Kestrel® 4500 Pocket Wind Meter

I have used the Kestrel 4000 to establish wind speeds which require that we secure various components at the John Wells Golf Center / North Hollywood, CA.
We are located on a elevated property and subject to strong Santa Ana Winds. Now we have the ability to secure mats, chairs etc when we receive weather reports of pending winds.
I am now going to upgrade to the 4500 which will make for more accurate wind reports.
M. Vincent Maintenance Supervisor Jhon Wells Golf Center N. Hollywood, CA

I use the Kestrel 4500 with wind vane to monitor wind speed and direction. It is great to use as a portable instrument. I hope NK comes out with a Mac OS version of it's software. That would make it perfect.

I saw this being used in Afghanistan and was very impressed. I will get one soon.

I started with a basic early model Kestrel which I still use recreationally. Got the Kestrel 4500 last year and use it on Wildland and Prescribed Fires. With the wind vane and data logging, it provides us with real time data that we also use later for reports and fire behaviour research. They are can be easily set up in remote locations and picked up later giving us good data on localized winds at various locations and elevations near or on the fire site. It is cost effective and can be used to supplement data collection from more expensive weather stations.
Kestrel has changed my world, and made it a safer place on critical fire operations.

I use the Kestral 4000 in the wind turbine industry, It helps me make sound decisions on saftey related issues during installation and regular maintenance of the turbines, this instrument is priceless.

Use the Kestrel 4500 at work (home and abroad). It never fails and provides all of the needed data that my profession requires.

Please check out the 4500 review I did on our website ASUP , Association for the Unexplained Phenomenon. ... asup-inc ... /kestrel.htm

I’m a skydiver with a United States Parachuting Association ‘D’ license. The Kestrel 4500 is one of my pre jump tools that provides me with the weather data needed to make a safe and accurate skydive. I do not have to depend on the drop zone operator’s statically mounted wind meter for my information. I can take my own readings at the landing area/target. Knowing the wind speed and variations in direction prior to jump helps determine my landing approach. One of the 4500’s most important functions is density altitude. The parachute’s performance changes just like an aircraft as the density altitude increases. I am able to accurately evaluate the variations in wind direction and speed. The Kestrel 4500 is my main tool for determining if I will make a jump. Here is an old skydiving saying, the author is unknown,” There are old jumpers and bold jumpers, but no old bold jumpers”. With the Kestrel I plan to be an old jumper.

Used the Kestrel 4500 on a recent prairie dog shoot in South Dakota. Found the 4500 to be key in collecting good atmospheric information for input into our ballistics program for bullet trajectory. We were shooting in 15 to 30mph winds and the crosswind calculation was extremely helpful.

I have a few issues with my Kestrel 4500 NV Pocket Wind Meter.

First, the cheap plastic battery shim is a critical component to the calibration of the unit. This shim can easily be lost and my efforts to find extras have thus far been unsuccessful. (Online sites do not carry them and customer service initially promised to send me a couple of extras but I am still waiting.)

Next, some of the buttons on the unit sometimes require multiple key presses for input to be recognized. Also, the battery door seems flimsy and I do not know how it will stand up to multiple battery replacements.

Because of these issues, I have concerns about the durability of the unit.

In addition, I have the USB interface but note that the connection to the cradle is actually via a serial port. This interface is only USB on the PC connection. As a result, downloading data to the PC is extremely s-l-o-w.

"The Kestrel 4500 Pocket Weather Station. This thing is amazing! It will tell you just about everything you'd ever need to know about the weather; Wind speed, direction, max gust, average, crosswind, headwind, temperature, dewpoint, humidity, altitude, barometic pressure, heat index, windchill, time, date, and also has a digital compass. Anyone who has a need for weather information or is just a gadget geek should check this thing out." (Avid rock climber/photographer Joe Connolly tracks the weather as he scales cliffs.)