December Newsletter - All I want for Christmas is a weather station; but which one should I choose?

Well it is that time of year again; the tree is trimmed and Father Christmas’ chubby face is looking at you intensely from every shopping centre across the country. It’s Christmas time!

Once again our  weather stations are proving to be a popular option for gifts again this year, with the  IC0348 and the  WS1150 the most popular option for use around the home. If your budget allows then the  IC6250AU Vantage Vue weather station from Davis is a great option as it is known for its reliability and performance, they are also the best option for use on farms as they are better suited to extreme conditions.

This year we have launched our online  Christmas Gift Guide which showcases some of our most popular products for presents, in one easy to navigate space. The guide covers products suitable for Gardening, DIY, Pizza Oven Thermometers, Watersports- Outdoor Activities,  Swimming Pool Meters and Home Weather Stations. Of course if you have any questions about a product or you would like help choosing the best product for your application then don’t hesitate to  call our customer service staff on 1300 737 871; they are always happy to advise on lead times and options for delivery before Christmas.

We wish you and your families a Safe and Happy Christmas and New Year.

Until next year...
Tyson Grubb

	Weather Stations for the Home
	To make choosing the right weather station for your application easier, below are our most popular options. The main differences between each of the units are highlighted along with their individual features and benefits.

The  WS1150WS1150 is a basic but reliable weather station, the unit doesn’t have many of the features the more advanced weather stations but what it does measure it measures well. The unit has an outdoor sensor which can be up to 30m from the indoor display, the unit measures both indoor and outdoor temperature and humidity along with barometric pressure. The unit has the capability of forecasting changes in weather based on the barometric pressure; the weather forecast is displayed as easy to view images. This is a great little unit for measuring the basic weather parameters of temperature, humidity and pressure.

WS1516ITWS1516IT is a good quality middle of the range home weather station. The unit is able to measure Temperature, Humidity, Wind Speed/Direction, Rain Fall, Dew Point and Barometric Pressure. The unit and display are visually pleasing and easy to set up making it perfect for the home use. The outdoor sensor is able to transmit 100m line of sight to the indoor display, the optimal distance however is about 50m as you need to account for obstructions such as walls interfering with the signal.

IC0348IC0348 can also measure Temperature, Humidity, Wind Speed/Direction, Rain Fall, Dew Point and Barometric Pressure. In addition, you can connect it to the computer by USB so you can download data and look at historical trends on your PC, a great feature if you want to delve deeper into the weather. The IC0348 weather station is one of our most popular models.

The  ICXC0357ICXC0357 LCD Wireless Weather Station and Digital Photo Frame (pictured above) is designed to be practical but to also look great in the home. The large 7” LCD display shows all of the parameters in full colour and doubles as a digital photo frame along with a calendar and alarm function. The unit measures Temperature, Humidity, Rainfall, Wind Speed and Direction along with barometric pressure weather forecasting. The outside sensors can be positioned 30m (line of sight) from the LCD display which is something to be considered as although the unit has the advantage of the good quality and attractive display the range on the sensors is quite low.

The  IC6250AU Vantage Vue Wireless Weather Station is the most economic option in the Davis Weather Station range. Davis Weather stations have a reputation for quality and reliability; they are manufactured in the USA and have proven to be a trusted brand with a loyal following. The Vantage Vue weather station is the lower end of their professional range making it suitable for use around the home but also on the farm. The unit can measure all of the standard weather parameters; Temperature, Humidity, Wind speed and direction, Rain Fall, Due Point and Barometric Pressure with the added features of time and date, moon phases, Weather forecasting, daily min/max value for all parameters and alarm functions. The wireless outside sensor has a line of sight range of 300m and which allows for easy positioning and reduced interference. This is a high quality and reliable weather station, which would be recommended above all the other options mentioned above.

	Professional Weather Stations
	Accurately knowing your local weather conditions may be interesting to most people but when you are running a farm, vineyard, mine or relying on specific conditions to operate your business it also makes business sense.

The Davis brand of weather stations are renowned for their high quality in both design and manufacturing and also for their long life. The Davis range can also prove to be a cost effective option when used over a long period of time as all of their parts can be replaced separately saving you from having to replace the entire unit further down the line.

The base model in the Davis range is the  IC6250AU – Vantage Vue Wireless Weather Station. The Vantage Vue Wireless Weather Station combines Davis' legendary accuracy and rugged durability into a compact station that's easy to set up and use. This is a high quality scientific piece of equipment which will allow you to monitor, temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, dew point, weather forecasting, heat index, rain fall, rain rate along with wind chill/ speed and direction.

The  IC6152AU – Wireless Vantage Pro2 with Standard Radiation Shield is the next model up in the range and is one of the most advanced commercial weather stations on the market. The IC6152AU is made to Davis’ high standard and is known for its ruggedness and durability. In its standard form the unit is able to accurately measure temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, dew point, weather forecasting, heat index, rain fall, rain rate along with wind chill/ speed and direction. This unit has the added advantage of being able to have extra sensors added to it, further increasing its capabilities.

Add on sensors include (sold separately):
-  Solar radiation sensor (solar radiation, temperature humidity sun wind index and Evapotranspiration)
-  UV sensor (UV radiation dose, UV radiation index)
-  Leaf wetness sensor (this requires the IC6345AU)
-  Soil moisture sensor (this requires the IC6345AU)

The  IC6510USB – Weatherlink for Davis Vantage Weather Stations is a data logger that fits neatly into the weather station console, storing weather data even when it’s not connected to your PC or MAC. The system is compatible with computers with Windows and a USB port.

Alternative: The  IC6555 Weatherlink IP option allows you to connect your Davis Weather Station to the internet using your broadband modem. The data will then be available online with access from anywhere in the world.

New in 2012 we will have kits of the Davis stations available with “mobile phone” technology, allowing the solar powered stations to be mounted in remote locations and feed the information back to you via the internet. Please email [email protected] to get more information about these options.