Anemometer, Handheld

[8GCBC]

Anybody have comments on the plethora of mini Wx stations available on the market. I am looking for something simple like this:
K1K.jpg

[cubdriver2]

Don't buy one, I was happy flying on windy days till I got one of those for my birthday from my kids. Now it make me nervous if I use it before I fly so I don't look at it anymore.

Glenn

[8GCBC]

Don't buy one, I was happy flying on windy days till I got one of those for my birthday from my kids. Now it make me nervous if I use it before I fly so I don't look at it anymore.

Glenn

Did you feel the quality was OK? Accuracy OK? I'm trying to be a little more scientific about my flying these days.

[OLDCROWE]

I have a similar one that I used when sailing to gather performance and tuning data and when runnning race committee, was pretty consistant really gives you a good sense of just how strong puffs are. Used to log the winds during races every 10 minutes... You need to really have good open terrain for on the ground. I have had one with a data logger and it was fun to check it on the ground then on top of a mast.

[8GCBC]

I have a similar one that I used when sailing to gather performance and tuning data and when runnning race committee, was pretty consistant really gives you a good sense of just how strong puffs are. Used to log the winds during races every 10 minutes... You need to really have good open terrain for on the ground. I have had one with a data logger and it was fun to check it on the ground then on top of a mast.

Good comments. I could use on the Ocean too (sailing, powerboating). May I ask what brand of instrument you have?

[cubdriver2]

Did you feel the quality was OK? Accuracy OK? I'm trying to be a little more scientific about my flying these days.

Mine is a 4 year old Kestrel 4000, is fun to play with and is good qualty. But the only way I can think of to check accuracy would be to stand next to a certified noaa weather station.

Glenn

[8GCBC]

Mine is a 4 year old Kestrel 4000, is fun to play with and is good qualty. But the only way I can think of to check accuracy would be to stand next to a certified noaa weather station.

Glenn

There has been talk about the rotors failing (hall effect magnets). Just wondering if you had one fail? Fours years sounds like a soild instrument.

Thank you Glenn.

[OLDCROWE]

Good comments. I could use on the Ocean too (sailing, powerboating). May I ask what brand of instrument you have?

The portable is an old B&G unit and the data logger was cobbleged together from a B&G masthead unit we made portable

[8GCBC]

The portable is an old B&G unit and the data logger was cobbleged together from a B&G masthead unit we made portable

Brooks and Gatehouse! That is classic marine gear! I am using all Raymarine, Furuno and Garmin now.

[OLDCROWE]

Brooks and Gatehouse! That is classic marine gear! I am using all Raymarine, Furuno and Garmin now.

We pulled the B&G for OKUM's. You'll like this, I Just shipped my brother a New Ray 4G radar for his C&C 37 along with a new Lowarance chart plotter with a bigger screen than my first TV... On a "Bro deal"

[8GCBC]

We pulled the B&G for OKUM's. You'll like this, I Just shipped my brother a New Ray 4G radar for his C&C 37 along with a new Lowarance chart plotter with a bigger screen than my first TV... On a "Bro deal"

Marine electronics so advanced now. Garmin started with a handheld GPS in the marine business back in the '90s (back when Sitex had market).

100_0800.JPG

[aktango58]

Sitex... that is back there...

I remember the first screen fruno color sounder on a boat I worked.

Remember Loran C charts? Where you had to mark you own place by the numbers?

Funny how I can hold a machine in my hand that used to take an entire room... and I am not nearly as old as one would think!

[sierra bravo]

I have a Kestrel. It's a toy. No way would I trust it with my go/no go decision making. I got it as a present and for that I appreciated it. I wouldn't have bought it for myself.

[8GCBC]

Aktango58:

Yes! Loran C TD (time differential) lines plotted by hand! No Latitude/Longitude read out! Don't forget the handbearing compass by Davis Instruments! Anyone used a universal plotting sheet lately? My first plastic sextant is still working...Accurate to within 5-10 NM! Good enough to see an Island at noon (we hope).

-8

[8GCBC]

I have a Kestrel. It's a toy. No way would I trust it with my go/no go decision making. I got it as a present and for that I appreciated it. I wouldn't have bought it for myself.

Thank you Mr. Bravo. I had feeling it was just a "toy". I called the factory and asked what the MTBF (mean time before failure) on the rotor was and their answer was it can stop working at any time (so keep a $40 spare rotor handy?). A PT6 can go 3500 hours and burn 245,000 gallons of fuel and not fail. Kestrel (and others) need to rethink the design. Make it for real life use.

[WWhunter]

Yes, pretty much a toy but handy in the right situation. I was given one as a gift also but its use was for my 'shooting' habit. Never really thought about using it for flying.

[cubdriver2]

Yes, pretty much a toy but handy in the right situation. I was given one as a gift also but its use was for my 'shooting' habit. Never really thought about using it for flying.

I think it would be a handy shooting aid. Had mine out in 50+ mph winds but I don't use it to make a flying decision. I think I remember Jerry Burr taking one apart and mounting the turbine at a downward angle on the jury strut to match the AOA when doing high AOA research and running a lite wire to the panel where he had the LED monitor

[Mot]

Mine is a 4 year old Kestrel 4000, is fun to play with and is good qualty. But the only way I can think of to check accuracy would be to stand next to a certified noaa weather station.

Glenn

There is another fly in the ointment. The NOAA anemometers including those at the airport are usually set at 10 meters above the ground. The wind speed up there is about twice the speed at your eye level.

[Rob]

My spotter carries a Kestrel. Since she started as a flagger, back when there still was such a thing, she also still carries a flag. I trust her flag (and find it more useful) than the Kestrel any day. I think the only real reason we have them is to show an extent of due diligence in the event of an investigation (drift, etc...) by the department of Ag.

Take care, Rob

[cubscout]

I thought by now someone would have nominated the simple little Dwyer wind gauge. It's basically a ball that floats up and down in a tapered tube, with a wind velocity scale. Simple, inexpensive, easy to use, accurate enough for ground based observations. One of my sailplane pilot friends used to have one to calibrate himself with other indicators, such as windsocks (which are VERY variable), flags, smoke and stuff. We found that most people significantly overestimate wind velocity.

And then, I've had some scientific instruments on 10 metre to 30 metre towers. It just depends on what you want to accomplish.

See: http://www.dwyer-inst.com/Product/Ai...eHandheldMeter

Thanks. cubscout

[cubdriver2]

I thought by now someone would have nominated the simple little Dwyer wind gauge. It's basically a ball that floats up and down in a tapered tube, with a wind velocity scale. Simple, inexpensive, easy to use, accurate enough for ground based observations. One of my sailplane pilot friends used to have one to calibrate himself with other indicators, such as windsocks (which are VERY variable), flags, smoke and stuff. We found that most people significantly overestimate wind velocity.

And then, I've had some scientific instruments on 10 metre to 30 metre towers. It just depends on what you want to accomplish.

See: http://www.dwyer-inst.com/Product/Ai...eHandheldMeter

Thanks. cubscout

Or the old standby, on the job for the past 100 years



Glenn

[8GCBC]

A mechanical unit seems better for my mission. Thank you for the information. Looks like I could even make one too! Anybody have drawings?

[cubdriver2]

A mechanical unit seems better for my mission. Thank you for the information. Looks like I could even make one too! Anybody have drawings?

http://www.kcdawnpatrol.org/airspeed-indicator.htm

Glenn

[SJ]

I have a Kestrel 4500 with the vane mount which is pretty cool as you can put it on a tripod and it becomes a portable weather station. I got it to record wind speeds and direction (as well as temp and humidity) during the New Holstein short field contest, but after going to the trouble of recording all the info, I never did anything with the data I most recently used it to measure output of the A/C vents in my house to see how much they varied, and what input and output temps I was getting.

kestrelvm-1b.jpg

[8GCBC]

http://www.kcdawnpatrol.org/airspeed-indicator.htm

Glenn

Glenn:

You are stellar! Totally stellar! Thank you Bro! Cool link.

--8

[8GCBC]

SJ wrote "...I have a Kestrel 4500 with the vane mount which is pretty cool as you can put it on a tripod and it becomes a portable weather station...."

The wind vane option is interesting. I am trying to bring my bush flying into a more scientific realm. I have so many differient flying missions and trying to remember performance is impossible for me (and very little performance published on the 8GCBC, + STC's). If my engine performance, rigging, pilot skills start "go'n South" I need to kown a little more about the weather conditons to have a constrast of previous results.

I used to think I would never use an engine monitor on a 4 cylinder Lycoming with a GTW of 2150Lbs! But, now it would be irresposible NOT to have simple EGT, CHT etc. on a tube and fabric aircraft. My next step is to correlate more Wx data in the "Woods", deserts and lakes that have no Local Wx. The only way to get perfomance data on an airplane is the "do it myself way".

[cubscout]

SJ wrote: "... I most recently used it to measure output of the A/C vents in my house to see how much they varied, and what input and output temps I was getting." DANGIT SJ, there ya' go scabbin' on my trade, although I mostly use a Shortridge flowhood, which simplicates the calculations, including BTU's, stuff like that.

8GCBC, good on ya' ("I am trying to bring my bush flying into a more scientific realm."). We could all benefit from more precision in the parameters which influence our day-to-day performance. And I too found it darn useful to have 4 points each of CHT and EGT on one of the Scouts I used to run: It really helped dial in long-term cylinder health on a hard-working tug.

And of course we expect a science project report next semester.

Thanks. cubscout

[8GCBC]

Being (more) scientifc is now afforadable! And fun too. Will post any useful results from my experiments. Thank you for the encouragment!

[skywagon8a]

....If my engine performance, rigging, pilot skills start "go'n South" I need to kown a little more about the weather conditons to have a constrast of previous results...

If my skills start going south far enough to need the information supplied by the device which you are describing, then I will know that I have no business being there in the first place.

[8GCBC]

If my skills start going south far enough to need the information supplied by the device which you are describing, then I will know that I have no business being there in the first place.

I a think few concepts were missed here. Please re-read the thread.