Lovely Lovely Gadgets - Wind-meters?

dCorbus

Wind Meters?

I don't know if this has been done already, but bearing in mind more recent tech developments and having been reading a couple of recent threads, I thought I'd start a couple of new threads specifically related to all those lovely and oh so useful gadgets and gizmos that we all want!

So to make a start, if any of the shooters out there in boards.ie-land have any recommendations, advice, thoughts, etc etc on wind meters, maybe you could post them here for everyones joy and delectation.

- What wind-meter do you use?
- Where did you get it?
- How much did it cost?
- What do you like about it?
- What do you dislike about it?
- What wind meters do your mates use?

plus

- How useful is it really, in practice?
- And how often do you use it?

That kind of info, and anything else you feel is relevant, would be really great.

I was thinking of posting just to get info on the Kestrel wind-meters, but seeing as I've seen so many types out there and each lad/lady will have a different opinion, I thought, what the heck, I'll start a thread and see if we can get all the info in the one place on the different models, choices, add-ons, and general gizmo's.

Knock yourselves out!:D Thanks.

:cool: dC

Cass

I have this wind meter .............


.............. It does the job and gives speed in knots, KPH, MPH, M?S, F/S, maximum speed, average speed, temp in F or C. It cost around €50 delivered. All useful aspects, but honestly i can count on one hand the amount of times i've used it.

The speed of the wind at the place i'm lying will be different to that at the target. Also i can only get the speed of the wind that runs at "arms reach". As a bullet travels in an arced trajectory you would really need an idea of the wind at different intervals along the range of your shot and at the height the bullet will be traveling.

All in all though it serves as a useful tool to give an indicator rather than blindly guessing. I would use it more in bad/strong wind rather than a light breeze. As the bullet will obviously be more greatly effected by stronger wind i want to get a good idea of its strengt whereas with a lighter wind i could accurately guesstimate the MOA needed to "buck" the wind.

declan1980

i use a caldwell wind wizard.
i bought it in stakelums in thurles for €60.
it reads wind in knots, m/s, kph, mph.
it also measures temp. in degrees F or C
like ezridax said it'll only measure wind speed where you're standing.
i used it for shots outside 125 yards when i had the hmr, and i found it to be quite accurate for shots out to 200 yards, beyond that the wind could sometimes be different to where i was standing.
if i point it at the target it gives a reading which is proportional to the wind value for that direction, regardless of actual wind speed.

johngalway

dCorbus wrote: »

- What wind-meter do you use?

Kestrel 2000, green one in a case with a black string.

dCorbus wrote: »

- Where did you get it?

Fleabay I think.

dCorbus wrote: »

- How much did it cost?

I don't remember & can't find a receipt.

dCorbus wrote: »

- What do you like about it?

It's green

It seems to measure the wind, though I can't really verify that independently. It gives;

Current wind speed,
Max wind speed,
Average wind speed,

As well as temperature in C and another temperature option which baffles me at present.

dCorbus wrote: »

- What do you dislike about it?

Nothing really, it does what it says on the tin.

dCorbus wrote: »

- What wind meters do your mates use?

What're you sayin here, I'm seeing a pattern

dCorbus wrote: »

- How useful is it really, in practice?

Well. I will use it when I can afford to throw bullets down range to practice long range shooting. I think of it like a range finder when starting out, assuming it's accurate then it gives you a decent guide to measure the wind where you are, like how it feels on your face, how the trees/bushes move etc. Won't tell you what the wind is doing X00 yards away but it'll help you learn IMO.

dCorbus wrote: »

- And how often do you use it?

Not often, but that is because I can't afford long range shooting practice right now. When I can, I'll use it a fair bit I expect. They are not expensive.

Tackleberrywho

I use this
http://www.nratraffic.ie/weather/default.asp?RegionId=0

Very accurate and free!

dCorbus

That's all great info, lads.
These 3 threads are shaping up to being a nice consumer product review section for us all!:)

Tackleberrywho

dCorbus wrote: »

That's all great info, lads.
These 3 threads are shaping up to being a nice consumer product review section for us all!:)

I have a tissot touch watch, reads atmospheric pressure hPascals and also has compass & thermometer .
Wind speed can be guesstimated by watching leaves and then you have speed, direction and atmospheric pressure and temp

the watch was not cheap, but i like my bling

the NRA site is very good and very accurate.

jwshooter

my wet trigger finger .

Tackleberrywho

jwshooter wrote: »

my wet trigger finger .

my knee tells me when it's going to be frosty

pedroeibar1

jwshooter wrote: »

my wet trigger finger .

+1.

These are just another gadget (or anemometer) and are better named a distraction. Never used one on a range (don't shoot rifle) but have been using them on sailing boats all my life. Something held in your fist will be influenced by wind deflections from your body and will tell you nothing about what is happening 5-10 metres away.


Wind speed varies enormously over a distance greater than 10m – it varies due to friction with the ground underneath, the height above ground away from that friction, the contours of the ground and the angle of direction of the wind. It also varies according to height and the temperature structure of the air. Average wind speeds are even more useless, due to gusts.



Watch the leaves/grass/trees and estimate what the wind is doing from that. Learn to read the signs by using the Beaufort Scale http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaufort_scale.



Save your money and your head for useful stuff.
P.

zulu_dawn

i bought this one from the US for $99,
http://www.windtronic.us/

i like it because it is omni-directional and has fixing for tripod.

Note - UK sites are dearer, i got it in 7 odd days from the US.

Norwayviking

Tackleberrywho wrote: »

my knee tells me when it's going to be frosty

My left albow tells me when its thunder and heavy rain on its way,so then it would be the time to run for shelter.
No wonder its been aching so much since i moved to Ireland lol
Anyway when it comes to windmeter i have a Brunton adc pro.
shows anything you need to put in with the ballistics program on my ipod.
altitude,barometer pressure,windmeter,humidity etc.