| I could talk all day about weather. Weather is one | | | | other instruments that you can pick up if you |
| of my favorite subjects and I learned about it | | | | want, like a hygrometer or a psychrometer. Both |
| growing up and later over the Internet. Yea, I | | | | of them measure the relative humidity, something |
| bought a few books about it too. It's one of | | | | you'll want to know later. You can get all these |
| those things that, as you grow older and get into | | | | components one at a time or you can do like I |
| a career, you wish you had done it instead of | | | | did and simply buy a home weather station that |
| your current career. I wish I had become a | | | | has all this stuff already in it and it comes in one |
| meteorologist but I've done the next best thing. I | | | | box. You unpack it, take the different sensors |
| have my own home weather station that I | | | | and instruments outside and install them, put in |
| forecast my local weather with. | | | | some batteries because it's wireless and go inside |
| What's really fun is when I can look at my | | | | and set up the software on your computer. It |
| weather equipment and get the same results as | | | | took me about an hour to do the entire thing. |
| the guys on TV and they have the National | | | | Now, I'm the neighborhood meteorologist. |
| Weather Service (NWS) to get their information | | | | There are thousands of amateur meteorologists |
| from. My neighbors all come to me when they | | | | all over the world and all exchange information |
| have questions about the weather and what to | | | | and keep weather records for their communities. |
| expect the next day or so. If they're going out of | | | | Though most are not formally educated in |
| town, they call me to find out what I think about | | | | meteorology, the point is, they love it and have a |
| the weather in a city 400 miles away. I usually | | | | lot of interest in watching the weather. |
| just tell them to look at the weather map for | | | | If you happen to be looking for some good |
| that information because I can only predict what | | | | wireless home weather stations at a good price |
| the weather is going to do here in my town. | | | | let me make a few recommendations here. Keep |
| You know what? You could do the same thing. | | | | in mind that the prices go from low to high and |
| It's a lot of fun and it's comforting knowing that | | | | the big difference is the grade of technological |
| the weather is going to change without having to | | | | advances used in the instruments. Most lower |
| run to the TV or wait until the news comes on to | | | | priced stations will work very well, especially if |
| get my weathercast information. In order to start | | | | you're just beginning to become a weather bug. |
| forecasting and learning about your own weather, | | | | For the higher priced models look at the Davis |
| all you've got to have are some simple weather | | | | Instruments 6152 Wireless Vantage Pro2 with |
| instruments like an indoor outdoor thermometer, | | | | Standard Radiation Shield. A great piece of |
| a barometer, a rain gauge, a windvane and an | | | | technology and can be had for around $750. |
| anemometer. There are a few other tools that | | | | Another much respected and highly |
| you'll pick up and learn about as you get more | | | | recommended high end weather station is the |
| into it but for now that's about all you need. Oh, | | | | Davis Instruments 6153 Vantage Pro2 with |
| yea, and access to either NOAA or NWS | | | | 24-Hour Fan Aspirated Radiation Shield. |
| weather maps on your computer. | | | | For the really good weather stations that are not |
| The thermometer gives you the surrounding | | | | priced quite so high, consider the P3 |
| temperature. We've all grown up with some type | | | | INTERNATIONAL METRIC Wireless Professional |
| of weather thermometer all our lives. The | | | | Weather Station or the La Crosse WA-1340 |
| barometer provides a measurement of the | | | | Weather Direct TALKING Wireless Weather |
| atmospheric pressure which tells you when the | | | | Station. Oregon Scientific also makes some great |
| weather's changing or likely to change very soon. | | | | home weather stations as does Honeywell. |
| The rain gauge just catches the rain, when it falls, | | | | Whatever your choice, you will not believe how |
| and tells you how much fell over your area. The | | | | much fun it can be to watch the weather and |
| windvane and anemometer are two instruments | | | | predict the next big storm before the guys on |
| that tell you which direction the wind's coming | | | | TV. |
| from and how fast it's blowing. There are a few | | | | |