Customer Reviews

Oregon Scientific WMS801 Weather-Now Radio Weather Forecaster with MSN Direct Service and Atomic Clock

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

This is a great weather station to determine if you will leave the windows open at night or use the AC. I check it before bed and I know what I am going to wear in the morning. I would buy it again.

Things I like:
-Timex indiglo style backlighting. Much easier to read than those without it.
-Nice design. It sits out on my night stand and I didn't want anything too industrial looking.
-Fairly accurate weather predictions in my area.
-No problems receiving the MSN signals.
-LED changes color and blinks when a storm advisory is in effect. This is more handy than I expected it would be.
-Easy to setup.
-Well built.

Things I don't like:
-No way to silence the beeping when pressing buttons.
-Very loud alarm. At the quitest setting, it is much too loud to be used as an alarm clock.
-Has some bells and whistles that are more for show than usefulness.
-Fairly large unit. It's almost as wide as my laptop.
-Have to toggle between indoor and outdoor temp settings. They are not both on the screen at once.
-Too many weather forecast icons.
-User interface could be better, but it is not too bad.
-Weather report scroll bar runs too slow horizontally and is difficult to read.

I also have the weather channel model #WS-9043TWC made by lacrosse. I prefer the Oregon because of the forecasting feature. Of course, you can get the same info from online or tv as well.

I got this as a Christmas gift in 2006. It worked beautifully as soon as I plugged it in, and I really enjoyed using it. The problem came after a year.

One day it had a message that it had lost the signal from MSN. I tried moving the unit closer to the window, I tried bringing up to the highest point in the house, and it still didn't work. I thought maybe my area had been dropped from the MSN service, so I called Oregon Scientific. They assured me that my area was still covered, and recommended unplugging the unit for 24 hours. I tried this and the problem still existed.

So, I brought the unit to my work in New York City where coverage is very strong - and it still didn't work. So I took it apart to see if the antenna was loose - but it wasn't. So basically something is wrong, the unit cannot pick up the signal anymore, but there is no obvious reason why.

Oregon Scientific customer service was not able to help me further as the warrantee is only for one year, and by the time I had gone through all my trouble-shooting steps it was over a year. So, I am left with a $120 paperweight.

My story may be unusual, there may be units that have been operating for years without issue, but I am definitely disappointed and will think very carefully before purchasing another OS product (at least one with the MSN service).

HARDWARE
The WMS801 is a one-piece unit that comes with a FM antenna and AC power supply. There are no sensors to place outside of your home to measure temperature, humidity, rainfall, etc. However, since there are no sensors, the unit downloads all of this information from digital FM broadcasts via the MSN Direct network. These digital broadcasts are hidden among radio channels and provide all the local weather info your WMS801 needs, and it updates several times an hour. The information comes from the same MSN weather service that you can access on the web. But in order to get this FM information, you need to first goto the MSN direct webpage and see if there actually is an FM signal in your neighborhood. Most decent sized cities have it (it works in Chicago and Madison, WI). The service is free with the purchase of this unit, but if you are not within the FM range of MSN Direct, then DO NOT purchase this unit.

The unit also comes with a built-in sensor to measure your indoor temperature and humidity, and comes with a clock that sets itself automatically. All of the buttons on the edges of the device are easy to hit and make sense. You access the different features of the WMS801 much like it was a watch. Hit the "mode" button to access the different categories and then hit the "select" button to cycle through the items within that category. Relatively simple.

SCREEN
The screen is a standard LED type with a nice indigo blue background light you can turn on in the dark. It's highly visible and the font sizes are large enough that you can see it from a reasonable distance (about 0-9 feet). The one downside is that you cannot display both the indoor and outdoor temperatures at the same time. It only takes one button press, but still, it would have been nice to see both temps simultaneously.

WEATHER INFO
The WMS801 has everything you need about the outdoor weather: temperature, barometric pressure, rainfall, UV index, humidity, wind speed and direction, wind chill or heat index and chance of rain. Also, it gives you a three day forecast for the next 3 days with the hi and low temps plus the chance of precipitation. Some MSN Direct locations may not offer all of that info, but I can only say that I receive all those data in Chicago and Madison. Finally, the weather station has a scrolling ticker at the top that tells you the visibility, air quality, and warnings. For example, if there is a tornado warning, the bottom of the unit has a light that flashes red while the ticker at the top will say "Tornado Warning in X,Y, and Z counties until 9:55pm."

PROBLEMS
Hardly any to speak of. I do wish it displayed the indoor and outdoor temps simultaneously, but it changes from inside to outside with one button press, so it's not that big of a deal. The only other downside is that there are 2 blue LED lights on the edges of the screen that are always on. I have the unit in my bedroom, and when I goto sleep, the room is dark and those two lights seem incredibly bright. My solution to this dilemma was to place two thin strips of black electrical tape over the lights to block them out. Problem solved.

Overall, as long as you are within a MSN Direct FM broadcast area you can't beat this unit. It's like having the Weather Channel always on in your room. You can wake up, see the forecast for the day and the next three days and plan accordingly...all without turning on your computer or TV. It's highly convienent and I highly recommend it.

My husband bought this gadget and I thought why in the world do we need it when we can check the weather channel or the interent. Well, I quickly came to know why he got it. It's just a cool thing to have and looks very nice. It tells you the temperature, shows you the little cloud/sun, goes through the entire day easily by just pushing one button. I actually like it and my son runs up to it every morning to see if it's going to rain. Also, the blue light goes off after a while and won't light up the room all night long. You just push the black base at the bottom and it comes right back on. There has only been one problem and that's why I gave it four out of five stars. We took it to my parents house (they live on a lake) and it could not find a signal. So, if you live in the middle of nowhere it might not work. Otherwise, this is a cool weather station.

I bought this $149 device with the expectation that I would receive decent signal from MSN Direct. Alas, it was only after I received the device and read the accompanying manual that I discovered the signal is via FM network. I cannot get a decent FM signal inside my house, and I doubt that I can get it at my office, where I intended to keep the Regional Weather Station. Yes, I've tried setting the device by an upper story window with clear access to the sky -- no go. I wish I knew a way of boosting the signal to the foot long wire sensor.

Otherwise, the device would seem to be wonderful, as it bears all the various weather tracking features in an attractive package. The indiglo feature is especially nice for those intances when I might look up the summer night temperature to verify that its really as sweltering as it seems at 2:00am.

But without that reception, this is just a wildly overpriced indoor thermo/hygrometer.

I checked out several weather stations online at Amazon and other sites before deciding on this unit. If you're interested in a station that gives you multiple readings and information on several levels, than this unit is the best price and deal you will find. It gives you basically the same level of info that many units that cost three times as much offer. And all without setting up or installing any outside sensor units. It is only necessary for you to be within the broadcast area of MSN direct. And though I have read a couple of reviews that have talked about a problem with reception, I feel there is no excuse for purchasing this unit without knowing the broadcast strength of the MSN signal in your particular area. A color coded map that can be zoomed in to your home, or area is available on the MSN weather page. If your particular town is in the weak reception area, look for another unit. My part of the country, (New England) is in the "good" range and it took a mere 6 minutes to locate and lock in on a signal. Some other advantages to this unit besides its price is the fact that it is so big. For those of us who's eyes have seen better days, the smaller units that require squinting leave much to be desired. This units viewing screen is very large and can easily be read from several feet away. Also, the blue back light is a very nice feature. Many units that cost much more don't have such a convenience, and thus require turning on a light to read at night. A press of the large button in front turns on the light for about 10 seconds. And two light bars on the side of the unit illuminate the various buttons continuously. (Contrary to several reviewers here complaining about their staying on all the time, the side lights can be turned off by merely pressing and holding the large button in front for 5 seconds. And turned back on again the same way. Its in the directions enclosed). I like the sidebar illumination. It looks cool at night.

Now for the few downsides and inconveniences of the unit. Like many other units I have seen reviewed, the indoor and outdoor temp cannot be displayed at the same time. You have to choose whether to set your display at indoor temp and humidity, or outside. Frankly, I have never understood the value at having the indoor temp displayed on any of these units at all. Everyone has a thermostat of one kind or another that can tell you that. I keep it on the outside reading at all times. Also, one has to click the mode button to see the dew point. Since the dew point more than anything else is the clearest measure of how comfortable it is outside, I would have preferred it being displayed at all times. This station is clearly meant for a table or desktop display. The large round base prohibits any wall mounting. You will have to give it its very own shelf if you want it on the wall. The biggest drawback I have experienced with this unit is something that anyone purchasing a station that draws its data from an Internet location will also experience. And that is that one is at the mercy of whatever accuracy is being projected from any given sending station, or location. I have noticed that very often the temp, humidity, and especially the wind speed indicated on the unit is quite a bit off as to actual accuracy in my own back yard. (This isn't the only weather station I have. I have one that draws its data from outside sensors). The unit seems to take its time in catching up with the rising, or lowering of temperature. As well as wind gusts, wind chills...etc. In MSNs defense, the screen on the unit refers to the outside temp and humidity as "regional" conditions, as opposed to "local". Since this is a condition that will be well present in any station that is receiving its data from a remote location, I do not hold that as a liability in the review of this station. I feel that MSN directs statistics are just as reliable as any other. Aside from what was mentioned, I definitely recommend this unit to anyone that desires a station that tells you a little more than just the temp and humidity. As far as I am concerned it is a quality unit at a very affordable price.

BE carefull - as Microsoft has announced that MSN direct is going offline in 2012. If I understand it corectly this weather station will stop working at that time.

google search for MSN Direct and read the details.

Really enjoyed this unit when we first bought it. So much so, we bought a second one for the office. Then as time passed, we realized the area covered (near DC) was so large, we constantly get warnings. It seems there's always a coastal flood advisory or some such around here, but not really near me. Similarly, the "outside" temp for the region bears little resemblance to our actual location and temp. And it seems to predict rain a lot, and I'm sure it actually does rain - somewhere.

The region is just too large, at least around here, for the thing to be of much use. But it is good looking.

BTW, don't lose your instructions. They aren't available at the Oregon Scientific web site.

I bought the weather station as I love to keep up with wind, temperature, etc., but can't afford an outside station, nor would it work as there are trees around the house. This weather station avoids those problems by receiving transmissions from the local airport weather station - in my case, about 8 miles away.

One nice thing about it is that it is constantly updated -- temperature, wind speed, UV level, barometric pressure, etc. Another nice thing is that it shows alerts by a different color (or flashing for severe) on the power light. Additionally, when alerts are in progress, they scroll across the top in a ticker tape.

One downside is the "dot matrix" of the ticker tape -- it's not the highest quality, although thoroughly readable. Another downside is the light -- it only stays on for about 8 sec, which for my slow eyes isn't enough to read the whole display. THERE IS A LOT OF DATA ON IT!!

Would I buy it again? Absolutely! I put it in the kitchen and always use it. I highly recommend it!

a little larger than other weather stations but does everything I want and then some.