What's the Best Wind Sensor?

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Yes. Common, but not universal.

What is meant by that?
It seems the B&G 608 should be able to be a plug n play for the ultrasonic ones that have only an NMEA 2000 connection?

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Saltyhog

From the LCJ manual, the direction accuracy for the CV7 is +/- 1 deg. The update frequency is 2 hz. That’s certainly adequate for most. Not sure why it’s not seen more.

If it were that accurate and an update rate of twice a second, then your needle would be a blur, cause the wind isn’t that steady.
Thee has to be some dampening there somewhere.
Some of the ultrasonics I believe will dampen movement of the mast out I believe, assumption is they have accelerometers if they do that.
Do the mechanical ones?

[Montanan]

A long run with a substantial wire is a challenge for masthead mount.

Have you considered wireless? I have no experience with such but so many things are now wirelessly monitored, seems to be no issue for sailing.

By way of example:
B&G WS320 Wireless Wind Sensor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GlyAPbg0WY

This one is charged by solar, not sure why they wouldn't just use the wind to generate the minimal power. No wind nothing to measure, with wind the genny would move and produce power. Go figure.

[FlyingScot]

Originally Posted by Montanan

A long run with a substantial wire is a challenge for masthead mount.

Have you considered wireless? I have no experience with such but so many things are now wirelessly monitored, seems to be no issue for sailing.

By way of example:
B&G WS320 Wireless Wind Sensor

This one is charged by solar, not sure why they wouldn't just use the wind to generate the minimal power. No wind nothing to measure, with wind the genny would move and produce power. Go figure.

I presume starting the connection back up every time the wind blows would be too long for most users.

[robert_cohrs]

I have an ultrasonic Anemometer from Calypso Marine Instruments on my masttop with excellent experience.
I use the bluetooth version with my iPhone app, but they also have a combined bluetooth - NMEA0183 output for boats with existing displays or MFD's.

You find details and pricing on the US-based representative website

http://www.windmetersystems.com

[ronstory]

I'm still happy with the LCJ Capteurs CV7. Is has now been up the mast for closing on 2 year in PNW and it's working perfect.

Below is my mini-review of bench testing and my design goals... which was *not* to run the N2K bus up the mast. ;^)

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ng-182144.html

[robert_cohrs]

If you are looking into ultrasonic technology based units check out the Calypso units, Standard Wired version (NMEA0183) for $376.00 or Portable version (bluetooth and wired)for $470.00

Please check our website www.windmetersystems.com

[Frankly]

My 12 YO Raymarine went through the Western eyewall of Hurricane Michael (160 MPH). Like the old Timex commercials "takes a licking and keeps on ticking". For those old enough to remember the commercial.


Frankly

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Frankly

My 12 YO Raymarine went through the Western eyewall of Hurricane Michael (160 MPH). Like the old Timex commercials "takes a licking and keeps on ticking". For those old enough to remember the commercial.





Frankly

But, laying on its side right?

[Frankly]

She did have a little extra stbd list but the wind indicator still works in normal sailing with the rail in the water. I was amazed as I would have expected it to just explode. Does not appear to have even lost calibration. Bet the sleeve bearings have a little extra play.

Frankly

[Freedom45]

I have an Airmar weatherstation 220wx installed by previous owner on mast top.
Works fine for wind and gps info....BEWARE!! I was trouble shooting why vhf wasn’t working, isolated to Airmar blocking vhf. Read owner manual, must be installed minimum one meter from vhf antenna.
The Airmar mounted on mast top completely blocks signals to mast top vhf antenna.

Cheers

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by robert_cohrs

Checkout the ultrasonic Anemometer family from Calypso Marine Instruments.
The portable/NMEA0183 unit is available for $470.00 and provides data via bluetooth and NMEA0183 cable.

This unit works on my boat for nearly two years now without any issues.
In my opinion this is a real low cost/high performance solution compared to the competition.

I guess I'm not the only one who had not heard of this one; thanks.


I can't find anything about the accuracy of the device; RESOLUTION of wind data is 1 degree but that's not the same thing.


LJ Capteurs also does not seem to publish accuracy. Resolution of CV7 is 1 degree; "sensitivity" is 1.5 degrees.


Maretron WSO100 is 5% -- so a whopping 18 degrees, which can hardly be true, but that's the spec.



Airmar claim 5% below 10 knots, and 2% (about 7 degrees) above that, provided no precipitation.


This very expensive large professional ultrasonic wind instrument is only accurate to 2% above 2 knots:


https://www.environmental-expert.com...-sensor-277335


That's about 7 degrees.


Wonder if quality mechanical wind instruments might be more accurate?

[SailRedemption]

Has anyone seen the Sailtimer wind instrument?

https://sailtimerwind.com/product/rb/

I saw it in Lats and Atts in the recent edition.. We have a Maretron WSO sensor that is going on 3 years I guess, and still working. We haven't had any serious sailing yet with it in driving rain, but hopefully it survives and does not get water ingress.

[ChrisseH]

The Lufft sensor, which is good, but not the top of the line professional ultrasonic wind sensor, is specified to +/-2 degrees RMSE and not to 2%. So as the RMSE value is the standard deviation of the predicted devation from the regression line, this means that 68.2% of the wind direction values should be within +/-2 degrees and 95.4% within +/-4 degrees.

Based on my experience of wind sensing this is a rather trustworthy spec for an ultrasonic wind sensor of this category, which means that the boating sensors are definitely not better. And that is unfortunately true not only for the ultrasonic sensors. Have you ever seen an accuracy spec for a B&G wind sensor?

I have been using LCJ Capteurs' CV7-C since 2014 on my yacht. In a single sensor setup (with no reference) it is always difficult to judge performance, but the sensor behaviour is very consistent and stable. And I have neither observed any noticeable degradation of the measurement in rain. Please note that wind measurement in rain is not straight forward for mechanical wind sensors either. It is for instance very difficult to say what impact water droplets have on anemometer rotation.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by ChrisseH

The Lufft sensor, which is good, but not the top of the line professional ultrasonic wind sensor, is specified to +/-2 degrees RMSE and not to 2%. So as the RMSE value is the standard deviation of the predicted devation from the regression line, this means that 68.2% of the wind direction values should be within +/-2 degrees and 95.4% within +/-4 degrees.

You are right; thanks for the correction.

Originally Posted by ChrisseH

Based on my experience of wind sensing this is a rather trustworthy spec for an ultrasonic wind sensor of this category, which means that the boating sensors are definitely not better. And that is unfortunately true not only for the ultrasonic sensors. Have you ever seen an accuracy spec for a B&G wind sensor?

I have not, but I know one thing -- racers use mechanical sensors exclusively. I guess they must be more accurate.

Originally Posted by ChrisseH

I have been using LCJ Capteurs' CV7-C since 2014 on my yacht. In a single sensor setup (with no reference) it is always difficult to judge performance, but the sensor behaviour is very consistent and stable. And I have neither observed any noticeable degradation of the measurement in rain. Please note that wind measurement in rain is not straight forward for mechanical wind sensors either. It is for instance very difficult to say what impact water droplets have on anemometer rotation.

I have been using WSO100's for about six years. When they work ( ), they are also very stable, but since there is damping, maybe that's not surprising.


But I always noticed that it didn't seem that consistent when going upwind. When I really wanted to know to the degree how close to the wind I was sailing, when sailing hard on the wind and trying to get upwind, it never seemed that I could. Sometimes it was 28 degrees, sometimes 34 degrees, sometimes something else. OTOH, it did seem to always tell me accurately when I was DDW or sailing by the lee downwind. Perhaps that is inaccuracy; or perhaps upwind the reading is corrupted by updraft from the headsail. My WSO100 is mounted 1.5 meters above the top of my masthead truck on a vertical pole -- maybe that's a worse position than my old Raymarine whirleygig, mounted out ahead of the mast on a stick.


So I just don't know.


At any rate, I have bought a CV7, and it has a stick to put it out in front of the mast like the old Raymarine thing. I will eventually get around to installing it (no rush since my WSO100 has come back to life), and we'll see.


Would be nice to know the REAL accuracy of all these devices. A couple of degrees is not indeed overkill; maybe the "good enough" wind sensor doesn't even exist yet, or maybe we should be going back to mechanical sensors until ultrasonic is ready for prime time.