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Wind Meters




In article <Colin_Douthwaite.3skg@equinox.gen.nz>, Colin_Douthwaite@equinox.gen.nz (Colin Douthwaite) writes:
>Marty Sasaki and Bert Tanaka say that they carry windmeters in their 
>kite kitbags. Can they provide full descriptions, size; 
>availability; prices; and how these gadgets show or record the wind 
>force/speed ?  

I do use a Turbo Meter, which Drew Commins describes quite well. I
bought it 4 years at the AKA Convention's marketplace for somewhere
around $80. That was a pretty good deal at the time.

After 4 years of pretty hard use, the bearings are beginning to make
funny noises, which probably means that it is going to die soon.
Hopefully I will be able to find a similar deal in Seaside again.

>The only things I have seen locally are Anemometers which have 
>rotating scoops or paddles and would normally be mounted fairly high 
>off the ground like a weather vane. They don't look particularly 
>portable to me.

These things are quite a bit more accurate than the hand held meters.
The hand held ones are sensitive to being pointed in the correct
direction. Someone in New England has one of these which he has
mounted to a long pole which is set up near the edge of the flying
field.

Many people feel that the only really accurate wind meters for low
velocities is a pressure oriented one. Here, the air pressure with the
wind blowing is compared against the pressure without wind. The
difference is used to calculate the wind speed.

I use the wind meter to double check my senses. I have found great
differences between my perceived wind speed and the actual wind speed.

The meter is often useful in kite designs as well. I can watch the
kite fly, note it's shape and note the wind speed. This often helps in
determining the correct frame for a new design.
--
Marty Sasaki            Harvard University           Sasaki Kite Fabrications



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