Finally I have found somebody to buy my WS3600 at a good price 8) here in Belgium so I now plan to buy a VP in the USA (I have found a supplier with very good prices) so my last question is : will I lose something of the weather possibilities if I take the Cabled version and not the wireless ?? I ask that because it’s technically possible for me to use a cabled…I have already a hole in the wall for passing tthe cable (I use the hole for my satellite cable)…so will I shortened of extensions with a cabled??
I think that only the soil/mosture sensors will not be accepted because they are wireless…but for that I have a temperature 1wire and a solar sensor 1Wire…so ??
Other than the possible inconvenience of cabling and being limited to adding only the Solar and UV additional sensors I don’t think you lose anything. You can only have one console so you have to use it for the PC interface, you can’t use a second console or weather envoy as an indpendent link to the PC. You can extend the cables within reason, maybe up to 100 feet, but not 500 feet.
VP2 cabled is spec’d out to 1000 feet (300m) between ISS and console but that’s a lot of cable. There are a couple of other minor drawbacks:
You can’t use a separate anemometer transmitter.
Cabled systems seem, maybe not surprisingly given that there’s a direct wire connection to a high point of floating potential at the anemometer, to be more vulnerable to electrical surges and to ground loops especially with laptops. Over the years I have seen (just one or two) cabled SIM boards that have crashed and been difficult to bring back to life, though occasionally complete power-down overnight or even in extremis for a few days has done the trick. You never seem to get quite this same problem with the wireless SIM boards. And as for the ground loops, do bear in mind that there is no Davis-approved optical isolator for the RS232 WL–>PC connection as there used to be for the WMII, and I’ve yet to see any simple/inexpensive optical isolator for a USB link. This means that if you do encounter a VP2 ground loop problem then it can be difficult to fix.
But these are rare issues and with luck won’t affect you.
Ok…thanks to all for your opinions…it’s well balanced between pros and cons… #-o
The night arrives here in Belgium…so I think I will have a sleep not with dreams but with VP2’s cabled and wireless ones…Hoping to make my choice when I quit my bed… :roll: :lol:
Careful with the frequencies. USA use a different allocated band from us in most of European countries.
See thread regarding this from Christphe: http://discourse.weather-watch.com/p/77731
Yes, I know…but you know too that the customs agents (in Belgium…in Scotland I don’t know) are not very aware of the technical specifications of such products, they are more interested in other forbidden products…
But finally I have choosen the Cabled version because there are no problems caused by the cable in my garden, nor in my house so…and it’s cheaper and reliable…then 8)
I know this doesn’t affect you, but for others who see this thread in future…
Customs agents aren’t the only problem. If you use something that interferes with other services on the same frequency the legitimate user of that frequency may complain and you’ll then be open to prosecution and maybe a large fine. Even if that doesn’t happen, you might find that the legitimate user of the frequency has high power transmitters which interfere with you weather station. You may end up with a weather station that doesn’t work and no way to complain/get a refund from the supplier who didn’t sell it for use in your country.
You are totally right…I agrees 100%. I forgot to be a little precise about my location…I am living in a part of the country relatively alone, with no much possibilities to interfere with something so in the case I would have choosen the wireless…i can’t be a threat for many people. Some years ago I had a Wireless VP1 imported from the USA…no problems for entering the country and no problems of use BUT if I had lived in the center of Brussels…I wouldn’t have the same judgment and will then go in your direction…