Most electronic weather stations that can be connected to a PC, output "serial" data. It is probably for this reason that many manufacturers have been slow to move over to USB connections. Furthermore most quality PCs still have at least one serial (com) port and it is usually only laptops and some budget PCs that now have only the USB option available.
Whilst the USB option is not necessarily the best solution then, for some it is simply 'what they have'.
In the TechnoLine / La Crosse Technology range several of the systems either will not -or have difficulty -working with a USB-serial adapter. This includes the WS3600, WS3500 and WS8610. We recomend that you only use these with a 9pin serial conection (com port). If you have a PC without a 9 pin RS232 connection then you can add one by purchasing an expansion card, though these are not all that cheap.
Otherwise, in the Technoline range the serial port WS2300, WS2500 and WS2307 models work fine with a USB to serial adapter, if necessary.The Oregon WMR100 model uses a USB port, as does the
IROX Pro-X. The Oregon WMR928 however uses a serial port connection, though an adapter can also be used sucessfully, if required.
