Bulbs & Fittings Ideas

I love this thing. Now I can see what the Outside Temp & Humidity are before I step out into it.

Most brands tell the Outdoor Temperature BUT display the Indoor humidity, what good is that??? This unit tells outdoor Temp & outdoor Humidity.

I had the Honeywell unit first and was nervous buying this one hoping they were the same. Oh yeah, they are exact copies with only the name on them being different, but the MEADE unit is less expensive. I don’t like paying for names.

Remote:
The unit comes with a remote that you place outside. On the remote there is a display that shows the temp and humidity it is reading. So, if you place the remote on a tree or something you now have 2 units telling the temp & humidity. The manufacture recommends using lithium batteries in the remote if it will be used in extreme cold. I’ve used regular batteries but have noticed that they tend to die quicker in the cold Winters in Michigan faster than the lithium batteries.

Base:
The base unit has a really nice display making it easy to read from a distance. You can mount the base on a wall or use the fold-out stand to sit it on a table of half-wall which is what I do. There is no backlight but I can still read it in low lighting. The base has little pictures that pop-up to the left of the number readings. The pictures provide a quick way to see if it is wet, dry, and even has a happy face when the humidity versus the temp is suppose to be comfortable. The base unit can read from 3 different remotes in different locations. I can’t really see using multiple remotes unless you were monitoring 3 greenhouses or maybe your outside/basement/garage? There is also a memory button to read Max/Min values if you are into seeing how hot or cold it got. Holding the memory button down clears the memory values.

Battery:
I change the batteries in the base unit yearly. You can tell when they are dying as the display starts to get dimmer and dimmer. If the remote battery is getting weak a little battery symbol shows up on the base so you know it is time to replace the batteries in the remote.

Remote Placement:
I would recommend placing the remote in the shade under an overhang on you house. Be sure you keep it out of the sun or you will get some wild readings. I don’t think this thing is waterproof so I’d make sure the rain, or a spraying sprinkler, can’t get to it.

Setup:
Make sure you have the channel on the remote the same as the channel on the base. When you set it up the first time it is a good idea to have the base and remote next to each other.

Channels:
I think similar outdoor units may transmit on the same frequency. Hopefully your neighbor doesn’t have one or if they do you can determine which of the 3 channels their unit uses so you can use another. Some of my older units from Radio Shack only used channel 1 so I use channel 3 on mine to avoid this possible interference.

Scan:
Holding the channel button down for 2 seconds puts the unit in the scan mode. The unit will scan between Indoor temp/humidity as well as the Remote temp/humidity devices connected to it.

Range:
The range of this unit for me is about 100 feet from my living room to the front of the garage. The more walls you pass through the shorter the range. Mine passes though 1 wall but if I move it to pass through 2 walls at 100 feet I will get a straight bars for the temp and humidity on the base telling me it can’t get a signal from the remote. Think about your wall/window penetrations and distance run when you place the remote and base in their locations.

Overall, I don’t regret this purchase. I even purchased one for my parents in Florida as a Father’s Day gift.

We’ve been using the Honeywell branded version of this unit at the office for the last year, so I ordered the Meade version (to save some money) and an extra remote sensor for home. The main unit I received would not pick up signals from the remotes. The replacement sent from Amaazon is working fine, but the QC issue kept me from giving 5 stars. Our house has a 3-zone heating/cooling system, so I mounted the main unit next to the thermostat on the main level, one remote upstairs in the master, and the add’l remote in the basement. By setting the main unit to “cycle” I get temp/humidity readings in all three levels every 10 seconds. Concerns about distance and the range of the remotes did not materialize. They work fine.

Both of my installations have had the remotes inside, so can’t speak to ability of remotes to handle outside conditions. The Honeywill and Meade units (both TM005X) seem to be identical except for logo, so seems like you pay for the Honeywell name but get same unit — so just buy the Meade.

It just arrived yesterday; I thought I would share my initial impressions, while they remain fresh in my mind. I’ll try to remember to update this later if anything changes.

My bottom line — I recommend it, and would purchase it again. It does just what I want, does it well, and has a fairly simple screen with nice big digits — nice and readable. I am happy with my choice.

Consistency — Very good. I had the base and remote units side-by-side on my desk for awhile to see whether they at least showed the same temperature, and they did — sometimes identical, and never off by more than 0.2 degrees. That could well be round-off error and/or minor air current differences. (Reviews for some other brands/models are not that good.)

Accuracy — I don’t have another thermometer to compare against. I can say that the outdoor reading stays within a degree or three of what my computer reports the airport (several miles away) was reporting. The difference appears to just be the airport report lagging. Until proven otherwise, I am satisfied with the accuracy.

[edit (7/5/11) update: I have been constantly comparing it against the thermometer from my Honeywell thermostat for the last week and a half, and they match quite well. This one lags less than the one on the thermostat.]

Precision — 0.1 degree — mainly useful to show trends more easily than full degrees would — nice for that.

Functions — Good. All work as advertised. All the functions that I need.

Remote sensor — has a small base, so it can sit upright on a flat surface. Seems like the wind might blow it over, but we shall see. Worst case is I might have to either lay it down, or else wall-mount it. Back attaches with four small Phillips head screws — I presume that is for the weatherproofing — less convenient, but won’t matter as long as battery life is good.

Batteries — the product manual advises against rechargeable batteries “Avoid using rechargeable batteries. (Rechargeable batteries cannot maintain correct power requirements.)” Since all I have are rechargeable batteries, I’m using them and they work fine so far.

I note that in the “Battery Safety Information” section they refer to “rechargeable (Nickel Cadmium)” batteries. My hope is that their caution only applies to conventional rechargeable batteries, especially NiCad (since those lose charge even sitting, and might not remain charged enough over time in the thermometer). I am using LSD batteries (Sony Cycle Energy, Sanyo Eneloop, Imedion, etc), and expect that their low self discharge means they will last just fine in the thermometer. I am using the Sony’s, but any of the major brands should do as well.

[edit (7/5/11) update: it has operated flawlessly on the rechargeable batteries so far — I’d say go for it. Only time will tell how long they last.]

The following are very very minor points, and do not detract from the 5-star rating:

*) Comfort level indicator — Works as advertised. No problem, but I could do without it. For me, it is just visual clutter.

*) Trend indicator — I have no idea what they are talking about. It is in the on-line description, but I cannot find it in the manual and I have seen nothing on the screen that corresponds.

*) Extraneous — The little thermometer (upper left) and water drops (I presume, lower left) serve no function that I can see. I have not found them in the manual. They have not changed so far. I don’t need them as labels — the degree and percent signs are enough — so they are just (minor) visual clutter.