Features – SailTimer Wind Instrument™
● For sailboats of all sizes: keelboats, bluewater catamarans, trailer sailors, racing dinghies and even beach cats (no 12-volt battery required).
● Wireless. No wires to install down the mast and through the cabin walls. Less noise and weight aloft.
● Solar-powered renewable energy; can run day & night indefinitely.
● The first anemometer designed for sailboats; the innovative blade shape maintains equal wind speed accuracy when sailing heeled over (unlike standard cup, ultrasonic and propeller anemometers).
● Better for sailors than ultrasonic sensors. The air can’t flow straight through the horizontal slot on an ultrasonic when it is leaning away from the wind, making it inaccurate. The SailTimer also provides a visual wind indicator if you look up. It not even possible to check the accuracy of wind direction on an ultrasonic without any physical indicator; you would need to control wind direction very precisely such as in a wind tunnel.
● The first masthead anemometer with a digital compass right in the wind direction arrow.
● That means you even get wind direction while docked or swinging at anchor, when GPS heading is not available.
● With new features in app updates on iOS & Android, the Wind Instrument actually gets better over time.
● For off-season storage, simply unplug the battery.
● SailTimer made the first-ever masthead anemometer that could transmit to tablets/smartphones, and this is the newest version.
● As Wikipedia notes, Bluetooth Low Energy has an official transmission distance of >330 feet (>100m). The new model of Wind Instrument has our strongest transmissions yet, with 100 feet (30.5m) typical with obstruction and 280 feet (85m) with line of sight.
● The first masthead anemometer to work with rotating masts.
● Simple set-up: calibration to the bow of your boat is not required.
● Small vertical design compared to the common horizontal structure, to prevent damage from large seabirds (and prevent bird droppings onto the boat below — major advantage!). Handheld size comparison. This has worked so well that we actually offer a lifetime warranty against damage from seabirds – another industry first.
● Better lightning protection with Delrin thermoplastic base and no wires coming down from the top of the mast.
● Masthead mount or portable with an L-bracket for walls/posts and adapter for 1/4″ tripod / Gorillapod / GoPro mount (see Accessories).
● The Wind Instrument has an ingenious design with the removable Bbattery in the nose cone, where it serves as a balance instead of adding the usual counter-weight there. Carbon-fiber pointer also reduces weight.
● You can replace the battery if ever needed, or put it in a wall charger.
● Lithium (LFP) battery works in the full range of outdoor temperatures, with a longer lifespan of charge cycles than other lithium batteries (and far longer than traditional lead-acid rechargeable batteries).
● Works with lots of charting, wind gauge and performance apps, including the SailTimer tacking app with full chartplotting features.
● Audio Navigation with no screen required in the SailTimer apps. Put your phone away safe & dry – no need to try to see the screen out in the bright sun. Bluetooth speaker or earbud tells you when wind conditions or boat speed change by more than a set amount. Saves battery power and reduces heat in your phone/tablet.
● Submersible with the maximum IP68 waterproof rating. Designed to stay water-tight for at least 30 minutes submerged and at least 1 meter deep, e.g. in a dinghy capsize with the mast going under.
● Air Link accessory for plugging in to on-board wired marine electronics using the industry-standard NMEA format.
● Wind direction equally sensitive all the way around; no dead band at the end of the rotation as in wind direction sensors with potentiometers.
● Transmission speed can be set at 1, 3, 5, 10 or 20 times per second (Hz), depending on whether you want to preserve battery power or want very fast, smooth response on a wind gauge or autopilot.
● The first masthead anemometer with crowdsourced wind maps – much higher resolution than marine weather or GRIB forecasts.
● The Wind Instrument with removable battery uses an amazing 80% less power than previous models when not transmitting on Bluetooth.
● New firmware and features (Apr. 2021): (a) Based on the state-of-the-art US NOAA / British Geological Survey World Magnetic Model (WMM) for precise wind direction worldwide. (b) Over-the-air updates for new electronics functions that may become available in future. (c) Send wind data at 1, 3, 5, 10 or 20 transmissions per second (Hz).
● Even if your boat is already in the water, you can raise the Wind Instrument without having to lower or climb the mast. Another first!