oregon scientific wmr968 cable free complete weather station

Product Description

MODEL- WMR968 VENDOR- oregon SCIENTIFIC

FEATURES- Complete Wireless Weather Station
Control console with touchscreen LCD displays:
- Weather forecast with large graphic icons
- Barometric pressure in numerals with pressure history in bar
chart format.
- Indoor & outdoor temperature and humidity
- Rainfall measurements
- Wind speed and direction
- Time with 12 or 24-hour clock display options
- Month/Date/Day
Comes standard with:
- Thermo-hygrometer with barometer
- Long range solar-powered outdoor thermo-hygrometer
- Long range solar-powered self-emptying rain gauge
- Long range solar-powered anemometer
* Seven-channel capability to monitor temperature and humidity in up to 3
additional remote locations (additional sensors required).
* Crescendo alarm with snooze
* PC compatible
* Illuminated with green HiGlo electro-luminescent backlight.
* Wall mount or desktop display options.
* Actual size: 2.75" x 4.0" x 0.75"

MANUFACTURER WARRANTY: 1 YEAR

I bought this unit about 2 years ago. I had to return the initial unit because it did not work correctly (thanks to Cabellas customer service). The second unit worked well for a while (yes it was a long set-up), but we were happy with it. The rain guage stopped working pretty early on, as did the humidity/weather condition sensor. However, the 2 parts we used most, which were the temperature readings in and out and the anemometer, seemed to work very well until we hit the 2 year mark. Then the whole unit went out and no matter of new batteries, reset, or anything else will make the unit function. It might be inexpensive for a weather station, but $240 is not cheap by my standards to have the product only last for 2 years. Not sure that I can recommend it. Too bad, because I think Oregon Scientific usually puts out a good product.

Customer Buzz

Oregon Scientific WMR968 Cable Free Complete Weather Station
Purchased this unit about 2 years ago to replace 9 year old Davis cabled system. Installed the anemometer and temperature/hygro sensor on a pole 10 feet above my roof ridge, the rain sensor in the yard, about 75 yards from the house and any trees. I also purchased an additional indoor sensor.
Installation instructions were very poor, installation took awhile, but went OK. Initial readings checked well with a local professional weather station, about 3 miles away.
Immediately had problems with sensors quitting and the need to "reset" the sensors and/or the main unit. This problem continues. Mounting two of the sensors on the roof was a mistake as weather conditions here greatly influence when you get up to remove the backs of the sensors and do the reset trick.
About six months later the temp/hygro was showing unrealistic readings. An e-mail to Oregon Scientific failed to obtain any response. Finally, several phone calls later a return authorization was obtained and the temp/hygro sensor returned. Ten weeks elapsed before the replacement was received. Phone calls indicated that the sensor was "on backorder". The replacement sensor worked OK for about 9 months, when the hygrometer portion began giving wild readings. This obviously destroys any dew point readings as well. Since the warrantee was expired, I ordered a new sensor, which I received in about 5 weeks. Due to weather conditions and back surgery I was unable to climb upon the roof to replace the sensor for about 7 weeks. I removed the sensor and transmitter and reinstalled in a new location, where the sensor would always be in the shade, reachable from a stepladder and the transmitter in the sun. The temperature readings were good and humidity readings strange. I checked the sensor with a sling psychrometer and psychrometric chart and found the dry bulb readings within 1 deg. F and the humidity readings 19% low. A phone call to the vendor indicated that the replacement part only had a 30 day warrentee, so I was s.o.l.
About the same time the anemmometer started acting up, sometimes showing a reading and other times dashed lines. Again, doing the reset trick worked and finally did not work, altho the LED continued to blink about every 10 - 15 seconds. A phone call revealed that the sensor was "probably" faulty. This was ordered along with the temp/hygro sensor. Installing the new anemometer failed to correct the problem, so the apparently the transmitter is bad.
The rain guage also has problems. The debris screen just sits in the cup and winds blow it out. It is now held in with a couple pieces of tape. Despite the fact that the tipping bucket seems well sealed in the base of the funnel, spiders get in the base a build web between the bottom and the tipping bucket, so the tipping bucket will not move. Fortunately, it is mounted on a post about 8 feet above the ground and can be serviced via a stepladder. Birds also perch on the rim of the rain guage and provide do-do that is partially caught by the screen, but needs to be cleaned monthly, otherwise the do-do works through the screen and clogs the drip hole. When it is working, the rain readings pretty well agree with a static rain guage and the local weather station. Again, this unit has needed the reset trick also.
The extra indoor sensor seems to work OK, but has needed the rest trick a three times.

My neighbor has a similiar weather station, some strange brand, he purchased from WalMart almost three years ago, for half the price of this unit and has experianced almost no problems.

I will not sink any more money into this piece of junk and will probably take it on my next deep-sea fishing trip and drop it overboard.

My plan is to replace it with a Davis unit, my only decision is whether to purhcase a cabled system or a cable free system.

I certainly would NOT recommend an Oregon Scientific product of any kind to anyone. If you want to take a chance and buy one, make sure to mount the sensors where they can be reached with a stepladder.

Customer Buzz

This is a great idea for the home hobbyist weather watcher. Major flaw is the instruction/setup information. No information about how to use this weather station. It sort of tells you how to hook it up but nothing else. It's not an intuitive setup, in fact it's very confusing. The worst documentation I've ever seen and that includes their on-line data. Forget this wireless station - it's hardly ever works. Go for the wired/cable weather station for more reliable information and ease of use.

Customer Buzz

I returned this item as advised by the company's technical service person. Assembly required removing and reinstalling dozens of tiny screws for which no ordinary screwdriver was available.

Customer Buzz

I bought the OS WMR968 system 2 years ago, and have been very happy with it's performance and reliability. Installation was easy, and it worked fine right out of the box. All the sensors are made of plastic parts, so don't expect the highest quality, but they work...and work well for the money. With the right software, you can upload your data to the Weatherunderground, and other public weather data systems.

There are some odds and ends that folks need to be aware of about this system, or any weather system.

-Wind direction and speed are strongly affected by nearby buildings and obstructions. It's best to locate these sensors some distance from other structures. While the "official standard" is 10 meters (about 33 feet) above ground, mine is only about 12 feet, so the accuracy is probably not as good as it could be.

-During freezing rain conditions, the anemometer and wind direction will likely freeze solid. It's a problem with most weather systems, and unless you have power and heat available, it's just something you just have to live with. Normally all it takes is some sunny days, and the ice will melt and it returns to normal.

-The temperature sensor is sensitive to direct sunlight exposure. It is recommended that you find a shady spot to install it, or install a solar radiation shield. Otherwise your daily high temps will spike above what they should be.

-Each solar unit includes a set of rechargeable and AA alkaline batteries. You can expect them to last a couple of years, but they will eventually die and need to be replaced. This is especially true if you have some really cold (sub zero) temps.

-The rain guage is really sensitive to debris...so you need to keep the debris screen cleaned. Also, I had a spider decide to set up shop inside mine, and it prevented the rain bucket from emptying properly. So if your readings look low, you should check the cleanliness of the sensor.

-The advertised range of the wireless transmitters is probably accurate, as long as you don't have walls in the way. If you can, locate the transmitters as close to your base unit as possible. My temp and wind sensors are about 125 feet from my base unit, which is plugged into my PC. The signal has to go through a wall, and I occasionally have trouble getting a good signal. I also have a second remote temp sensor in my barn, about 150 feet away, and through two walls. I've tried just about everything and have been unable to get a good signal from that sensor. If you have aluminum siding, or stucco with metal lathe, forget about getting a signal through them.

While you could spend a lot more for a professional weather station, I've found the WMR968 lives up to my expectations and does a good job. It's one of the most popular weather stations, and you can't go wrong with it. This system is also sold under several other brand names, including Radio Shack and John Deere. In fact, the Radio Shack instruction manual (which you can download) is MUCH better than the one that comes with this unit.

In summary, with weather stations, you get what you pay for. Those that expect this to be as reliable and robust as a professional weather station will likely be disappointed. This is probably the best and most popular low cost weather stations on the market, and I highly recommend it for those starting out. I have found it's accuracy and dependability to be equal to even the best professional systems.

Edit: January, 2009. The advertised low temp of the sensor is -4. Recently, we had temps in the -15 range. My system stopped recording at -9.9, where it flat lined till the temps rose again. It happened several days in a row, so I know it wasn't a fluke. If you buy this weather station, make sure that limitation is something you can tolerate.

Customer Buzz

I decided to take a chance on this after reading all the reviews. I've had a Davis station and a LaCrosse Technology station and decided to try Oregon Scientific. One reason was that the two times I purchased a product from Amazon and it didn't work they didn't give me a problem with the return, even sent prepaid postage for the return so I figured I'd try something new since my old stations also had issues.

The installation of the sensors is easy enough and someone at Oregon must have read a previous review, the (tiny) screws on the back of the solar units now seem to have a stop built in and don't fall out of their holes. Cable hook up from the solar units to the sensors is just like plugging in a phone line. All the units, sensors and main unit, came with alkaline batteries, I did replace the batteries in the outdoor units with lithium batteries are per instructions, though have been using alkaline in outdoor sensors up to now.

After plugging in the AC/DC adapter for the main unit I was ready to follow instructions and "reset" the unit. However, by the time I found a paper-clip I noticed the unit had "synced" with the outdoor sensors and I was receiving readings. So I passed on that.

It seems to work fine. I'm an amateur and I think this unit is fine for people like me. If the temperature is 1-2-3 degrees off, or the wind direction is 10 degrees off I can live with that. It comes down to $221 for this or $600 for a Davis and for me the margin of error is not worth it.

Based on previous reviews that this unit was made in China, it is, I was curious and did check my LaCrosse station and it too is from China so can't really get away from that.

Two complaints, the manual is too brief (I'm lucky the unit worked with me not having to trouble shoot) and maybe its me but Radio Shack doesn't seem to have the manual everyone says to get. Finally, the only "feet" it has for desktop placement are about one inch long so the main unit rests about 15 degress from horizontal. It would be much easier to use if the unit was near vertical and not almost horizontal. If anyone knows how to get the Radio Shack manual or how to make the main unit "stand up" I would appreciate knowing.

More info after more time.

Customer Buzz

I love the product, price is right....BUT quality is POOR and SERVICE is even worse!!!!!!!!!!! I have had two of these units over the past 3 years in San Diego CA and have had numerous sensors break and main unit malfunction. The service department at Oregon Scientific is very hard to get ahold of, it took 4 calls and 2 emails and I got a response after 4 days!!! Again I love the weather station, and maybe you get what you pay for at that price.

Customer Buzz

I normally take time to thouroughly investigate a product before I buy. The user comments section is a great tool. However, I was in a hurry this time, trying to make up my Christmas gift list to the wife, and put the Oregon Scientific WMR968 Weather Station at the top. Great Looking unit, right?
Received the gift and anxiously installed with new lithium batteries. To my disappointment, the transmitter for wind and direction does not work. So, I naively leave emails with customer support. After days of no response, I try calling the 800 number. Thats useless(all circuits are busy). So, I find their direct number. Each time, I get a person that is honestly in over their head to answer a telephone. Answer is always the same; someone will call you back in 24 hours. Hah!
I've come to the conclusion that my Christmas gift is a $200 piece of junk and not worth wasting any more of my time emailing, calling, and waiting for a company that obviously has no interest in "customer Support". My only recourse is to share my experience with anyone that will listen and hopefully avoid this company like the plague. Anyone looking for a slightly used piece of junk, 'er Christmas gift?

Customer Buzz

It arrive on time and to my surprise it was easy to install. The only inconvenient was when you install a new component, you have to reset the weather station and start the setting all over. the digits are big enough and easy to read, the only thing is that it should stay lighted at least 10 sec longer.

Customer Buzz

I bought a brand new 7 year old (year 2000 model) WMR968 and have been
using it for a month. I have read many very bad reviews of it and
the customer service at Oregon Scientific and need to join in here
to be fair to Oregon Scientific.

I am a meteorologist so I am obviously going to be picky.

I have the time to test the instruments and can tell you that
the temps and humidities are actually very accurate. I live
in an area with many stations available via the weather underground
and have ben watching the readings carefully. Certainly, the EXPOSURE
of the sensor is much more important than the accuracy of this
and most thermometers. I also bought the solar radiation shield and
it is OK- a summer test will really tell how good it is but so far
I can see a small effect on the temperature when the sun hits it-
what do you want for $35? I see about 1F so far at most. I'd still
try and shade the sensor even with the shield- keep in mind I am at
5280 ft and the sun is really strong in Boulder, Co, even in the winter!

The RH is surprisingly good although for some crazy reason the
base station won't compute a dewpoint temperature if the dewpoint
is less than 32F. The useless instructions don't indicate this.
The rh seems to be reliable to 15-19%- it won't read any lower than 15%- which where I live is a bummer as we have many many
very dry days in the summer (it is not unusual to have 5-9% RH in the
summer and fall). But, one has to remember that very low and very high
RH is tough to measure, especially with a "cheap" instrument. I am
impressed that I have seen 98% RH on many occasions and the rh fits
very well with the Davis stations in the area.

I wish I could be as enthusiastic about the wind speed sensor. I actually
decided to return it because it appeared to have too much resistence in the
gear that spins and was not measuring low wind speeds well at all-
to Oregon Scientific's credit, they returned me a brand new updated sensor
in 1 week- I had read horror stories about how bad their customer service is-
it took about a 5 min wait on the phone the 2 times I called and they
sent me a new sensor quickly. Maybe they have improved but I think
they were excellent to me. Oh yes, spend the extra $$ and get a pole
extension for the wind sensors- if it isn't high enough off a roof
you get too low wind readings! I discovered this the hard way! And keep
in mind that wind speed (and gusts) is extremely sensitive to the
EXPOSURE and your particular site but from what I can tell so far, it seems
the WMR968 undermeasures the wind on the order of ~10-30% compared
to what the Davis instruments are reading around my house.

THe barometer is also a bit subpar- seems to lag the real pressure
tendency on the order of 0.10" (about 3-4 mb) at times. This is not great.
Can't tell how good the rain gage is since it is cold here now
but I think in the summer this will be pretty good.

Overall, if I had more $$ to spend I'd probably get the Davis
but you know, it is at least twice as expensive as the WMR968-
I think for many folks this station is probably good enough. As
they always say, "you get what you pay for" and I think this is
mostly true regarding the WMR968 but if you aren't a weather freak
like I am and demand super accurate wind measurements, this station
is pretty good for the money. Only wish it wasn't made in China
and that they had easier access to the batteries in the solar sensor
units but I'm getting used to getting in and out of the sensor quickly.