Thanks Ryan.. I'll check out those references.

I'm still using hardware-store equipment. My measurements are
currently limited to recording the day's low from my hi/low (mercury)
thermometer. It recieves direct sun most days and so is useless for
recording the daily high. My readings generally are a few degrees
different (both higher and lower) from the official NWS report for
Sacramento. I also record the "sky" ("partly cloudy" or whatever) but
have no decent instrumentation for any other measurement.

I still have a goal of purchasing one of the fancy new hand-held
weather instruments being offered by mail. From what I have read,
though, none but the most expensive are warranted to work reliably.
There are multiple reviews of both La Crosse and Oregon Scientific
which state that both companies have very poor customer service - to
the point of being unable to contact the companies at all. (I
searched Amazon for "weather instruments".) I guess hobbyist-level
equipment is still not quite "ready for prime time". So I am still
looking..

-R
Robert M. Peffer
West Sacramento, CA, USA


--- In meteorology@yahoogroups.com, "arem_29" <arem_29@y...> wrote:
>
>
> Why dont you also try these one!.. http://www.tp
ub.com/meteorology.htm
> i hope you'll found these link very useful cause i found it very
> useful for me!..ohhh!...i forgot!...I'm Ryan!...hope it helps!..
>
> --- In meteorology@yahoogroups.com, "robpus" <rpeffer@i...> wrote:
> >
> > I have lived in West Sacramento, California for a few years.
> >
> > I have been lazily interested in meteorology since I was young. I
> > would like to begin recording the weather in my own back yard. I
do
> > not see this pursuit as being a generally useful hobby due to my
> very
> > local environment (in the suburbs, near my heated dwelling, etc.)
> but
> > it would be a great education and might be useful to somebody
> someday.
> > I have bills and a day-job (and a 100 mile-each-way commute) but
I
> am
> > sure I could muster the energy to record the information from
decent
> > weather equipment, if I had some.
> >
> > Currently I have only hardware-store grade equipment. Mercury
> > thermometers in which the scale was just slapped on, including
three
> > min/max thermometers in which the low-end scale and the high-end
> scale
> > do not show the same current temperature); hygrometers that show
85%
> > in a steamy bathroom, 30% in a dry oven; barometers in which the
> scale
> > from 29 inches through 31 inches in approx 1 deg of arc on the
face
> of
> > the barometer (thats an exaggeration but not much of one). In
short
> -
> > the cheapest possible equipment made to be decorative rather than
> > accurate.
> >
> > I have looked into electronic measuring equipment that hooks up a
> > computer and automatically records various measurements, but that
it
> > way more than I want or need or can afford. Besides, my goal is
to
> > learn how to measure the weather, not how to run a computer
program.
> >
> > I read a prior post which stated that the only good hygrometer is
of
> > the "sling psychrometer" variety and that Edmund Scientific sells
> such
> > an instrument.
> >
> > I have read the Jetstream Online Weather School offered by the
> > Southern Regional Headquarters of the National Weather Service
> > backwards and forwards and printed out the lists of symbols. The
> > weather tutorial at uiuc.edu has also been very helpful to me.
> >
> > I am interested in recording at my location:
> > --Daily high and low temps
> > --Sky
> > --Wind speed and direction
> > --Air pressure
> > --Relative humidity
> >
> > I would like this group's recommendations re: equipment that I
> should
> > use and also any general advice to a complete weather newbie.
> >
> > Thanks for reading this. I am looking forward to your replies.
> >
> > -R
> > Robert M. Peffer
> > West Sacramento, CA