wireless thermometer (off topic, I suppose, but maybe ok anyway)

[donald girod]

I have an Oregon Scientific wireless thermometer/hygrometer. It basically quit working back in october, and what passes for tech support at the company told me to take the batteries out for 24 hours ("hard reset"). I did this and it has worked for however many months it is from October to now, but has quit again (no communication with the remote unit).

Have other people had trouble with these products? Oregon Scientific has several models but I think that they are all pretty much identical at bottom, just a different selection of bells and whistles. If you have had trouble, have you figured out a resolution? the damned thing cost like $60, and it pisses me off that it doesn't even last two years without problems. I'm trying the "hard reset" trick again.

[Bo Williams]

They are indeed. The Radio Shack units talk to the Oregon Scientific units talk to the brand-x units without a problem. Definitely consider that when you shop for this stuff, particularly the extra remote units.

I've been using two systems for several years--one with thermo and hygro, and one with just thermo. (Contrary to what they'll tell you, you can run both in the same location.) Also have a wireless rain gauge. Love this stuff--great value for the money.

Others' advice about batteries is good. Temperature extremes are tough on alkalines, but cold is particularly tough. Try lithium batteries and see if your luck improves. I personally wouldn't mess with rechargeables in this application, just because you'll have to change maybe twice as often, and changing is inconvenient.

Also, I've noticed occasionally that the base can't talk to a remote unit in continuous heavy rain, and if it stays like that for any more than a few hours it seems to "lose its mind" and the connection is gone, even after the rain stops. At that point hit the reset button on the base and it'll find the remote again.

Finally, I doubt the leave-batteries-out-for-24-hours trick does anything that hitting the reset button doesn't do, despite what support told you.

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, Some times it does. So called hard reset and soft reset. On some electronics devices, they are different resets. Tony

[SteveB]

Does this make it so, Grasshoppa?