Outdoor Digital Handheld Cup Anemometer, Pocket Wind Speed Meter, High Accuracy 4 Cups Air Flow Velocity/Temp Gauge Sensor, Measures MAX/MIN/AVG, Compass for Flight Sailing Shooting

I need to know wind speed before launching a drone. This does that for me. Launching at high wind speed could mean losing the drone. The backlight works well, but in daylight isn't necessary.

Great for when I take my drone out, or I'm out in the field doing POTA. Temperature and wind speed seems pretty accurate when compared with different weather stations in the area.

Having some windy conditions so I thought it would be a great time to bring out the anemometer, I just got it yesterday (as of this writing). First, it's easy to use. The buttons are very nice and simple. Simple is better! On another handheld anemometer I own, it's hard to figure out the buttons to use to power on/off and choose the backlight. This one is much simpler. It's lightweight and fits in the palm of your hand, and it has a way to mount to a tripod. The backlight is bright. Too bright for my camera to record but I can live with that. The backlight only stays illuminated for ~12-15 seconds. This is not good when using at night or low-light. If the backlight button could be programmed to press and hold for always-on that would be a plus. Another bonus would be the ability to set the brightness as well. It did seem to need a bit of a gust to enable to cups to spin, however. Several times, the wind around the anemometer was blowing (gently), but the cups were motionless. Maybe a slight improvement to the hub connecting the cups is needed? It can only stay on for ~15 minutes based on the instructions. The option to keep the power on for as long as desired would be optimal. A big issue I would have is that the compass at the top has an air bubble which I wanted to use for helping to level the anemometer when using a tripod. The compass has a "dot" or a bead centered on the compass making contact at the top on the plastic cover, and the bubble cannot ever be centered on the top of the compass. This may be why the cups did not move unless a .2-.4 mph gust was needed because it was not absolutely leveled. I did my "level best" to make sure it and the tripod were aligned and level. If a future revision to have a compass that allows for a bubble-level to be incorporated (or remove this centered bead) it would be a great way to ensure the cups are level and working properly. The cups made a high-pitch whining noise when in motion. It's very noticeable. It would get louder the faster the cups moved. It's not an issue for me but may be for others. You'll hear it in the video. For the price and function, it's perfect for what I need. It's not scientific but it is handy for getting a good idea for what you are interested in weather wise. I plan to use it for birding (weather conditions) and flying a drone, and general weather interest. I go to the mountains so I plan on having this handy. The recommendations for improvements are all "nice to have" ideas. Still I would say it's good for what I need. If there are improvements to this in the future I would purchase.

I fly fixed wing and multi rotor drones. Wind tables are not always accurate. I live out in the middle of corn fields and it can be miles and miles of flat land with nothing to block the wind. This has saved me time trying to use the wrong drone for conditions more times than I can count.

I bought this for a "Pathfinder kit". It's accurate and works really well. It's affordable and I know it's worked because the door bundles land where I want them to. Its also durable enough to bang around in my ruck in field problems without issue. Great product. Easy reccomendation.