Customer Reviews

Bushnell 7-Day Weather FX Alarm (Silver)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This review is not for the -c unit. The merchant I purchased it from shipped me the older (950017) version, which does not have the room temperature display. As I find this to be of limited use anyway, it didn't really matter. Just be aware, if you order anything from the marketplace, you need to be sure you are getting the version you want. The room temperature display is the only difference between the C and non-C units.

These are marketed under several names - Ambient, Bushnell, Brookstone - they are all the same engine with a different face.

This is a simple, dedicated device that received a weather forecast broadcast from Ambient Devices, as provided by Accuweather. It's as accurate as any forecast you get on the web is going to be, so this is more of a luxury or gee-whiz type item more than anything else. I find it useful more just because I don't have to turn a computer on to get a current forecast. It provides 7 days (6 future + Today) worth of information, a current high/low temp, UV, Air quality, windspeed and time. The main display changes color depending on the temperature reported. As stated earlier, it's right from one of the major (private) forecast agencies, so the information is about as accurate as you can get, meaning, it's nothing more that a possible forecast...

You have to set the city beforehand and wait until it receives data, which may take some time. It gets portions of the forecast at a time, so you'll see the temperature, then parts of the forecast, and finally all information. It only took about 30-45 minutes to fill out completely.

The unit does have some flaws. The main flaw, and this could be a killer for some, is that the viewing angle of the display is terrible. Looking dead on the display, it's weak. Get off center about 15 degrees, and you can't see it. It appears designed to sit on a table (using the built in stand) so a 6' person can view it while standing up. Yes, it's that limited. Hang it on the wall at adult eye level, and a child won't be able to read the display. Use the stand, put it on a 3' table and sit in a chair beside it - you can't see it. There isn't any contrast or other adjustments, so you're stuck.

A minor flaw is that the information update is slow. For the forecast, it's fine, but wind speed and current temps are informative at best. That is, they change so slowly that the windspeed is never going to be current. It's good for letting you know that there are high winds, but as for getting an actual number, never mind. It would have been better to have some sort of high/percentage display instead of MPH number.

You can't shut off the temperature light when it's plugged in, as far as I can tell. This is really the only major con to the unit, as it's overly bright to be placed in an area where you're going to be sleeping.

To wrap it up, this is a neat gadget, but that's what it is. A gadget. If you're a weather buff, like goofy electronic whatsits, or don't have access to online stuff, this is for you (although a bit pricey.) Otherwise, move along...

Edit: From what I can tell, these devices operate on a very slow data stream broadcast over the Motorola FLEX 900MHz pager network, which is still in use in a lot of professional fields - you shouldn't have to worry about the radio service going down any time soon. These do not use the Microsoft SPOT service, as suggested by some. BEFORE PURCHASING one of these, I highly suggest that you check Ambient's website for their coverage maps.

Edit June 4th, 2011: I've noticed my unit has another issue. The display contrast has shifted on a portion of the display. The upper left corner of the display now has a different viewing angle than the other 3/4 of the display. It's not a killer, but you kind of have to weave around to see the display fully.

I've owned one of these for over a year now. It works perfectly, doing everything it's supposed to. Set-up takes about five minutes: put in a battery or plug it in the wall, use the buttons to select the closest US city to where you live, and then either mount it on the wall or place it on a tabletop. Wait a few minutes while the unit "listens" for the weather forecast which is transmitted on a special radio frequency, and that's it. No Internet connection is used, making it good for households (including those of many older folks) who aren't computer users.

We count upon it as a guide to the expected weather over the next week. We started by using it in battery mode, but once we changed to using wall plug-in mode, the unit came alive with different colors for each temperature range. The unit is also quite attractive, and fits into most decors. I like it well enough that I'm giving them as presents this year. I just put in the battery, set it for the city where my friend lives, box it back up and mail it off. When it arrives, the unit is already working for them for their city.

One "secret" mode is to use it keep track of weather in other cities. Just use the buttons to flip through the cities you are interested in, and you'll see the actual weather and the weather forecast. True, you can do the same on the Internet, but this is a neat way to do it without a computer.

After comparing many models, I bought this weather station(this model is not only a 7 day model,but has special features such as wind speed,uv index,and air quality alerts in addition to the current time,indoor and outdoor temperatures).I have it on my kitchen table and love glancing at the frequent updates,comments,pictoral displays,and color changes.It is quite accurate almost all the time.I have given these as gifts,and always get feedback that the recipient not only loved it,but couldn't imagine how they did without it before.It makes boring weather information great fun.The only negative would be reception if you live too far from a fairly major city.

This is really a rebranded Ambient Devices weather forecaster so you can easily check those reviews. The only really good thing about it is that it looks beautiful. Functionally, it performs poorly.

First, it only gives weather reports for major cities. I live about 20 miles from a major city and I can still receive forecasts, but it's often inaccurate because of the local terrain. There needs more localized coverage small cities and large towns.

Second, the current temperature forecast feels like it's delayed for a couple of hours. In the mornings, the outside temperature is always 5 - 10 degrees warmer than what it says. I get at least 2 bars on the signal strength meter so reception is not a problem.

The changing colors on the display is a nice idea, but it only changes color every 10 degrees. Therefore, you can't really tell the temperature by just looking at the color. For example, if I see green on the display, it could be anywhere from 50-59 degrees. It would have been more useful if the colors changed more continuously.

The weather icons are too simplistic. There is only one icon for "clouds and sun", which is 50% of the time in my area. There should be different icons for partly cloudy and mostly cloudy. There is also one icon for "showers" (the other 50% of the time in my area), with no indication of whether it's 10% chance or 90% chance.

Finally, the viewing angle is very limited. It is only clear if you look at it slightly from above. If you look at it straight on or especially from below (like if you want to mount it on a wall), then the display is completely washed out and barely readable.

Overall, very disappointed at a very expensive gadget.

We've never gotten a signal with this machine even though according to bushnell's website we are in a signal recieving area. The unit won't even give us room temperature without being connected to the weather network. We've owned this unit for a year and finally unplugged it so we don't use any more electricity. It's basically a paperweight in our house now.

This thing for me lasted one year before it started not receiving any updates. Before then the updates were very slow and you could not count on the information to be reliable. I finally sent it in to Bushnell for repair and they fixed it BUT it came back to me all scratched up! It looked like a 6 year old kid worked on it. Unbelievable! I sent them an e-mail asking why they scratched it so badly and they told me either it was that way when I shipped it or it occured in shipping. I had the unit totally wrapped in bubble wrap with packing beads in the box so there is no way it was scratched in shipping! They lied to me. I have never dealt with such a second-class company in my life! I will never buy another Bushnell product as long as I live!

Bought for husband. He likes it, but does think the back light and tilt stand makes display hard to read. He leaves display backlight off and doesn't use tilt stand. Seems fairly accurate and nice to have up to date weather info.

Buyer beware. Check the Ambient website ([...]) before you purchase this item. Coverage is not ubiquitous. I purchased this as a Christmas gift for my father who lives in the Philadelphia suburbs (Lower Bucks County). Ambient did not have coverage for this unit in his zip code even though his Ambient Baseball Score unit worked and the replacement gift, a Brookstone Ambient Wx Station, both work fine. I brought the unit back to San Diego with me but it did not receive a signal even though my area was in purple. I also took it to my office and no joy. I think this unit is a great idea but would not recommend it. Get the Brookstone unit instead. When my dad took it out of the box it was receiving a signal in under 30 seconds. Not as many features but it works!

I ordered this as a Christmas gift and it was to be shipped directly to the recipient. I received an email from Amazon stating that it was ready to ship and approximate date of arrival. After a week from the stated arrival date and the item had not been received, I tried (tirelessly) to find a contact phone number for Amazon to inquire about the order -- since I never received a response to an email I sent them. After finally locating a number, I spoke with someone with an accent who -- after putting me on hold for awhile --- was able to determine that my item was actually out of stock and never left the "fulfillment center." I was never notified of this and had I not followed up myself, would not have known that my gift would never be shipped! I was given a credit (which has shown up on my card statement). I am just very disappointed that I was never contacted about the "correct" status of my order. My advice to consumers is to always follow-up for yourself and never assume anything.

Bought it as a gift. It was well received, and works great! It shipped quickly and arrived in great shape.