Customer Reviews

Oregon Scientific BAR388HGA Wireless Weather Station with Atomic Clock, Black

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(37)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

This unit is easy to read and works great--compared to what, I dunno. We've never owned anything like this. But it's fun to have, much more so than a simple thermometer.

Two caveats however. You need a very small flat-head screwdriver in order to put the AAA batteries into the sensor. Not so small as the one in an eyeglass repair kit though. I had a small screwdriver with a shirt-pocket clip, that small, and still had to file the sides down in order to reach the deeply recessed screws. I'll have to do this anytime the batteries need changing. Not the best design perhaps.

Second, the instructions tell you to put the (outdoor) sensor (1) in a sight line with the (indoor) monitor-- (2) open to the sky-- (3) out of the sun-- (4) out of the rain-- (5) away from metal-- It's not easy to do all of this! Ours is nestled in a plastic container cut up into the shape of a bus kiosk and tied to a post. I'm not sure if it's all 100% necessary.

The atomic clock took about a day to find its signal. The instructions warn about this odd (to me) likelihood.

It's a little discouraging to have to deal with all of this out of the box but as I say the device is great.

The weather station operates flawlessly and is very clear. I chose it because unlike some other models, this one shows both the indoor and outdoor conditions at once for both temp and humidity.
One caution: Although the description does not say so, this is a desk unit only not a wall mount unit--there's an immovable rest sticking out the back (most of the other models are not like this)

After comparing this weather station to the more expensive ones, I gave in on the nice looks of this one and can't say that I'm disappointed. We really love this unit. We check the temperature and the humidity outside every day and not once was it inaccurate. The rain predictor is a bit fishy to me, it thinks it's going to rain 60% of the time when it never does. But it beats listening to the weather people on the news who can't even tell if it really is going to snow tomorrow.

The only 3 issues that we found with this are 1) it doesn't have a backlight so you can't see anything in the dark; 2) the time doesn't seem to adjust automatically to our zone and 3) the battery on the remote sensor died in like 2 months.

Despite these 3 issues, I would buy this unit again over all the others currently on the market.

This wireless weather station has everything that I was looking for, and has been extremely accurate! I like the fact that it displays ALL of the information that I need "at a glance" - indoor and outdoor temperature and humidity, date and time, weather forecast illustrations (sunny, rainy, cloudy, etc.), barometric pressure, wet or dry conditions, and arrows which indicate that the indoor and outdoor temperature and humidity are either rising, steady, or falling. It also has an alarm function to warn you if the temperature falls below or rises above a specific temperature setting.

Setup took some time (but isn't that part of the fun with a new gadget?!). It took two days for the atomic clock to set automatically. Inputting your location's elevation is suggested in order for the barometer indicator to work accurately. It was somewhat of a challenge to find the ideal location for the outdoor remote sensor - there are a number of requirements/recommendations - such as away from direct sun and moisture, and in a direct line and within range of the base unit.

Also, the unit is not wall mount. It is tabletop display only. The Fahrenheit/Celsius switch is located in the battery compartment. The black "frame" has a shiny finish, and there are several function buttons located on the side and back. Also, you can press the front (top and bottom) of the frame for additional functions (alarm on/off).

I am very happy with this weather station and hope that this review is helpful!!

Bought this for my apartment. Have two remote sensors: one in the bedroom and one between a window and the outside screen for outside temps. Works flawless and gives the same temp outside as it shows up on the weather channel! Humidity reading is great too as its led me to buy a humidifier for the dry months. All in all a good product.

We bought two of these. We were very impressed how easy the set up was.

Since installing the weather station - we have enjoyed the accuracy of the weather station both inside and outside temperatures.

One feature of this weather station is a ice alert. Up here in north we do get freezing rain ice, and snow. This station has been right on the

button with those predictions.

I would highly recommend the purchase.

I follow another reader's comment and use Lithium battery for the outdoor unit, it has been working fine for nearly half a year (the past few months approx. 14F(-10C) outdoor). For most residential homes (wooden construction), the radio frequency can pass through nearly all walls without degradation (if you are in an apartment with reinforced concrete floor, the steel bar will reduce the coverage quite significantly). I put it under the awning on the side of the house that is not facing the sun. The reading is consistent with my other weather stations. (due to difference in wind speed, approx. 2F difference in reading between ground and 2nd floor under winter high wind is expected).

Always put both indoor and outdoor units at the same location for the first day or two to ensure the product is working (readings are in sync.), on your first use, or battery reset.

I have had this weather station for three months, and so far it has worked very well. Even the forecasting has been correct most of the time, which is fantastic for a barometer based system. Where else can you get all of these features, including the radio-controlled clock, for such a reasonable price. And the things looks good too.

Update - I decided I wanted a second remote so I purchased the BAR688HGA (white) so I could get both an additional weather station and remote for less than the cost of the remote itself. Both remotes and weather stations are within one tenth of a degree of each other, and the humidity readings are within 5 percentage points, well within specifications. I keep one station in the living room and the other in the bedroom, with one remote on the north side of the house and one on the south to measure the warmer side.

Both units work wonderfully. I think people have trouble with the forecasting part because they don't set the elevation properly. Once I had the elevation set in the new unit, they both predicted exactly the same weather and continued to be correct about 80-90% of the time, as good as AccuWeather, which has its home offices is just a block down the street.

Followup two years later: I still love this weather station and would buy it again and again and again. If the temperature outside is going below 0 F, however, put lithium batteries in the remotes.

This is a great product to own. We really enjoy being able to know the current outisde temp anytime we would like, especially here in Nebraska where we have so many extremes, summer and winter. The inside thermometer is perfectly accurate (compared to our themostat), the outside temperature is accurate within a couple of degrees (compared to internet weather sites), although I think the variances have to do with sun changes, etc. not necessarily a defect in the product. The trickiest thing about owning this weather station is figuring out where to locate the outside sensor, it has to be out of direct sunlight and moisture, but still within range of the internal display. It is a great gift and we have really enjoyed owning it.

Been using the BAR388HGA-BK for about a month, now. Appears to be very accurate for both temp and humidity. Really helps in calibrating our whole house humidifier (who's hygrometer is way off). Automatic atomic clock is cool, too. Highly recommend.