Customer Reviews

Brunton ADC Pro Atmospheric Data Center

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This model was released in 2003 and Amazon started giving it away for under $100 recently. For that price, it does everything you expect it to do. The menu system is simple but takes a bit getting used to. The contours are like a continuous mathematical function without surprises or sharp edges and the extra clip on lanyard is quite good too.

I use a Garmin 60CSx and compared its altimeter to Brunton ADC Pro's. My calibration was at a shipyard: set both devices to measure 1M above sea level, and stayed there to see how they report after some time.

The Garmin altimeter jumped as much at +/- 5 meters within 2 minutes while the ADC continued reporting 1M, and sometimes 2M for few seconds. Then I continued walking to a spot of different elevation, known to be 12M. The Garmin totally flipped out and the error difference increased to +8M, while ADC reported the altitude correctly (12-13M). The first unit I purchased was out of control when altitude was concerned, Amazon shipped a new one that seems very accurate.

(Update June 24, 2009). The second Brunton sent by Amazon was accurate but its Reset button died out when DST change occurred. After returning it again I finally got one that seems to work properly (nice people at Amazon). On the date/time issue there might be another minor bug undiscovered by me: the data logging seems to suggest that ADC is programmed with 2003's DST settings which might not be accurate anymore.

Brunton forgets to mention that its impeller is magnetic and one of its blades is painted red to identify magnetic north (for use as a compass). It seems that ADC measures wind speed by the current generated when the fan blades move i.e. their logic is: measure how fast the magnetic flux is changing and translate that into wind speed. The coil is most likely enclosed in the plastic tube that surrounds the impeller. I'm not sure if they're using rare earth magnets for this purpose, but upon losing their strength, the impeller can start reporting lower wind speeds.

Another gripe. If you happen to change the batteries or reset the ADC, you'll have to leave it in the same place for 12 hours so it can accurately understand our current altitude.

A small button (upper right corner of the controls) turns the backlight on: a timid green that disappears after 3 seconds.

I bought this mainly for the barometer and anemomter features to have along for fishing and hunting trips. Both of these features work very well, as well as the hygrometer. The unit shows these in real time, tracks changes and records minimum and maximum events.

The only feature that doesn't work well is the altimeter. I don't know what theory or system is used but it isn't accurate, at least not on my unit. I can be sitting in the same place and watch the altitude go up and down without moving it. It's very seldom that it remains stable. I can understand some fluctuation +/- a couple of feet but it goes beyond that. Since the altimeter wasn't an important feature for me it's not a bother.

The unit seems to be made well and hopefully proves to be reasonably durable, which I think it will. It's a bit pricey but I got a better deal on Amazon than I found anywhere else. All in all it's not a bad little unit.

It does everything I need it to do.

I use it to collect data during test periods, and while it's not highly accurate (i.e. you can't get it NIST certified), it does what I need it to do. I then use the USB/infrared port data connector to download the data from the device to my laptop.

I also monitor temperature and pressure while on air flights and in conference rooms. It helps when instead of saying "I'm cold" you can say "can we turn down the AC: it's 65F in here!"

It's great on hikes - monitor elevation gain as well as temperature and wind speeds. The built in compass is small, but it works. So should help if you get lost, too.

One downside - the temperature response is slow. You need to leave it in an area for at least 10 minutes to get a real temperature reading. But, you can watch the built in trends to see if you've leveled out yet, too, which is helpful.

The product does mainly what it claims, and it does it well. However, there are a few niggles. Firstly, it emits a beep every time it logs a data point, and there is no way to turn this off. Secondly, it NEEDS a Brunton IR-dongle to download logs - the IrDA standard is not supported. And there are no drivers for the IR-dongle on 64-bit Vista. Thirdly, the log file format isn't documented anywhere, so there is no good way to import the information into your own application for further processing. These nits aside, the product is good. I use mine a lot, and I'm very happy with it.

I am very pleased with my purchase, I would recommend to anyone needing weather information. I use in my volunteer job as a weather spotter.

Vernon Sneed

Like most Brunton products, the quality is really good overall. They make really fine products, and they're known for it. The ADC Pro addresses most of my needs for the outdoors. I can't figure out why the altimeter will give different readings when you're standing in the same spot for the longest time. Such as leaving the unit on my fireplace mantle until the next adventure - it should show the same elevation, but it varies a few feet. I've found the wind speed calculator to be inaccurate as well...sometimes off 10-20% compared to larger professional equipment But, overall it's a good unit and you should be able to find it for a good price on Amazon.

Brunton ADC Pro Atmospheric Data CenterIn the mountains, especially at elevations around 4000 ft, the temperature has very marked effects on the barometric pressure. In the morning, weather stations show clear. By afternoon, every day, with temps in the high 80's, the pressure drops and the weather station says rain, regardless of the weather. Plus, when you move them to a new elevation, most weather stations require a several days to stabilize before they even start to show anything close to a useful forecast. Being able to look at the barometric pressure 24 hours previous (logged by the unit) and compare the reading to the current pressure avoids this. If yesterday morning at 8am it was 47 degrees and today at 8am is 44 degrees, but the pressure dropped from 30.01 to 29.2, forget the computer chip forecast, the weather is going to change. It only requires a few menu clicks to access the information. Once per hour data logging is the key to avoiding an unexpected, nasty, windy, day in camp. It does a lot more but for me, the rest was icing on the cake.

First one arrived with a scrolling snowy screen. Returned.

2nd one arrived. Same but worse: the backlight comes on, but (and this is the ironic part) the information on the screen simultaneously disappears; plus the thing resets every few hours, deleting the weather info and setting the date to sometime in 2003. After one use. Can't return the 2nd now because 30 days have passed.

Additionally, you might need to take the instructions with you when camping. I am a gadget freak and still find it difficult and not-at-all intuitive to change settings.

Wouldn't recommend this to a friend. Am now looking at other brands: Suunto, Kestrel, etc.

This used to be overpriced but a good deal around $100. Seems accurate in all modes. Menus take some practice but the disc and reference sheet help. Backlight goes off very fast. Uses 2032 batteries a little faster than I would like.

Excellent piece of Gear. I would recommend this for anyone interested in Long Range Shooting or if You spend time in remote areas where knowing what weather to expect is critical to your survival.