a fee.

    I run mine hard wired because it gives better information, more often, than when running as wireless.

    Over all, I don't consider this anything near a professional product, just an inexpensive hobby type unit. Maybe you get what you pay for in this item, but there are better (and more expensive) weather station units on the market. If you don't get frustated with working on it all the time and want a cheap unit, this one might fill the bill.
    Customer Rating:
      
    Summary:
       Great Station
    Comment:
       I just bought one of these stations after careful research and waiting for a good price. I set up all the components on a 2-4 with a little platform on top for the rain gauge. I put it in the backyard and am using the wireless feature to get all my data. What a great gadget! You don't need to run any wires! Needless to say, I'm very satisfied and everything is working properly. I don't understand any of the negative reviews for this product. It's easy to set up, all you need is a few batteries and it sets everything up for you. The atomic clock is very neat, in 15 minutes it had the right time and date. Wow! If you're looking for a bargain...look no further. Great Product!
    Customer Rating:
      
    Summary:
       Decent Product
    Comment:
       Software a little confusing, but that is typical. Overall, for the money. good product. The only thing I have a progblem with Amazon not sending me an order confirmation, which caused me to have to cancel a credit card after I saw they had billed my account. I don't go for that!!!
    Customer Rating:
      
    Summary:
       Not Something I'd Recommend
    Comment:
       I have a slightly different model, the LaCrosse Technology Weather Pro 2317, but it looks exactly the same, with all the same sensors and display.

    Although the "list" price for this thing was over $200 from several places, I picked it up at a local store for $65. That probably should have been my first hint.

    I mounted the outdoor sensor and wind sensor on a 10-foot pole away from the house. There was a direct line of sight of about 60 feet between the outdoor sensor and the inside display, with only a window separating the two. Despite this, getting the wireless signal became intermittent.

    After about 6 weeks of operation, I began getting no signal at all and the outdoor sensor appeared to no longer work. I contacted LaCrosse support via email describing in detail the problem. Several days later I received a form email pretty much asking me to repeat everything I'd said in the first email. Clearly nobody had read the first one.

    Nonetheless, I answered all their questions in detail....it ended up being a 3-page response. After all that, I still received another form email with some instructions to reset everything, which of course did nothing.

    LaCrosse finally instructed me to pack up the entire set (not just the faulty sensors), including all the cables, etc. and send it back for "testing". Luckily I still had the original box and was able to ship it in that.

    About two weeks later I received everything back. The paperwork indicated they had tested and verified the outdoor sensor did not work, and blamed it on leaking batteries (it wasn't), and had replaced the unit on a one-time basis despite their policy of no warranty due to leaking batteries.

    I also discovered that the inside display had been disassembled, presumably for testing. One of the buttons had been pushed so hard it was jammed into the housing. I had to take apart the case to correct it. Nor did the internal pressure sensor work anymore....something that had been functioning fine prior to sending the unit off. This prevents me from using several of the other functions of the system.

    But at least the outdoor sensor and wind sensor seem to be working much better now.

    Overall, I'm pretty unhappy with the whole thing. I have two other outdoor weather thermometers and a wireless rain gauge from Oregon Scientific. I've had those for years with no issues. I'll avoid LaCrosse Tecnology products in the future.
    Customer Rating:
      
    Summary:
       ok
    Comment:
       unit arrived inoperable. sent it back to manufacture. just returned today. haven't had achance to try it.

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