Real-time wind gust speed question for newbie

[dave49]

Hi, sorry if this seems like a daft question, but i'm a total beginner !

 

I recently bought Maplin's budget weather station, all installed and working :

 

http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/professional-wireless-weather-centre-n25fr

 

I'm most interested in wind gust speed and as this unit updates on it's indoor monitor every 48 seconds, does that mean that if, as a pure example, if a gust of 40 mph was at 30 seconds into the cycle & then a gust of 20mph was at 48 seconds would it just show the 20mph gust at the next time of update on the monitor ? or would it show the max gust of 40mph over this period ? - Or ... does it take some sort of average over the 48 second period ?

 

If it does take an average then if anyone can suggest a fairly cost effective wireless station for a beginner that updates in real-time, or every couple of seconds - I don't want to miss a big gust !. Computer connectivity would also be good on my next model too.

 

Any hints / tips more than welcome

 

Dave

 

[in the vale]

As far as I know (with the ones I have owned anyway) you will miss the gust - the data is a snapshot at the time of transmission, not from the gap in-between. My old one at 7 seconds misses loads of gusts that my new one (2.5) reports - still running them both at the mo, and the anometers are both on the same pole.

[Konstantinos]

Hello noob (lol) dave49. I will tell you my opinion.Gusts only occur for extremely short periods of time, usually lasting no more than just 20 seconds, occurring at 2-minute intervals.It is obvious (I hope so), that it does not show the current wind speed every 48 seconds as the gust speed. Also, it is obvious (I hope so), that it does not show the average wind speed of the 48-second interval as the gust speed.I think it shows you as the gust speed, the maximum wind speed of the 48-second interval. Maybe it saves this in a virtual ram (random access memory), before it updates the monitor.But if we have two gusts in the 48-second interval? Imagine this:...40 mph in 13-second41 mph in 14-second40 mph in 15-second...35 mph in 39-second36 mph in 40-second35 mph in 41-second...In this case, probably we have 2 max points. 41 mph in 14-second and 36 mph in 40-second. I think it will show the 41 mph, as gust speed and it is the best, because, according theory, gusts usually lasting no more than just 20 seconds, occurring at 2-minute intervals.Also, I can suggest you the best pocket weather tracker: Kestrel 4500 Night Vision: http://kestrelmeters.com/products/kestrel-4500-weather-meterI have it in my hiking activity and it is excellent. It is not stable weather station, but it can be. Also, bluetooth connectivity is available (more expensive of course).In the next months, I will try to create an app for android (with widget) for phones with weather sensors (s4 - note 3). It will calculate many current weather quantities, including wind speed - gust.

Edited February 8, 2014 by Konstantinos

[Konstantinos]

Τhe data is a snapshot at the time of transmission, not from the gap in-between.

In this case, why to say "this is the gust speed". It can say: "This is the current wind speed".Only a kind of small RAM is required for showing the real gust speed.

Edited February 8, 2014 by Konstantinos

[dave49]

Hi 

 

'Konstantinos' - many thanks for your detailed explanation - all I think makes sense now.

 

'in the vale' - Thanks for the reply, what type of station do you have that measures every 2.5 seconds ?

 

Can anyone recommend something semi-reasonable (ie. £100 > £150 ish) that does measure wind say every 2 > 5 seconds ?

 

Dave

[in the vale]

In this case, why to say "this is the gust speed". It can say: "This is the current wind speed".Only a kind of small RAM is required for showing the real gust speed.

Weather stations do not records gusts, only wind speed. A gust is then calculated after the event as the highest returned speed over a range of data packets from the sensor. Even if the Maplin one above returns data every 48 seconds, it may be actually recording data more often than that (you will have to dig deep into the specs for this) so when it sends a transmission to the console it may be working gust out from the highest speed recorded over several sets of data. However, the frequency of data sets recorded vs. the frequency of data sets transmitted is very different for different weather stations. Edited February 9, 2014 by in the vale

[in the vale]

Hi  'Konstantinos' - many thanks for your detailed explanation - all I think makes sense now. 'in the vale' - Thanks for the reply, what type of station do you have that measures every 2.5 seconds ? Can anyone recommend something semi-reasonable (ie. £100 > £150 ish) that does measure wind say every 2 > 5 seconds ?  Dave

I now have a Davis VP2 to replace my Technoline (LaCrosse 2300 clone). Edited February 9, 2014 by in the vale

[Konstantinos]

Weather stations do not records gusts, only wind speed. A gust is then calculated after the event as the highest returned speed over a range of data packets from the sensor. Even if the Maplin one above returns data every 48 seconds, it may be actually recording data more often than that (you will have to dig deep into the specs for this) so when it sends a transmission to the console it may be working gust out from the highest speed recorded over several sets of data. However, the frequency of data sets recorded vs. the frequency of data sets transmitted is very different for different weather stations.

I understood, but why so awful calculations?My Kestrel 4500 NV, updated every second and it shows the real gust.For example it can show current wind speed in 32-second 31 mph, current wind speed in 33-second 31 mph and gust 33 mph, because it felt this, for example, in 32,7 second.

[in the vale]

I understood, but why so awful calculations?My Kestrel 4500 NV, updated every second and it shows the real gust.For example it can show current wind speed in 32-second 31 mph, current wind speed in 33-second 31 mph and gust 33 mph, because it felt this, for example, in 32,7 second.

The spec sheet for the Kestrel suggests display intervals of 1 second and measurement intervals of 1 second, so I don't know how it displays a higher speed than that measured between two 1-second intervals. Someone who knows that unit better may have an answer. It may be that the gust is the highest wind speed recorded over a longer time period e.g. 30 seconds?

[in the vale]

The spec sheet for the Kestrel suggests display intervals of 1 second and measurement intervals of 1 second, so I don't know how it displays a higher speed than that measured between two 1-second intervals. Someone who knows that unit better may have an answer. It may be that the gust is the highest wind speed recorded over a longer time period e.g. 30 seconds?

Reading a little about the Kestrel suggests that Gust is the highest speed recorded over the period you use to take an average speed, which I think is the use of a start / stop button?

[Konstantinos]

Yes and it also saves the data to a virtual ram. This is the major sense, you can see the graph of wind speed in respect of time. And you can go to any point you want, for seeing its value.

[in the vale]

Hi 

 

'Konstantinos' - many thanks for your detailed explanation - all I think makes sense now.

 

'in the vale' - Thanks for the reply, what type of station do you have that measures every 2.5 seconds ?

 

Can anyone recommend something semi-reasonable (ie. £100 > £150 ish) that does measure wind say every 2 > 5 seconds ?

Dave

Dave - that price range and that frequency sounds like a big ask, but there will be plenty of folk on here who know tons more about weather stations than I do. I have had a few years experience (good and bad) of running (and fixing, on occasion)my WS2300 and did a lot of research before buying my Davis so if you have any questions I can answer, I will.

Yes and it also saves the data to a virtual ram. This is the major sense, you can see the graph of wind speed in respect of time. And you can go to any point you want, for seeing its value.

Looks like a nifty little device!

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