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| Reviews Summary for Davis Vantage Pro (wireless) |
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Reviews: 25
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Average rating: 4.3/5
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MSRP: $595
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Description: Vantage Pro weather stations for monitoring barometric pressure, temperature, humidity, rainfall, and wind speed and direction.
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More info: http://www.davisnet.com
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write your own review of the Davis Vantage Pro (wireless).
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K6TGT
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 11, 2009 10:21
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Old but keeps on going!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have the Vantage Pro Plus Wireless 6161 which includes the UV and Solar sensors and Fan Aspirated Radiation Shield. I also have the wireless 6343 sender which I use for various temperatures around the yard, such as the pool and pond.
I purchased the 6161 almost a year before they started shipping (they were various delays in the actual release of the product) and thus likely have one of the oldest and first units in operation. My unit came online in 2001 and has been in continuous operation since, both locally and on the web at http://www.ghweather.org
The unit I received had what turned out to be a couple of bad engineering decisions in its design that caused problems after about a year of operation. The transmitter and sensor control board was mounted at the top of the FARS chamber and this caused corrosion problems. Likewise, the design of the temperature and humidity sensors in the FARS tunnel led to intermittently bad humidity readings for the same reason. Davis recognized these problems and redesigned the SIM (transmitter and sensor control board) and temp/hum sensor to rectify it. They subsequently also came out with a further modification called the extreme environment kit.
Even though my unit was out of warranty, Davis stood behind their product and furnished both kits to me free of charge. They even offered to do the work for me at their company for free but I elected to do the modifications myself (the two together - done about 6 months apart - only took about an hour) to minimize downtime.
Since installing those two modifications kits, the unit has performed flawlessly. I change the FARS battery and fan about every two years (I did remove the two FARS nicad C cells and replaced them with one NMHI C cell to improve performance), and clean it once a year or so. I replace the SIM backup lithium battery about every 3 years.
The wireless performance has always been excellent for me and I continuously see a VP reception rate of 97 percent or better. My console is about 50 feet from the transmitter.
I give it a rating of 5 because of the support that Davis gave me in resolving the initial design problems with the unit and because of how well it has performed long after the modifications. I don't believe that anyone else offers a unit that provides anywhere near its capabilities and functions at the price. Yes, it is more expensive than some other units but you definitely get what you pay for in this case.
Tom K6TGT
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N2DY
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 15, 2008 14:04
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Update - Still Going Strong
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have had my Vantage Pro for 6 years now. I had only one issue. The magnetic rain gauge switch went bad over time. I called Davis and they sent out some replacements even though the unit was out of warranty. It was easily replaced and has worked flawlessly since. Readings continue to be accurate and consistent with a local professional weather station. I have taken it down a few times over the years to clean it up a little. Other than that, it has not needed any other maintenance or repair. If it ever does go bad, I will certainly buy the latest Davis model to replace it.
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W8SPM
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Rating: 0/5
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Jan 15, 2008 11:34
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Bad Unit
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Bought this unit in 10-2001 and I had problems within 30 days and the motherboard had to be replaced ! Over the next 5 years I replaced the board about 4 more times and in 3-2006 I sent the entire unit to Davis to be re-built ! It didn't work but a few months when I started having more problems ! Long story short I think the parts in this unit are prone to fail and for $500 I expect a lot more from a weather station like this ! The Customer Service is terrible and I am very unhappy with Davis !
If I were considering a purchase of a weather station I would stay away from Davis Instruments !
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N5CSU
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 12, 2007 19:50
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Flawless
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have had this unit in use for at least 4 years and it has been flawless. Using Weather Link and Virtual Weather Station sodtware for APRS and it has been just perfect. Highly recommended.
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9H1JJ
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Rating: 4/5
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Jun 9, 2007 04:02
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almost perfect
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have the David weatherstation wireless 3 years now and I feel like ITZJUSTME down the log.
The reception to the logging device is sometimes good, sometimes unavailable. In short unreliable.
I also must state here that I disagree that a totally new non compatible version II has been set in the market so that initial users are forced to throw their other kid away in stead of a simple upgrade !
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K4TBN
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 15, 2005 18:19
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Perfect
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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This install is now just over 6 months old. Everything works. Xmit range is 90 ft. Also using Weatherlink with zero problems, but my learning curve was very steep.
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KL8DX
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 4, 2005 16:58
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Two Thumbs Up!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have had my wireless station in operation for over a year now. It has not skipped a beat and it continues to work like the first day I opened it. Does not seem to be effected by any RF that I create transmittin on any of the ham bands. It works well below zero and I have seen winds near 70 mph at my location. Tons of features so keep the cheat sheet handy!
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W9NLP
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Rating: 4/5
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Nov 8, 2004 04:12
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Works good
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Once the defective ISS board was replaced and installed, everything has worked fine. Unit is mounted at 40', and has handled Wisconsin winters for 4 years now without a problem.
Used an earlier Peet Brothers station, but got tired of replacing reed switches and anemometer cups. The Davis unit is far superior.
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ITZJUSTME
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Rating: 4/5
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Oct 17, 2004 18:02
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Almost Perfect
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I just got my weather station, plan on getting the Weatherlink soon, and the system is ALMOST perfect. The sensors seem very accurate, it has a nice looking console, very up-to-date looking, but the problem lies with the wireless connection. I couldn't say the console and ISS are even more than 75 feet apart, but the connection is, nicely said, just not very good. Sometimes it can be perfect, then other times it won't work at all! My house has concrete outer walls which might lie as part of the problem, but it should still go further than it is going. Other than this, I am very pleased with the station.
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ROB_MD
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Rating: 5/5
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May 15, 2004 15:43
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Great Product
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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The product has worked smoothly since installation 6 months ago. The only downside (a minor one) is the lengthly assembly process. Have also added Weatherlink and a Soil Temp/Moisture station. I would recommend the product without hesitation.
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