I read this article on the most recent Practical Sailor where they
discussed wires slapping inside the mast. Strangely, this has never
bothered me although I bet it does now (cancel my subscription before
they make me aware of more things to be bothered by). So....Useless
idea #3436

Wireless mastop anemometer

A simple anemometer cup that turns a bar code like reflective wheel on
top of the mast. This wheel would be very lightweight (ounces) and
about 6" in diameter. it could also be arranged to show wind
direction and wind speed. On deck, next to one of the shrouds is a
little penlight diode laser/receiver shining up toward it. The laser
is of course modulated with a sin wave so the reciever can use a
lock-in amp to see the signal in any noise and it reads the bar code
like reflector. Sails dont block it cuz its inside the shrouds.

better add a generator coil on the sending unit or you will be going up
the mast monthly to replace the batteries. unless you are suggesting
actually reading the spinning blades from the optical sensor on the
deck.... Then.... I would worry about no signal in the rain....

BUT... you still have halyards to bang around at the dock.... unless you
also invent a "skyhook".



Parallax wrote:
I read this article on the most recent Practical Sailor where they
discussed wires slapping inside the mast. Strangely, this has never
bothered me although I bet it does now (cancel my subscription before
they make me aware of more things to be bothered by). So....Useless
idea #3436

Wireless mastop anemometer

A simple anemometer cup that turns a bar code like reflective wheel on
top of the mast. This wheel would be very lightweight (ounces) and
about 6" in diameter. it could also be arranged to show wind
direction and wind speed. On deck, next to one of the shrouds is a
little penlight diode laser/receiver shining up toward it. The laser
is of course modulated with a sin wave so the reciever can use a
lock-in amp to see the signal in any noise and it reads the bar code
like reflector. Sails dont block it cuz its inside the shrouds.

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On Thu, 30 Oct 2003 20:03:44 -0500,
Ed wrote:
better add a generator coil on the sending unit or you will be going up
the mast monthly to replace the batteries. unless you are suggesting
actually reading the spinning blades from the optical sensor on the
deck.... Then.... I would worry about no signal in the rain....

BUT... you still have halyards to bang around at the dock.... unless you
also invent a "skyhook".



Parallax wrote:
I read this article on the most recent Practical Sailor where they
discussed wires slapping inside the mast. Strangely, this has never
bothered me although I bet it does now (cancel my subscription before
they make me aware of more things to be bothered by). So....Useless
idea #3436

Wireless mastop anemometer

A simple anemometer cup that turns a bar code like reflective wheel on
top of the mast. This wheel would be very lightweight (ounces) and
about 6" in diameter. it could also be arranged to show wind
direction and wind speed. On deck, next to one of the shrouds is a
little penlight diode laser/receiver shining up toward it. The laser
is of course modulated with a sin wave so the reciever can use a
lock-in amp to see the signal in any noise and it reads the bar code
like reflector. Sails dont block it cuz its inside the shrouds.


Actually, the wireless anemometer idea isn't half bad. A couple of
reflector disks on the wheel, and a low power laserdiode on the mast, or
someplace that it can "See" the anemometer wheel without the sails or
other stuff blocking it. Put a sensor next to the LD, add a small uProcessor
like one of the neato little atmel units, and salt with some C to taste.
I've done similar things for remote tachometers, pretty much the same
thing. You'd have to do something more to get wind direction, but for
masthead wind speed, it would likely work. I don't see any real
stumbling blocks. You *might* be able to get away with a high powered
LED instead of a LD, save some power there, but not sure. Only question
I have is how much salt spray and general crud it would take to reduce
the albedo of the reflectors down to the point they no longer reflected
enough light. But I suspect it wouldn't be much of a problem really.

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--
Jim Richardson http://www.eskimo.com/~warlock
If you can tell the difference between good advice and bad advice,
you don't need advice.

Jim Richardson wrote in message ...
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On Thu, 30 Oct 2003 20:03:44 -0500,
Ed wrote:
better add a generator coil on the sending unit or you will be going up
the mast monthly to replace the batteries. unless you are suggesting
actually reading the spinning blades from the optical sensor on the
deck.... Then.... I would worry about no signal in the rain....

BUT... you still have halyards to bang around at the dock.... unless you
also invent a "skyhook".



Parallax wrote:
I read this article on the most recent Practical Sailor where they
discussed wires slapping inside the mast. Strangely, this has never
bothered me although I bet it does now (cancel my subscription before
they make me aware of more things to be bothered by). So....Useless
idea #3436

Wireless mastop anemometer

A simple anemometer cup that turns a bar code like reflective wheel on
top of the mast. This wheel would be very lightweight (ounces) and
about 6" in diameter. it could also be arranged to show wind
direction and wind speed. On deck, next to one of the shrouds is a
little penlight diode laser/receiver shining up toward it. The laser
is of course modulated with a sin wave so the reciever can use a
lock-in amp to see the signal in any noise and it reads the bar code
like reflector. Sails dont block it cuz its inside the shrouds.


Actually, the wireless anemometer idea isn't half bad. A couple of
reflector disks on the wheel, and a low power laserdiode on the mast, or
someplace that it can "See" the anemometer wheel without the sails or
other stuff blocking it. Put a sensor next to the LD, add a small uProcessor
like one of the neato little atmel units, and salt with some C to taste.
I've done similar things for remote tachometers, pretty much the same
thing. You'd have to do something more to get wind direction, but for
masthead wind speed, it would likely work. I don't see any real
stumbling blocks. You *might* be able to get away with a high powered
LED instead of a LD, save some power there, but not sure. Only question
I have is how much salt spray and general crud it would take to reduce
the albedo of the reflectors down to the point they no longer reflected
enough light. But I suspect it wouldn't be much of a problem really.

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Of course the masthead unit uses no power, it is only a reflector.

For measurement in rain and to deal with accumulation of crud is why I
suggested modulating the laser diode with a sin wave and using a
lock-in amp on the detector to pull a weak signal out of random noise.

Too late. It's already on the market. Tac Tic is selling it. Check out
layline.com

Stu

(Stu and Marilyn Wright) wrote in message ...
Too late. It's already on the market. Tac Tic is selling it. Check out
layline.com

Stu

Maybe you are refferring to that Micro-net wind meter. I could find
no details about ti or even if it has wires.

(Stu and Marilyn Wright) wrote in message ...
Too late. It's already on the market. Tac Tic is selling it. Check out
layline.com

Stu


Now i found it. Prretty cool but very expensive.

"Parallax" wrote in message
om...
(Stu and Marilyn Wright) wrote in message
...
Too late. It's already on the market. Tac Tic is selling it. Check
out
layline.com

Stu


Now i found it. Prretty cool but very expensive.

I installed the Tacktick wind instruments about a month ago after having
the previous (very old & getting unreliable) instruments knocked out by
lightening.

They are incredibly simple to fit with no cabling and no need for a
power source. Both the speed transmitter and the readout have small
solar panels, although the latter can also be wired to the ship's 12v or
a 9v torch battery.

They are expensive, but for me the main argument was the lack of
cabling - I dreaded the thought of getting more wires down the mast,
never mind the problems also of feeding cable from the mast base through
to the cockpit instrument panel. After fitting it, I tried to remove
the old wind instrument cable from the mast and couldn't move it at
all - have now left it in place for fear of damaging anything else in
the mast. So probably I saved the extra cost in terms of the likely
time, cost and effort had I tried to recable with a new conventional
unit.

The tacktick system can be expanded with other wireless applications all
interlinking - e.g speed, depth, compass, gps etc - which then give even
greater benefits on the readouts (true wind, cog etc) than my simple use
for apparent wind only. I may well go this route in time, but only when
my existing log or echosounder die.

So far - but only with limited use - I'm pretty happy with it.

Details are on www.tacktick.com (usual disclaimer - I'm not involved
with the company!)

Tony Boas
Sadler 34 - Bold Warrior

I plan to purchase one also. Glad to hear you are happy with it so far.
One somewhat odd question. Is it sturdy enough for a bird to land on
without damaging it? On my old boat that did have an anenometer I would
occasionally get an owl perched up there.

Stu

I plan to purchase one also. Glad to hear you are happy with it so far.
One somewhat odd question. Is it sturdy enough for a bird to land on
without damaging it? On my old boat that did have an anenometer I would
occasionally get an owl perched up there.

Stu