Best quality aneroid barometer?

[jsc7]

Does anybody know what the best quality aneroid barometer is?

Ideally I am hoping for something designed for a boat, waterproof, etc.

[ChrisseH]

Does it have to be an ANEROID barometer?

If you want the highest accuracy and cost is no limitation buy the Vaisala PTB330. It is IP66 and also used in ships. The disadvantage is that it requires a supply voltage of 24 VDC.

[Dockhead]

There are different barometer sensors intended for integration into boat networks. I use a Maretron WSO100 as a wind instrument which also gives barometric pressure. This will display pressure as well as a 24 hour graph on a Maretron DSM250 and similar instruments.

Pressure alone is useless without the graph. It's the trends we are interested in; I'm not sure we care much about the absolute accuracy.

[conachair]

Vaisala PTB330 Barometer
1 sensor barometer for a wide range of high-end applications including professional meteorology, aviation, and industrial uses
Vaisala PTB330 Barometer
PRICE
Starting at
$1,996.00

Bit pricey, I use one of these instead.. just add raspberry pi (& water resistant case)

[conachair]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

It's the trends we are interested in; I'm not sure we care much about the absolute accuracy.

Though actual pressure can be very useful in letting you know just how quickly the weather systems are progressing compared to the synoptics/gribs.

Plenty airport readings on the web to check calibration.

Read this, it's great!!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Barometer-H...=UTF8&qid=&sr=

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by conachair

Though actual pressure can be very useful in letting you know just how quickly the weather systems are progressing compared to the synoptics/gribs.

Plenty airport readings on the web to check calibration.

Read this, it's great!!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Barometer-H...=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Yes, you're absolutely right. But surely no one cares beyond a couple of millibars. I think plenty of inexpensive electronic sensors are that accurate.

[conachair]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Yes, you're absolutely right. But surely no one cares beyond a couple of millibars. I think plenty of inexpensive electronic sensors are that accurate.

How to check >

Starpath Barometer Calibration Page

[Snowpetrel]

I quite like the built in Barometer in my smartphone. I use barometer+ as an app, and it can be calibrated against the nearest land station.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

... It's the trends we are interested in; I'm not sure we care much about the absolute accuracy.

Indeed. In this instance, repeatability is our most important characteristic,

Three terms that are well used are “accuracy”, “repeatability” and “resolution”. These words are sometimes used interchangeably, but should not be. This causes confusion when choosing a device, or discussing evaluating specifications. A clear definition and illustration of each term may help to clear up this confusion.

Accuracy – designates how close a measured value is to the true quantity of what is being measured. Without comparison to a standard, accuracy cannot be determined.

Repeatability – describes how well a system or device can reproduce an outcome in unchanged conditions. In some applications, such as changing barometric pressure, repeatability is more important than accuracy. If the system is repeatable, the trend is accurate, and an error can be mapped and compensated for.

Resolution – is the smallest increment the system can display or measure. A system can have a high resolution with poor repeatability and accuracy. Resolution is a primary concern in applications regarding speed control or surface finish.

[jsc7]

Originally Posted by ChrisseH

Does it have to be an ANEROID barometer?

If you want the highest accuracy and cost is no limitation buy the Vaisala PTB330. It is IP66 and also used in ships. The disadvantage is that it requires a supply voltage of 24 VDC.

I specifically want something that does not depend on electricity. I already have an electronic barometer.

[conachair]

Originally Posted by jsc7

I specifically want something that does not depend on electricity. I already have an electronic barometer.

Fischer Precision Aneroid Barometer

[ChrisseH]

The majority of boaters having a barometer onboard don't even know what they can do with the instrument. And most "brass" barometers are just there for decoration...

However, as JSC7 seemed to appreciate quality I thought it would be interesting to show a really high quality barometer, a unit that is ten times more accurate and stable than the pressure readings provided by combination sensors such as the Maretron WSO100 or Airmar's weather instruments. Ok, I openly admit that the PTB330 is not intended for ordinary boating.

I agree that the most common use for onboard barometers is to look at trends and that absolute accuracy during this is not that important. And yes, cheap barometers can certainly be calibrated against pressure readings from nearby weather stations, but the fact is that they are not stable. So if you are logging their readings you get some values, but they are not correct.

Most boaters do not care too much about accuracy. This is the sad truth for most measurements on the boat. The GPS data is pretty accurate, but the rest of the instruments are typically poorly calibrated, often not calibrated at all. But as long as you have no reference available you just tend to trust the local measurement...

[conachair]

Originally Posted by ChrisseH

And yes, cheap barometers can certainly be calibrated against pressure readings from nearby weather stations, but the fact is that they are not stable. So if you are logging their readings you get some values, but they are not correct.

I think if you want accuracy for less than the cost of a beer in London then DIY electronic is really the only way to go with something like a BMP280 & Esp8266/arduino, which means data over Wifi or serial to something to record & display. Which could be Opencpn on a laptop or a webpage created by the esp board.

https://sdfjkl.org/blog/2017-08-09-nanobaro/

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

There are different barometer sensors intended for integration into boat networks. I use a Maretron WSO100 as a wind instrument which also gives barometric pressure. This will display pressure as well as a 24 hour graph on a Maretron DSM250 and similar instruments.

Pressure alone is useless without the graph. It's the trends we are interested in; I'm not sure we care much about the absolute accuracy.

You have that correct. Does anyone care how accurate the 29.82 is. It's what it was and what it is. That's why the analog dial barometers had/have the resettable pointer, red usually. The response of the instrument is probably way more important than the accuracy.
When your ears pop it is time to look at the horizon.

[Rough Magic]

My cell phone has one built in, works well; it's always the same three millibars off the 'official' numbers.