Vion Meteo Explorer 5000

Product: Vion Meteo Explorer 5000

Price: £99.95

Type of product: Weather Station

Reviewer: Joe Lucas

Date of review: 28th April 2004

Meteo Explorer features

I have been extremely impressed with pretty much all the aspects of this fantastic piece of kit. When I first recieved the station, I was anxious that the explorer would take ages to put together and program - but I was pleasantly surprised. The set of instructions were very straightforward and easy to follow, and they gave sound advice on where to position the outdoor sensor. The instructions didn't assume anything -they gave detailed, literal instructions on all aspects and functions of the weather station, from inserting the batteries.... to programming the graph!

The station is certainly visually attractive, with each indicator layed out in a clear and understandable way. The stand that is provided with the explorer means it can be located pretty much anywhere without looking out of place, and the silver backing to the station makes it look decidedly modern. Even the outdoor sensor looks good!

As soon as the outdoor sensor has been installed, the explorer attempts to pick up its signal, and then displays the outdoor temp & humidity on an appropriate display. It does take a bit of time to decide just *where* to locate the outdoor sensor, with just about every part of your garden exposed to just a limited amount of sunlight at one time of the day it seems, and it can be a frustrating process. Once you've got the positioning right though, the max/min value memory can make this explorer extremely useful for writing weather logs or whatever you want to do.

Good trend forecasts are also featured on the explorer, which I have found so far to be fairly accurate. It even has a confidence rating to state whether the explorer has enough data to make an accurate forecast!

The graph feature is also interesting, as you can set the explorer to produce a graph on past hours temp, humidity or pressure. You can choose the time period as well, ranging from 6h hours, through to 48 hours, which is an excellent tool for comparison. You can also set the alarm to go off if the outdoor/indoor temp exceeds a certain level, or of course if it goes below a certain temp at night. Very dedicated/concerned gardeners could find this very useful indeed!

The relatively weak LCD display should ensure that the batteries last for a lengthy period, and I'm sure this device will come in useful - particularly on those roasting summer days, or freezing winter nights.

A really good piece of kit. Enjoy.

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