Vortex Fury and Kestrel Workflow Recommendations

[Glitterball]

Hi all. I have been lurking and reading for a long time, but I’m relatively new to the Hide and am just getting into some medium range bolt action.

I’m hoping some members can share some of the pros and cons of the different ways one might use a Vortex Fury with a Kestrel. I’m trying to identify the most efficient workflow for generating reliable ballistic solutions in the field without paying for redundancy that isn’t needed. My initial use cases are hunting to about 400 yds and paper punching to 600 yds. Both will primarily be on open western prairie, where wind is definitely in play.

I just purchased a Kestrel Elite, with the idea that it will serve as my primary ballistic solver. I’m contemplating also picking up a pair of Fury ABs. I can’t help but feel like I’m throwing money away by paying for the AB Elite engine twice, however.

It seems to me there are several potential workflows here. For those pairing similar devices, what’s your preferred workflow? Are any of these options objectively the “best?”

1. Fury AB and Kestrel Elite. Fury pushes range to Kestrel. Use Kestrel for firing solution. Pay for AB Elite engine twice.

2. Fury AB and Kestrel Elite. Kestrel pushes wind to Fury. Use Fury for firing solution. Pay for AB Elite twice.

3. Fury AB and Kestrel non-Elite. Use Fury for firing solution. Pay for AB Elite once.

4. Fury non-AB and Kestrel Elite. Use Kestrel for firing solution. Pay for AB Elite once.


Im generally a buy once cry once type, but I’m also open to the possibility that I’m overthinking my needs here and just geeking out on gear. I want to future proof my setup a bit and give myself room to grow, but I also have to wonder if a basic Kestrel, a standalone LRF, and a DOPE card would suit my current needs just fine.

I’m trying to figure out where the sweet spot is for solution accuracy, efficiency, and spend.

Thanks in advance for any insights you might have based on your experiences.

 

[DocUSMCRetired]

Hello,

I would like to note. You need an AB Elite Kestrel to work with the Fury 5000 AB. Because they need to share ecosystem and protocol.

You didn't answer this, but will you be stationary or moving? If you are stationary I would suggest you buy a mount for the Kestrel. Put it out and in the wind nearby. Then use the Fury for your solutions in display. This also works great on the firing line. You can set and forget the Kestrel (make sure you are careful about your auto-off timer or disable it under display). I would also suggest if doing this you invest in rechargeable batteries. Modern ones will give you a good 24 hours use.

If you are not stationary and are moving a lot. Use the Kestrel as a learning tool. Guess the wind value then sample it with the Kestrel and see how close you are. Sample when you notice a change, and input that into your Fury binos.

 

[OREGUN]

There are lots of ways to do this. You could just use fury ab and no kestrel at all for example.

I have fury ab and kestrel, non elite. They are trued together so that they give the same dope for the same distance. In terms of elevation, they are interchangeable. Once they are set up, I don’t let them talk back and forth. I don’t want the variable of a Bluetooth connection (known for their astounding reliability and speed) messing with me.

In range-engage matches, I use the fury exclusively for ranging and dope solution. I use the kestrel to occasionally meter the wind or check wind angle and see what’s happening and then use gun number to come up with the windage solution.

In a known distance setting, I use the kestrel for everything and the fury to check/verify ranges and I know it’s available as a backup if my kestrel dies. I do this because I find it easier to take the kestrel and COF and my dope card and create a stage plan than to do that while looking around/comparing my range to COF ranges/etc. Once the dope card is filled out, I’ll go back and check the ranges, look for landmarks, practice target sequences, etc.

If you are starting out, it’s hard not to recommend the kestrel since it will help you get your head around the wind. With that said, because you are hunting, the rangefinder in binos is really handy And it’s ALOT faster if the firing solution comes out of it too. So maybe the fury AB and a simple handheld wind meter. Some time at the range to give you confidence in using a gun number wind solution and you are good to go.

In a hunting or paper punching scenario, I don’t see the need for Kestrel Elite. The range card feature is cool but unneeded for single target engagements. Likewise, the other features of the elite, at ranges as close as 600 yards.

The good news is you can turn the kestrel elite into cash for fury ABs at no loss to yourself if you want to.

 

[YotaEer]

There are lots of ways to do this. You could just use fury ab and no kestrel at all for example.

I have fury ab and kestrel, non elite. They are trued together so that they give the same dope for the same distance. In terms of elevation, they are interchangeable. Once they are set up, I don’t let them talk back and forth. I don’t want the variable of a Bluetooth connection (known for their astounding reliability and speed) messing with me.

In range-engage matches, I use the fury exclusively for ranging and dope solution. I use the kestrel to occasionally meter the wind or check wind angle and see what’s happening and then use gun number to come up with the windage solution.

In a known distance setting, I use the kestrel for everything and the fury to check/verify ranges and I know it’s available as a backup if my kestrel dies. I do this because I find it easier to take the kestrel and COF and my dope card and create a stage plan than to do that while looking around/comparing my range to COF ranges/etc. Once the dope card is filled out, I’ll go back and check the ranges, look for landmarks, practice target sequences, etc.

If you are starting out, it’s hard not to recommend the kestrel since it will help you get your head around the wind. With that said, because you are hunting, the rangefinder in binos is really handy And it’s ALOT faster if the firing solution comes out of it too. So maybe the fury AB and a simple handheld wind meter. Some time at the range to give you confidence in using a gun number wind solution and you are good to go.

In a hunting or paper punching scenario, I don’t see the need for Kestrel Elite. The range card feature is cool but unneeded for single target engagements. Likewise, the other features of the elite, at ranges as close as 600 yards.

The good news is you can turn the kestrel elite into cash for fury ABs at no loss to yourself if you want to.

I currently use a set of Sig 3000bdx and kestrel elite, but your post has me thinking. The sig AB lite software built into the Sigs was nowhere near as accurate or customizable as the full AB/kestrel elite, so that's why I picked up the kestrel elite to pair.

I could see the value in having the binos contain all the sensors/full data besides the actual wind speed. Then using a simple (cheap) wind meter to get real readings there. when you need them.

Hunting is immensely easier when you have the range and dope displayed at the same time, on the same screen.

 

[JMGlasgow]

A Kestrel AB Sportsman won't work?

 

[Burdy]

I currently use a set of Sig 3000bdx and kestrel elite, but your post has me thinking. The sig AB lite software built into the Sigs was nowhere near as accurate or customizable as the full AB/kestrel elite, so that's why I picked up the kestrel elite to pair.

I could see the value in having the binos contain all the sensors/full data besides the actual wind speed. Then using a simple (cheap) wind meter to get real readings there. when you need them.

Hunting is immensely easier when you have the range and dope displayed at the same time, on the same screen.

So AB lite is not just range limited but also input limited?

 

[YotaEer]

So AB lite is not just range limited but also input limited?

You can do most of the inputs, but you don’t have custom curves and it’s not nearly as accurate as having the actual pressure, temp, air density etc.

 

[Burdy]

You can do most of the inputs, but you don’t have custom curves and it’s not nearly as accurate as having the actual pressure, temp, air density etc.

Uggh. I was set on the 8x32 Sig but I am sure it is going to have those limitations as well...and I don't think a possiblity of upgrade to the full AB. I think the only compact rangefinder bino with full AB support is the Leica 8x32 Geovid?

 

[YotaEer]

Uggh. I was set on the 8x32 Sig but I am sure it is going to have those limitations as well...and I don't think a possiblity of upgrade to the full AB. I think the only compact rangefinder bino with full AB support is the Leica 8x32 Geovid?

I just grabbed the fury AB to replace my old combo of the sigs and kestrel elite. I much prefer it and get the same exact readings as the kestrel using the same Inputs. Also grabbed a cheap wind meter on Amazon when I actually need it

 

[Burdy]

I just grabbed the fury AB to replace my old combo of the sigs and kestrel elite. I much prefer it and get the same exact readings as the kestrel using the same Inputs. Also grabbed a cheap wind meter on Amazon when I actually need it

If they made an 8x32 I would consider it. I dont like 10x in a bino that I walk around with.

 

[RangerGress]

Pls clarify an issue. DocUSMCRetired seems to say that if you have a Fury AB, you need to get a Kestrel Elite AB because same protocol and ecosystem. OREGUN seems to be saying that a Fury AB will work fine with lesser Kestrels. What am I missing?

My application is hunting out west, which I have no experience in because I'm in the SE. I've also been knocking around the idea of doing a few PRS matches so I can get my ass kicked.

-Former SGT, USMC, and grew up in little Oregon logging towns.

 

[YotaEer]

Pls clarify an issue. DocUSMCRetired seems to say that if you have a Fury AB, you need to get a Kestrel Elite AB because same protocol and ecosystem. OREGUN seems to be saying that a Fury AB will work fine with lesser Kestrels. What am I missing?

My application is hunting out west, which I have no experience in because I'm in the SE. I've also been knocking around the idea of doing a few PRS matches so I can get my ass kicked.

-Former SGT, USMC, and grew up in little Oregon logging towns.

I use mine without any kestrel. Just a simple cheap wind meter to get actual wind readings when I need them. But most of the time, I just do the 90 degree wind call buttons built into the fury. It grabs all the other environmentals and gives you good math, as long as your inputs are correct…

 

[RangerGress]

Are you saying your cheap windmeter can communicate with the Fury, or that you take the readings from the windmeter and manually enter them into the Fury?

For example the Kestrel 2700 Ballistics Weather Meter looks to be about $200 and has "LiNK Wireless Communication to Mobile Devices (Bluetooth low energy)*" That means it can provide wind information to the Fury 5000 ab?

 

[YotaEer]

Are you saying your cheap windmeter can communicate with the Fury, or that you take the readings from the windmeter and manually enter them into the Fury?

For example the Kestrel 2700 Ballistics Weather Meter looks to be about $200 and has "LiNK Wireless Communication to Mobile Devices (Bluetooth low energy)*" That means it can provide wind information to the Fury 5000 ab?

I enter them in manually

 

[Huckmeat]

Hello,

I would like to note. You need an AB Elite Kestrel to work with the Fury 5000 AB. Because they need to share ecosystem and protocol.

You didn't answer this, but will you be stationary or moving? If you are stationary I would suggest you buy a mount for the Kestrel. Put it out and in the wind nearby. Then use the Fury for your solutions in display. This also works great on the firing line. You can set and forget the Kestrel (make sure you are careful about your auto-off timer or disable it under display). I would also suggest if doing this you invest in rechargeable batteries. Modern ones will give you a good 24 hours use.

If you are not stationary and are moving a lot. Use the Kestrel as a learning tool. Guess the wind value then sample it with the Kestrel and see how close you are. Sample when you notice a change, and input that into your Fury binos.

If someone wanted to develop for this protocol, is it something that can be accessed, or does it have to be licensed?

There are a few protocols in play... Some are easy to reverse engineer, as last time (6 years ago) I asked the kestrel folks were, to put it mildly, uncooperative. But it would be much easier to create companion apps interacting with multiple AB devices if the protocol could be shared.

However AB to AB devices are using a different protocol. I keep paying the AB tax on everything and don't mind, but there are some fun, potentially useful ways to use this data in competition if the protocol was accessible.

 

[lonestar1845]

You're better off not connecting a kestrel to the fury's, the connection isn't that great. For hunting, I had the best outcome entering wind manually in wind capture mode. For PRS, you wouldn't want to get your dope from the Fury's, an AB kestrel would be better.

 

[Huckmeat]

There is the chicken dance that you do when the chicken shows up in the vectronix, and then there is the chicken dance you do connecting to a kestrel from LRF binos at an NRL hunter match before the stage starts. Kestrels BLE stack is third world compared to sig and garmin.

 

[lonestar1845]

There is the chicken dance that you do when the chicken shows up in the vectronix, and then there is the chicken dance you do connecting to a kestrel from LRF binos at an NRL hunter match before the stage starts. Kestrels BLE stack is third world compared to sig and garmin.

The kestrel and Garmin connection to my vectors has been great. When I ran my Garmin 501 with my furys it was a pain in the ass keeping them connected. I had to turn the "on" time of the furys to their max of 90 seconds and go through the menus and manually connect them before starting a stage in NRL or a sniper match so I could use a target card. Just waking the fury's up wouldn't connect them.

 

[Huckmeat]

The kestrel and Garmin connection to my vectors has been great. When I ran my Garmin 501 with my furys it was a pain in the ass keeping them connected. I had to turn the "on" time of the furys to their max of 90 seconds and go through the menus and manually connect them before starting a stage in NRL or a sniper match so I could use a target card. Just waking the fury's up wouldn't connect them.

Garmin tactix and both vectronix and sig connect well. But I video my buddy with his leica/kestrel dance in the starting box.