The buro home weather station does not see the sensor. "LL" (Low) is displayed when the value of the measured parameter is too low. Incorrect weather forecast

November 6, 2014 at 12:26 pm

Extending the Range of Oregon Scientific Weather Station Sensors

DIY or DIY

Some time ago, I finally unified the weather stations in my apartment - I put the Oregon Scientific BAR800 and BAR801 in all the right places, which I dearly love not only for the design that allows them to be hung on the wall, but also for the external sensor that receives accurate time signals. The trick is that these signals (DCF-77 from Frankfurt) are basically caught at home, but only at the window or outside the window - therefore, ordinary weather stations, in which the antenna is built into the station itself, standing in the back of the apartment, there really is nothing about time don't know. Of course, the use of the same type of stations means that you can get by with one sensor for everyone, and not hang a zoo on the windows.

Further, however, a problem was discovered, also related to the depth of the apartment - the station most distant from the external weather sensor regularly lost it, although, it would seem, there were only a couple of walls between them. Especially this problem got out at sub-zero temperatures, despite the lithium battery in the sensor.

Choosing the right window for hanging the sensor or installing a second sensor is not our option, because a person should command equipment, and not vice versa. Our option is to change the antenna in the sensor to increase its range.

Of course, the technique is suitable for any weather sensors, since the design of all of them is approximately the same.

Unscrewing:

In this sensor - as many as three antennas at once (usually you will find one, maximum two). The ferrite rod, however, does not interest us - this is a 77 kHz accurate time signal receiver, but two wire spirals are what we need.

They form a so-called half-wave dipole - an antenna consisting of two symmetrical parts with a total length of 1/2 wavelength. Dipoles are used when the antenna does not have a normal "ground" - one of the halves of the dipole actually plays the role of this "ground", but radio engineers will forgive me for a somewhat simplified description. Each half has, respectively, a length of 1/4 wave.

The sensor operates at a frequency of 433.92 MHz, respectively, its half wavelength is 34.5 cm. In order not to make an antenna of such dimensions, it is made in the form of a spiral rather than a pin - the latter has one interesting property: if the diameter of the turns spiral is much smaller than the wavelength, then it works like a conventional whip antenna, radiating in a plane perpendicular to its axis, but at the same time it turns out to be many times shorter. Spiral antennas became widespread long before the advent of weather stations - first of all, in portable radios, for which the length of the 1/4-wave pin for the 27 MHz band is almost 3 meters. The three-meter pin makes the walkie-talkie significantly less wearable than it could be.

Alas, all magic comes with a price: a helical antenna has worse performance than a simple pin. Therefore, a spiral is always a compromise between dimensions and efficiency.

So, in order to slightly increase the range of the sensor, we need to change the spiral antenna to a whip antenna - fortunately, the dimensions of the antennas are of concern to the logistics department of the manufacturer, but they are of little concern to us, consumers - there is a lot of space on the balcony, a 17 cm antenna will somehow fit.

To accomplish the plan, you will need a piece of single-core copper wire in insulation 16.5 cm long (one core from any copper power cable with a cross section of 1.5-2.5 sq. mm is suitable), a soldering iron, sealant, and minimally straight arms.

NB: since the wave propagation speed in copper is less than in vacuum, then the actual length of the copper antenna must be less than 1/4 of the wavelength in vacuum; for copper, the correction factor is 0.95. Accordingly, 1/4 * (0.95 * 3 * 10^10 cm / s) / 433.92 MHz just gives us about 16.5 cm.

If you look at the transmitter board, you can see that one part of the dipole is connected to ground, the other to the track that goes under the screen of the transmitting part. We will change one half of the dipole - the one to the transmitting part. We solder it:

We put the board in place and through the hole into which the antenna was soldered (having cleaned it of solder), with a needle we mark a point on the sensor housing through which the new antenna will go inside. Drilling a hole near with this point, we clean the last 5 mm of the new antenna from insulation, bend it with the letter “G” and insert it into the hole in the case.

Since the hole in the board is much smaller in diameter than the wire taken as an antenna, we cut off 5 mm of some thin wire (the output of a 0.125 W resistor is suitable) and solder it to the end of the antenna (drill a hole near the desired point, and not directly in it , it was necessary just for this soldering to hit the board for sure):

You need to solder quickly so as not to melt the plastic case. In principle, it was possible to make an antenna from a thin wire, but this is inconvenient - it easily crumples and bends.

We put the transmitter board on top, getting the board hole into our antenna, solder it to the board, close the transmitter. The final touch is to fix the antenna on its body and seal the input; I used a glue gun, but, firstly, I have a gun with a very thin sting, and secondly, the sensor hangs under the roof, the rain does not water it. If it's different for you, use any sealant or thick glue. It is also desirable to close the upper end of the antenna with a drop of glue so that water does not fall on the copper core.

Actually, that's all. It is actually done faster than this text is written. Suitable for any weather stations, and indeed any household radio transmitters, up to "smart home" systems, since helical antennas are used almost everywhere where you need cheap and cheerful. Pay only attention to the operating frequency: there are transmitters at 866 MHz, and completely new ones at 2.4 GHz (in these, however, the antenna is most often already made into a track on the board). The whip antenna should be 1/4 wavelength.

P.S. Sense of Fine also tells you that the best way to determine the ideal length of an antenna is to make it a little longer than 1/4 wavelength and then cut it down a millimeter to test its effectiveness. Reason answers that for a banal weather station this is already too much.

The most frequent customer complaints and how to solve them.

The main "failures" of Oregon Scientific devices that actually work;

1. The vast majority of devices have a declared "malfunction" associated with the "inoperability" of the external sensor (no information, the sensor is not detected, unstable connection)

This is primarily due to discharged batteries (complete batteries may already run out), or different channels on the sensor and the station, or the procedure for connecting the sensor was incorrectly performed (searching for the sensor takes 2 minutes after pressing RESET on the main unit, this RESET should be the last ).
It is necessary to replace the batteries with FRESH ones (for which no more than a year has passed from the date of production), and the last one to press RESET on the station (the sensor and the station must be set to the same channel - all models have the first channel).

In 90% of cases, the reasons are as follows:

A) Dead batteries (it is necessary to replace the batteries in both the station and the sensor).

Batteries must be new, fresh, fully charged (under load they must give out more than 1.5V). In this case, the connection with the sensor will be stable, and will last about a year without replacing the batteries.
Always buy batteries right before replacing them, and always at the store (do not use the ones that were at home in reserve). Before buying, look at the production date or expiration date indicated on the battery case (it is necessary that no more than a year has passed from the date of their production - if the expiration date is indicated, then for ordinary alkaline batteries the remaining shelf life should be at least 8-9 years). In regions with severe frosts in winter, it is recommended to use lithium batteries.

B) Wrong procedure for connecting the sensor:

1) Set the channel on the sensor (all models have the 1st channel).
2) Insert fresh batteries
3) Press RESET on the sensor
4) Press RESET on the main unit. Only after this RESET on the station, the station will start searching for sensors. The search lasts 2 minutes. If the sensor has not been found, then press this RESET again at the station (or the batteries are not fully charged and must be replaced).

C) The station and the sensor are set to different channels:

1) Set the 1st channel on the sensor and the station (all models with external sensors have the 1st channel).

If the station sometimes loses the sensor and subsequently finds it, then this is not a marriage: the sensor transmits a signal in the 433 MHz frequency range, which is open to all, in which other devices also work, sometimes creating interference.

2. Time is periodically lost.

The radio time control function is set incorrectly: In the time zone settings, you must set a number equal to the difference between local time and time in Germany. Or disable this function (see instructions) - press and hold the "DOWN" button for 3 seconds. (to enable this function - press and hold the "UP" button)

A) In models EW91, EW92, EW93, EW98, this function cannot be disabled: the zone must be configured correctly. Or try setting the EU/UK switch (Europe/England, usually located in the battery compartment) to the UK position (from England there is more chance that the signal will not reach the station)

C) Models TW369 and TW223 do not have the ability to change the time zone. How to disable:
TW369:
A long (8-10 sec) press on the RECEIVE button (in the battery compartment) ENABLES (an antenna icon with waves appears on the screen next to the seconds) or OFF (the icon disappears from the screen) the time synchronization function.
TW223:

Turn off time synchronization - long press the SNOOZE button (8 - 10 seconds, ignore the beep until the antenna icon disappears from the screen)
Switching on - short press on the RECEIVE button

3. Shows "XXXX" instead of barometric pressure.

In this case, you need to replace the batteries.

4. Instead of the digital value of the parameter, it shows "LL".

"LL" (Low) is displayed when the value of the measured parameter is too low.

5. Instead of the digital value of the parameter, it shows "HH".

"HH" (High) is displayed when the value of the measured parameter is too high.

6. Incorrect temperature readings

The products are consumer (non-professional) devices. They are not tested for accuracy, and the accuracy class and the maximum allowable error are not standardized for them (therefore, such parameters are not indicated in the characteristics of the devices). From practice, the readings may differ from the true value by 1.5-2 degrees, and in some areas even more. Those. discrepancies in the readings of the internal and external sensor can reach 3-4 degrees. The most accurate readings begin 24 hours after the sensors are placed in a specific location.

7. Incorrect humidity readings.

The products are consumer (non-professional) devices. They are not tested for accuracy, and the accuracy class and the maximum allowable error are not standardized for them (therefore, such parameters are not indicated in the characteristics of the devices). From practice, readings may differ from the true value by 8-10%, and in some areas even more. Those. discrepancies in the readings of the internal and external sensor can reach 16-20%. The most accurate readings begin 24 hours after the sensors are placed in a specific location.

The minimum measuring range limit starts at 25%. At the current humidity of 25% and below (out of the measurement range), the readings of the device are completely unreliable (even 2% can be displayed when the signal is very weak, or “LL”).
Such complaints usually begin to arise from clients in winter, when in our apartments with the central heating turned on, the humidity is usually at the level of 18-22% (no more than 23% if the humidifier is not turned on). The sensor dries up and eventually produces a "zero" signal. Station 0 cannot be displayed - it is displayed, as a rule, 2-4%. This is less than the lower measurement limit - you either need to buy a humidifier (comfortable humidity 40-70%) or wait for the summer.
This is not a malfunction.

8. Incorrect weather forecast

The forecast data must not match the current weather. This is just a forecast of what will happen in 12-24 hours within a radius of 30 km. And the accuracy of the forecast is not 100%. The forecast is carried out on the basis of the dynamics of changes in atmospheric pressure.

9. Backlight not working

See instructions. Screen backlight, not available on all OregonScientific devices

There should be a button with the word "Light".

10. Projection does not turn on

In OS devices with a projection clock function, several projection display modes can be provided:
In devices that have a light sensor (see instructions, for example, in RMR329P, BAR339P), the projection turns on only if the room where the device is located is not sufficiently lit.
Continuous projection is only possible with mains power. To do this, you need to connect the power supply to the Device, on the back of the Device, move the “PROJECTION” button to the ON position.
When using a battery powered clock, only time projection is possible. To do this, move the “PROJECTION” button to the OFF position. Thus, the projection of time will be displayed on the surface for 8 seconds only when you press the LIGHT/PROJECTION button (usually on top of the clock).

11. The external sensor purchased separately does not work with the station

Separately sold external sensors are not compatible with all device models.
THGN132N and THWR288 compatible with models: BAR206, BAR208, BAR386, BAR388, BAR800, BAR801, BAR806, BAR808, RAR500, BAR339P, BAR339DP, DP200, RMR329P, RMR391P, RRM902

THGR810 and UVN800 are compatible with models: WMR200, WMR88, JW102, LW301

EW99 compatible with models: CW101, EW91, EW92, EW93, EW98

Additions:

Often, customers could not figure out how to properly operate the device. The most frequently asked questions from buyers:

1. The weather station does not communicate with the sensor.

The station searches for the sensor only for the first 2 minutes after switching on or pressing RESET on the station

The main condition: the sensor and the station must be set to the same channel (see instructions).

2. The watch is 1-2 hours behind.

See instructions.
This is not a defect. Oregon Scientific devices have the function of a radio-controlled clock, set to the correct time signal in Europe. Due to the difference in time zones, they start displaying European time.
. In models that allow you to adjust the time zone adjustment (see instructions), you must set the required value.
. In models where there is no time zone setting function, the clock radio control must be turned off (see instructions).

3. Unstable connection between the base unit and the remote sensor. Faded screen.

In this case, it is necessary to replace the batteries with fresh ones (for which no more than a year has passed from the date of production)

4. Claims of the buyer for the accuracy of the weather forecast.

To improve the quality of the weather forecast, the device needs to collect some statistics on changes in atmospheric pressure for at least 7 days. The weather forecast icon displays the weather forecast for the next 12-24 hours within a radius of 30 km. Forecast accuracy of at least 75%. The processor built into the base device displays the weather forecast based on the statistics of pressure changes for the previous 24 hours, for the previous 7 days and for the previous 10 years (statistics for 10 years are "hardwired" into the device) .
The icon does not display the actual weather (the one that is now outside the window).

5. The backlight does not work.

See instructions. Screen backlight, not available on all OregonScientific devices
. There should be a button with the word "Light".

6. Squeaks when the frost warning function is activated!

It is necessary to change the channel of the sensor to the 2nd or 3rd. Since the frost warning is only triggered when data is received from the 1st channel. All other functions of the device will work!

Of course, the technique is suitable for any weather sensors, since the design of all of them is approximately the same.

Unscrewing:

Alas, all magic comes with a price: a helical antenna has worse performance than a simple pin. Therefore, a spiral is always a compromise between dimensions and efficiency.

You need to solder quickly so as not to melt the plastic case. In principle, it was possible to make an antenna from a thin wire, but this is inconvenient - it easily crumples and bends.

I bought this weather station more than 3 years ago in a well-known online store.

Chose in appearance and technical capabilities, suitable for my requirements. Prior to this, such devices had not been used.

I was satisfied with the purchase. The weather station on its display regularly displays a lot of useful information, fits beautifully into the interior design.

Weather station features

If you look at the display of the wireless weather station Oregon Scientific BAR386, then first of all you notice a graphical representation of the weather forecast for the next day.

Sufficiently large numbers show the current date and time, indoor and outdoor temperature. The display also displays other information, which I will talk about later.

This weather station model does not have a factory wall mount. It can only be installed on a flat surface. But a remote wireless sensor (one is included, and you can connect three) is conveniently attached to both a vertical structure and placed on. The device and sensors are powered only by batteries.

Weather forecast

According to the manufacturer, the weather station predicts the weather in the near future 12-24 hours with a radius of 30-50 km from its location based on. The result of readings processing is displayed as pictograms on the display. Their values are shown in the picture below.

I did not specifically check the percentage of correctly predicted weather, but the readings of the home weather station very often coincide with reality. The device is able to compete with the weather forecast received via the Internet or television broadcast. His work is based on the analysis of data from a specific area with the setting of real meteorological conditions on it.

Once there was a case when the battery of a wireless sensor on the street ran out, and I couldn’t get around to replacing it.

All this time, the station showed the forecast without an external sensor and additional settings. Therefore, we can conclude that the data for the calculation are taken from the weather station itself, and external devices are used only to measure the temperature outside.

Temperature

The device can measure it simultaneously from two places:

from the weather station itself;
wireless sensor.

If for the sake of the experiment they are placed side by side and wait for some time, then the discrepancy in the readings will be insignificant, about half a degree.

It's funny that if the temperature from the first sensor is in the range from +3 to -2 ° C, then the image of a snowflake will flash on the display of the device (according to the instructions, these are frosts). Well, who lives in what latitudes ...

date and time

The information of this information is displayed on the display in fairly large icons, from a distance they are clearly visible.

General settings

They can set both the 12/24 hour format and the time display with or without seconds.

The Oregon Scientific BAR386 can be configured to synchronize the exact time by radio with the server, provided it is within the reception radius of the DCF-77 signal from Frankfurt for Europe or MSF-60 for the UK. I had to disable this setup feature as the location does not fit within the advertised 1500 km from the remote radio. Nevertheless, the watch works accurately: by setting the time only once, it can be used for a long time without correction.

Alarm settings

It is not difficult to perform them, but there are features. If it is always set at the same time, then it is convenient to use - only the button on the front panel will be used to turn the signal on / off.

When you need to set the call time, you will have to work with the controls located on the back of the device. I never needed an alarm clock: I only appreciated it in test mode.

Other functions of the weather station

In addition to the possibilities described above, the weather station shows 8 moon phase positions:

new moon;
growing month;
first quarter;
Waxing Crescent;
full moon;
waning moon;
last quarter;
waning month.

They are indicated by a small icon at the bottom of the display.

The weather station graphically displays changes in pressure and temperature with arrows. However, if the temperature values are displayed in numbers on the display screen, then only one of three values \u200b\u200bis used for atmospheric pressure:

increase;
the fall;
stability.

The display screen also shows information about the quality of the signal from the sensor and its number entered for transmission to the unit.

Advantages and disadvantages

I have been using the Oregon Scientific BAR386 home weather station for a long time now and am generally pleased with this purchase.

It is quite convenient for me to look at the information on the display about the current temperature in the apartment and on the street, along the way to view the forecast for the near future.

Features of the operation of the wireless sensor

All the time I use only one: it is enough for me. It is mounted on a balcony, protected from direct sunlight.

In general, the sensor housing is hermetically sealed, rain should not get inside the structure. It is permissible to place it outdoors, although the instructions recommend excluding moisture from entering it.

The manufacturer Oregon Scientific BAR386 declared the reliability of signal reception from the sensor at a thirty-meter distance from the base. How true this statement is, I have not checked. It works for me at a distance of 10 m, the signal passes perfectly through the concrete wall of a panel house.

Convenience of settings

I like the design, the display is clearly visible, there are even a lot of functions for me. But the management, or rather the setting, let us down. It is very rare to use it; without instructions, the algorithm of actions is forgotten.

About power supplies

Batteries last for a long time, but I put exclusively alkaline batteries in the wireless sensor, as they are the most resistant to low loads and cold.

Has difficulties, they are stipulated by the instruction. In order for the weather station to detect the sensor when new batteries are installed in it, it is necessary to perform a forced search: simultaneously press and hold the MEM and CHANNEL buttons for a couple of seconds.

This action sequentially changes the number of the main sensor. However, it didn't work for me. When I reset all the settings, it showed up in a few seconds. True, after that I had to re-configure the date, time and preferences.

When setting the initial data, the most important drawback appears: when setting up the weather station, you have to look at the screen from the front and press the buttons located on the back of the device. However, you have to work this way only when replacing the battery, i.e. approximately once every two years.

If you have any questions on the topic, then ask them in the comments.

Model BAR208HG is made in China and was purchased in October 2008. The manual says that the device can measure, and I'll tell you how it does it.

A little about the conditions of the experiment. In the first days, the device was tested at temperatures from -2 to +22 degrees. During the test it was +10 degrees outside. I also used a reference thermometer to compare results.

Test 1

The weather station, external sensor and control thermometer were kept together for 6 hours at a temperature of +22 degrees. Then all three devices were immediately transferred to the street, where the temperature was +10 degrees. And the results are shown in the graph. X-axis - time in minutes, Y-axis - sensor readings.

The control thermometer reached the indicator with an error of 1 degree in 20 minutes, and in 30 minutes it reached the correct temperature. It's not fast, but let's look at the weather station. The corresponding values for the external sensor are 40 and 80 minutes, and for the internal sensor 50 and 80 minutes. In general, this means that it will take you more than an hour to find out the correct temperature if it suddenly drops by 10 degrees. This test also showed that the weather station was twice as slow as a classic thermometer.

And here is a graph of changes in humidity indicators (on the Y axis - relative humidity in percent).

Unfortunately, I do not have a control device to check these readings, but I found out on the Internet that at the time of the test in the nearest city there was a humidity of 86%.

Even after being together for over 100 minutes, the external and internal sensors still showed different values, although the internal sensor was more accurate. It took him 60 minutes to determine the value, but the external sensor did not even get close to the desired value. The humidity graph shows that the sensors are too slow and cannot keep up with rapidly changing weather conditions that affect humidity, such as intermittent rains.

Test 2 is the reverse.

All three devices were taken back home. The ambient temperature has changed from 10 to 22 degrees. Here is the chart.

Here we see that the control thermometer reached the value with an error of 1 degree in 30 minutes, and the exact value was reached in 40-50 minutes. The corresponding values for the external sensor are 50 and 110 minutes, and for the internal sensor 60 and 100 minutes. The thermometers seem to freeze faster than they thaw, but the reference thermometer did twice as fast again.

And here is the humidity chart.

Here we can see that both sensors showed the same value of 50% after only 2 hours of testing, although the values still continued to fall after the end of the test (it was already 48%/47% in the next 30 minutes).

Tests showed one important thing: an electronic weather station is not able to keep track of rapidly changing weather conditions. For example, after a long drought, there was a short rain, the humidity increased sharply, the rain ended after 20 minutes, the moisture evaporates, the humidity drops, and the sensors have not yet detected the peak values that were during the rain, because for this we need to “lie down” for more than two - three hours. Or, for example, a rapid change in temperature in the autumn morning, when after night frosts in the morning the temperature can rise by 10-20 degrees in a few hours. Obviously, at such moments, the weather station is not able to show the current values of temperature and humidity. And it seems to me that this is not very good for an instrument that costs more than 50 times more than a classic thermometer. But the most annoying thing is that even after two hours of lying next to each other, the external and internal sensors show different values!

There are still oddities with this device, for example, if you shake the device in your hands, the displayed temperature will immediately jump by 1-2 degrees, and will slowly fall back down for about 10 minutes. Perhaps this is due to poor ventilation of the device, and shaking contributes to the ingress of external air into the case where the sensors are located.

Another oddity: the documentation says that the stored maximum and minimum temperatures can only be reset manually, although the device does this automatically every night. This is not at all suitable if you are away for a few days and want to then look at the values for the time you were away.

Another thing that annoys me is the Alert LED that was flashing all night because the temperature was near zero. I had to seal it with a piece of black electrical tape, since it cannot be turned off.

FINDINGS.

I think that the problem with the device is poor ventilation. The slits of the sensors are just tiny, and the air does not pass well there. Therefore, the device shows the temperature inside the case, and not outside. The same goes for the external sensor.

Reconciliation with atomic clocks in Frankfurt sometimes works in the Moscow region, although this is more than 2000 kilometers (the manufacturer guaranteed operation within a radius of up to 1500 km). Apparently, the passage of the signal depends on the optimal weather conditions, because sometimes the signal is received almost immediately, and sometimes it is not received at all.

But if I wanted to buy a new weather station, I wouldn't choose Oregon Scientific again. Although it works, a lot of all sorts of jambs and flaws make an unfavorable impression, in general I don’t really like the device, although this is already a subjective opinion. If someone has RST and Vitek weather stations, which can also be bought in our country, it would be interesting to read reviews with tests like those that I conducted with my weather station.

FURTHER RESEARCH.

Since I needed a more accurate thermometer, I did not put up with these brake sensors and disassembled both devices. Using a paper cutter, I made large air holes in the body of the device, and also changed the positions of the sensors from horizontal to vertical so that they were closer to the air holes and well ventilated.

Then I cut a large hole in the outer sensor. They used some kind of silicone adhesive to glue the sensors to the body, and the humidity sensor was glued so sloppy that almost no air was getting into that place. I peeled off the adhesive and placed the sensors as close to my new hole as possible.

Test again.

Now the temperature range is 4 degrees wider and the humidity range is 18 degrees wider. Theoretically, this should slow down the determination of values even more, but let's look at the results.

The speed of the external sensor in determining the value with an error of 1 degree and the exact value has almost doubled. The speed of the internal sensor in determining the value with an error of 1 degree has also doubled, but the exact value is still determined slowly, although faster than before. Of course, it was possible to make the ventilation holes on the device bigger, but this would ruin the design.

Surprised by the humidity change test. Previously, an external sensor did not give even an approximate value at all, and now a value with an error of 10% was determined in just 15 minutes, and the exact value was determined in 45 minutes. The internal sensor is slower here too, but it's still 30 minutes faster than before the repair.

Reverse test.

It's difficult to make comparisons with the original test as the temperature went from 10 to 21 degrees there and from 9 to 25 degrees here, but although the range has increased it's still a bit faster, but still not fast enough.

Well, the humidity test is again not up to par - after two hours the values dropped from 98% to 50% and still continued to decline when the experiment ended.

NEW CONCLUSIONS.

Like it or not, Oregon Scientific uses really slow sensors, not to mention elementary flaws. If I could almost double the speed of temperature detection just by making the vents wider and placing the sensors closer to them, what could the engineers of this company achieve if they wanted to do a really good thing! But it seems that they don’t care - they did garbage, sold it, received the money, and what’s next - they don’t care. But I don't think that many buyers will really want to buy a new thing and immediately go into it with screwdrivers, knives and soldering irons. So it's up to you to decide whether you need this miracle device, the accuracy of which cannot be counted on, or not ...

AFTER TWO YEARS WITH HIM.

I wrote this addition two years after the creation of this review. The device is still standing in the country and showing the temperature. A set of batteries lasted for a year and a half, the battery of the external sensor was never changed. In principle, if you do not bother with accuracy, and plus or minus a few degrees do not play a role, then the device can be used. I consider the humidity sensor to be useless, so you can safely buy a model without it. However, practice shows that no functions other than determining external and internal temperatures and time are needed there, so it makes sense to buy the simplest model without bells and whistles - it will look neater.

AFTER FIVE YEARS WITH HIM.

Supplement September 8, 2013. Five years have passed without a month, I can’t even believe it. I did not notice how they flew by. I felt like I used it for three years, but after re-reading this review, I was surprised that I bought it in October 2008. I am writing this addition due to the fact that the external temperature sensor was covered. It's not the battery, I tried different new ones - it doesn't work on any channel, the LED doesn't blink. I took it apart - the board is clean and dry, there is no mold, oxidation or visible defects. Got on the Internet, a new one costs about 700-800 rubles. I read a lot of reviews about Oregon Scientific external sensors on Russian and English sites, it turns out that they very often die like flies - there are a lot of complaints about this topic. According to my estimates, the main percentage of sensors is covered after about one and a half to two years of use, so I was still lucky, mine lived for five years, although it hung in the shade, protected from direct sunlight in the branches of a dense pine tree, and it had a conical roof from a five-liter plastic cans as additional protection from rain and snow. Just in case, I provide the following information on the sensors that should be compatible with this weather station: THGN132N - original, THGN132ES (solar-powered), THGN123N (for ultra-low temperatures - minus 40 degrees), THGR122NX (there is an LCD screen), THC268 (only temperature , there is an LCD screen).

To be honest, many complaints about the short life of external sensors at their considerable price made me think about trying a weather station from another company. Read on, which I bought to replace Oregon. Oregon remained to work like a clock and an internal thermometer in one of the rooms (instead of the external temperature it shows a dash).

AFTER EIGHT YEARS WITH HIM.

Update October 31, 2016. Exactly 8 years worked, finally he finally died (the sensor died three years earlier). Now the device began to fail for no apparent reason, although it stood still and no one dropped it or hit it. Symptom: when turned on, the Ice Alert LED lights up, the entire screen turns on for a couple of seconds (all possible characters are visible), and then random rubbish appears on it - not even random numbers, but just random dashes and icons are displayed, after a few seconds everything disappears smoothly. Doesn't respond to buttons. Reset, battery replacement - do not help. I let him lie down for several days without batteries, put in new batteries - it did not help. Rest in peace, Oregon. Instead, I bought another Ea2 station, but now the model is simpler and prettier - BL501 (without humidity and pressure).

Following the previous October update on Oregon's unexpected death, . Namely, it is necessary to replace the killed watch quartz with a new one. I soldered quartz from other broken Chinese watches, but when I opened Oregon, a surprise awaited me: there are three quartzes inside. Two side by side and one apart. Filled with some kind of yellow garbage, which makes it difficult to read the inscriptions on them. I figured it out, decided that the main watch quartz was soldered separately, and guessed it. Soldered it, cleaned it of yellow garbage, something like “S78 I” is written on it. I soldered another instead of it, from a Chinese watch (without inscriptions). The size and polarity do not matter, the main thing is that the frequency is 32768 Hz, and in watches it is usually just like that. My quartz turned out to be a little larger, so I put a piece of electrical tape under it, because when I tried to twist the case, it shorted something and the Oregon was cut down. After lining the electrical tape, the device was closed and now works normally. By the way, if the clock is too fast or too slow, quartz is to blame. Poor quality quartz is common in cheap Chinese products, so if you find one and the watch is not accurate, just try replacing the quartz with another one. Even if you don’t have a broken watch where you can get spare parts, new quartzes are sold in radio stores at a price of 15 rubles, which is much cheaper than buying a new weather station for more than two thousand.

Oregon's second life has begun...

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