Any good wind gauges for launch site use?

[Bill S]

I was wondering if anyone knows of an good quality wind gauge for use at launches? I thought it would be a neat item to have on hand at club launches. There are plenty of them on Amazon, but I have zero experience with wind gauges and don't know what would be best for this use.

 

[FredA]

Solid State Wind

I know these people -- good people, good product.
Avoid the spinning stuff and go solid state.

 

[waltr]

Sorry but above posted link doesn't work.

I have also thought it would be good to have wind speed and direction at a launch so interested in the wind sensor.

 

[Bill S]

That company is about useless. Nowhere can I find a price for it; all the sites that sell the 50.5 solid state wind sensor want you to contact them for a quote... too much trouble.

 

[cwbullet]

Not the best model but I bought this Anemometer from Amazon. It works pretty good and is less than $50.

 

[David Schwantz]

If I have a site I am looking at for prices, on anything, and then they make me send a request for a quote, I hit delete never to return.

 

[waltr]

Here is a good store but only one wind gauge.
https://www.oregonscientificstore.com/c-32-sensors-and-accessories.aspx?pagenum=2
https://www.lacrossetechnology.com/search?type=product&options[prefix]=last&q=wind*

 

[mikec]

I use a cheap handheld I bought on Amazon for about $25, similar to https://www.amazon.com/Anemometer-Measuring-Temperature-Windsurfing-Kite-Flying/dp/B09NQZCWF1 . It can be mounted on a tripod, measures max/min, but doesn't rotate so it only works well if you hold it into the wind or the wind is from a fairly constant direction (say within 90 degrees).

Some people use pole-mounted wind vane type anemometers that are probably more representative of what a rocket sees coming off the rail, when it matters most. But these are less portable and more expensive.

 

[Banzai88]

I have been using this one to more than acceptable results, especially when used in conjunction with the Windy app.

HoldPeak 866B Digital Anemometer Handheld Wind Speed Meter for Measuring Wind Speed, Temperature and Wind Chill with Backlight and Max/Min https://a.co/d/04kgiE6

 

[user 30299]

Here's a picture of the one I use. La Crosse no longer makes them, but you can find them on ebay.
I've had it for years. Came across it in the world of stunt kites. It's been dragged everywhere.



Probably the best ones out there are made by Kestrel - but very expensive; https://kestrelinstruments.com/category-kestrel-basic

 

[goose_in_co]

Old School here. Dwyer wind meter. Handheld, reads 2-60 MPH on two ranges, very accurate, and requires no batteries. I have had one of these in my range box for over 15 years, and it still works fine.



You can find these on your favorite auction site.

Goose

 

[caveduck]

Kestrel units seem to dominate the market, they are 75% of the listings on tactical sites and you see them all over the place at NARAMs and FAI events. Practically everything is impeller based, solid state has really not hit the mainstream.

You can get a real Kestrel 1000 for $79 on Amazon or direct from Kestrel. Knockoffs with decent ratings are available in the $30-40 range on Amazon...I would be sure to check them with reviewmeta.com of course. If you care about accuracy, a swiveling vane-type mount is a must-have accessory.

The analog units work great if you just want to make sure you're under the safety code limit but as you can see in Goose's photo where the scale starts at 2mph, they have little resolution at low speeds.

It would be a fun project to 3D print one and read it out with an Arduino. There are several designs out there on Thingiverse and Printables but most of them use the larger cup-style anemometers, but I think with a resin printer you could make precise enough compact impeller blades and housings. The bearing is critical and would probably have to be sourced commercially.

 

[FredA]

Solid State Wind

This is the fixed link. Sorry
Skip the propeller units .... they ONLY read correctly if you point them into the wind.
If you wind varies direction, they suck.

I have a couple Calypso units (long story) - I bought them off Amazon.

 

[caveduck]

The small wireless calypso costs $249 and has a 67% worse threshold than the $79 entry level Kestrel (1 m/s vs 0.6), and similar accuracy spec (3%), half the operating range (60mph vs 134 though that doesn't really matter for rocketry), impossible to hand-hold, and is not standalone, requiring a bluetooth device to read it out. I don't see how it's superior to an impeller unit for most people except that the sensor part is smaller and more robust mechanically, and it reads out the direction. It doesn't meet any of the use cases that center around pulling it out of your pocket for a quick reading in a few seconds. If you look at the data sheet it's obvious that their target market for that unit is in cruise/race sailing. The wired units start at $399 and are intended to be used as adjunct wind sensors for fixed and portable weather stations.

 

[teepot]

I have a Caldwell. It cost $37 on Midway. I have had it for years. Works fine. It's called a Wind Wizard. Now there is a Wind Wizard II. A Kestrel 2000 on sale for $99. Kestrel 1000 $74. The Kestrel 5700 with ballistic computer $869. That's the spread.

 

[FredA]

It is different and not for everyone.
Directional miss-alignment will kill all accuracy of propellers....despite how well they are spec'ed.
These are great as something you put on a tripod and OBSERVE the PATTERN of the wind.
Instantaneous measurements are, in reality, not worth much unless somehow your wind is constant.

For a club asset, I would want one of these.

Plus - what do you care if the wind is substantially less than 1ms/sec? That's not wind, but a slight breeze.

If you want dirt cheap - scan Craigslist or equiv for one being sold after forest fire season.

 

[JoePfeiffer]

We've been using this one, on a tripod, at our club launches. Important feature is it isn't directional. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09283NRZP?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

 

[Bill S]

JoePfiffer, that is decent looking. I do have a tripod I could mount it on. Being able to leave it set up to refer to, and not having to aim it into the wind is useful, because my launch sites tend to have widely varying wind directions through the day. Thanks.

 

[Ronz Rocketz]

I had a weather station but the ground became too hard to pound the dowel into so switched to a wind sock. You can see it in the background. We also use a beach umbrella for shade respite. We know it's too windy for rockets when it keeps whipping around and smacking us in the head.

 

[JimByrne]

We set up one at our club launches but never used it. You can feel when the wind is getting to high fir safe launches. We also set up a windsock and this helps judging the wind direction at ground level.

 

[Johnly]

I use a Davis Vantage Vue system in Huntsville for the NASA Student Launch Program.
I like the data logging and histogram features as well as ability to position one receiver at the LCO table and a second in the team area for their use.