Kestrel Pocket Weather Meters Uses and Applications

Kestrel® Library

Kestrel Pocket Weather Meters & Hunting (See more Kestrel applications)

Kestrel Pocket Weather Meters—Way More Accurate than Lickin' Your Finger.

The weather can impact the success of your hunt in many ways. Put a Kestrel in your pocket and access every environmental reading necessary to bag your quarry.

Bush Piloting

Especially when flying in and out of remote locations, it's critical to know the weather. Safe operation of a small plane or helicopter requires accurate and up-to-the-minute local readings on density altitude, wind speed, barometric pressure, dewpoint and altitude. The new Kestrel 4500 features a crosswind and headwind/tailwind calculator, too, making it the perfect companion for pilots landing in extreme conditions.

Fishing

Figuring out when the fish will bite is easier when you know the weather - now, and in the recent past. Especially in shallow and fresh waters, slight changes in water temperature, barometric pressure and surface disturbance caused by wind all influence when fish are feeding. When pressure is rising or falling, fish activity will increase, making brighter or faster lures more effective. The Kestrel 2500 is the perfect fishing companion. It measures all those parameters, including water temperature — simply submerge the waterproof unit and hit "hold" to save the temperature. Plus it's durable enough to toss into your tackle box at the end of the day.

Bragging Rights & Safety

While a Kestrel can't measure the points on your buck or record the one that got away, it can help you keep score on who has endured the coldest day sitting in the stand. The Kestrel 3500 gives you wind speed, temperature, wind chill, heat index and barometric pressure trends, together with a backlight for taking those readings. More importantly, knowing the real weather conditions helps you choose the right clothing, plan your hydration needs, and adequately prepare for your day in the field. Hunters succumb to frostbite, exposure and heat exhaustion every year - a Kestrel can keep you from joining them.

Animal Behavior

The wind speed affects how well animals can hear and smell, causing them to be less active as wind speeds increase. Temperature influences the animals' comfort, restricting their activity if it's too cold or warm. Wind chill and heat stress give an even better indication of how the wind or humidity may influence the "real feel" of temperature on the animal. For most game, activity levels will rise or fall along with the barometric pressure. A Kestrel 4000 can track weather trends and give you current conditions to plan when and where to hunt.

Bow Hunting

The large side surface area of an arrow makes it far more subject to wind drift than other hunting projectiles. Even 5-10 MPH of crosswind requires wind compensation or arrow selection adjustment. You can drop tufts of grass to estimate the wind - or measure the wind speed to +/- 3% accuracy with a Kestrel. The Kestrel 4500 even calculates the exact crosswind effect with respect to a target direction - invaluable when practicing and learning how to read the wind.

Varmint Hunting

Varmint activity is heavily influenced by wind, barometric pressure change, and precipitation. As just one example, coyote activity can be counted on to increase with rising barometric pressure after a storm front has passed. Most varmints are hunted at long range, requiring educated ballistics choices and skillful reading of the wind. Take the guesswork out of your next varmint hunt with a Kestrel 3500, 4000 or 4500.

Black Powder Hunting

As a black powder hunter, you get one shot at your quarry. so you need to make it count. You need to know the wind speed and direction to plan how to get close to your target, and track humidity, dew point and barometric pressure trends to anticipate weather changes and ensure you keep your powder dry. The Kestrel 3500 measures every one of these parameters in a 3.5-oz. package, maximizing your chance of success during muzzleloader season.

FAQs

Get the answer to this and other questions at NK's:

Kestrel Pocket Weather Meters & Hunting Brochure (PDF)

How does the Kestrel 4500's crosswind calculator work?
The 4500 features a built-in digital compass that allows you to measure the wind speed and direction. In order to display the crosswind, simply point the Kestrel down the runway or target and set the reference heading. Then hold the 4500 into the wind and it automatically calculates the crosswind with respect to the reference heading. It also calculates the headwind/tailwind the same way (headwinds are positive values and tailwinds are negative).

What's so great about the Kestrel impeller?
The Kestrel impeller measures 1 inch across, and turns on a Swiss precision pivot mounted on sapphire bearings. Its large size ensures accurate readings even if pointed off-angle from the wind, and its very low start-up speed allows measurement of the lightest puffs of wind. If damaged, a new calibrated impeller can be purchased for $19 and popped in without tools, restoring like-new performance.

Can the Kestrel 4000 communicate directly with a PDA or computer?
No. Due to the rapidly changing standards for product communication, data upload is presently limited to a USB or serial interface to communicate with a PC. Additional communication options may be developed in the future as a predominant standard emerges among Kestrel users.

What's that curly looking thing?
That's the patented Kestrel temperature sensor. Unlike most watches and other products with temperature measurement, the Kestrel sensor is outside the case to ensure it measures the air, not your hand or pocket. The "curls" serve to further isolate the temperature sensor from the effects of the case temperature.

How does the Kestrel measure humidity so accurately?
The Kestrel features a patented dual temperature sensor configuration for rapid response and accurate measurement. Every Kestrel is calibrated against NIST-traceable standards, and can be recalibrated in the field with the Kestrel RH kit.

How does the Kestrel measure altitude?
The Kestrel uses an atmospheric pressure sensor and calculates altitude based on a standard atmosphere. This is just like the altimeter in an airplane, or an altimeter watch. It's more accurate than a GPS altimeter, but does require periodic reset of the reference pressure to eliminate weather effects.

How does the altimeter work? Is the reference pressure the same as an altimeter setting?
The Kestrel models with altimeter calculate altitude from barometric pressure in exactly the same manner and according to the same rules as an aircraft altimeter. The "reference pressure" on the Altitude screen is the same as the altimeter setting obtained from a local airfield.

Can the Kestrel provide location?
Currently we do not offer a Kestrel with GPS. We may add basic GPS location to a future Kestrel model, but we'll leave the full-blown mapping and navigation to the companies that specialize in GPS as much as we specialize in weather.

Do you really mean MADE in the USA?
Yes. The entire Kestrel line is designed and built in the USA. Some electronic components have to be sourced overseas these days, but we buy American wherever we can.

Who do I call if I have a problem?
You call us! From our Customer Service Representatives to the President of the company, we all answer the phone and know these products inside and out. If you have a problem, we'll fix it. Kestrels hardly ever break, but if they do, they're covered by a two-year warranty.