Well, they call me "The Weatherman", so I got one of these:
WINDmeter, by WeatherFlow
It's an anemometer (wind speed measurer) that consists of a mechanical sensor - a turbine - (as found in a typical handheld anemometer) that plugs into the 3.5-mm audio jack found in most smartphones. It's powered by the phone, through the jack, and feeds the measurement to an app on the smartphone.
When I'm in a windy place -- like on the Oregon coast, as I am now -- I like to know "just how windy is it?". I know I'm not good at estimating wind speed accurately, so I want a measuring device to avoid BS guesses. I've owned a handheld anemometer in the past...but it's gone missing, so I decided I needed a new one.
What I like about this device and its approach is that it provides just the mechanical sensor (with probably a little bit of electronics) and uses the big brain and screen of my smartphone -- no need to duplicate that part as is done in a dedicated meter. I always have my phone with me, so now I just need to remember to bring the wind-sensor and I'm all set for no-guess windspeed fun!
This is how it looks plugged into the audio jack of my Samsung Galaxy S6.
(You can't see the screen much in this pic due to photo-glare/contrast but it's easily visible "in person".)
Here's a screenshot showing the results of a wind speed measurement taken over about a 1-minute period, taken this afternoon on a beach north of Florence on the central Oregon coast. Small craft advisory!
The direction bearing is taken from the direction I'm holding the phone, using the phone's electronic compass. Of course, to get the most accurate wind speed reading you need to face it directly into the wind, and that orientation is accomplished "manually".
Another screenshot showing a collection of several "latest readings" taken this afternoon, which I've (optionally) saved to the phone. The two "mph" values for each reading are Average and Gust.
A couple of the first bearings are a bit bogus -- I hadn't "calibrated" my compass (that procedure where you rotate the phone around each of its 3 axes)....but the speeds are what I care about.
WINDmeter, by WeatherFlow
It's an anemometer (wind speed measurer) that consists of a mechanical sensor - a turbine - (as found in a typical handheld anemometer) that plugs into the 3.5-mm audio jack found in most smartphones. It's powered by the phone, through the jack, and feeds the measurement to an app on the smartphone.
When I'm in a windy place -- like on the Oregon coast, as I am now -- I like to know "just how windy is it?". I know I'm not good at estimating wind speed accurately, so I want a measuring device to avoid BS guesses. I've owned a handheld anemometer in the past...but it's gone missing, so I decided I needed a new one.
What I like about this device and its approach is that it provides just the mechanical sensor (with probably a little bit of electronics) and uses the big brain and screen of my smartphone -- no need to duplicate that part as is done in a dedicated meter. I always have my phone with me, so now I just need to remember to bring the wind-sensor and I'm all set for no-guess windspeed fun!
This is how it looks plugged into the audio jack of my Samsung Galaxy S6.
(You can't see the screen much in this pic due to photo-glare/contrast but it's easily visible "in person".)
Here's a screenshot showing the results of a wind speed measurement taken over about a 1-minute period, taken this afternoon on a beach north of Florence on the central Oregon coast. Small craft advisory!
The direction bearing is taken from the direction I'm holding the phone, using the phone's electronic compass. Of course, to get the most accurate wind speed reading you need to face it directly into the wind, and that orientation is accomplished "manually".
Another screenshot showing a collection of several "latest readings" taken this afternoon, which I've (optionally) saved to the phone. The two "mph" values for each reading are Average and Gust.
A couple of the first bearings are a bit bogus -- I hadn't "calibrated" my compass (that procedure where you rotate the phone around each of its 3 axes)....but the speeds are what I care about.