Customer Reviews

Oregon Scientific BAR623PA Atomic Projection Clock and Weather Station

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

 

 

If you bought this and cannot get the correct time to display even though you are able to get a signal READ THIS:

The directions say put the batteries in and let it receive the signal from Colorado, and it will display the correct time. That is true if you live in the Pacific Time Zone. For the rest of us, you have to first set the timezone that you live in.

There is no switch on the unit to turn on/off Daylight savings time. So if you live in an area that doesn't have DST, you may have to adjust the time zone 2X a year to get the correct time. This is not a problem for 99% of us.

Some have mentioned in reviews of similar products that if the temperature remote and base are in the same room, they don't display the same temperature. In my opinion, this is only true because the light that displays the time on the wall/ceiling generates enough heat to cause the base unit to show indoor temps to be 2 or 3 degrees higher than actual. Shut the display off, and the temps will be closer if not the same.

I live in NJ and I cannot get a signal in some parts of my house. Luckily this unit is in the bedroom upstairs where the signal is strong.

I have purchased 2 other similar products and with all the above said, I prefer this unit to the other 2.

The outdoor temperature and time are displayed on my ceiling right above my bed. If you want the display bigger, put the base on a lower table, it will display smaller if you put the base on a higher table. The brightness is perfect for me. You don't need the room to be completely dark to see the display. A nightlight won't interfere. I am able to see the display even on a dark cloudy day, or with the shades down. If the room is any brighter, you'll be able to see the numbers on the base. The base can be backlit at the touch of a button (it stays backlit for a few seconds)

The weather forcasting icons have always been correct in the 3 weeks that I've owned it, which is more than I can say about one of the competing products that I own.

I have not used the alarm clock, as I don't need this feature.

These products continue to improve all the time. Even with the minor issues that I've outlined above, I still feel that this product is worth every penny that I paid.

A nifty widget of the highest order. It projects on the ceiling automatically corrected time and outdoor temperature. In addition it tells indoor temperature and weather predictions at least as good as the local weatherman. Most alarms enrage when awakening, this one is very pleasant but persistent if necessary. The instruction manual seems like it was written by someone that had a taxi waiting but you can stumble through to the correct setting in time. I am very happy with this item.

I have had this product for a year now. When I first purchased it, my wife thought it was another of my goofy gadget ideas, but after a few nights with it projecting on the ceiling, she grew to love it. The projected image can be rotated and focused, and even without my glasses, I can read it in the dark (and my eyes aren't that good). It will *not* be visible when the room is lit. It is great to be able to read the current time and remote temperature in the middle of the night when you wake up.

Out of the box, the radio-sync'd clock easily picked up the remote sensor (for another Oregon Scientific clock we have) on the back porch, and synched to WWV in Colorado within a few minutes. Over the last year, it has performed flawlessly, except for the time when we had to change the batteries on the remote, which required a reset of the "mother ship."

A tip: when you change the batteries on either the remote or the base clock, change both sets. If the unit does not show the temperature after changing the battery, reset it using a paper clip in the reset hole. I also have the LaCrosse projection clock in our other house, and this Oregon Scientific model is a superior product, I believe, to the LaCrosse equivalent.

The following quote direct from Oregon Scientific is WRONG:
"And the illuminated blue back-light means you never have to fumble around in the dark, the LCD automatically adjust to the light in the room, so you can read it when you need to."
We keep our clock accross from our bed, and the LED was not readable. Pressing the Light button keeps the light on for only 8 seconds. I took it into a completely dark closet and the LED did not light up at all; the clock could not be read without pushing the Light button. Apparently there is no way to keep the backlight on. Unless you intend to keep this clock within reach so you can press the button to turn on the light (which only lasts 8 seconds), and you don't mind not being able to see the LED from across a room, this might be a good choice. I returned mine due to the above deceptive product description. Regarding the projection: the Temp reading is larger than the Time (which doesn't make sense), and the image is only a few inches tall within readable focus; also, it doesn't show up clearly on textured walls.

I always have to chuckle when I see the phrase "atomic clock". I am sad to report that there is nothing about this clock that is "atomic" except the name (well, it's made up of atoms, so I suppose that is worth something). However, it does receive the WWVB radio signals from the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Boulder, CO.

On the bright side, if this clock is typical, WWVB receivers have improved over the years. The last "atomic clock" I bought before this had some difficulty with reception. This clock does very well. I've owned it about 3 months, and I have placed it in several bedroom locations and gotten the "strong signal" indicator in all of them.

The external temperature feature also works well. Some external sensors and receivers I have owned have had difficulty connecting. This one has done perfectly at all locations where I have tried it (my sensor is located in the frame of a bedroom window, and is currently about 15' from the clock).

The clock is, to my mind, easy to use and set. I like that it has battery backup, and I like the ceiling projection (my wife loves that feature, BTW). The projection is bright enough and large enough that even a nearsighted geek (20-200) like me can see it without glasses when I squint. I also like the tasteful level of the alarm. The clock we threw away when this one arrived had all the subtlety of a nuclear power emergency alarm annunciator.

Overall, I like the clock and gave it to my wife after much hinting. It now sits on her side of the bed. She got it last week after saying "I thought for sure I'd get one of those for Christmas after all the hints I dropped."

I'd buy it again. In fact, I may end up buying another one.

I like Oregon Scientific products, but their previous Atomic Alarms had quirky controls -- often leading to changing the time zone in the middle of the night rather than turning off the alarm. This one's lots better!

The projection feature works OK, though doesn't really focus sharply at the close distances I'd prefer to use. The eight minute snooze alarm is great -- just the right interval!

Overall, a nice, useful, moderately expensive alarm clock.

This was the ideal instrument for us. We like to walk in the early morning - when the temperature outside is above 40 degrees! The projected time and temperature tell us whether we need to get out of bed - or can sleep in a little longer. The weather forecasting feature is also useful - and at least as accurate as the TV forecasts!

We love this product. It was easy to set up and it's great knowing what time it is without having to turn a light on. The only thing I don't like is the alarm, it's very annoying.

This was a present for my wife. I thought it was pretty cool for her to have the outside temperature and the time projected on the ceiling next to her bed, and for me to never have to reset the clock with daylight saving time.

I received the typical luke warm response when I buy her anything that has the appearance of a gadget. (Men know what I mean; "You really bought this for yourself didn't you" type response)

Well, my wife has even admitted her initial impression was wrong! I was right! (drumroll, fireworks, 21 gun salute, jet fighter overflight)

She loves it. This thing is more useful than a cell phone, fax machine, and a swiss army knife combined.

It works great, does all kinds of things that you would like to know about in the middle of the night and early in the morning (It even provides a halfway decent weather forecast)has a really nice understated look that says what it does without being in your face about it and is in the perfect price range.

If you want to give somebody a nice little gift that will be appreciated every day, this might just be it.

Love the large illuminated time/temp on the ceiling. Setting up the external temperature sensor was a bit tricky, you'll need to make sure you have a glasses size screwdriver, which I didn't have readily available. Otherwise everything worked as promised. I am still not positive if the "atomic" sensor is working. The instructions said you have to be something like 750 miles (or was it 1000) away from the location in Denver etc. I am in Detroit so the signal never seemed to sync up, but it may have I am not sure. All in all a great purchase.