RainWise MK-III-RTI Solar Powered Wireless Pro Weather Station w/ Mahogany Base Unit

I have had a MK-III unit with display and rain gauge for 5 years. I have had a few failures and support has been responsive via E mail.1. Receiver stopped transmitting to the Oracle no data. Data was being received by the IP-100 interface on the NET. For some reason I switched receivers from the two and both worked.2.Battery failed on the 5th year this spring. Easy replacement. RainWise price was competitive with Amazon offers.3.Brown out during storm caused Receiver for Oracle to fail. Started recording wild rainfall accumulations. 8 inches in 10 min. as an example.I contacted support and they responded within a couple of hours. Said it sounded like a problem with display and call office to troubleshoot.I still had the replacement receiver I ordered 2 years earlier (89 bucks) so I took a chance and swapped with the one for the Oracle. Bingo... display began to display proper rainfall totals.Mine is the 433 MHZ. Not sure they make it anymore. I like the freq. so it does not interfere with all the other wireless stuff running on the property.

The RainWise is a handsome unit and its construction is sturdy. However, I had several problems with the console which was giving faulty readings and then the rain gauge was not working properly. The worst part is that if you have any issues with your RainWise unit, YOU have to manually repair the unit with parts that they send to you. If you are not adept with electronics, then this might be something to consider. I was disappointed to pay over $1000 for a product only to be told that I had to do my own repairs. The unit never worked properly even after my self-repairs. I asked for a replacement weather station and they refused. Another note about this "improved" weather station is that the thermometer is sandwiched in between the rain gauge and on top of the solar panel/circuitry. There is no way this station can provide an accurate temperature reading when those metal parts heat up.

I purchase my first RainWise unit in 1999. The unit was mounted 75 feet from the Pacific Ocean and worked perfect for more than 5 years. After 5 years the sea spay started attacking electrical parts within the unit but RainWise and their great customer service department always worked with me to replace at no-charge any electrical boards that went out. The unit continued to work until last Christmas when I decided to purchase a new unit. The RainWise unit had lasted a total of 14 years in the very worst environmental conditions. The customer service has always been fantastic. I strongly recommend a RainWise unit.In 1998 I originally bought a Davis Instrument unit. During the first 6 months the unit failed 7 times and finally after the 6th month it died. I sent the unit back to Davis who informed me that their unit was not designed for this environment. The Davis distributor refunded my money and sold me my first RainWise unit.

two things bother me about this setup. first, the temp sensor is right against and/or too close to the black rain gauge. this would cause an issue with heat radiating from the rain gauge on a sunny day. second, the wind sensor is likely to block some rainfall during certain wind directions based on its proximity to the rain gauge. for the price of this unit, they should have put some more thought into these things. of course both problems could be eliminated by allowing thr pole with the temp and wind sensors to be lifted a few feet above the rain gauge...if it does, then nevermind. ;-)