An Important Tool for Meteorology

A meteorologist requires a lot of tools for their trade in order to be as accurate as possible. Among these tools is an anemometer. An anemometer is a tool that is designed to measures wind speed and wind pressure. This is an incredibly important tool for meteorologists because they are responsible for studying weather patterns.

Typically for generalized weather reports, meteorologists use an anemometer at the weather station in order to help them predict the weather, and give accurate readings for exact wind speeds and wind pressure. This is not to be confused with a simpler tool known as the weather vane. This item is merely decorative items that only roughly show which direction the wind is blowing.

Meteorology requires anemometers so much that they use handheld anemometers. These tools are a mandatory part of a meteorologists go bag when they head out to a natural disaster to report. In fact, famed Weather Channel meteorologist Jim Cantore does not leave without his when he heads out to report on hurricanes, tornadoes, and blizzards. The handheld anemometer is the key tool for him to be able to measure the gusts and sustained winds to give accurate reports out in the field.

Handheld anemometers are just right to take with you wherever you go, which is why meteorologist have them on their absolute must-have when they have to travel to the bad storms. Ames makes a high quality handheld anemometer. Their Handheld anemometer RVM 96B-1 is a lightweight product with high quality construction. This is possible as a result of being made with anodized aluminum and ball bearings. This digital and portable model can measure both wind speed and the wind’s direction. It has an illuminated LC wind display and offers RS 232 data transmission as an option. You have the option to measure wind speed in m/s, km/h, knots, or in mph.

For added benefit, this model handheld anemometer has an amazingly long battery life and also has an automatic shut off to help conserve the battery life. It has a type calibrated in wind tunnel and also includes a built-in electronic compass. This easy to use model is able to be used in all cases, which is a benefit over their competitors that are more bulky and unable to fit in standard cases. Additionally, this model has a lid of a handle with a ¼” nut which allows it to be able to attach onto any standard tripod that is used for photography.

This handheld anemometer has a mechanical system with a vane and circular scale. This is used in order to measure the exact direction that the wind is blowing. Because of its built-in electronic compass enables the right orientation for this device.

These types of tools are very important to meteorology. Even if you are not a professionally trained meteorologist, this is a great tool for people who want to have this information for their own interest or needs. Professionals stand by this type of device, and you should too.

Stay updated about wind conditions with a Handheld Anemometer

‘Anemos’ means wind in Greek and that is where the Anemometers get their name from. Anemometers are instrumentsthat measure wind speed and direction. The first anemometers were huge equipments and were mechanically driven. With the advent of technology, handheld anemometers have shrunk to the size of a mobile and cost almost the same. They all use electronic equipments and digital display meters. All the anemometers have some sort of mounted instrument to measure the wind speed. Though the majority of meteorological anemometers utilise hemispherical cups mounted on horizontal arms of a vertical shaft for measuring the wind speed, most of the handheld anemometers use propellers or fans to do the same. This makes the whole equipment compact and easy to carry around. In addition to wind speed, most of the digital anemometers available in the market measure wind pressure and direction too.

The mechanism of anemometer operation is same irrespective of the type of instrument used to measure the wind speed. The fan or propeller or cups rotates when they come in contact with blowing wind and generates electric pulses every time they complete one rotation. Counting the number of pulses per minute gives an approximate wind speed. The method of counting the electric pulses vary from magnetic reed switches to optoelectronic measurements. Since the calculation of speed is done by electronic circuits, the data a=is available as soon as one switches the device on

Due to the ease of use, low weight and increased accuracy, they have improved weather sensing at remote areas. The handheld anemometers are available in water proof and anti-fragile quality, which makes it ideal for travellers and naval purposes. The digital display can be adjusted according to your requirements. It is one of the striking features that can be used when located in rough weather. Handheld anemometers can be used for both public as well as personal intentions. There are several types of anemometers available in the market at a reasonable price.

Wind speed varies with time. Thus one can only measure the wind speed with only certain accuracy. The usual accuracy of a handheld anemometer is 5% and that is usually far more accurate than anyone needs. Unless it is an air tunnel or ventilation shaft, where the wind speed remains constant, an accurate reading is impossible to get. So any measurement obtained from a handheld anemometer is at the very best a rough estimate of how fast the air is moving. 

Importance of the handheld anemometer

The handheld anemometer used to measure wind speed and direction can be used for many purposes. The original purpose was and still is to predict the weather over coming days. Other uses for it are checking the wind speed to find out if a tall building structure is safe, finding out whether it is safe for high up construction work to take place, weather it is safe to fly aircrafts and even in the home for those who have radio controlled handheld flying devices and kites. Those who participate in outdoor sports also use them to see whether the wind speed will affect their game.

Thehandheld anemometer was not always as portable, it was once a huge device that had to be carried in pieces and constructed on site. Nowadays it is as easy as attaching it to a lanyard around your neck, putting in your backpack or keeping in the glove box of your vehicle.

The handheld device can tell you how fast air is moving and is usually recorded as an average such as how many miles per hour the wind is travelling at. It can also be recorded as speed, gust or squall which shows fluctuations over a set period of time.

The wind direction is also often reported on the device telling its users the direction the wind is coming from. This is reported as North, East, South, and West or in between.

Wind speed and direction play an important part in not only monitoring but predicting what turns the weather is going to take. The device is also useful in predicting patterns in weather and the global climate. The winds direction and speed can also have an impact on the masses of water around the earth from rivers to oceans; it can show how fast evaporation is likely to take place and even whether a storm or tornado is brewing.

The simple cup or propeller method used in the original devices has now been replaced by technology so that the speed and direction can be recorded in digital form in just a few seconds! The beauty of technology allows users to record the information they receive on the device, with some holding so much information weeks of wind comparison can be saved. Many of the newer devices have USB ports so that the information can easily be updated to a home/office computer.

Being handheld it allows sports fanatics to find out whether or not it is safe to partake in their outdoor sport of choice and is also small enough to be used in the toolbox of those who fix air conditioning units and similar. In the air conditioning repair industry it’s great to find out whether a device is working to its full capacity making it an excellent diagnostic tool. In the home it takes up very little room in a drawer but can be useful to the whole family whether planning for a day out or research purposes. 

Anemometers

An anemometer is a handheld instrument which is primarily used to measure wind speed and wind gusts. A hand held anemometer is a unit that measures wind pressure but due to the nature of speed and pressure the anemometer although designed for the purpose of measuring velocity will also measure pressure. The anemometer was originally developed by Leon Battista Alberti back in 1450 but has been modified and streamlined over the last five centuries and is now available as a digital hand held anemometer that is readily available today.
Features
• Light weight and portable – unit weighs approximately half a kg
• Anodized aluminum material
• Digital printout
• Can be electronic or manual
• Liquid crystal display
• Can transmit data to another location.
• Switches off automatically when no wind is detected after a 4 minute interval
• Speed can be measured in kilometers per hour, miles per hour or knots and these can be manually selected depending on requirements.
• Has a built in compass to measure wind direction
• Has a long battery life before recharging – 15 to 70 hours with the electronic unit using the most battery power.
• Will gauge wind direction and speed in a 360 degree radius.

An added benefit is that you can mount the hand held anemometer unit to a vehicle if required to measure wind speed of approaching storms or hurricanes while the vehicle is in motion. The hand held unit is generally used where other types of anemometers would prove difficult to erect permanently.
There are many different anemometers available from hand held anemometer digital readout units to pole and wall mounted units depending on the application but the hand held unit is the most popular unit as it can be taken to various different sites whereas the others are fixed and only read the wind speed in that specific area.

Handheld Anemometers

Anemometers are available in many variations but the most popular is the hand held anemometer due to the versatility and portability of the unit. They are lightweight and compact with an anodized aluminum outer casing and are compact and fit into a small carry case. The unit weighs approximately half a kilogram and the when packed the case weighs less than 3 kg.

The hand held anemometer is water resistant which is necessary when storm chasing or just for use in adverse weather conditions or out at sea. The units are hard wearing and virtually indestructible when man handled. An anemometer is designed to measure wind speed in kilometers, miles or knots and can be manually set depending on the application but due to the synergy between wind speed, wind gusts and pressure the unit is able to measure all three variations. They also have a built in compass to measure wind direction.

Liquid crystal displays will give a 96% accuracy reading of wind speeds in a 360 degree radius and can if required transmit the data to another location. It is the ultimate tool need by industries that depend on the wind factor to determine the actions needed such as sowing seeds in farming or even for sports enthusiast who rely on wind such as kiting or those that don’t such as golfers or when flying model aircraft. The hand held anemometer is an inexpensive and versatile addition to most sports and obviously in industrial applications.

The anemometer was first designed in 1450 and has changed very little except by the added benefit of digital technology but is still available as a manual version back like it was five centuries ago. Although today it is a compact and streamlined version of the original one. The hand held anemometer can be fitted to a bracket to remain fixed in place depending on the application it is used for such as being attached to a moving vehicle when storm chasing.

Anemometer And its Types

An anemometer is a handheld instrument which is primarily used to measure wind speed and wind gusts. A hand held anemometer is a unit that measures wind pressure but due to the nature of speed and pressure the anemometer although designed for the purpose of measuring velocity will also measure pressure. The anemometer was originally developed by Leon Battista Alberti back in 1450 but has been modified and streamlined over hundreds of years and is now available as a digital hand held anemometer that is readily available today

The anemometer was originally designed for use at weather stations but is now used in many industries or for other activities such as farming and even golf. Whatever industry or sport is played outdoors can utilize an anemometer effectively to gauge wind effects.

The name ‘anemometer’ was originally derived from the Greek word anemos which means wind and is used in any aspect of meteorology or aerodynamics. It was generally only used to determine wind speed but in 1991 it was further developed to measure wind direction too.

There are a number of types and designs of anemometers

·         The cup anemometer – a relatively simple design of four mounted cups which would measure the wind flow this design is still used extensively as a standard measure for wind resource assessment.

·         Vane anemometers – which work on the same basis as a windmill and measures wind speed and flow rate and is generally used where wind flow is consistently in the same direction as in a closed environment such as a mine shaft.

·         Hot wire anemometers – use fine wires which are heated and measures are obtained by the resistance of wind flow on the heated wires. This is described as a thermal measurement.

·         The Laser Doppler Velocimetry – which measure velocity using a beam of light.

·         Ultrasonic anemometers - which use ultrasound waves to measure the wind speed and are generally used to detect turbulence.

·         Acoustic resonance anemometers – are a variation of ultrasonic anemometers using acoustic waves as the means of measurement.

·         Ping-pong ball anemometers which are generally home made and are used by students

There are a number of variations of eachanemometer which have been modified by changing certain aspects marginally to be effective in specific areas where wind speed needs to be measured as in open or closed environments. When measuring wind speed the surrounding terrain needs to be taken in to account as well as surrounding buildings or even trees in order to obtain a correct reading.

There are many different anemometers available from hand held anemometer digital readout units to pole and wall mounted units depending on the application but the hand held unit is the most popular unit as it can be taken to various different sites whereas the others are fixed and only read the wind speed in that specific area.