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Re: check this out: a very cool new wind meter

Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 3:05 am
by XtremeBigAir
share the wind report with your buddy :-)

Re: check this out: a very cool new wind meter

Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 4:06 am
by Jantrit
I'm happy to see both of these options coming to market. In the end people will either find use in them and buy or not. Both look like solid products that I wouldn't mind having in my kite bag.

Re: check this out: a very cool new wind meter

Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 4:44 am
by brokenarrow
We've had our demo at AOK Watersports for the past two weeks and have been absolutely loving it. In my opinion, it is the most user friendly and informative wind meter on the market. The fact that it is an app on an iphone and that your data can be shared with others, completely sets it apart from the rest. It has also been extremely accurate and quick. The application is very simple to use and the wind meter itself is extremely compact. They are up for preorder right now on aokwatersports.com. Check it out below. I will make a video and post it tomorrow so you guys can see it in action.

http://aokwatersports.com/kiteboarding/ ... wind-meter

Re: check this out: a very cool new wind meter

Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 7:26 pm
by brokenarrow

Re: check this out: a very cool new wind meter

Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 8:36 pm
by POACHER
Looks good enough to me. I don't want some giant plug in thing. This looks small enough to not be a hassle to take along.
I agree that a windmeter isn't always necessary, I can tell what kite to put up 98% of the time too. However in Gustyville, USA it's nice to see what the top end is spiking up to. Likewise when really trying to get out in light air, having a more accurate reading would be nice.
(again, this ties into my lack of data available up here)

Mcampa20 do you have any indicators on when this will be available for Droids?

Thanks!

Re: check this out: a very cool new wind meter

Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 11:02 pm
by weatherflow
Thanks for the feedback on our new wind meter. Yes, it is the real WeatherFlow behind this product! More info here: http://www.weatherflow.com/a-wind-meter ... art-phone/

We're pretty excited because it's the first time we've created a consumer product like this (although we've been building professional-grade weather stations for over 20 years). So any and all feedback is much appreciated, especially after you actually get one and try it! We have a money-back guarantee so there's no risk.

@Laughingman, you're correct that our wind meter requires you to face into the wind, just like a traditional handheld wind meter. Vaavud have very a clever design, and there are advantages to non-directional anemometers. We use non-directional spinners on many of our permanent weather stations. But this handheld device is consciously and deliberately designed to be directional. That's for several reasons. Size is one - we wanted it to easily fit in your pocket. A second reason is accuracy: the turbine-style impeller will respond to gusts and lulls better than a horizontal spinner, because there is very little inertia in the impeller compared to spinning horizontal cups. We can also get both lower and higher readings thanks to the inertia savings. But a third and perhaps most important reason for our design is that we believe wind direction is just as important as wind speed at most spots. By facing into the wind, your phone records the wind direction with your report. And the barrel design of the impeller means the wind speed is dead accurate even if it's not aimed directly into the wind.

@POACHER, that's exactly the idea! Keep it in your pocket or car or gear bag, then pull it out when you want to take a reading. Plug it in and start the app, hold it up for 5 or 10 seconds to take a reading, and you're done. Add a message or a picture or a video and share it with your mates - or the world. These readings will be available through all of our websites and mobile brands (ikitesurf, etc.) very soon as we overhaul the "onsite report" system we've had for many years.

@tautologies, our wind meter has an API as well for both iOS and Android. We haven't made it public yet but if you're interested in developing an app for a handheld wind meter, please contact us (http://help.weatherflow.com/). We also have an api into these onsite reports and the rest of the weather data you see in our websites and mobile apps. Weendy uses this for their forecasts. We'd love it if you wanted to use it in an app too. Just contact us!

@POACHER, no data connection required! No batteries either (other than your phone's battery)! And the Android app is coming very soon - if you want to be on the beta group please send email to beta@ikitesurf.com

@Laughingman and @icebird and others looking for a pole-mounted streaming option: This device is deliberately simple. It's compact and rugged and accurate but it was not designed to be set up on a pole to stream data continuously. However, that's definitely an interesting idea for the future that we've already been avidly discussing and may begin prototyping this Fall. It would certainly be a better option than other off-the-shelf weather stations out there.

Thanks again and keep the feedback coming!

Re: check this out: a very cool new wind meter

Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 2:32 am
by Laughingman
@weatherflow. Thanks so much for clarifying your involvement, your reasoning, your intention and possibly the direction you may go in the future. Looking forward to beta testing what you come up with.

Re: check this out: a very cool new wind meter

Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 2:51 pm
by brokenarrow
@POACHER - I've heard it will be available for Android around august 20th-30th

Re: check this out: a very cool new wind meter

Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 4:05 pm
by POACHER
Thanks Mcampa!

@Weatherflow - I just shot you an email to become a beta tester.

Looking forward to trying it out.

Thank you!

JB

Re: check this out: a very cool new wind meter

Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 4:27 pm
by Peter_Frank
weatherflow wrote:Snip...

@Laughingman, you're correct that our wind meter requires you to face into the wind, just like a traditional handheld wind meter. Vaavud have very a clever design, and there are advantages to non-directional anemometers. We use non-directional spinners on many of our permanent weather stations. But this handheld device is consciously and deliberately designed to be directional. That's for several reasons. Size is one - we wanted it to easily fit in your pocket. A second reason is accuracy: the turbine-style impeller will respond to gusts and lulls better than a horizontal spinner, because there is very little inertia in the impeller compared to spinning horizontal cups. We can also get both lower and higher readings thanks to the inertia savings. But a third and perhaps most important reason for our design is that we believe wind direction is just as important as wind speed at most spots. By facing into the wind, your phone records the wind direction with your report. And the barrel design of the impeller means the wind speed is dead accurate even if it's not aimed directly into the wind.

Snip....

Thanks again and keep the feedback coming!
Exactly - less inertia and the impeller follows the windspeed "fast" so to speak, and they are really precise too.

You forgot one HUGE advantage: Toughness !

Which IMO, besides your awesome idea with the wind direction, is the most important.

A non directional spinner, cup based like many weather stations, are soooo fragile and break easily, when stored or during transportation.
And wont fit in your pocket that well, maybe not at all without a tough (and big) casing.

Whereas the impeller style can be protected much better and wont break easily, and can be smaller :naughty:

So eventhough the cup spinner is good for automatic weather stations, it has its disadvantages too.

8) Peter Frank