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Snowpetrel · 12-03-2016, 03:22

I just got myself a shiny new phone. As well as a nice set of spiffy virtual reality geek goggles it also has a air pressure sensor.

I've always wanted a nice barograph so has anybody got any prefered apps for a barograph display.

Ive downloaded a few freebies to test for the next ten days in Port Davey, but if anybody has a good recommendation I will give it a go.

Snowpetrel · 21-03-2016, 23:10

After an extensive, highly scentific ten day head to head test on the remote wild western coast of tasmania we have a winner...

The barometer altimeter dashclock app or barometer+ as it calls itself was the only one of the ten or ao apps I tested that had an easy to use barograph display with 12hr, through to 14 day range. It lacks fancy graphics but worked well for me.

It also has a nice little widget thingy to clutter up your phone with. Shame that the widget doesnt have a little graph of pressure, but it does have a trend arrow.

Now to delete all the other barometer Apps...

**StuM** · 21-03-2016, 23:20

I've tried about half a dozen over the last week or so too, but not that one.
Thanks for the heads-up. Installing now

Snowpetrel · 22-03-2016, 05:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by StuM

I've tried about half a dozen over the last week or so too, but not that one.
Thanks for the heads-up. Installing now

If one of the half dozen or so youve tried works better let me know, there is still plenty of room for improvement.

My wish list is a widget with barograph, i dont really care what the number actually is. Also A storm alarm that doesnt trigger when you gain altitude, and some sort of altitude compensation system so the trace doesnt get screwed up when you climb a hill. Smarter graphics would be a plus, and it seems to be a bit of a resource hog. Currently using 20mb or so.

**a64pilot** · 22-03-2016, 05:56

I'm not too worried about gaining altitude, but would suspect that a phones pressure sensor may not be as accurate as one would want.
I've wondered why would phones have pressure sensors and heading sensors etc?

Be wary of these apps, there are many artificial horizon apps too, I thought great, might save the day, but I tested them, and they will get you killed, they seem to work, but don't really

belizesailor · 22-03-2016, 08:12

Anyone done a test of phone barometer accuracy versus a known good reference?

gjorgensen · 22-03-2016, 15:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Anyone done a test of phone barometer accuracy versus a known good reference?

Here's a link to someone who tested the iPhone 6: iPhone 6 barometer. Most phones are using the barometers from just a few vendors built into the accelerometer. Most are accurate to about 0.1 mbar over the bulk of the range per the spec. I've used the Bosch BM280 for this purpose and I'd say it's solidly accurate to 0.1 mbar.

Sailor Doug · 22-03-2016, 15:28

I have a nice one in my Garmin GPS with a 24 hour graft. I can't understand why the apps are so poor? I would like a good graph ting one for my tablet.

Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

**StuM** · 22-03-2016, 16:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Anyone done a test of phone barometer accuracy versus a known good reference?

Currently in the process using Barometer+. I'm comparing the readings on the boat in the marina against the hourly MPSL readings at the airport:
Port Moresby International Airport Weather Station Record - Historical weather for Port Moresby International Airport, Papua New Guinea.

So far looking good and the barograph chart is clearly showing the expected semi-diurnal pattern . (About 1.5hPa peaking around 0400 and 1600 for this location).

belizesailor · 22-03-2016, 17:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by gjorgensen

Here's a link to someone who tested the iPhone 6: iPhone 6 barometer. Most phones are using the barometers from just a few vendors built into the accelerometer. Most are accurate to about 0.1 mbar over the bulk of the range per the spec. I've used the Bosch BM280 for this purpose and I'd say it's solidly accurate to 0.1 mbar.

Quote:

Originally Posted by StuM

Currently in the process using Barometer+. I'm comparing the readings on the boat in the marina against the hourly MPSL readings at the airport:
Port Moresby International Airport Weather Station Record - Historical weather for Port Moresby International Airport, Papua New Guinea.

So far looking good and the barograph chart is clearly showing the expected semi-diurnal pattern . (About 1.5hPa peaking around 0400 and 1600 for this location).

Thats good news.

Yes, I assumed there are only a limited set of baro chipset manufacturers so that most devices would use a limited number of options.

Good news for onboard weather watching.

Snowpetrel · 22-03-2016, 17:35

For me its a bit of a fun toy, and I expect the trend to be ok, which is pretty much what I want. So I am not after absolute accuracy, but it would be nice if it wasnt completely wrong. I did notice a weird spike mid morning on tuesday. Maybe I entered a slightly presurised building? Also note the big drop in pressure as I returned home about 150m above sea level on monday evening.

Otherwise it seems to fairly closely match what i would expect. Certainly the trend marked the friday morning frontal passage very well. Its nice overnight to be able to look at what the presure has been upto.

I had a cheap casio barometric sensor watch for a while. I was impressed with its accuracy, particularly useful and quite accurate for altitude, so hopefully this sensor is as good as my watches one.

Snowpetrel · 22-03-2016, 17:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by StuM

Currently in the process using Barometer+. I'm comparing the readings on the boat in the marina against the hourly MPSL readings at the airport:
Port Moresby International Airport Weather Station Record - Historical weather for Port Moresby International Airport, Papua New Guinea.

So far looking good and the barograph chart is clearly showing the expected semi-diurnal pattern . (About 1.5hPa peaking around 0400 and 1600 for this location).

Thanks Stu, interested to hear how your tests go. Sounds good so far.

I guess one issue with barometer + (and probably most other simmilar apps) is the intervals it senses data. I think mine is set to 15 mins, but it is out of sync with the hour and slightly random. It would be nice if it could be set to sense data on the hour and every Quarter hour on the dot. But this is a minor gripe. Certainly nice that the data can be exported as a .csv file i guess if it senses data too often it starts chewing up battery and cpu power?

KrautHolg · 27-01-2019, 09:37

The "DBX1 Precision Digital Barograph" from "Aquatech Scientific Instruments" is apparently accurate enough to act as a kind of "Squall Alarm".

Extremely useful, if you are in a place like Kiribati or the Marshall Islands. Unfortunately is is rather dear. Has anybody tested this with Barometer Plus?