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Set up a TFA Dostmann weather station

Updated: 16 October 2026

To set up a TFA Dostmann weather station, start from the first evening, when it usually fails in one of three ways. The clock sits an hour ahead, the sensor is in the sun, or a barometer screw is forced when the needle will not move. The Sky and the View have a radio clock. The dials do not. The Products Compared editorial team used the manufacturer tables, the National Physical Laboratory, the Met Office, and the Royal Meteorological Society, with listings dated 15 October 2026. There was no laboratory test. If you buy through our Amazon links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The rows are the [TFA Dostmann weather station comparison](/hub/climate-measuring/tfa-dostmann-weather-station).

To set up a TFA Dostmann weather station, start from the first evening, when it usually fails in one of three ways.

Our top picks

TFA Dostmann TFA Sky 35.1152.01

Best overall

TFA Dostmann TFA Sky 35.1152.01
8.6/10about £36.61
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TFA Dostmann TFA 20.2034.02

Best value

TFA Dostmann TFA 20.2034.02
7.0/10about £41.39
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TFA Dostmann TFA View 35.1142.01

Alternative

TFA Dostmann TFA View 35.1142.01
7.5/10about £48.48
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On this page
  1. 1.Set the clock to UK time
  2. 2.Put the outdoor sensor in the shade
  3. 3.Set the barometer to local pressure
  4. 4.Faults that are returns, and jobs for a professional

Set the clock to UK time

The Sky 35.1152.01 and the View 35.1142.01 follow DCF77, German legal time at 77.5 kHz from Mainflingen. They do not document MSF, the UK civil time signal at 60 kHz from Anthorn, which the National Physical Laboratory describes. German civil time stays one hour ahead of the UK all year, in winter and in summer. Once the clock has locked, you usually set the correction to minus one hour. TFA lists −12 to +12 hours. The buttons are in that model’s manual. Do not copy a path from a different TFA clock. The View’s table says the radio clock can be switched off. The Sky page does not, so do not add that switch for the Sky. Fit the cells the manual shows, and leave the units in the same room until they pair. The Sky needs five AAA. The View needs eight. None are in the box.

Put the outdoor sensor in the shade

The Met Office measures air temperature in a Stevenson screen at about 1.25 m, shaded. A sensor on a sunny wall is not that measurement, and it will not match the forecast temperature for your town. Reviewers report about 1 °C between sensors, and larger gaps in the sun. That pattern is not a lab result, and it is not a guessed offset you should dial in. Put the outdoor unit out of direct sun. A north-facing fence near 1.25 m is closer to the Met Office method than a south-facing brick wall at noon, and you still will not reproduce a Stevenson screen. The stated 60 m is an open-field maximum. A 433 MHz transmitter under 10 mW needs no separate Ofcom licence for normal home use. The Sky is freestanding. Do not hang it. The View can stand or hang. Shade for a greenhouse transmitter is on the several rooms page.
TFA Dostmann TFA Sky 35.1152.01

Testsieger

TFA Dostmann TFA Sky 35.1152.01
8.6/10about £36.61
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Set the barometer to local pressure

The stainless 20.2034.02 and the copper 20.2027.51 have no clock, no radio, and no battery row on the manufacturer tables. Do not fit cells because an amazon.co.uk attribute says battery powered. Hang them on the wall. The stainless box includes fixing material. The copper listing allows indoor or outdoor mounting, and the included-components line is the station and the manual. Take the latest sea-level pressure in hectopascals from the Met Office observation nearby. The Royal Meteorological Society’s note says to turn the rear screw until the needle matches. Hectopascals and millibars are the same number here. Mark the value with the reference pointer. TFA also states about 1 hPa per 8 m of height. Do not add that on top of a sea-level figure. Tap gently only if the needle already moves and merely sticks. Do not tap the copper glass. After the screw, stop if nothing has moved.

Faults that are returns, and jobs for a professional

A needle that never moves, or a scale with no mechanism behind it, is not a calibration. Section 9 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 is about satisfactory quality. This is not legal advice. A clock an hour fast after it locks is the DCF77 offset, not a defect. A high number on a sunny wall is siting. Call someone else for work at height, for an official observation, and for damp or mould that a hygrometer has only measured. Symbol or needle is the digital or analogue page.

Common questions

Why is the clock an hour ahead in the UK?
The Sky and the View take German legal time from DCF77 at Mainflingen, not UK civil time from Anthorn. After the clock locks, the usual correction is minus one hour. A clock that never locks is a different problem from a clock that locks an hour fast.
Where should the outdoor sensor go?
Out of direct sun, and not on a wall that heats through the afternoon. The Met Office screen is about 1.25 m and shaded. Your sensor will not match that screen. The Sky must stand. The View may stand or hang.
Can I hang the Sky on the wall?
No. TFA’s page for the 35.1152 calls it freestanding. The View is the digital model that can stand or hang. The stainless station includes wall fixings. The copper glass breaks if a shoulder hits it.
How do I set the barometer without a phone line?
Use the latest sea-level pressure in hPa from the Met Office page for a nearby place, then turn the rear screw until the needle matches, as the Royal Meteorological Society describes for a domestic aneroid. Do not add 1 hPa per 8 m on top of a sea-level figure.
What if the barometer needle does not move at all?
Stop. A screw that turns while the needle stays put, or a dial that arrived as a printed scale with no mechanism, is a faulty good, not a stiff calibration. Do not keep forcing the screw, and do not tap copper glass.
Do the stainless and copper stations need batteries to set up?
No. Their manufacturer tables have no battery row. The amazon.co.uk line that says battery powered conflicts with that. Setup is the wall fixing and the pressure screw. The Sky and the View do need AAA cells, five and eight, and the box does not include them.

Related pages

TFA Dostmann weather station buying guide

TFA Dostmann weather station

Best TFA Dostmann weather station by the job you need

Digital or analogue TFA Dostmann weather station

TFA Dostmann weather station for several home rooms

Sources

Public UK and manufacturer sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars, and review counts are from amazon.co.uk on 15 October 2026.

  1. TFA Dostmann — wireless weather station Sky 35.1152 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  2. TFA Dostmann — View 35.1142 with three transmitters (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  3. TFA Dostmann — analogue outdoor station 20.2034 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  4. TFA Dostmann — analogue station 20.2027 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  5. NPL — MSF radio time signal (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  6. PTB — DCF77 dissemination of legal time (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  7. Ofcom — short-range devices (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  8. Met Office — how we measure temperature (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  9. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 15 October 2026)