Customer Reviews

La Crosse WS-8035U-IT Wireless 915mhz Forecast Station with Pressure Graph & In/Out Temps!

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I'm a meteorologist. If I had it in my budget to get a professional weather station (like from Davis) for my home I would but until I do this station will serve nicely.

The display unit is nice and large, very easy to read. The base is narrow enough that I can set it on the kitchen window sill without worrying it will fall into the sink. The remote sensor is about 30-40 feet away, around the corner of the house. Our home has metal siding and the signal from the remote has to travel through two exterior walls and a window; we've had no reception problems.

The sensors are accurate. When I first put in the batteries (follow the instructions as another reviewer said) I let the outdoor sensor sit next to the indoor sensor for quite a while. The readings from the base unit and remote matched within 0.7 of a degree and 2% humidity.

The clock set itself within about an hour of putting in the batteries.

The base unit is easy to read and full of information. The unit records not only high and low temperature and humidity for both the indoor and outdoor sensors but also the date and time the reading was taken. If you were so inclined you could reset the measurements on 1 January, then on 31 December see when you had your highs and lows for the year.

I want to address a couple of comments by other reviewers. First, the specifications of the unit (found on page 23 of the manual downloadable from Amazon) clearly state the unit will only report outside temperatures to about -22F. Expecting La Crosse to do something about this is like buying a Geo Metro and complaining that you can't compete in NASCAR. The unit is not built for those extreme low temperatures. Don't buy it if it doesn't meet your needs.

Second, the Weather Channel reports measurements taken by a weather station (often at an airport or NWS office) that is in your cable viewing area. The Weather Channel is not reporting conditions in your backyard. Official measurments are taken using instruments housed in a shelter built to certain specifications, usually 4-6 feet off the ground. I've got my outdoor sensor stuck to the side of the house about 8-9 feet up. It's good enough for backyard meteorology but it's definitely doesn't meet requirements for official measurements.

Third, the reason the pressure tendency chart blinks (actually it's displayed in a scrolling fashion) is "to avoid burnout of the LCD". Manual, page 18, section I9.

Remember, the pressure displayed is station pressure. The values reported by the Weather Channel are converted to sea level pressure. Station pressure is affected by the height of the weather station; the higher you're located above sea level the lower the pressure displayed, compared to sea level pressure. Fortunately it's not the number that matters. What you're interested in as a weather watcher is the pressure tendency. If the pressure is dropping then look for worsening weather; likewise with increasing pressure you can expect conditions to improve.

All in all this is a nice package with many features found only on more expensive units.

------------------
Update 25 Aug 2007
------------------

The unit is still going strong after a year, though the outside sensor died. It fell off the side of the house a couple of times - it's possible that had something to do with it. Fortunately the replacement sensor is only $15 here on Amazon, though it doesn't come with a weather shield. I have it under an eave, but I still may seal the new sensor (La Crosse Technology TX6U Wireless Temperature Sensor) with silicon as a precaution.

I didn't realize how much I looked at the thing until the sensor died...I'm going through data withdrawal now.

Interestingly, the unit is now branded as "The Weather Channel" wireless weather station. When I bought this it was just a regular old wireless weather station. Perhaps TWC branding is the reason the price has gone up since last year.

I have given a LaCrosse weather station as a gift in the past, and finally wanted to get one of my own based on the positive comments I got back. The WS-8035U has a much larger display than I had seen before, and is very easy to read and use. It also has a sleek, high tech look to it. It's great having all that weather and temperature and time information available all in one place. I'm not surprised anymore as to how hot and humid it will be outside or if it's going to rain, which makes life a lot more predictable. Because the clock adjusts its time to the atomic clock, I can be sure that I have exactly the right time, which I use to set my other clocks and watches. For the price, this is a great buy.

This is a great item and works well if you read the instructions carefully!

Place the remote sensor in a logical spot with the understanding that any "micro climate" conditions of that location will be reflected in the readings you get. Read the entire manual to understand the displayed readings. The symbol of clouds with rain doesn't necessarily mean it's going to rain that day, only that conditions are likely to worsen!

Setting up multiple remote sensors, or setting up multiple stations that will get a signal from a single sensor, requires that you follow the instructions carefully or things won't work right! Don't freak out, just start again and follow the directions. Isn't it interesting that things work when you do what the instructions tell you to?

I write from experience here, this isn't a device that you can just slam batteries into and walk away expecting it to work. Yes guys, READ THE ENTIRE MANUAL FIRST! I can't say this too many times... read the instructions.

Highly accurate and very reliable. I received a similar unit as a gift a couple of years ago. It has remained very accurate and reliable; the remote sensor REALLY WORKS! I purchased this one to give as a gift to a friend who was impressed by my own. A great conversation piece as well as the perfect gift for any "weather enthusiast".

I recently purchased my weather station and found that it was:

1. Easy to install - comes with 3M tape but I used screws to mount it underneath my upstairs porch. Took about 3 minutes.

2. Easy to set up - The set-up took me about 10 minutes, and was clearly explained in the manual. My unit did not acquire a signal on the first try, but the manual said that it was likely it wouldn't. Instead, it took about 3 hours until mine grabbed the feed from Colorado and began posting the time. I watched at the outdoor temperature gradually descended from about 65 degrees all the way down to 27 after I had installed the outdoor sensor. Again, this was very gradual and took about 2 or three hours. The screen did not just show 27 all of the sudden. Patience is a virtue! I have observed that the forcast has been right every day even though the manual states it is about 75% accurate. Smooth sailing so far, I love it!

Highly recommended.

I bought this for my father, who is an electrical engineer, and he was really pleased. He's always had a rain gauge and a barometer, so I felt this would be a winner. He spent part of a day figuring out the best location for the outdoor monitor. He especially likes the barometer history graph! My husband, who is an aerospace engineer, is mildly jealous that we don't have one of our own.

The weather station is attractively packaged with large, easy to read display. Setup was simple following the instructions in the user's manual. The clock synchronized quickly with the transmissions from the WWV radio station and reception has been good in the Chicago area. Temperature, humidity and barometric pressure track well with measurements from other calibrated sources. The unit is well worth the price.

Can't imagine that there could be any thing better. Shows everything but wind, and is large enough to see easily, even in dim light.

After looking at dozens of options, I bought this weather station and am very pleased with it. Set-up was quick and simple. The station gives me the essential info I want before heading outside--day, date, indoor/outdoor temp and humidity. The moon phase is a nice bonus--something you often don't think about. Data is presented on a screen large enough to be easy to read. The "forecast" is a little simplistic-either a sunny icon or clouds and rain--but it almost never rains here. Also there's an icon for indoor comfort (smiley face or sad face) that's a function of temp and humidity. We're usually dry in Denver so we get a sad face most of the time--but who's sad about not being clammy? I've had the unit for about a month and would highly recommend it!

This weather station gives very accurate readings for temperature and humidity both inside and outside the house. There is a separate bar graph the shows the air pressure over the last 24 hours. The inside display station makes a very attractive and informative picture on our wall. The company was very responsive to a couple of questions we had about the degree of variation on temperature and humidity readings.