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Customers most agreed on the following attributes:
from Sammamish, WA on 10/1/2008
The unit was fine until it quick working 90 days after purchase, [...] I expect products to last longer than 90 days! I will not shop at Radio Shack in the future.
I bought this unit a little over a year ago. It worked great, until we hired somebody to clean our yard and the remote disappeared. Now I find that Radio Shack does not sell additional remotes. Store employees used to be really helpful, but the one I met today kept telling me that one remote will support 3 base stations (and that helps me how since I don't have even one remote?), when the reality is that the base station supports 3 remotes (and theoretically a remote could support an unlimited number of base stations--the remotes broadcast, whoever wants to listens).
Why a store would sell a product that has a great feature like being able to support 3 remotes, yet doesn't sell additional remotes, is beyond me.
I really should have known better than to buy this from Radio Shack. You see, I bought a similar unit a few years ago, but when I returned to buy an additional remote they had discontinued the model and now had this model. Sound familiar?
I trusted Radio Shack for 30+ years as my preferred supplier of electronic items such as this. No more!
This is a great product, and it is supposed to be capable of having up to 3 remote sensors, but when my single sensor which came with the base unit broke, lo and behold radio shack does sell the remote sensors. So I don't know how anyone is supposed to replace or add additional sensor units.
I use the product to monitor outside temperature and inside humidity in the winter in order to adjust the humidity in the house to avoid condensation on windows. It works very well for this purpose.
The only problem that I have had is that the outside sensing unit failed after about 15 months of use. I have been unable to find a replacement unit at Radio Shack. The only solution seems to be to purchase the entire package.
We received this unit as a Christmas gift 1.5 years ago. The sending unit has suddenly quit working. We thought we only needed to replace the lithium batteries, but only inside temp unit works. I went to RS site looking for a way to contact them for help, with no success.
After reading a few reviews, I see that many people have had trouble with this unit, and it has given out over a short period of time. I also see that humidity values have not been accurate.
Before it quit, we loved the unit. It was great seeing the temp outside each day. The forcaster was fairly accurate also.
I'm disappointed, because I expected the unit to last AT LEAST 5 years.
from Flagstaff, AZ on 7/2/2008
[...] Temperature readings are consistent with base and remote units. Humidity readings are off +/- 5% when remote units and base units are sitting side by side. Temp readings are within 1 degree of a dial thermometer that I use for reference. I believe this unit is made by oregon scientific as my oregon scientific remote units work with the base unit. For [$] you cannot expect much, [...]
As others have said, the humidity readings are grossly inaccurate. It seems RS will put their name on anything these days, no matter the quality. More important, I've owned my unit less that a year and wanted to add another remote. They are discontinued, even though the base stations are still for sale. Doesn't inspire much confidence in the Radio Shack brand. Sorry to see them go south.
Exchanged 1st unit because it rattled in side. Loose parts or wiring. The 2nd unit did not work out of the box.Out door sensor must be bad. Even with the better batterys. What ever happened to quality control.
The unit works well, and it has THREE channels for remote sensors. The unit comes with two, but you cannot get an additonal sensor. Also, the atomic clock feature does not work if you're located in hilly or mountainous areas, where a signal is not available.
The unit is a nice size and the text is easy to read from a distance. The unit does not offer any backlight. Humidity readings are pretty inaccurate. The weather prediction has shown raining 90% of the time since day one. I do have the correct elevation set on the unit.
I purchased this weather station, model 63-1090, for temperature and humidity readings inside and outside. I have exchanged the device twice, so I have had three different units. The temperature readings are accurate. This must be easy to do as I have never had a digital thermometer whose readings were not. However, the humidity readings on all three units are not even close. They range from 5 to 20 points off. And they are not consistently incorrect throughout the range so that I can simply add or subtract some amount to get the correct reading. If you want to read humidity this unit is not worth a penny.
Product read temperatures correctly, but never got the barometric pressure correct. The remote unit failed after the third battery change, six months after use. We followed all the instructions regarding placement. [...]
from Albuquerque, NM on 1/24/2008
The sending unit failed after 1.5 year, even though it was installed in a sheltered environment. This is the second RadioShack thermometer that has failed on me in the last 5 years. I am done with their poor quality products.
from Detroit, Michigan Area on 1/22/2008
I got this unit as a gift for Christmas. I imediately placed LITHIUM batteries in remote as it does get cold in Michigan. I have not yet recorded a temp below 3.9 ?F (-11 ?C) as of this review so I have not experienced the -5 issue but will update the review if I do.
Some minor complaints: The remote took a while (~2 hours) to stabilize to the proper temperature (as checked against the base station and another thermometer I had) but after that has been very reliable and accurate (within a degree of a fairly expensive calibrated thermometer I use for work). I had to set the altitude a bit high (I set it to >1,000 ft AMSL but I live at ~950 ft AMSL) to get an accurate barrometeric reading, but after that have had no problems. I also experienced the 0/30 date on New Years Day and had to reset the date manually to 1/1. if this only happens once year I can deal with that. The manual was next to useless. It was obviously written by someone who is not a native english speaker. However, it was fairly simple to figure out what they were trying to convey and get the unit setup properly. When you replace the batteries in the remote you have to reset the base and the remote and you lose all of your settings! However, I am still on battery set number one (only one month in so I have not had this problem yet except during setup).
I placed the remote ~50 feet from the base through a single wall. So far I seem to be getting temps ~2 or 3 degrees colder than the temp on the weather channel but that is from the local airport in town and I live well out into the suburbs. Therefore I would expect the temperature I record to be a bit cooler.
My brothers and father have other similar units from different makers and they have all had many comunication problems between the remote and the base in the same time as I have had this unit. I have not had one problem with the base reading the remote. I really like that this unit has both indoor and outdoor relative humidity and displays the current barrometeric pressure. Too bad it does not log the min/max barrometeric pressure while logging the min/max temp and humidity.
All in all this is a GREAT unit for the price!
from Simsbury, CT on 1/12/2008
Outdoor reading works for a few days and then fails. New lithium batteries don' help. [...].
from Skowhegan, Maine on 1/11/2008
I really like this weather forecaster because it has large clear displays of time, temperatures, humidity, barometric pressure, time, and date. Using three sensors. Using one outside and two bedrooms. The main unit is in my radio communications station.
Images shared by: RenoWeather Forecaster at Bulldog Communications
Tags: Using Product
Got it for Christmas. Sensor hung outside about 7 feet high, under a soffit and away from direct sunlight (as much as possible). Indoor unit on wall opposite the outdoor sensor (within inches through the wall). Monitored several NWS observations near me and adjusted altitude to match pressure settings to the NWS obs. Had to set altitude about 50% higher than my location. Now pressure reads within .03-.05 in/Hg of nearby obs sites.
Outdoor temp is accurate (within 1 deg) and humidity usually within 5-8% of reported obs. Indoor temp sensor reads 3-5 degrees cooler, but could be due to placement on outside wall (facing North).
Atomic clock is strange. Looks like it is getting radio signal, but doesn't adjust clock. On Jan. 1, date displayed 0/30. Let it go overnight and this morning it read 1/1. So I manually set it to correct date (1/2/2008).
Overall, it's good for the outside temp and Bar. Press, if you calibrate it to nearby obs sites (adj altitude). Placement of outdoor sensor will likely affect performance and accuracy. Will have to see what happens as seasons change.
I've owned this product for a year now (it replaced one from Oregon Scientific) and I've been very pleased with it. It doesn't get too cold here so I haven't seen the problem with temperatures around -5F that some have reported. I did notice that the manual recommends using lithium batteries for the outdoor sensor for temperatures at and below that temperature. The indoor and outdoor temperatures agree with other thermometers that we have. I love the atomic clock feature too. Also, if you have trouble with the pressure, you may need to ajust your elevation value entered in the unit.
Way to go [...]! You almost had a good product. I guess you just assume that it never gets any colder than -4 since that's really cold in Fort Worth, TX.
from Seattle washington on 12/10/2007
The sensors do not work in temperatures below 35 degrees even with new batteriew all around.
from Columbia, SC on 11/11/2007
Worked great for about 6 months. Remote went dead and never came back to life. Out of luck now and have to purchase new station all together.
from Newport, Oregon on 11/6/2007
This unit was frustrating from the get-go. The instructions were cryptic, making it very difficult to set up. Although the temperature readings were accurate (I think), the weather predictions were nowhere near accurate. Perhaps the unit was predicting the weather for another location? When it was raining, the sun logo was lit; and when it was sunny, the rain logo was on. The barometer never did have an accurate reading. I checked the barometric pressure with the U.S. Coast Guard on a regular basis. The unit never coincided with the Coast Guard nor with the barometer in the house. The manager of my local [...] asked me to use the unit for one cycle of batteries. I did this. The performance never improved. I have just returned the unit to the store and received store credit. I will shop for a new weather station. I do not recommend this unit to anyone.
from Texas on 10/23/2007
Picked this item up over a week ago. After buying it, I went back to [...] and asked about another sensor. I was told they no longer make them. Well for the first four days, it predicted rain, when there were no clouds in the sky. Two nights ago I was awakened by a thunder storm. Checked on my weather station, and it was calling for sunshine. So far, it's nothing more than an expensive thermometer.
from Baltimore, MD on 9/15/2007
The thermometer works very well. I really like the remote sensor, so I bought two additional sensors. One for Outside, One for baby nursery, and one for my mother-in-law's bedroom. The wireless sensors last over 6 months and counting on batteries. The outside sensor is waterproof and withstands the heavy rains.
from Tucson, AZ on 9/1/2007
This set up is perfect if you have several acoustic guitars and want to monitor their humidity. I bought the 63-1090 and two additional sensors (via ebay). I put the sensors in the guitar cases. Since they're wireless, I don't even have to open the case to check the humidity! When the sensors were put next to each other in a closed environment, the readings were very close, quite precise. I'm not sure how accurate they are, apparently close enough. The atomic clock is also a nice feature.
from Harvey, LA on 8/12/2007
Worked first time out of the box. You do have to set up the remote sensor first and reset then set up the station and reset. Bought additional sensors a day after purchasing the weather monitor, however, I have found out that they will be discontinuing this unit. Remote sensors work from more then 30 feet away and through the walls.
Remote sending unit got wet (it got rained on) and now the humidity is way off. Shouldn't an outdoor unit be weather proof???
Outside Temperature was off by 10 degrees Farenhite.
The original sensor reads high on temperature but I have added two more for the basement and attic that work perfectly. Am planning to replace the original with a new sensor for outdoors.
I have three remotes - one in the garage, one in the living room, one outside, and the base in the kitchen. It's a great tool to monitor temps, and watch that things won't freeze in the garage. I'd buy it again.
Unit is priced right but mine produces a hih-pitched whine and the display can only be read from odd angles. This one is going back.
New unit remote sensor does not work, can't get signal to main unit. Will return to Radio Shack for exchange. Hope it is under some kind of warranty.
The "Atomic Clock" feature does not work. The maximum usable range of the remote sensor is 20 feet, not 100 feet as advertised. Don't buy a second or third remote sensor, as the base unit can only keep track of one at a time, even if you switch them to different channels. The manual is almost useless, and does not contain product specifications. This is a cheap toy, and don't count on getting a weather forecast - temp/humidity readings are all you can hope for.
Started out great. Accurate and functional. You quickly ditch other thermometers, etc. Base unit is very nice. However, the outside transmitter failed after 3 mos, and had to be replaced. Hope this one lasts better. Note: When you replace the TX batteries, you need to press reset on both TX and Base. (Keep your elevation data handy.)
Excellent value for money - I set the barometric pressure to the same as KRYY airport close by, and it tracks very well. I am adding THWR288A pool temp remote probe soon. Shame you can't connect to a PC, but very good value for money all the same.
The unit worked only for the first three month without a problem. Then is started to eat good batteries at a fast clip. The last set of batteries only lasted about 6hrs in the Transmitter:<(
The operation is exactly the same as the Oregon Scientific. Same 433 Ghz Freq, but remotes won't talk to the OS units. They are all built in China from the same parts. The only thing missing from this great unit is a lighted display. If it had a lighted display I would have given it a 5.
GREAT.....
Works great! Pretty accurate predictions too! Only wish I could get the atomic clock signal in Europe, it doesn't work here. Good value though!
Easy to setup. Wish it had wind and rain measurement capability
huh maybe the other guy should read his instruction manual Mine works great!!
Notice the illustration shows no data for the outside unit. This is very true to the operation of the actual product.