Power Kite Forum

What wind meters are you using?

Powerws - 7-9-2011 at 01:26 PM

I would like to buy a wind meter so I can get a feel foe the wind and what winds speeds do what. So many on the market. What have you used and which ones hold up?

lamrith - 7-9-2011 at 01:45 PM

I just grabbed one off ebay cheap, $17 shipped from china!

I have no way to verify how accurate it is, I think many guys judge wind by "feel"? I know I did not see anyone bringing them out @ SOBB, course there was no wind to measure when I was there on Sunday so would have been pointless anyway!

I just wanted something so I could have a relative idea of wind speeds when trying kites at different times etc.

Powerws - 7-9-2011 at 01:52 PM

True, I just want an idea on wind speed. Doesn't that determine what size kite you should be flying?

joedy - 7-9-2011 at 01:57 PM

I ended up getting a like new Windtronic off of fleaBay for 50 dollars. I like this type more than the Kestrel that I borrowed from a friend. With the Windtronic, you never have to constantly shift and move parallel with the wind for accurate readings.

-joedy

lamrith - 7-9-2011 at 02:03 PM

That is true Power... I am also new at this and I bought the meter so that I can have a better idea of what my limitations are.

If I know I personally can safely fly a 6m in up to 6mph max wind and I am seeing it read 10mph, I know to pull out the smaller kite. Being new I do not have the skill at "reading" the wind or controlling a kite, the last thing I want to do is be:Ange09: for my life from 10ft up. This is just a way to cover my butt.

indigo_wolf - 7-9-2011 at 02:05 PM

I have an omni-directional one that was given to me as a gift, but I don't think it has been out of the bag in close to 18-24 months.

Windtronics 2 is omni-directional and a nice unit.

Angus speaks well of the Lacrosse one which is a bit less expensive.

Beaufort Scale doesn't require batteries.

FWIW: In some cases, a ground wind speed reading will bear little resemblence to what is happening 60-80+ feet in the air.

ATB,
Sam

Powerws - 7-9-2011 at 02:39 PM

Lamrith, you took the words right out of my mouth. Exactly where I'm at.

lamrith - 7-9-2011 at 02:51 PM

Quote:
FWIW: In some cases, a ground wind speed reading will bear little resemblence to what is happening 60-80+ feet in the air.

ATB,
Sam

Indigo has a great point here too. lastnight was a prime example. Not even enough breeze to get 1/4 of a 4m kite filled, dead still. Jeff had to gave it an assisted launch and a few good pumps got it moving, then once it was @50ft it found solid steady air and flew great..

joedy - 7-9-2011 at 03:04 PM

I found this "How Toons" to be a good visual wind guide:

http://www.howtoons.com/?page_id=150

-joedy

Feyd - 7-9-2011 at 04:12 PM

I agree with Indigo on the differences in windspeed at various elevations but I think that having a ground speed reading is valuable none the less.

If you can see the tree tops getting hammered harder that you are on the ground, and you're ground windspeed is XYZ, then you have a better chance of making the right descision on which wing to put up.

Or you can just fly an Arc. :smilegrin:

I rarely use my meter anymore. You'll find that you use it less and less with expirience. I only bring it out if the wind is really nukin' just so I know what the wind was doing for a given session, not so much for wing choice.

Learning the visual indicators from your surroundings can easily be as valuable. Keep in mind warm winds carry a lot less punch than cold winds. 20mph in summer doesn't carry as much punch as 20mph in winter.:wee:

Powerws - 7-9-2011 at 04:27 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Feyd
Keep in mind warm winds carry a lot less punch than cold winds. 20mph in summer doesn't carry as much punch as 20mph in winter.:wee:

Great to know

Bladerunner - 7-9-2011 at 04:30 PM

+ 1 for visual indicators !

A good spinner sock will serve you far better than a wind meter IMHO !

Spinners show direction and wind changes while you are active. Think something has changed glance at the spinner. I didn't see many people looking at their wind meters either . Everybody was watching the spinner sock + flags though!

Powerws - 7-9-2011 at 04:44 PM

What is a spinner sock? got pic?

Bladerunner - 7-9-2011 at 04:57 PM

something like one of these.

The faster is spins the more wind there is. how steady it flies indicates gusts. Direction, it will show you if the direction has shifted.

Note that the wind up high can always be different but these are a great indicator.

spinsock-windsock.jpg - 5kB

lamrith - 7-9-2011 at 05:11 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bladerunner
something like one of these.

The faster is spins the more wind there is. how steady it flies indicates gusts. Direction, it will show you if the direction has shifted.

Note that the wind up high can always be different but these are a great indicator.


+1 for visuals also.

Thats why you buy the insane 20ft pole to mount one from!:wee:

Powerws - 7-9-2011 at 05:19 PM

Where do you buy a big ole 20 foot pole and spinner sock.

Kamikuza - 7-9-2011 at 05:20 PM

$20 hand-held jobbie from eBay. Still on the original battery :lol:

There's a neat one I saw ... somewhere ... that's basically a bit of wood floating on a pin at the leading edge with a scale painted on the weather-#@%$#! tail - as the wind blows, the boards hangs down less and you can get a rough idea of the wind speed.

There's also the 3 piece flags that golfers use ...

...

After laughing at PMU and his ridiculous copy'n'paste anti-foil spam at the kiteforum zoo YET again, I thought I'd actually look up just how much the wind gradients can be ... I found a calculator online (cos the math is tough :D ) and threw in the numbers ... works out to be no more than a couple of knots at the end of the flying lines. Considering you do NOT fly the kite from the zenith, I'm betting the effect is negligible in the real world. Air density and gusts would factor more heavily in equations ... IMO

Kamikuza - 7-9-2011 at 05:25 PM

I can't post c0ck?

Bladerunner - 7-9-2011 at 05:27 PM

TDMC has the most skookum pole for his spinner! :cool:
It is designed so you drive your car tire on top of the base. Strong and adjustable !:thumbup::thumbup:

I will call him and have him post.

He bought it from Above it all kites but We just came back from Seaside and it's not there anymore .

Sreweyfits made his car supported pole.

Kamikuza - 7-9-2011 at 05:30 PM

skookum ...?

Feyd - 7-9-2011 at 05:55 PM

I like the spinner idea. We use PL windsocks or orange flags on our anchors. But they only help us with launch and landing not so much 10 miles out or in heavy blowing snow.

Blowing snow is pretty much my favorite wind indicator. Tells me roughly windspeed and direction but also illustrates rotors, holes and venturies and currents. It's awesome to see a a current ahead of you before you grab on and pin it.

2nd Skookum?

Bladerunner - 7-9-2011 at 06:06 PM

Sorry, Skookum must be Canadian slang ! I meant, Extremely smart in design. GOOD !

indigo_wolf - 7-9-2011 at 06:07 PM


It has a range of positive meanings. The word can mean 'good,' 'strong,' 'best,' 'powerful,' 'ultimate,' or 'brave.' [1] Something can be skookum meaning 'really good' or 'right on! 'excellent!', or it can be skookum meaning 'tough' or 'durable'. A skookum burger is either a big or a really tasty hamburger, or both, but when your Mom's food is skookum, it's delicious but also hearty. When you are skookum, you've got a purpose and you're on solid ground, in good health/spirits etc. When used in reference to another person, e.g. "he's skookum", it's used in respect with connotations of trustworthiness, reliability and honesty as well as (possibly but not necessarily) strength and size.

ATB,
Sam

Kamikuza - 7-9-2011 at 06:15 PM

Oh che-che-bro!

Powerws - 7-9-2011 at 06:33 PM

I'm amazed at the things I learn in this community!:lol:

coreykite - 8-9-2011 at 12:15 PM

Hey Sailors,

Two things... First... use a wind meter to calibrate your eye.
Look around at everything that moves and guess the wind speed. Then pull out your meter and confirm your guess. Within a week or so you will become quite adept at seeing the wind accurately.
The pocket-size units are very handy and always available. The larger units have a bigger screen but don't usually fit in a pocket or hang around your neck.

Windsock poles: http://www.windpowersports.com/guides/windsock-pole-guide.ht...
Mounts that require a car to secure are limited to where they can be used. I spent 15 years flying about a quarter mile from where we parked. Be careful of anything rubbing against the vehicle.

I use 3/8" rebar. It bends before the pole snaps. I can straighten 3/8" rebar.

A nice Spinsock is the most useful of the spinning designs, in my opinion. With a bit of experience and a good meter, the Spinsock can be a very good indicator of direction, gusts and speed.


Safen Up! Buggy On!

"Often wrong... Never in doubt"

the coreylama

jaymzmn - 9-9-2011 at 05:15 PM

Lacrosse - the yellow one. Great little tool

WELDNGOD - 9-9-2011 at 06:22 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Powerws
I'm amazed at the things I learn in this community!:lol:
I see you becoming a lifer here! :wee:

WELDNGOD - 9-9-2011 at 06:23 PM

I got a la cross too! But now I use my eyes!

jaymzmn - 9-9-2011 at 06:47 PM

You proficient at the beaufort scale ? Can't say that I am with the bloody gusty winds here in Denver

WELDNGOD - 9-9-2011 at 06:50 PM

And forecasts are a great tool too. If you know a front is coming through,you might wanna watch out for major shifts in wind speed and directions

WELDNGOD - 9-9-2011 at 06:52 PM

It's really irrelevent what it is blowing at ground level. 82 ft in the air is what I wanna know about

acmbarber - 10-9-2011 at 01:23 AM

I bought a kestrel and I'm glad I did. It seems very durable, enough so that I let my 5 year old run around seeing how fast he can make it spin. I used the looking at the tree/ grass/ wave/ flag to guess the wind and to some degree that worked. But, now that I have an anemometer, I don't have to guess. Only a few km/h makes a difference what kite I want to grab and I can tell exactly what the gusts are doing. Maybe after I have had an anemometer for a while I will be able to better correlate visual cues with exact wind speed, but I now know that I was over estimating the wind speed before I had something to accurately measure against.

As for knowing what the wind is doing at ground level vs. at apex, these should be relatively the same in the same field for the same wind direction, no? Example: if the wind is N 12km/h it may be blowing more higher up, but the next time you fly there, if it is blowing N 12km/h, it seems very likely that the wind 25m up is going to be similar to the first session. So your expectation of what kite you want to use and its performance would be similar.

bigkahuna - 10-9-2011 at 05:17 AM

Been using the small version of one of these: http://www.hallwindmeter.com/gliders.php for 10 years and counting. It's never failed me, never needs batteries, and is plenty accurate enough to help me decide which kite to fly.

lamrith - 10-9-2011 at 08:24 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by acmbarber
Maybe after I have had an anemometer for a while I will be able to better correlate visual cues with exact wind speed, but I now know that I was over estimating the wind speed before I had something to accurately measure against.

As for knowing what the wind is doing at ground level vs. at apex, these should be relatively the same in the same field for the same wind direction, no? Example: if the wind is N 12km/h it may be blowing more higher up, but the next time you fly there, if it is blowing N 12km/h, it seems very likely that the wind 25m up is going to be similar to the first session. So your expectation of what kite you want to use and its performance would be similar.

That is the same with me. Chamber's bay down here in tacoma, there is no visual reference close enough for my eyes to read from accurately. Being able to feel the wind and then pull the meter out helps, and I already have a good sense of what 5mph feels like now without the meter.

ACM let me or Todd know any time your planning to head down this way and we can try to get together for a flying session!

Bladerunner - 10-9-2011 at 10:11 AM

There is nothing wrong with getting a wind meter to fine tune your senses.

Just that visual cues will be something you can just glance at on the go. Knowing them is best.

AD72 - 10-9-2011 at 11:08 AM

I use trees, water surface, kite size numbers in the sky and windalert.com

Powerws - 10-9-2011 at 07:29 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by WELDNGOD
Quote:
Originally posted by Powerws
I'm amazed at the things I learn in this community!:lol:
I see you becoming a lifer here! :wee:

I'm a lifer already!:wee: