Man just got a $40 wind gauge off good old ebay... took it to the beach in what i estimated to be at very least 15 knots.. highest reading i could get was 4 knots.... actually had an awesome session but man l hate getting ripped off. was looking forward to being able to better judge those light wind days....
Anyone else found the same thing or did i just get a sh**ty one?
In my humble opinion, wind gauges are one bit of gear you just don't need.
You can always estimate close enough what it's blowing, and if you can't, you soon will be able to - like you said, you already knew it was 12-15kn.
Wind gauges are for geeks and gear freaks only.
It's the special "flysurfer version" windmeter
now you can say your flysurfer is keeping you upwind in 0.8 knots - with video evidence
my anemometer has an average wind setting so if its blowing 15 knts and its been sitting in your pocket for a minute it will show about 4 knts.. check that.
Hi Smedg,
A wind meter is a nice bit of gear for use when you need exact wind speeds for kite reviews and if you are in areas which do not show wind on the water well, like Augusta or any sort of mountainboarding on Terra Firma.
A good quality anemometer like the Windtronics 2 is a precise measuring instrument and not something I'd buy second hand from e-bay. It must be kept clean and in it's case so it doesn't get sand or crap into it to keep it accurate.
We use anemometers in the school for confirmation of upper and lower wind strengths although I can usually tell the wind speed to within a couple of knots by looking at the water.
Beginners who have no experience with wind or water sports need wind meters to judge the wind strengths until they get experience. They get that experience by looking at the read out and then at the water to get a visual indication or reference of what 20 knots looks like. Saying they are for geeks and freaks is a bit harsh don't you think Ben?
When buying wind meters, you get what you pay for and the better quality ones use a paddle wheel type impellor with the little half cups, not the fan impellors types. Such as the windtronics kiteboardingschool.com.au/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=32&category_id=11&manufacturer_id=0&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=84
Most other cheaper ones like the ball in the tube type are within 5 knots wind speed which is not good enough, but if you pay $40, thats about the quality you get.
Good winds,
Thanks for the help. I did have it on average but think i had only just turned it on. Ill check next time. it is a cheap 'fan impellor' type. current thinking is to know exact wind speed required to keep kite in the air (still). Then when ever there is this bare minimum, that enough motivation for me to set up for a down winder. Otherwise won't bother unpacking. pretty sure i gauge the wind ok as am always kiting with others but there have just been a lot of days this winter where i've been standing there thinking hmmmm is it worth it...its almost enough... or just going for it, drenching the kite and packing up wet and misserable..
thanks again for the help
As I have got more experienced I have relied less and less on what the screen tells me and what I feel. I don't think I actually know where my Skywatch is at the moment. That said, its handy to know what the gusts are sometimes.
yeah i think ben needs to come to aus and chill out. i luv gadgets and i`m not a geek or a freek . just ask my mummy. ha ha
Have to admit that I am a big fan of the anemometer. Most the time you can tell the wind speed, but it is nice to have a accurate indication of what the wind is actually doing…gusts, lows and average wind speeds, so you can make a safer decision on what kite to put up. Also when you get strong winds that you do not usually experience …it would be safer using an anemometer to read the wind than make a guess…
I can vouch for how well the explorer anemometers work as I have purchased two from BrisKites, the second was because I lost the first… Pretty accurate, spends its time sliding around in the door pocket of my ute with all sorts of other crap and always works…so easy to operate that my son uses it to measures the wind coming out of the air-con ducts...
Cheers,
Barrie
I am coming back to Aus!!! Can't wait.
I still think you don't need them though. You can always tell by the water, the sand, the trees and what other people are flying in about 2 minutes. And that little bit of a question mark as to whether or not you are over gunning it while you pump up, just adds to the pre-session rush.
Geeks and freaks - I stand by that.
)
check that fan on top of meter is pushed down, mine sometimes works it way up out of meter.underneath blades is a fat bit that goes into body of meter, get fingernails on this and push it down. mine Once read 15mph when it was in fact over 30mph.
Why bother with these stupid contraptions!!! Seriously!!!! Learn how to read nature instead, from the noise of the leaves, to the movement of them, to the type of tree and the branches flex, to the volume in your ears, the press on your face, the whitecaps, the sand blowing on the beach, the flex of the surf lifesavers flag, smoke... the list goes on.
With practise you can acurately read wind by the feel of it on your face.
Why 'prove' conditions to others anyway? Who really cares that you went out in megastrong or light wind? You and the crew you were with know in your own mind how epic a session was, it is still a story and if people dont believe you then there might be some other issues you need to work on in the relationship with your friends. Honesty gets you a long way, bullsh1t begets bullsh1t.
some down to earth tree huggin hippie advice eco. thanks. I'll take that on board.
doesn't matter how good or bad quality an anemometer is as long as it's consistent in it's readings.
basically, you dial the wind reading in to your experience on the water and then use that as the yardstick for the day.
mine may not be reading the "true" wind speed but I know if it says 12+ then it's kiteable, if it's reading 20+ kts its a small kite day.
I've seen mates pump up and tell me there's enough wind when my meter is telling me its barley 10kts and they are wasting their time, every time
I had never used on when I was back home in WA, but the wind here is SH**E and because there are different trees, no waves, the sand isn't as fine and varies in how coarse it is even from beach to beach, I got one and swear by it. I call it my 'Truth Meter' because on the days when you haven't been out for a month or two due to lack of wind and you drive to the beach, you almost need one. If for no other reason to talk yourself out of the old "Yeah, I don't think it was enough when I got here, but I think it's picked up a couple of knots since I did". Especially when almost nobody here kites so there's nearly never anyone else out.
D
