I know that i need to get a wind meter but went flying today and it was 'very' windy, my power lines were screaming.

any kiting veterans have a clue what sort of wind speed would cause this with a 4.5m kite? :puzzled:

You can have the lines sing on any size kite foil or single line if the winds are right.

Susan

14.6 mph from the southeast w/t 68% humidity temps in the mid 60"s?.......aj

Quote:

Originally posted by action jackson 14.6 mph from the southeast w/t 68% humidity temps in the mid 60"s?.......aj

LOL...smart-arse!

I am just speculating but I would assume that it is when you are at maximum power for the wind speed. Kind of like a hobie cat's rudders will hum when you are at max power. I have no idea what wind speed it would be but it is a cool experience as the sound is appealing and i love the vibration in the handles. And I am working on a simple analog annemometor. It involves a windsock with a counterweight but i need an annemometor to calibrate it. So if anyone in Colorado has an annemometor that would like to help me out that would be great. Also the windsock is not mine, and it is not a prototype, it is still just an idea.

Edit: I don't know what happened to the line, but it is supposed to go from the tip of the sock, to the pulley, to the weight.

Quote:

Originally posted by GulfSandEater Quote: Originally posted by action jackson 14.6 mph from the southeast w/t 68% humidity temps in the mid 60"s?.......aj I prefer Genius A n u s! LOL...smart-arse!

For me. If the lines are singing it's perfect for swinging !
I feel that when the lines sing I am into the perfect power zone. Not over powered.
It has also seemed that some lines ( Q-line ) sing earlier and louder. I have kept the Q lines on my 7 even though they slow it up because I LOVE the sonds they make.

I'm with Snowbird, the fun starts when the lines start singing.

I'd hazard a guess that the average lines/4.5m kite would start to sing somewhere around 20mph winds. Possibly 16-18.

My ProFoil1.5m², & the smaller 72" Quad thundefoil has had singing lines before, on thin 80lb lines in 20-25mph winds, love the sounds they make... But with NO harness, Im sure mine dont sing like they could with one, & able to hold the power much longer & in higher steady winds...

The problem with the singing lines is that they are twisted a bit and could be flattened by tork then they start to vibrate in the wind causing drag. Quadrifoil did make Q-line that was perfictly round and did not flatten when tork was applied. so the idea was that this line would not vibrate and caused less drag.
jellis

I know that general motors started putting a helical raised area on vertical radio antennas to stop them from oscillating at highway speeds. The old perfectly round ones would start to vibrate above about 45mph. The one on my new car has the helix and sits still in the wind.

If a strap is used to hold cargo on the highway, and the strap is in the wind, it will vibrate if the edge is into the wind. If you put a half twist in the strap, the curve cancels out the vibration and it sits still.

Given these two examples, I would think that a slight twist in a flat line would make it not vibrate. Are we talking a whistling sound like the wind would make on power lines or some other phenomenon I haven't seen yet?

Quote:

Originally posted by snowbird For me. If the lines are singing it's perfect for swinging !

I agree because judging by the jumps i was getting I was well powered! a bit daunting for a relative beginner but it allowed me to break in the new bar and harness

Mine still dont sing that often,"Maybe because Im not strapped into a harness"??? God knows I wouldnt want to be strapped in & my lines SINGING with a 9.0m²kite!!!

I disagree the with the idea that a helical raised area or a twisted ribbon is less drag than a round one. I never noticed my antenna oscillating in the wind except when it was coated with ice and had an irregular shape. When your lines sing is there a certain tune you hear? If so please buggy with AJ.
jellis

Look back at my post and you will see I didn't say anything about drag. Yes the helix would increase drag because it increases frontal area. My comment was that the helix prevents the radio antennae from oscillating. Therefore a flat line with a twist in it should help prevent a vibrating oscillation.

To prove my point, check the straps that hold a load on a flatbed tractor trailer sometime. The strap that is flat with an edge into the wind will oscillate, while the one with a half twist will almost sit still.