Barometers

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Cobra25

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I am being offered the chance of a digital barometer for a present. Are they any good. Compass do one for £60 or so. tells tide, time, pressure, previous trend etc. etc alarm. Anybody got one? Any advice etc. TIA
 
Yes, I've got one right beside me at the computer. Gives good baro readings in-line with baro readings from the three closest reporting stations - Culdrose, Camborne and Seven Stones Lightship.

The digital baro on the boat is the one in the Navman 7200 DSC VHF. That was reading in sympathy with the one here while I was playing with it at home.

One thing you do notice with the digital baro, is that it will show 1mb easier than looking at a normal baro.

There is a French "Vion" baro that will read in 10th's of 1mb. Have a look at it in this German website http://www.schwenckner.de/MySQL-Shop/index.php - and it is cheaper than the UK baro - but without tide/moon phases.
 
Mine is multi function inc weather forecasting/alarm clock etc - from the Science Museum. RRP 29.95 Excellent value. Step onto EB*y and look up weather stations - hundreds avaialble all doing different things, and accurate too.
 
Have a beautiful aneroid one in a mahogany case which reads to 1/20th mB easilly. Trouble is it needs a 180v small 'pile' battery to drive the 'magic leaves' which has long since expired. Must get around to fitting it with a tiny inverter.

Party piece used to be to carry it upstairs and tell people how much higher they were /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Even the makers plate is great: "MECHANISM Ltd, CROYDON"

Vic
 
[ QUOTE ]
Whilst on the subject - how does one get a new barometer properly calibrated?

[/ QUOTE ]Barometers only have one adjustment so all you need to do is to set the correct pressure when you know what that should be. There is a network of met stations around the Solent which would probably be convenient for you. The Southampton one hasn't been working properly for the last few weeks at least but the one on the Bramble Bank is reporting. See Bramble Met
 
I bought one of the electronic ones with an LCD display giving actual mB and the values on a bar chart over the previous 24 hours or so. It died on my after three seasons. The trend over 24 to 48 hours is much more interesting to an amateur forecaster than the exact pressure (other than in certain parts of the tropics) so if you have a choice go for something that gives a graphical output. A real barograph would be lovely given the space, and a nice one costs several hundred pounds. These days, recording barographs have felt tip pens rather than the old ink pens that always dried up, and quartz movements rather than clockwork. Lovely present that would make.
 
I tried to buy a digital barometer but could not find one. So, I bought an old style one in Sydney. When I returned to Canberra I looked at it and the reading was stupid. So, on my next trip to Sydney I exchanged it - thinking it to be faulty. The reading on this one was reasonable in Sydney, but when I arrived back in Canberra it was stupid again. Then, the penny dropped - altitude!

I now have a barometer adjusted so that I can use it in Canberra. However, when I take my trailer sailer to the coast it would need to be reset. Unscrewing it from the mounting postion and resetting on each trip is too much trouble. So, it does not get used.

Ray
 
Looking at mine too. Barometer seems accurate althought the pressure trend flashes sequentially and is most annoying. The tide only gives an indication of springs and neaps ie. it changes from 'H' to 'M' to 'L' and back, tracking the phases of the moon. Ok little toy though. Mine was 18 quid in Aldi, not sure I'd pay much more than that.
 
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