I'm interested in buying a barometer. What features should I look for? Any particular brands/models I should avoid? Do you have a favorite brand/model? I sail the Chesapeake for weekend to month long cruises. It will be mounted in the cabin.
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Quality and features
Buy the best quality you can afford as a good one should last a lifetime. A good heavy enclosure, regardless of material, will protect the instrument from shock damage. Of course, you must get one with a tell-tale. That's the adjustable marker moved by a knurled knob on the face. We're only interested in relative movement of the aneroid needle from where it was at some time previously. The fact that it's at 890mb, in the "rain" portion of the dial is irrelavent. You're probably already aware that there's a hurricane out there by other observations, ie...your anchor just flew by your head! The trend is what you're looking at. Some come with temp., rel. humidity in same instrument. Some are luminescent. Weems and Plath offer some pretty nice ones and will stand behind them. I wish someone made a recording barometer (barograph) in a small size. It's easier to track the trend. I also wish I'd saved the chart off the one on the SS President Madison when we were in that typhoon off Keelung. I know the drum was turning, but that ink line sur looked vertical when the bottom dropped out. Guy
Buy the best quality you can afford as a good one should last a lifetime. A good heavy enclosure, regardless of material, will protect the instrument from shock damage. Of course, you must get one with a tell-tale. That's the adjustable marker moved by a knurled knob on the face. We're only interested in relative movement of the aneroid needle from where it was at some time previously. The fact that it's at 890mb, in the "rain" portion of the dial is irrelavent. You're probably already aware that there's a hurricane out there by other observations, ie...your anchor just flew by your head! The trend is what you're looking at. Some come with temp., rel. humidity in same instrument. Some are luminescent. Weems and Plath offer some pretty nice ones and will stand behind them. I wish someone made a recording barometer (barograph) in a small size. It's easier to track the trend. I also wish I'd saved the chart off the one on the SS President Madison when we were in that typhoon off Keelung. I know the drum was turning, but that ink line sur looked vertical when the bottom dropped out. Guy
It depends
on what you want to use it for. If it is decoration get the one that looks the best. If you really want to use the barometer I suggest a barograph instead. The barograph records the changes in pressure over time and based on those changes can give you a forecast of conditions coming up. We have one on the boat and one at home. They don't replace NOAA forecasts, but can be helpful to get a general idea of what is going on.
on what you want to use it for. If it is decoration get the one that looks the best. If you really want to use the barometer I suggest a barograph instead. The barograph records the changes in pressure over time and based on those changes can give you a forecast of conditions coming up. We have one on the boat and one at home. They don't replace NOAA forecasts, but can be helpful to get a general idea of what is going on.
How about
those digital ones? Aren't hey reliable since they do not have moving parts as much as those mechanical ones?
those digital ones? Aren't hey reliable since they do not have moving parts as much as those mechanical ones?
Thanks - one more question
What is "temperature compensated"? I noticed some of the high end Weems & Plath note that as a feature yet some others don't. This is partly decoration as I want it to match the clock & tide clock that came with our boat, but I also want it to be useful. Yes, I do plan to have the "tell-tale" as I understand its mostly about the CHANGE in pressure. A barograph would be very cool, but a bit more than I need for my limited use.
What is "temperature compensated"? I noticed some of the high end Weems & Plath note that as a feature yet some others don't. This is partly decoration as I want it to match the clock & tide clock that came with our boat, but I also want it to be useful. Yes, I do plan to have the "tell-tale" as I understand its mostly about the CHANGE in pressure. A barograph would be very cool, but a bit more than I need for my limited use.
What happened to Chelsea?
Wheems & Plath in my opinion are like everything else made cheap or made cheap in China as cheaply made imitations cheap cheap junk now widely excepted by a new audience of boaters unfamiliar with what quality used to be. What used to be Perko, or Cole Hersy, for example, is now Plastimo, made in China, or India, junk! The best choice for a clock and barometer used to be Chelsea or Boston and made to last a couple of hundred years. Try looking for these at used ship chandlerys or even Ebay.
Wheems & Plath in my opinion are like everything else made cheap or made cheap in China as cheaply made imitations cheap cheap junk now widely excepted by a new audience of boaters unfamiliar with what quality used to be. What used to be Perko, or Cole Hersy, for example, is now Plastimo, made in China, or India, junk! The best choice for a clock and barometer used to be Chelsea or Boston and made to last a couple of hundred years. Try looking for these at used ship chandlerys or even Ebay.
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