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How to Hook Up an Oregon Scientific Station to Weather Underground

The Weather Underground is a loosely organized network of self-appointed weather aficionados across the globe. People in the network are required to set up their personal weather stations in accordance with a reasonable set of guidelines, and then make their data available to others on the network. You need to register to join, and purchase only approved equipment, such as from Oregon Scientific. You'll also need to get compatible weather software that can format and display your data. Then, it's just a matter of configuring your software to become part a weather station on the Weather Underground network.

Things You'll Need

Weather equipment
Weather software

Instructions

- 1
  Create an Underground Weather account. Register your name and email address for a free account, or get an upgraded account for just $10, as of the time of publication, that will provide your weather page with ad-free viewing.
- 2
  Read and follow the rules from the Weather Underground for becoming part of the global weather network. You'll need to agree to abide by the rules of participation set forth in the membership agreement in order to gain access to the network. Hold on to your weather station ID and password. You'll need it during software configuration.
- 3
  Select weather station equipment from the current available Oregon Scientific weather instruments. Use the "hardware" link from the Weather Underground site to find the latest weather station models.
- 4
  Establish the best location for your weather equipment in accordance with the guidelines from the Weather Underground. Set up wireless temperature, humidity and wind gauges outdoors, and attach the weather station instrument panel to your computer via a USB cable.
- 5
  Set up a rain collector with a rain gauge that is at least 5 feet away from buildings or tall obstructions. In crowded urban areas, where these criteria may be hard to comply with, make sure that the opposing structure is less than 10 feet tall. Use one of the wireless versions that Oregon Scientific makes to get instant readings indoors from your catchment location.
- 6
  Adhere to Weather Station requirements for the placement of your Oregon Scientific anemometer equipment. Ensure that it sits at a height of at least 33 feet, such as on a rooftop. Preferably, it should be the tallest object nearby.
- 7
  Select software, such as Weather Tracker or Weather Display, that is compatible with Oregon Scientific weather stations. Check the software recommendations from the Weather Underground Personal Weather Stations page.
- 8
  Open your Weather Underground Sign up email and click on the link. Select the name of your weather software from the list under "Detailed Instructions" to view the configuration settings.
- 9
  Install and configure your weather software on your Mac, Windows or Unix system. Wait for a day or two for your local forecast data to appear on the Weather Underground network.

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