Acu-Rite 00594
Wireless Weather Station

Handsome and attractively priced, the Acu-Rite 00594 Wireless Weather Station displays a wealth of information in its two LCD panels. The upper lcd is where you view indoor and outdoor temperature and humidity-related information and wind direction and speed data. The lower lcd displays time and calendar information, moon phase, weather forecast, and barometric pressure with history graph. The 00594 comes with two wireless remote sensors, one for outdoor temperature, humidity, and atomic clock signal reception and one for wind direction and speed. This station can work with up to three thermo-hygro remotes. The integral atomic clock has a daily alarm with an available 5-minute snooze function.

Lower Display. At the top left of the lower LCD panel is displayed clock time as hour and minutes in big, bold digits and seconds in smaller digits. Above seconds is a tower and waves icon that appears when the 00594's atomic clock successfully synchronizes to the WWVB time signal. The clock time display area doubles as an alarm time setting and display area. An alarm bell icon indicates that the alarm is on, and a snooze (Zz) icon appears above the bell when the 5-minute snooze function is activated. A low-battery icon for the main station appears below the bell icon area when battery replacement is necessary. Below the time, the month and date are displayed digitally in that order. To the right of month and date appears a weekday icon with a three-letter abbreviation in English.

The moon phase display below the calendar information deserves some explanation. This display appears to have two full-moon icons. However, the one just to the right of MOON is actually the new moon icon, and it fills completely in when the moon is new. The seven icons to its right represent a waxing, then full, then waning moon.

The right side of the lower LCD panel contains the remaining weather displays. At the top is the weather forecast icon: Sunny, Partly Cloudy, Cloudy, or Rainy (which predicts snow in cold conditions). The pressure-based forecast is for the next 12 to 24 hours and is 70% to 75% accurate. For maximum forecast accuracy, the 00594 allows you (during setup) to enter your altitude (-100 to +2500 meters or -330 to +8250 feet) and also match the displayed forecast icon to current conditions. Be sure to know your altitude before beginning station setup. The user manual tells you how to obtain it. Below the forecast icon is the numeric barometric pressure (this is also where you enter your altitude). Here you can view the current pressure or the pressure at 1 to 19 hours in the past. Below this is a bar graph history display that indicates pressure changes for 0, 1, 2, 3, 6, and 12 hours in the past.

Settable Time and Weather Parameters. Here are the time and weather parameters you can set on the 00594 Professional Weather Station: First off, you can manually set the time (hour and minutes) and the month, date, and year if the WWVB atomic time-signal cannot be received in your location. You can set the continental U.S. time zone (P, M, C, or E) and enable or disable automatic Daylight Saving Time changes. You can select °F or °C for the temperature unit and inHg or mb/hPa for the barometric pressure unit. For wind speed, you can choose from mph, kph, or knots. You can also set the time period over which the 00594 calculates the wind speed average, averaging gusts and lulls. The setting range for this parameter is 1 to 18 minutes (default is 6 minutes).

Alarms. In addition to the daily time alarm, here are the weather-related alarm settings you can program on the 00594:

• Indoor temperature (high and low).
• Indoor humidity (high and low).
• Outdoor temperature (high and low for the current channel).
• Outdoor humidity (high and low).
• Wind chill (low).
• Heat index (high).
• Dew point (high and low).
• Wind speed.
• Storm.

Memory. The 00594 has a sophisticated memory system that allows you to display daily and long-term maximum and minimum values for indoor and outdoor temperature and humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed average, wind chill, heat index, and dew point. Along with the long-term values are displayed the date and time of recording.

Atomic Clock. The atomic (radio controlled) clock in the 00594 sets itself automatically and can adjust automatically for Daylight Saving Time (DST). This clock keeps perfect time by calibrating itself to 60kHz low-frequency AM radio signals containing time information supplied by the official U.S. atomic clock source in Boulder, Colorado. The signals are transmitted from radio station WWVB located in nearby Fort Collins. Both the atomic clock source and WWVB are operated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, or NIST (a part of the U.S. Commerce Department).

The actual receiver for the WWVB signals is in the thermo-hygro remote, which relays time and weather data to the main station via 433Hz transmission. Successful reception of the time-synchronization radio signals is indicated by a radio tower and waves icon just above seconds in the main station's time display. After synchronization occurs, you then select your continental U.S. time zone (P, M, C, or E). If you live in an area that does not observe DST, you can manually disable the automatic time changes.

Time on the 00594 is displayed in 12-hour mode with PM. The clock has one daily alarm, which sounds with a crescendo beeping pattern. Pressing the snooze bar on the top of the station when an alarm is sounding turns off the alarm for a 5-minute snooze period, after which the alarm sounds again.

Mounting. The main unit has a keyhole slot on the back for wall mounting and comes with an attachable base for free-standing use. Both the thermo-hygro and wind remotes can be mounted on a vertical surface by means of four screws each (mounting brackets, screws, and wall anchors are included). These two remotes are also designed for pole mounting on schedule 40 PVC pipe (1-1/16 inch diameter). The best place for the thermo-hygro remote is a location that is sheltered from direct sunlight and precipitation, such as under a roof overhang or under a covered patio or deck. The anemometer must be mounted with its bracket arm pointing north and in a location where wind can travel around the sensor unhindered from all directions. Extensive mounting information is provided in the user manual.

Powering. The main station requires three AA (1.5) alkaline batteries, and each remote requires two. The batteries are not included and must be obtained separately. If the temperature is expected to drop below -4°F (-20°C), use lithium AA batteries in the remotes instead of alkaline. Alkaline batteries can freeze and lose power at low temperatures.

Additional Information. In addition to mounting, setup, and operating instructions, the 00594 operation manual has a handy Reference section near the end that lists factory-default settings and also has operational flowcharts for the station's various operating modes. Be sure to check these out when setting up and using your 00594. Along with the manual, a quick-start guide is included. 

If you don't need fancy features like a pc interface, extended transmission capability, and a touch screen, the 00594 Professional Wireless Weather Station offers a wide array of features (including multiple memories and weather alarms) at a very reasonable price. The 00594 comes with a 1-year factory warranty.

Features:

• Integral atomic clock receives 60 kHz WWVB time-synchronization radio signal from U.S. atomic clock in Colorado.
• Automatic time adjustment (including Daylight Saving Time changes) and date adjustment occur after signal reception.
• Radio tower and waves icon indicates successful signal reception.
• U.S. time zone is user-selectable for Pacific, Mountain, Central, or Eastern.
• Automatic DST changes can be disabled if your location does not observe DST.
• Clock can be manually set if desired.
• Time is displayed as hh:mm:ss in 12-hour format with PM.
• Month, date, weekday, and moon phase are also displayed.
• Calendar and moon phase information is pre-programmed from year 2000 through 2050 (2005 is default).
• Clock has a daily alarm with available 5-minute snooze function.
• Wireless 433MHz transmission of outdoor temperature, humidity, and wind data to main station from remote sensors.
• One thermo-hygro and one wind sensor are included. Station can work with up to three thermo-hygro sensors
• Main unit displays the following weather data:
  • Indoor temperature and humidity.
  • Outdoor temperature and humidity with trend arrrows.
  • Heat index, wind chill, and dew point (selectable).
  • Wind speed average (over user-adjustable time period) with speed trend arrow.
  • Wind direction and gust speed.
  • Weather forecast icon.
  • Barometric pressure and pressure-change history bar graph.
• Temperature unit is user-selectable for °F or °C.
• Wind speed unit is user-selectable for mph, kph, or knots.
• Barometric pressure unit is user-selectable for inHg or mb/hPa.
• Alarms can be programmed for indoor and outdoor temperature and humidity, heat index, wind chill, dew point, wind speed, and storm.
• Station memory records daily and long-term maximum and minimum values for indoor and outdoor temperature and humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed average, wind chill, heat index, and dew point. Long-term values are displayed with time and date stamp.
• Altitude can be programmed and icon for current weather can be selected during setup for maximum forecast accuracy
• Main unit displays low-battery icons for itself and all remotes in use.
• Main unit can be wall-mounted or (with included base attached) free-standing.
• Remotes can mount on a vertical surface via included screws and wall anchors, and they can also be pole-mounted on schedule 40 PVC pipe (not included).

Specifications:

• Indoor temperature measuring range:
  +32°F to +122°F (0°C to +50°C)
• Outdoor temperature measuring range:
  -4°F to +122°F (-20°C to +50°C) with alkaline batteries
  -25°F to +158°F (-32°C to +70°C) with lithium batteries
• Temperature resolution: 0.1°F/C
• Remote sensor transmission range: 100 feet (33 meters) maximum in open space with no interference
• Main unit power requirements: three AA (1.5V) alkaline batteries, with expected life of 1 year
• Thermo-hygro and wind remote sensor power requirements: two AA (1.5V) alkaline batteries per sensor, with expected life of 1 year. For use in temperatures below -4 °F (-20 °C), install lithium AA batteries instead of alkaline.
• Main unit dimensions:
  Width: 5-1/2 inches (140 mm)
  Height: 8-1/4 inches (210 mm)
  Depth: 1 inch (25.4 mm)
  Base adds 3/8 inch (9.5 mm) to height and 1-5/8 inches (41.3 mm) to depth.
• Thermo-hygro sensor dimensions:
  Height: 6-1/4 inches (159 mm)
  Maximum diameter at cover: 4-3/4 inches (121 mm)
  Mounting bracket length: 5 inches (127 mm)
• Wind sensor dimensions:
  Height: 8-3/4 inches (222 mm)
  Direction vane length: 7-1/4 inches (184 mm)
  Mounting bracket length: 8-5/16 inches (211 mm)