And Now For Something a Little Different

An Oregon Weather Station may be just what you want tobring the outside weather records indoors, but Oregon are branching out.

They have also developed touch screen models, and productsthat use voice activation. While some of these are a littlegimmicky, there is no doubt that Oregon are capable ofconsiderable creative thought, and it shows on the margins ofthe Oregon Weather Station range.

Let's take a look at what they've come up with.

So When is a Weather Station not a Weather Station?

Oregon is certainly testing the limits of the concept of the weather station. And I don't just mean thecombination of temperature or humidity stations withalarm clocks, including ones which project theinformation on the bedroom wall.

Neither do I mean hand held weather stations, usually limitedto temperature and wind speed, or rain gauges which transmittheir data to inside consoles, but don't record anything else.These kinds of instruments either are, or will be, covered elsewhere on this website.

One very sensible idea from Oregon is a combination weatherstation and weather radio. This is also discussed on the Weather Radio page. Weather radio sets are a USA concept,where weather warnings are broadcast on special radiofrequencies and picked up on purpose built or modifiedradio receivers.

With their WRB308, Oregon have combined a temperaturehumidity station with a weather radio plus stand andrecharger. I have not yet seen it at retail outlets, but I'm sure that will come. It's a greatidea, although the $149.95 price may seem high.Check it out at the Oregon Weather Stationsite.

No doubt we'll see the price drop over coming months.It is also available under the John Deere brand, but atabout $25.00 more.

And how about a weather station with no outside sensors?Check out the WMS801. This one is for those who want tobe up to date with their local weather but don't wantthe hassle of setting up their own station.

This little device receives frequent signals from MSNweather and displays the data on a console like anynormal weather station, but none of it comes fromimmediately outside your window.

Added information includes three day forecasts, warnings,chance of precipitation, phases of the moon, and much more.

It does record and display inside temperature and calculates comfort levels, but overall I guess its a weather station you have when you don't have a weather station. It's relatively new, costs $199.95 from Oregon, and must be fairly popular because last timeI checked it was out of stock. You can find out moreat this Oregon Weather Station page.

As you can see, Oregon is an innovative company, and youmay care to check through their complete range at the Oregon Weather Station website. Many of their products are sold through giftshops, but a great alternative is to obtain your Oregon Weather Station through Amazon. Apart from products sold by Amazon itself, you are likely to find several online and street front reatilers using Amazon as an additional outlet. Most products sold through Amazon come with the same guarantees you will find elsewhere.

If you would like to return to the mainOregon page, just clickHere.

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*Product links and pricing. The products I mention are, in my opinion, the best of the range in each category.But this doesn't mean they are just what you are lookingfor, and it is always worth following the link to the manufacturer's page.

But don't buy from there - in almost all cases muchbetter prices are available from both shopfront and internetbased retailers. At all times eBay and Amazon are worthchecking out, and you will notice many of the links go toAmazon. Amazon has built a very sound reputation for customerservice, given the huge amount of business that passes throughtheir website, and many products are accompanied by cleardescriptions, alternatives, and reviews from customers. Thesecan be very helpful, and I shop at Amazon myself.

But prices can change very quickly there, so if you have madeup your mind on a product and you see a good price there, grab it before it goes.

Where possible, I provide links to other retailers where their prices are competitive. Some may be better than they seem ifthe prices include delivery and, where needed, batteries - check the terms they offer.

Finally, I stand to make small commissions on some of the productsI recommend. A lot of work goes into building and maintaining asite like this, and I am not ashamed if I recoup some of the costs,and even make a little money on top.

That being said, I will and do recommend sellers where I will notmake anything for myself. One of these is Ambient Weather, a useful retail site with good supporting information. But if you visit there, don't forget to come back!

Last update 31/12/2006