Kestrel 4000?

Apollo

Apollo

Jason Stanley
I am trying a tuner this coming season. I was told to coorilate(sp) my load development with density altitude. Is the Kestrel 4000 the device I need to accurately find density altitude -or is there something else/better? Just checking to make sure before I spend $250. Hate spending money twice.

Thanks for your time

Stanley
 
Kestrel 4000

Yes, but you will need a source to provide the Kestrel with either the your actual altitude above sea level or the local barometric pressure. The Kestrel needs one or the other to provide you the density altitude. This is not a Kestrel quirk, but what is needed even in the best equipped aircraft unless it is obtained from an on board GPS to get the correct local altitude.

A great source of this is the FAA AWOS (Automatic Weather Observation Service) phone system. http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/weather/asos/

I have the number saved in my cell phone for my local airport weather.

George
 
Thank you for the reply. Is there a reason I can not use the Kestrel 4000 to find the altitude or B.Pressure? Based off of the Kestrel website:

The Kestrel 4000 accurately measures:

•Wind Chill
•Air, Water, and Snow Temperature
◦Displayed in Fahrenheit or Celsius w/ accuracy of +/-1°
•Current, Average, and Maximum Wind Speed
◦Wind Speeds displayed in: Beaufort Wind Scale; Knots; MPH; KPH; or Feet Per Minute
•Barometric Pressure
•Pressure Trend
•Altitude
•Relative Humidity
•Dewpoint Temperature
•Wet Bulb Temperature
•Heat Stress Index
In addition, the Kestrel 4000 offers:

•Density Altitude
•Customizable navigation and data displays
•Tracking and storage of up to 2000 data points
◦Manual and automatic data storage
◦Graphing
•Computer interface capability


Either way - it looks/reads like the Kestrel is what I need.

Thank you

Stanley
 
I gotcha now. Thanks to both of you for replying. I'm glad I asked - I'm glad you answered. Have a good one.

Stanley
 
Sidebar

During my 22 1/2 years as a navigator in the US Air Force we referred to the height of a point on the surface of the earth as its elevation, usually above MSL (Mean Sea Level). Raton is somewhere around 6500 feet MSL. The altitude of the aircraft was described as either Pressure altitude or True altitude. There's another term called Geodetic Elevation which has to do with the fact that the earth is not round and has varying surface mass density, but that was only important to missile guidance systems.

So, there's more than you ever wanted to know about altitude and elevation. :D
 
abintx said:
Does TONY BOYER use one of those things ??? :)
Click to expand...

But he DOES shoot A LOT!!!!!!!!!! Practice MAKES PERFECT....!

I don't shoot near enough myself...........:(

Toys are fun... But practice makes perfect.... Not to mention being a person
whom just simply has a "knack" of kicking butt in BR...


cale
 
Let me see if I understand

FBecigneul said:
It has to have a standard or reference point from which to start. You can set this provided you know your altitude and the barometric pressure at the time of setting the reference. Great, allow me to go one step further. Everything is relative and so you can approximate the reference point provided you aren't re-setting your reference points all the time. It matters not if your altitude is true and your barometric pressure was correct at the time of setting and tuning as long as you don't change that. Let us assume you set the barometric pressure and your altitude at noon in Omaha, Nebraska and then travel to a match on Mt. Hood. You would not re-set your Ketrel for that altitude and barometric pressure. The Kestrel 4000 will take it from there.
Click to expand...



One receives their Kestrel 4000 from UPS. One can then load in one's altitude AND Barometric Pressure if they know it? OR just ignore the entire setting thing and use the Kestrel as it comes out of it's box BUT the readings may not be precise BUT we don't care becaues we are only looking to see what the change is during the day? :confused:

NOW, lets say, once one has set the Altitude and BP, the Kestrel remembers it for it's standard? Does the memory remember it forever or only while there are batteries in the Kestrel OR does it need to be refreshed occasionally?
 
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As to daily setting the altitude or the barometric pressure on the Kestrel 4000 all you need to know is the elevation of the range. Then you set the altitude setting to the field (range) altitude. That will give you the barometer reading in the small print below. Then go to the barometer setting window and change it to what came up on the altitude window.

I've been using a Kestrel 4000 for 5 years and religiously note in my log each day of the settings. I record them in 2-hour increments. Four years ago I shot tuners through the Shamrock, the Super Shoot, the NBRSA Nationals, and the IBS Nationals and four regional 2-day shoots. I never did come up with any relationship to Density Altitude and tune.

But I still have all that data and still record it even when going to range practice. One of these days someone will ask why and I will answer why not!!

Some rimfire shooters swear by Density Altitude and go to a different velocity as the air "thickness" changes.

I do know for sure Density Altitude has a direct effect on how much weight an airplane can haul, but a bullet????
 
Pete Wass said:
NOW, lets say, once one has set the Altitude and BP, the Kestrel remembers it for it's standard? Does the memory remember it forever or only while there are batteries in the Kestrel OR does it need to be refreshed occasionally?
Click to expand...

Pete, if you want accurate info from the meter you need to reset it regularly.

Watch the TV weather report several times each day or listen to the NOOA Weather radio. You will see that the barometric pressure constantly changes. As it changes so does the displayed altitude and Density Altitude.
 
1 more question - again, I have not used one yet - but trying to figure the process out.

You mentioned that you need to reset the settings (As to daily setting the altitude or the barometric pressure on the Kestrel 4000 all you need to know is the elevation of the range. Then you set the altitude setting to the field (range) altitude. That will give you the barometer reading in the small print below)

If your tuned load is set at DA "X" and DA is based off of altitude and barometric pressure that you set, at the same place/time you tuned your load - why would you want to reset your Kestrel when going to a new range? Don't you want your Kestrel's base line to be where you tuned your load in the first place - that way you now know the difference in DA which will then allow you to adjust accordingly? I think I might be missing something.

Thanks again for all the replies.

Stanley
 
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I know from flight training

JerrySharrett said:
Pete, if you want accurate info from the meter you need to reset it regularly.

Watch the TV weather report several times each day or listen to the NOOA Weather radio. You will see that the barometric pressure constantly changes. As it changes so does the displayed altitude and Density Altitude.
Click to expand...



That one must change their altimiter Pressure setting to arive at the correst altitude reading. With my Fishing Barometer the oposite is true, to get the correct Baro reading one must adjust the dial to the altitude the body of water is on.

Ranges could do us a great service by finding the altitude of their range and posting it where we could see it, eh. I could bring my fishing baometer and find the BP; I'd be all set. :)
 
Do you have

FBecigneul said:
Paul and I refer to it constantly while at a match. Just before the commence fire of each match we check the DA and adjust the tuner. And we may only move it 15 minutes 30 minutes depending on what the DA was at the beginning of the previous match. We keep copious notes (forget who used that word) at the bench and refer to them when changing the setting. And I write those settings in my notebook as well as the result as it appears on the target.
Nigerian Airlines is looking for a good pilot, Jerry. You don't even need to know the way back home.
Click to expand...


setings by a number previously worked out for a specific DA or simply change a given amount with the amount of change; different deal; hope it is clear what I asked.
 
Going along with Mr. Wass's question.....Here is what I am planning to do - is it the correct plan?
tune the rifle with the tuner set at 12. Record DA. Keep the load the same and shoot on a different DA day. Assuming the load is now "out of tune" adjust the tuner until it comes back into tune. Record the hour mark that the tuner ended up. Graph the results. This SHOULD be a linear equation = straight line. I should then be able to predict where the tuner should be set for a different DA without having to have previously shot that DA. Theoretically Correct? The more data points I can actually get and graph - the more accurate my graph = more accurate my predicitions.

IFF it is a linear graph - One could find a formula relating the amount of DA change per hour tuner change.

That's my plan anyway. Heck if I know if it will work -one way to find out.

Stanley
 
Pete Wass said:
Ranges could do us a great service by finding the altitude of their range and posting it where we could see it, eh. I could bring my fishing baometer and find the BP; I'd be all set. :)
Click to expand...
.
But if you are looking for Density Altitude, you would still have to make the calculation. Buying a simple e6B pilots calculator would simplify that chore.

Then you must find the relationship between Density Altitude and barrel/load tune. Is there a direct relationship? If so, is it linear, is it logarithmic, is it....??

Francis, I did apply for a commercial pilots position in Nigeria. They didn't want to know how many hours-in-type I had, they wanted to know how much I knew about building shoe bombs!! I know that was a bad joke but I often send Francis bad jokes!!
 
I realized that

JerrySharrett said:
.
But if you are looking for Density Altitude, you would still have to make the calculation. Buying a simple e6B pilots calculator would simplify that chore.

Then you must find the relationship between Density Altitude and barrel/load tune. Is there a direct relationship? If so, is it linear, is it logarithmic, is it....??

Francis, I did apply for a commercial pilots position in Nigeria. They didn't want to know how many hours-in-type I had, they wanted to know how much I knew about building shoe bombs!! I know that was a bad joke but I often send Francis bad jokes!!
Click to expand...



BUT if one needs to know BOTH the altitude and Barometric pressure one must have that info to set one's DA device, eh ? I do have a couple of them Airplane Calculators as well. :D

I would not have purchased the Kestrel if I had known it needed that much info plugged into it. Too quick on the draw I guess; the best laid plans of Mice and Men, eh?
 
Stan, it measures pressure(and cannot 'measure' altitude).
Kestrel has precalibrated the pressure reading. I cal check one every couple years at my shop Met Lab. It is pretty damn accurate.

You can use a GPS unit, or known altitude location to set altitude. I've walked down to the ocean and zero'd it.
As far as I know, this is good till battery change.

But altitude has nothing to do with DA. You don't ever need to set it, or mess with pressure, to get DA.
It's good right out of the box.
 
Received the Kestrel 4000 yesterday. I set the altitude on our hospitals helicopter pad (known reference). Although on page 9 (top right corner) it says something like...Density Altitude is not dependant on Barometic pressure and Altitude. Either way I am good to go - ready to shoot - ready to learn. Just need it to warm up. Thanks to everybody for their help and advice.

Stanley
 
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