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3 in 1 Sensor for the AcuRite Weather Center mounted about 12 feet high on a fence post

“Worth the Cash or To the Trash”–AcuRite Weather Center review

Published on by beamingtoyou

As we were wandering around the hardware store last summer we came across this AcuRite Weather Center (model 00615). We weren’t in the market for a weather station but it was on sale and as we walked the store getting the things we came for we convinced ourselves that we just couldn’t live off-grid without this particular weather station right now… Long story short we were the proud new owners of this piece of technology.

This is a 3 in 1 model, it measures; temperature/humidity (inside and out), wind speed and barometric pressure. The kit comes with a display unit and the 3 in 1 sensor that is mounted outside in a location of your choice. The display unit houses loads of good information as seen below and even has trending arrows for outside temp/humidity and pressure as well as a bottom scroller that you can adjust to flash the info that is most important to you.

Interior Digital Display Unit for the AcuRite Weather Center
Display Unit

 

The 3 in 1 sensor was very easy to install, and certainly seems like it would be easy to install in numerous locations. It is really the work horse as it wirelessly transmits all the data to the display unit inside. The instruction manual says to keep the display unit and sensor within 330 feet of each other and I think we are certainly at that limit and operating fine.

3 in 1 Sensor for the AcuRite Weather Center mounted about 12 feet high on a fence post
Mounted 3 in 1 Sensor

While this a great product overall and we are certainly happy we did make the decision to buy it. We have identified a few opportunities for improvement…

1. It has a “future forecast” feature in which it “predicts” near term weather using the trending temperatures and barometric pressure. We are doing better licking our finger and sticking it out the door to create our forecasts than this weather center does.

2. We think it needs a backlight on the Display Unit. It would probably be better if we didn’t know it was 45mph winds at 1:00 in the morning but dangit we still feel we should be able to if we want to.

3. You lose your historical data when you change the batteries in the Display Unit. Simple solution is to just write it down if you are interested in saving it, wish I would have thought about that before I changed the batteries. 🙂

It’s important to understand that we weren’t shopping for a weather station so we just got one on the spur of the moment… If we had been shopping for one, it’s pretty likely that we could have found one that would have solved problems 2 and 3 at least…These are very minor flaws for us, we definitely feel like we made the right decision on this purchase. While we may upgrade to a more robust weather station in the future we think this was a great start and was Worth the Cash!

"Worth the Cash or To the Trash"–AcuRite Weather Center review

Published on by benyeargin

As we were wandering around the hardware store last summer we came across this AcuRite Weather Center (model 00615).  We weren’t in the market for a weather station but it was on sale and as we walked the store getting the things we came for we convinced ourselves that we just couldn’t live off-grid without this particular weather station right now… Long story short we were the proud new owners of this piece of technology.

This is a 3 in 1 model, it measures; temperature/humidity (inside and out), wind speed and barometric pressure.  The kit comes with a display unit and the 3 in 1 sensor that is mounted outside in a location of your choice.  The display unit houses loads of good information as seen below and even has trending arrows for outside temp/humidity and pressure as well as a bottom scroller that you can adjust to flash the info that is most important to you.

ARDisplay
Display Unit

The 3 in 1 sensor was very easy to install, and certainly seems like it would be easy to install in numerous locations.  It is really the work horse as it wirelessly transmits all the data to the display unit inside.  The instruction manual says to keep the display unit and sensor within 330 feet of each other and I think we are certainly at that limit and operating fine.

3n1
3 in 1 Sensor

 

While this a great product overall and we are certainly happy we did make the decision to buy it.  We have identified a few opportunities for improvement…

1. It has a “future forecast” feature in which it “predicts” near term weather using the trending temperatures and barometric pressure.  We are doing better licking our finger and sticking it out the door to create our forecasts than this weather center does.

2. We think it needs a backlight on the Display Unit. It would probably be better if we didn’t know it was 45mph winds at 1:00 in the morning but dangit we still feel we should be able to if we want to.

3. You lose your historical data when you change the batteries in the Display Unit.  Simple solution is to just write it down if you are interested in saving it, wish I would have thought about that before I changed the batteries. 🙂

It’s important to understand that we weren’t shopping for a weather station so we just got one on the spur of the moment… If we had been shopping for one, it’s pretty likely that we could have found one that would have solved problems 2 and 3 at least…These are very minor flaws for us, we definitely feel like we made the right decision on this purchase.  While we may upgrade to a more robust weather station in the future we think this was a great start and was Worth the Cash!

 

Never bet against Sahalee Off Grid

My family bet against me

Published on by beamingtoyou

Our first winter season at Sahalee is now officially under our belts!! We learned just recently that we had a few family members bet that we wouldn’t make it (we’ll save the names for a more opportune time). Pretty sure there were even more skeptics out there, but we’re happy to report that we found ourselves on the right side of the wood pile for the winter of 16/17! Not to say that it was all pretty (and the mild weather may have gone easy on us), but we learned a lot and definitely feel a sense of accomplishment.

Continue reading “My family bet against me” →

'worth the cash or to the trash' – makita 18v usb accessory edition

Published on by beamingtoyou

We got very lucky and were gifted two attachments for our power tool batteries that turn them into  multi-port USB Chargers.  We will do a review-of our Makita tools in the near future, but for now I just want to tell you about our experience with this neat little attachment.

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There’s not really much to say, the attachment slides right onto the battery. It has two USB ports so you can charge multiple devices at the same time.  My favorite feature is the dust/dirt cover that seals the USB ports when not in use.  I truly don’t understand why more items of this nature (cell phones, chargers etc..) don’t have this feature as fighting the Sahalee Mud Monster is a constant struggle!!

We have several other USB Chargers, that we will review down the road but this one is our go to source for our evening lighting and charging devices.  Not only are we huge fans of something so simple as a dust cover but the cordless power tool batteries just charge so quick.  This saves us from draining our solar power source or from running the generator, which we hate to do.

What’s that?  You own Dewalt or Milwaukee tools or another brand that is not  Makita?  Don’t fret, Makita is not alone in having this handy attachment just follow this link and search your brand to get one for yourself!!

So, even though it wasn’t our cash– We absolutely believe this attachment is Worth the Cash!!

Linght 7W USB Powered LED Bulb Sahalee Off Grid

"Worth the Cash or To the Trash" Makita USB Accessory Review

Published on by benyeargin

We got very lucky and were gifted two attachments for our power tool batteries that turn them into  multi-port USB Chargers.  We will do a review-of our Makita tools in the near future, but for now I just want to tell you about our experience with this neat little attachment.

Linght 7W USB Powered LED Bulb Sahalee Off Grid

There’s not really much to say, the attachment slides right onto the battery. It has two USB ports so you can charge multiple devices at the same time.  My favorite feature is the dust/dirt cover that seals the USB ports when not in use.  I truly don’t understand why more items of this nature (cell phones, chargers etc..) don’t have this feature as fighting the Sahalee Mud Monster is a constant struggle!!

We have several other USB Chargers, that we will review down the road but this one is our go to source for our evening lighting and charging devices.  Not only are we huge fans of something so simple as a dust cover but the cordless power tool batteries just charge so quick.  This saves us from draining our solar power source or from running the generator, which we hate to do.

What’s that?  You own Dewalt or Milwaukee tools or another brand that is not  Makita?  Don’t fret, Makita is not alone in having this handy attachment just follow this link and search your brand to get one for yourself!!

So, even though it wasn’t our cash– We absolutely believe this attachment is Worth the Cash!

outward hound pooch pouch

Published on by beamingtoyou

Ridiculous. That’s what I originally thought of the ‘pooch pouch‘ because I always had big dogs, and packing around little designer pocket dogs was just a little too ostentatious for this gal. But, here I am, the very proud and unbelievably happy owner of an 8-pound joyful pup we call Radar Love, whom we believe has never left the state of Florida.

Having dogs out West is a necessity, but the itty-bitty variety pose a bit of a challenge when we’re looking at spending a great deal of time outdoors working and playing amid miles of wild mountain terrain home to big boulders, tumbled timbers, clingy cactus, and snow. Dare we mention all the resident beasts.

I guess the pooch pouch elevated its status since it will help keep Lil Girl warm and safe as she adjusts to her new home.

love bag

Originally posted to blog.sahaleeoffgrid.com.

doug fine's 'farewell, my subaru'

Published on by beamingtoyou

I can’t really say when it was I first discovered Doug Fine, but his story has been a major motivator for this adventure over the years. If you’ve never heard of his book Farewell, My Subaru, I encourage you to become acquainted, and hope you find the same comfort I did in knowing that we all have the power to make our lives what we wish them to be with a little creativity – and a lot of hard work.

Enjoy this short video of the Organic Cowboy’s transition to rural off-grid New Mexico while still enjoying the creature comforts of big city life:

http://youtu.be/evjICqDFXgI

Look out, Enchantment, here we come!!

(And, yes, we really did own a Subaru just like this one… Drove it all the way to FL from CO. Where is she now?)

Originally posted to blog.sahaleeoffgrid.com.

all american sun oven sahalee off grid

all american sun oven

Published on by beamingtoyou

We’ve been anxiously anticipating the arrival of the slickly-designed All American Sun Oven for months, and jumped right in to trying a few recipes on day 1. First up, a boxed cornbread mix doctored with fresh jalapeño from the Cuba Farmers Market.

Continue reading “all american sun oven” →

Danner Men's East Ridge 8-Inch BRO Hiking Boot

'worth the cash or to the trash' – danner boots edition

Published on by beamingtoyou

So it’s been about eight months.  Carey and I are starting to settle into our day to day routine and Radar loves doing her hourly perimeter checks.  After this time we are truly starting to get a good feel for how all the items we spent our hard earned dollars on would fare once they got continued heavy use to include making it through most of the winter.  Now it’s time to let the world know, did we make wise purchases on the gear that we would come to depend on or have we whiffed completely.  Maybe a little of both.  Let’s find out, are these items “Worth the Cash or To the Trash”!!

Our first contestant on “Worth the Cash or To the Trash” is my pair of Danner Boots.  I chose to go with the Danner East Ridge 8 inch boot for a few different reasons.

Continue reading “'worth the cash or to the trash' – danner boots edition” →

"Worth the Cash or To the Trash"—Danner Boots Review!!

Published on by benyeargin

So it’s been about eight months.  Carey and I are starting to settle into our day to day routine and Radar loves doing her hourly perimeter checks.  After this time we are truly starting to get a good feel for how all the items we spent our hard earned dollars on would fare once they got continued heavy use to include making it through most of the winter.  Now it’s time to let the world know, did we make wise purchases on the gear that we would come to depend on or have we whiffed completely.  Maybe a little of both.  Let’s find out, are these items “Worth the Cash or To the Trash”!!

Our first contestant on “Worth the Cash or To the Trash” is my pair of Danner Boots.  I chose to go with the Danner East Ridge 8 inch boot for a few different reasons.

Continue reading “"Worth the Cash or To the Trash"—Danner Boots Review!!” →