Windspeed indicators

[dbooksta]

What are good options for getting wind speed and direction on a range? I'm looking for something better than a flag/tape, and cheaper than a Kestrel or other reliable electronic anemometer.

I've seen pole-mounted, vaned pinwheels used at some matches that look like they'd be suitable and inexpensive, but can't find them online.

 

[sniperdude]

don't know but have you tried Sinclair?

Top Rated Supplier of Firearm Reloading Equipment, Supplies, and Tools - Sinclair Intl

^^

 

[Darkside-Six]

just go with a kestrel, even if it is one of the cheaper ones. you won't be disappointed.

 

[briscoetab]

There are some cheaper wind meters than kestrel, I haven't used any of them but I haven't really heard anything bad about them. Kestrel also makes some real affordable wind meters.

 

[dbooksta]

Checked Sinclair; can't find what I was describing.

Reading reviews of the cheaper anemometers on Midway and Amazon I can't find anything that seems to perform reliably.

And an anemometer is only half the solution: I need to see realtime direction, not just windspeed, and ideally I want to setup the meter/indicator downrange away from benches and other structures that disrupt the area wind patterns.

By the time I get a Kestrel with a vane mount and transmitter I'm pushing $400. I'm assuming a good pinwheel with a vane would be under $40.

 

[azbiker]

Here's some I've been looking at, but have not purchased yet.


Keeney Lrg Windflags

 

[sniperdude]

http://www.brflags.com/index.html

these may help ya^^^

 

[R.Walters]

You can get a kestrel 1000 for around 70 bucks.

Got to pay to play

 

[dbooksta]

http://www.brflags.com/index.html

Those are a clever solution for reading wind direction, with some indication of windspeed.

I don't see how the Kestrel 1000 serves us on the range. I guess I could put it on a tripod downrange, set a spotting scope on it, and get a spotter to call wind while I'm on the rifle. Oh, but I'll also need to bring a good direction indicator and trigonometric calculator to get actual windspeed. At which point I'd be better off just paying up for the vane and transmitter.

Edit: Actually the Kestrels seem poorly suited to this purpose since their display is coplanar with the anemometer. Generally we care most about the crosswind component, but if we set the Kestrel to read that then we can't see the display!

 

[briscoetab]

I don't think R. Walters was trying to be offensive, he was just saying what he thought based on your post. Now maybe he should have read what you said further down about additional criteria you wanted.

You were not clear at all in your original post about what you wanted. Just sounded like you wanted an anemometer without spending any money.

Kestrel 1000 or similar serves me just fine, I don't need something to tell me the wind direction where I am; I can figure that on my own.

At the end of your post where it sounded like you were trying to be a smarta, just so you know putting up your little piece of crap pinwheel specialized wind meter isn't going to do anything about the wind at 100 meters, 200 meters, 300 meters, 400 meters and so on. So while your spending money on your direction indicator and trig calculator, better spend some money on your common sense to tell you how to figure out what's happening down range at your target and every where between because I don't see how your pinwheels are going to tell you that.

Think I'll stick with the kestrel and a little bit of wind knowledge.

 

[dbooksta]

You were not clear at all in your original post about what you wanted. Just sounded like you wanted an anemometer without spending any money.

Kestrel 1000 or similar serves me just fine, I don't need something to tell me the wind direction where I am; I can figure that on my own.

At the end of your post where it sounded like you were trying to be a smarta, just so you know putting up your little piece of crap pinwheel specialized wind meter isn't going to do anything about the wind at 100 meters, 200 meters, 300 meters, 400 meters and so on. So while your spending money on your direction indicator and trig calculator, better spend some money on your common sense to tell you how to figure out what's happening down range at your target and every where between because I don't see how your pinwheels are going to tell you that.

Think I'll stick with the kestrel and a little bit of wind knowledge.

Yes, I'm sorry the first post wasn't clear that I am looking for something I can place downrange (besides flags). This following photo is overkill, but it shows vaned pinwheels setup downrange so you can see exactly what wind is doing at many arbitrary points. At $400/station I can't afford to line up vaned wireless Kestrels downrange, but I suspect I could afford a batch of these "little piece of crap pinwheels."

 

[briscoetab]

Here are some sites don't know if this is what you are talking about or are looking for. Hopefully all the links work, posting from phone and not sure how to imbed links from phone correctly. Those are the closest I could find to your photo.

Wind Flags

Wind Meters - Pg. 1


Wind Flags

price list

Great Budget Flags

 

[dbooksta]

Thanks -- several of these look like what I had in mind. All appear to be handmade!

• Flying Fish -- $25
• Northwind -- $40 with stand