Post by account_disabled on Sept 12, 2023 4:20:31 GMT -5
the CastelMat 6000 is delivered almost fully assembled. It also includes a screwdriver and Allen wrench, as well as extra screws in case you lose one. For reference, it is best to assemble where the black screws are clearly visible. I lost one somewhere in the lawn. The only actual assembly work was to attach the anemometer to the top of the product.
You can use a wrench to firmly attach the Phone Number List mount to the mast. Almost everything needed for installation is included in the product package, making it very convenient. Additionally, the instructions were thorough and I was able to install it quickly. It took a few minutes to assemble and less than 30 minutes to start the actual measurements. Mounting and leveling the gauge on the mount took longer than installing it, and this process is important for the precipitation gauge and anemometer to operate accurately.
To minimize the collection of incorrect data during the installation process, it is recommended that after connecting the sensor to the Wi-Fi network, the power switch at the bottom is held in the down position until product installation is complete. Of course, don't forget to turn the power back on after installation. Castrel recommended doing this to prevent connection errors. Please note that there is no need to turn off the device other than during this installation process and regular cleaning.
Castrel is owned by Nielsen-Kellerman, which owns Ambient Weather.As it is a division of , the Cascral Mat 6000 is also connected to the Ambient Weather Network (AWN). There is no console for the system, so you must use the AWN website or app to access data.
The sensor part of the CastralMat 6000 is the largest among the products I have previously tested. ⓒ Ed Oswald/Foundry
Comparison with competing products
The price of CastralMat 6000 is the highest in its class. The only similarly priced competitors are Davis Instruments' Vantage Pro2 and Vantage Pro2 Plus , both of which feature WeatherLink Live for connectivity. ), additional devices such as WeatherLink Console are required. This means that this product costs an additional $500 to connect to the Internet.
Also, unlike the CastelMat 6000, the Vantage Pro 2 requires considerable assembly work. On the other hand, Castel's product supports all the features of the Vantage Pro 2 basic model and even has some additional features. Moreover, the only difference between the Vantage Pro 2 Plus and the Vantage Pro 2 is the fan intake, which prevents errors due to overheating on clear, hot days. However, this fan intake is a basic feature of Castel products.
The CastralMat 6000 is equipped with a large bucket that measures precipitation. It is equipped with bird spikes to prevent birds from approaching. Thanks to this, precipitation can be measured more accurately. ⓒ Ed Oswald/Foundry
basic functions
It was easy to install, but what about other features? I don't want to talk about the price again, but it is true that I am constantly worried about whether it is worth the price. In fact, there are very few weather stations in this price range. Therefore, it is justified to set the evaluation standard for Castel 6000 much higher than that of any other weather station.
Fortunately, after actually using it, this product met my ‘high’ standards. Thanks to the 24-hour intake fan, the weather was accurately measured even in direct sunlight. Bird spikes prevented birds from interfering with rainfall measurements. The accuracy of other sensors was also more accurate than previously tested products. The Ambient Weather app has a convenient interface and is easy to use. Additionally, the other sensors added to the CastelMat 6000 were intuitive. There is a line connecting an additional sensor to the main body, so it is automatically recognized and transmitted to AWN. Thanks to this, the installation process was very easy.
However, the barometer needed to be readjusted. During setup, CastelMat 6000 searches for the nearest official weather station and adjusts for elevation differences. However, perhaps this process did not proceed properly, and the air pressure did not appear in the data. However, this symptom appears in most other weather observation devices that I have previously tested, so it cannot be said to be a shortcoming of this product alone.
The large solar panel on the CastralMat 6000 is useful in winter when sunlight is short. ⓒ Ed Oswald/Foundry
The Wi-Fi connection was reliable, and the sensor was connected stably to my router, which was about 61 meters away. There are unlikely to be any connectivity issues even in gardens larger than 15m. This is an impressive result for a device that operates by connecting sensors and Wi-Fi. Most console-based devices use sub-GHz VHF frequencies, which support longer ranges.
If there is one thing that is disappointing about the CastralMat 6000, it is that the sun and ultraviolet ray measurement sensors are missing from the basic functions. This sensor is included in the WeatherFlow Tempest as well as the much cheaper Ambient Weather. It is incomprehensible that the CastelMat 6000, which is several times more expensive than these products, does not have this sensor. Additionally, the CastelMat 6000 does not have a lightning sensor. If you really need this sensor, it is recommended to purchase the Tempest.
Accuracy of Measurements
Before talking about the accuracy of CastralMat 6000, let us first clarify that the environment installed for testing was 1.2 to 1.8 meters above the ground. The accuracy of wind speed and volume may be somewhat reduced. The typical height for weather observation should be about 10.1m above the ground.
This also means that all other sensors are installed at about eye level. The fan intake function appears to have helped improve the accuracy of temperature and humidity.
The thermometer and hygrometer of the CastralMat 6000 are protected by radiation shielding. Additionally, 24-hour fan intake prevents hot air from remaining inside the device on hot days. ⓒ Ed Oswald/Foundry
The anemometer was very sensitive. It's even better than the Davis Vantage Vue I installed in 2016. Although it's been a few years and Davis recommends replacing anemometers every few years, the CastelMat 6000 can provide more precise measurements in light wind conditions. This difference seems to exist because it is a propeller system rather than the typical cup and wing shape.
As mentioned earlier, it was a dry spring, so I almost couldn't test the rainfall function of the Castel Mat 6000, but fortunately, rain arrived at the end of the review. To check the accuracy , I used the Stratus Precision Rain Gauge, an analog rainfall measurement device that I already owned . Of course, we also compared the data with the Davis Vintage View, which is known to be the most accurate among home weather observation devices.
You can use a wrench to firmly attach the Phone Number List mount to the mast. Almost everything needed for installation is included in the product package, making it very convenient. Additionally, the instructions were thorough and I was able to install it quickly. It took a few minutes to assemble and less than 30 minutes to start the actual measurements. Mounting and leveling the gauge on the mount took longer than installing it, and this process is important for the precipitation gauge and anemometer to operate accurately.
To minimize the collection of incorrect data during the installation process, it is recommended that after connecting the sensor to the Wi-Fi network, the power switch at the bottom is held in the down position until product installation is complete. Of course, don't forget to turn the power back on after installation. Castrel recommended doing this to prevent connection errors. Please note that there is no need to turn off the device other than during this installation process and regular cleaning.
Castrel is owned by Nielsen-Kellerman, which owns Ambient Weather.As it is a division of , the Cascral Mat 6000 is also connected to the Ambient Weather Network (AWN). There is no console for the system, so you must use the AWN website or app to access data.
The sensor part of the CastralMat 6000 is the largest among the products I have previously tested. ⓒ Ed Oswald/Foundry
Comparison with competing products
The price of CastralMat 6000 is the highest in its class. The only similarly priced competitors are Davis Instruments' Vantage Pro2 and Vantage Pro2 Plus , both of which feature WeatherLink Live for connectivity. ), additional devices such as WeatherLink Console are required. This means that this product costs an additional $500 to connect to the Internet.
Also, unlike the CastelMat 6000, the Vantage Pro 2 requires considerable assembly work. On the other hand, Castel's product supports all the features of the Vantage Pro 2 basic model and even has some additional features. Moreover, the only difference between the Vantage Pro 2 Plus and the Vantage Pro 2 is the fan intake, which prevents errors due to overheating on clear, hot days. However, this fan intake is a basic feature of Castel products.
The CastralMat 6000 is equipped with a large bucket that measures precipitation. It is equipped with bird spikes to prevent birds from approaching. Thanks to this, precipitation can be measured more accurately. ⓒ Ed Oswald/Foundry
basic functions
It was easy to install, but what about other features? I don't want to talk about the price again, but it is true that I am constantly worried about whether it is worth the price. In fact, there are very few weather stations in this price range. Therefore, it is justified to set the evaluation standard for Castel 6000 much higher than that of any other weather station.
Fortunately, after actually using it, this product met my ‘high’ standards. Thanks to the 24-hour intake fan, the weather was accurately measured even in direct sunlight. Bird spikes prevented birds from interfering with rainfall measurements. The accuracy of other sensors was also more accurate than previously tested products. The Ambient Weather app has a convenient interface and is easy to use. Additionally, the other sensors added to the CastelMat 6000 were intuitive. There is a line connecting an additional sensor to the main body, so it is automatically recognized and transmitted to AWN. Thanks to this, the installation process was very easy.
However, the barometer needed to be readjusted. During setup, CastelMat 6000 searches for the nearest official weather station and adjusts for elevation differences. However, perhaps this process did not proceed properly, and the air pressure did not appear in the data. However, this symptom appears in most other weather observation devices that I have previously tested, so it cannot be said to be a shortcoming of this product alone.
The large solar panel on the CastralMat 6000 is useful in winter when sunlight is short. ⓒ Ed Oswald/Foundry
The Wi-Fi connection was reliable, and the sensor was connected stably to my router, which was about 61 meters away. There are unlikely to be any connectivity issues even in gardens larger than 15m. This is an impressive result for a device that operates by connecting sensors and Wi-Fi. Most console-based devices use sub-GHz VHF frequencies, which support longer ranges.
If there is one thing that is disappointing about the CastralMat 6000, it is that the sun and ultraviolet ray measurement sensors are missing from the basic functions. This sensor is included in the WeatherFlow Tempest as well as the much cheaper Ambient Weather. It is incomprehensible that the CastelMat 6000, which is several times more expensive than these products, does not have this sensor. Additionally, the CastelMat 6000 does not have a lightning sensor. If you really need this sensor, it is recommended to purchase the Tempest.
Accuracy of Measurements
Before talking about the accuracy of CastralMat 6000, let us first clarify that the environment installed for testing was 1.2 to 1.8 meters above the ground. The accuracy of wind speed and volume may be somewhat reduced. The typical height for weather observation should be about 10.1m above the ground.
This also means that all other sensors are installed at about eye level. The fan intake function appears to have helped improve the accuracy of temperature and humidity.
The thermometer and hygrometer of the CastralMat 6000 are protected by radiation shielding. Additionally, 24-hour fan intake prevents hot air from remaining inside the device on hot days. ⓒ Ed Oswald/Foundry
The anemometer was very sensitive. It's even better than the Davis Vantage Vue I installed in 2016. Although it's been a few years and Davis recommends replacing anemometers every few years, the CastelMat 6000 can provide more precise measurements in light wind conditions. This difference seems to exist because it is a propeller system rather than the typical cup and wing shape.
As mentioned earlier, it was a dry spring, so I almost couldn't test the rainfall function of the Castel Mat 6000, but fortunately, rain arrived at the end of the review. To check the accuracy , I used the Stratus Precision Rain Gauge, an analog rainfall measurement device that I already owned . Of course, we also compared the data with the Davis Vintage View, which is known to be the most accurate among home weather observation devices.