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Does anyone use wind meters?


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I'm interested 'cos chrimbo is round the corner and i guess i was thinking about kite related gifts (although b-series/ set of race rods is looking more appealing about now!).

So, if you use a wind meter do they give you any greater insight into the wind than 'feel' or looking at the how the trees are bending? - which to be fair has served me ok for 6 years or so....

THANKS

Marty

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I've owned a couple of wind meters and used them to train my wind sense.

I'm now reasonably accurate at my local flying spots, as I've got the waves on the water, nearby trees, flags and sometimes smoke from chimneys to help me estimate the wind strength.

Once you've used one for a length of time, you will probably find that your own mental estimate is very close. It's very helpful for "calibrating" the back of your neck. ;)

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I'm interested 'cos chrimbo is round the corner and i guess i was thinking about kite related gifts (although b-series/ set of race rods is looking more appealing about now!).

So, if you use a wind meter do they give you any greater insight into the wind than 'feel' or looking at the how the trees are bending? - which to be fair has served me ok for 6 years or so....

THANKS

Marty

I have been using a meter for several years now. After busting myself up flying a parafoil - I realised that it is not so easy to guess the wind speed. The waves can look the "same" but the wind can be different. When the wind is up, and I'm flying a big kite, then I check, especialy in a new area.

Thanks

Rob

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I used to use a meter when I flew dual lines more, but to be honest the wind range of each model of Rev is so wide that it is pretty easy to hit the right combo just by feel. It obviously takes some practice, but after a while it becomes failry easy.

Thanks,

Mark.

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I'm with SteveB... I have a windmeter that I bought off of eBay, but I pretty much use it to train my "wind sense". I'll take a reading with it before I decide to go setup, but once I hit the field / or beach then I try to use natural means. I think it's helped me determine what certain windspeeds look and feel like.

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You look pretty intelligent to the non flyer when you go out to fly and check the wind with a meter. Then you scratch your hear or anything handy. Check the wind again. Pull out a kite, put it back, pull out another kite put it back and then finally pull out the kite you were going to fly in the first place.

It does help to have a meter to calibrate the hair on the back of your neck but once that is done, they are for show.

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Most of our group has wind meters, funny that the only time they really get pulled out is when there gets a heated debate on whether the wind is 12-15 mph or 10-12 mph. We'll sit and argue about it for say 5 minutes or so then someone will get irritated and pull out the wind meter. Once the debate is settled (usually proving that the wind is actually 8.6 mph) we all settle down, give excuses as to why we were off so badly and then fly the kite that we had out in the first place.

When you purchase a wind meter you will probably use it quite often in the first week or so, then it will collect dust like that old $12.00 p.o.s. stunt kite that you bought from wally world. :)

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I've owned a couple of wind meters and used them to train my wind sense.

I'm now reasonably accurate at my local flying spots, as I've got the waves on the water, nearby trees, flags and sometimes smoke from chimneys to help me estimate the wind strength.

Once you've used one for a length of time, you will probably find that your own mental estimate is very close. It's very helpful for "calibrating" the back of your neck. ;)

I found the best wind meter is your hair. :innocent:

Unfortunately, I use a wind meter occasionally because I have no hair. :angry: It's always in my truck and whenever I want to use it, the batteries are dead.

It gives you an idea of what happens at certain wind speeds. EG: waves on the water, tree leaves rustling and trees bending over or seagulls tumbling across the grass. In Hacksville, one good indicator of high winds is blowing sand. :blue-grin:

Have flown a small Flexifoil in 60 mph winds. :w00t:

Ask Steve B about the results of hitting the ground with that strong of wind. :censored:

What's needed is a wind meter that attaches to a ball cap.

A webcam would be nice on top of the arena next to our flying field, although we do have several of these in our area.

post-2088-1224296677_thumb.jpg

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Hi.

I have one but only use when it's extremely windy because I'm a weather junky and want to make mental notes of extreme winds. Like everyone else, you develop a sense for the speed... and like was stated previously, we don't need to be spot on with the Revs. It's a cool little gadget and if the person is into the weather and all it's glory, get one so that he/she can play. :kid_devlish: imho.

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Thanks everyone that's pretty much born out what i was thinking - handy gadget but probably best to save my pennies and buy something that i can fly! I think the back of my neck is reasonably accurate but i'm not sure if i can entirely trust my hair:

post-2202-1224315203_thumb.jpg

:blue_wink:

Welcome to the no hair club.

post-2088-1224351293_thumb.jpg

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Hey there's something to measure the wind, :confused!: I figure if I can hold on to it then I'm good to go,

no really I have a wind meter but I have to agree with Mark at the stage where I'm at I can just tell what will

work the best...... Also because of in my other life I flew big kites I'm pretty much in tune with the wind and weather

conditions because it's always been about safety first and then it's no fun when you put up a big kite in bad conditions....

I do think this is a good tools and handy to have around cause if there questions lets find out for sure... :blue-cool:

Ben

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  • 2 years later...

Have one, used it for several years until it decided that gale force winds are 8 mph. Washing the rotor hasn't helped yet. :angry:

For direction and some force clues, I use some tassels on a stick.

For basic wind speed - when I walk down-wind to layout my lines, if I cannot feel the wind, then I know it is about the speed of an old-man-walking (say 5 mph max).

If the wind seems cut in half, then estimate 8-10 mph.

I fly almost exclusively at the beach, since our local winds rate zero on a goodness scale of 1 to 10. So, I look at the sand.

Dry sand is noticeably moving on the surface around 12 to 15 mph.

Dry sand looks like the entire surface in moving around 20 mph and up.

Wet sand means go home - any wind would have dried the surface within 30 minutes. :kid_cussing:

Like other commentators, I found the wind gauge to be a valuable learning tool. It helps calibrate your senses. It explained to me why my dual line kites became unmanageable when the whole surface of the beach was moving faster than I could run. (Oh yeah - kite flies in 8 to 20 mph winds. In 21 mph winds, it either breaks or pull your arms off. :kid_smartass:)

If within your budget, a $50-$60 gauge will certainly help you grow in your hobby. But necessary? Not.

Just one opinion - please weigh with other opinions.

P.S. Just wait until those young whipper-snappers that claim they use their ear-hair reach my age! :kid_devlish: Then they will have to shave the darn stuff to become publicly presentable.

Fair winds.

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I have one .... but it very rarely changes what I actually take out the bag.

It gets used for 2 real purposes these days...

Its primary use is to see what the wind RANGE is where I'm flying if I feel there are fluctuations that have me between 2 revs. Normally this would have me averageing between over powered and under powered. If the meter seems to support theis then I just go for the appropriate B2 and I don't have to care beyond that.

It's seconday use is when the wind is hauling a** and I want to quantify to my friends just how awesome a time I'm going to have ... LOL

Beyond that, it's just been used to calibrate my feel for the wind over time. I've found in both the power kite circles as well as rev people I know that a wind meter is used when you're new for calibrating the hairs on the back of your neck and for findoing out just how strong the wind REALLY was ... but not much beyond that.

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