Frequently Asked Questions

Our weather stations base forecast on rate of change of pressure. This does not display what is happening right now, but rather, if the weather will change in the next 24 to 48 hours due to changes in barometric pressure.

In general, if the rate of change of pressure increases, the weather is improving (sunny). If the rate of change of pressure decreases, the weather is degrading (cloudy or rainy). If the rate of change is relatively steady, it will read partly cloudy or partly sunny (depending on the type of weather station).

The reason the current conditions do not match the forecast icon is because it is a prediction 24-48 hours in advance. In most locations, this prediction is only 70% accurate and it is a good idea to consult the National Weather Service for more accurate weather forecasts. In some locations, this prediction may be less or more accurate.

The National Weather Service (and other weather services such as Accuweather and The Weather Channel) have many tools at their disposal to predict weather conditions, including weather radar, weather models, and detailed mapping of ground conditions.  Thus, these forecasts are significantly more accurate then forecasts based on rate of change of pressure.

You will need to give the weather station enough time to predict changes in weather. This can take up to 30 days, depending on where you live.

FAQs:

1. The icons on my weather station have not changed in the short time I have owned it. You will need to give the weather station enough time to predict changes in weather. This can take up to 30 days, depending on where you live.
2.  Can I change the set points that trigger changes in the forecast icon?  With some Ambient Weather Stations (not most), there is the option “Pressure Threshold Setting”. The pressure threshold (the negative or positive rate of change of pressure signifying a change in the weather) can be adjusted by the user from level 2 to level 4 (default level 2 mbar/hour). Check your User’s Manual for this feature.  The lower the level pressure threshold setting, the higher sensitivity for weather forecast changes. Locations that experience frequent changes in air pressure require a higher setting compared to locations where the air pressure is typically stagnant.

In general, when following the regular maintenance schedule in the user manual a user can expect a 3 to 10 year life before fully replacing the sensor array. A weather station’s life expectancy is greatly impacted by it’s environment see examples below:

1. Coastal, Marsh or Wetland environments. Salt air, salt spray and acidification are the most difficult environments for weather stations to have a long life. The salt air, salt spray and acidification corrode bearings, sensor boards (temperature, humidity, etc.), mounting hardware and other moving parts. Expect a 1-3 year product life span in this type of environment. Ambient Weather's sensors boards are all conformal coated to prevent this corrosion. The nature of digital thermometer and hygrometer sensors relying on electrical resistance of metal changes allows the corrosion to occur more quickly
2. Long term high humidity environments. Prolonged exposure to high levels of humidity, whether salt, acidic or not, predisposes metal parts to fail prematurely. In a hot and dry environment weather stations are known to last 7-10 years.
3. Hurricanes and tropical storms can also reduce the life of a weather station.

Ambient Weather’s weather stations carry a one year warranty.

No, it does not.  Virtual Weather Station (VWS) has been discontinued. Most of our weather stations are direct to Internet and communicate with our hosting service at AmbientWeather.net.

Please visit or Community Page to find a list of applications that work with AmbientWeather.net:

Community

No, it does not.  Virtual Weather Station (VWS) has been discontinued. Most of our weather stations are direct to Internet and communicate with our hosting service at AmbientWeather.net.

Please visit or Community Page to find a list of applications that work with AmbientWeather.net:

Community

1. Download the most recent version from the Downloads page here:https://cumuluswiki.wxforum.net/a/Main_Page
2. Install and run the software. To communicate to this weather station, select Configuration | Station menu in Cumulus and select the Fine Offset station type option under Station Type.

To reset the total rain, press the MENU button until the rain field flashes.

Press the up key until the total rain is showing in the display field (the display alternates between 1 hour, 24 hour, week, month and total rain increments).

Press the enter key four times until the total rain reset function is flashing.

The rain and CLEAR will begin flashing. To reset, press enter key for 3 seconds and the 1 hour, 24 hour, week, month and total rain will reset to 0.

Note that the total rain is the accumulated amount since the last reset, and it not yearly rain, so if you wish total rain to display the yearly rain, you will need to reset the total rain to 0.00 on January 1.

A factory reset will restore the memory to default conditions.

1. Press and Hold the UP arrow key for 30 seconds to restore the display console to factory default. The console will beep and reset after 30 seconds.
2. Let go of the UP arrow key.
3. Wait several minutes for the outdoor sensor to resync with the console. Do not touch any buttons while waiting.
4. You will need to set up the console again per the User Manual.

If the sensor array is not communicating to the console:

1. Replace the batteries. We recommend Lithium Energizer Ultimate batteries. Please reference:

   Why Are Lithium Ultimate Batteries Recommended And Not Alkaline Or Rechargeable Batteries?

2. The LED on the bottom of the unit should light up after replacing the batteries, and then flash once per minute. If the LED does not flash, the sensor array needs replacing.
3. Power down and up the console by removing one battery, wait about 30 seconds and replace the battery in the console. DO NOT TOUCH ANY BUTTONS. If the problem persists, the sensor array needs replacing.
4. We have a one year warranty. To replace the sensor array under warranty, please visit: www.AmbientWeather.com/rma.html

   If out of warranty, the sensor array can be replaced here: https://www.ambientweather.com/amws5300array.html

Some consoles allow for calibration of the following parameters:

• Indoor Temperature
• Outdoor Temperature
• Indoor Humidity
• Outdoor Humidity
• Wind Speed

To determine of your console as calibration, refer to the User Manual here:

https://p10.secure.hostingprod.com/@site.ambientweatherstore.com/ssl/Manuals/ws2080a.pdf

Section 6.13.

1. Remove the batteries and replace with non-rechargeable Energizer Lithium batteries. We have a discussion here:My Rechargeable Batteries No Longer Work. Which Batteries Are Recommended For My Weather Station?
   
2. Clean any corrosion around and on the battery terminals.
3. If the problem persists, the sensor array must be replaced. We have a one year warranty. To replace under warranty, please visit: www.AmbienetWeather.com/rma.html
   
4. If out of warranty, a replacement array can be purchased here: https://www.ambientweather.com/amws5300array.html

If the console temperature reads 140 degF or -40 degF, a factory reset may resolve this issue.

To restore to factory default settings,

1. Press and Hold the UP arrow key for 30 seconds to restore the display console to factory default. The console will beep and reset after 30 seconds.
2. Let go of the UP arrow key.
3. Wait several minutes for the outdoor sensor to resync with the console. Do not touch any buttons while waiting.
4. You will need to set up the console again per the User Manual.
5. If the problem persists, the console needs replacing. We have a one year warranty. To replace under warranty, please visit:
   www.AmbientWeather.com/rma.html
6. To replace out of warranty, visit: https://www.ambientweather.com/amwewswihowe1.html

To set DST to on, you must be in the Time Set Mode.

Press the menu key to enter the TIME Set Mode. You can skip over any setting by selecting the enter key.

1. Display (LCD) Contrast Level. The display contrast value will begin flashing (example, lcd0 thru lcd8). The lowest LCD contrast level 0 and the highest LCD contrast level is 8.

   Press the up key or down key to adjust the contrast level from 0 to 8 (the default is 5).

2. Time Zone. Press the enter key to display the time zone. The time zone value will begin flashing.

   Press the up key or down key to adjust the time zone from -12 to 12, based on the number of hours from Coordinated Universal Time, or Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

3. 12/24 Hour Format. Press the enter key to change the 12/24 hour format.  Press the up key or down key to alternate the display unit between 12 hour format and 24 hour format.
4. Daylight Saving Time. Press the enter key to turn ON and OFF daylight savings time (DST) observance (example, Arizona and parts of Indiana do not observe daylight savings time).  Press the on/off key to alternate the display unit between ON and OFF.

   Note – the on/off key is on the bottom and doubles are the alarm key .

5. Wait 24-72 hours for the time to correct itself for DST.

This is generally caused by a corruption in memory, sometimes by third party software. A factory reset will restore the memory to default conditions.

1. Press and Hold the UP arrow key for 30 seconds to restore the display console to factory default.  The console will beep and reset after 30 seconds.
2. Let go of the UP arrow key.
3. Wait several minutes for the outdoor sensor to resync with the console. Do not touch any buttons while waiting.

If the software stops updating, the console may require a factory reset.

To restore to factory default settings,

1. Press and Hold the UP arrow key for 30 seconds to restore the display console to factory default. The console will beep and reset after 30 seconds.
2. Let go of the UP arrow key.
3. Wait several minutes for the outdoor sensor to resync with the console. Do not touch any buttons while waiting.
4. You will need to set up the console again per the User Manual.

If the console updates once and then stops updating outside weather conditions, the console must be replaced.

We do have a one year warranty. Please visit: www.AmbientWeather.com/rma.html

If out of warranty, console replacements are available here:

https://www.ambientweather.com/amwewswihowe1.html

1. If you own a display console, if the display is on rain rate, and it has not updated in the last 10 minutes, the rain will read 0.00 in. Change the display to read daily, weekly, monthly or yearly rain by pressing the rain key. Does the rain stay at 0.00?
2. Check the funnel for any debris. Clean the funnel.
3. Remove the funnel and check for any debris that may be affecting the tipping mechanism. Tip the mechanism back and forth. Does the rain update on the console? Check for any bugs or dirt. Clean with a damp, soft cloth.
   
4. If the problem persists, we have a one year warranty. Please visit www.AmbientWeather.com/rma.html
5. If out of warranty, the sensor array can be replaced here:  https://www.ambientweather.com/amws5300array.html

The console is not booting up and cannot be repaired.

We have a one year warranty. To replace under warranty, visit: www.AmbientWeather.com/rma.html

Out of warranty replacement is available here:

https://www.ambientweather.com/amwewswihowe1.html

If the wind speed reads 0.0 even when the cups are spinning, the sensor array will need replacing.

We have a one year warranty. For details, please visit:

www.AmbientWeather.com/rma.html

For out of warranty replacement, visit:

https://www.ambientweather.com/amws5300array.html

The sensor array also works with the Model WS-2080.

The AC adapter port is not implemented and cannot be used to power the console.

You can use the USB port combined with a USB to AC adapter, like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017TXGM4I/

to power the console.

If the wind and rain is not reporting to the display console, but temperature and humidity are. there is an issue with the sensor array and must be replaced.

We have a one year warranty. To replace under warranty, please visit:

www.AmbientWeather.com/rma.html

For out of warranty replacements, visit:

https://www.ambientweather.com/amws5300array.html

1. Replace the batteries. We recommend Lithium Energizer Ultimate batteries. Please reference:Why Are Lithium Ultimate Batteries Recommended And Not Alkaline Or Rechargeable Batteries?
   
2. We have a one year warranty. To replace the sensor array under warranty, please visit: www.AmbientWeather.com/rma.html

   If out of warranty, the sensor array can be replaced here: https://www.ambientweather.com/amws5300array.html

1. Press the history key to review and clear the historical data.
2. Press the enter key to clear memory. The memory fill icon will be flashing.
3. Press and hold enter key for 3 seconds to clear memory.

Note:

The console stores up to 4080 complete sets of weather data with associated time and date stamp. The base station will lose all of the weather data if there a power interruption. In the event the memory is full, the old data is overwritten by the new data.

If the relative barometric pressure never changes and the absolute pressure reads 0.00, the console requires replacing.

We have a one year warranty. For details, please visit: www.AmbientWeather.com/rma.html

The product has been discontinued and no longer available.

If the sensor array is no longer blinking or flashing, the array must be replaced.

We have a one year warranty. To replace under warranty, please visit: www.AmbientWeather.com/rma.html

Otherwise, the sensor array can be replaced here:  https://www.ambientweather.com/amws5300array.html

1. Replace the batteries. We recommend the following batteries:
   My Rechargeable Batteries No Longer Work. Which Batteries Are Recommended For My Weather Station?
2. Clean any corrosion around and on the battery terminals.
3. If the problem persists, the sensor array must be replaced. We have a one year warranty. To replace under warranty, please visit: www.AmbienetWeather.com/rma.html
   
4. If out of warranty, a replacement array can be purchased here: https://www.ambientweather.com/amws5300array.html

Update – this model was discontinued and replacement parts are no longer available.

If the sensor array drains batteries quickly after the batteries are replaced:

1. Remove the batteries and replace with non-rechargeable Energizer Lithium batteries. We have a discussion here:

My Rechargeable Batteries No Longer Work. Which Batteries Are Recommended For My Weather Station?

2.  Clean any corrosion around and on the battery terminals.

3. If the problem persists, the sensor array must be replaced. We have a one year warranty. To replace under warranty, please visit: www.AmbientWeather.com/rma.html

4. If out of warranty, the sensor has been discontinued and no longer available:  https://www.ambientweather.com/amws5300array.html

Product Manual
https://ambientweather.com/mwdownloads/download/link/id/558/

Product Page
https://www.ambientweather.com/amws2090.html