Kestrel 5500, 5500AG User manual

USER GUIDE

Kestrel 5500 Weather Meter

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CONTENTS

Measurements And Features ............................................ 4

Getting To Know Your Kestrel ............................................ 6

Buttons .................................................................................. 7

Kestrel Options Menu ......................................................... 7

Kestrel Menu Navigation ................................................... 8

Weather Mode Screen ........................................................9

Getting Started ....................................................................10

Additional Settings ............................................................10

Altimeter And Barometer ...................................................11

Using Min/Avg/Max ............................................................12

Connecting To Devices Using Link ...................................12

Creating, Viewing, & Exporting Data Logs ...................... 14

Weather Glossary.................................................................16

Impeller Replacement ........................................................17

Warranty Certicate ............................................................18

3

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MEASUREMENTS Icon 5000

Wind Speed | Air Speed
(mph | fpm | Bft | m/s | km/h | kt)

Temperature (˚F | ˚C)

Wind Chill (˚F | ˚C)

Relative Humidity (%)

Heat Stress Index (˚F | ˚C)

Dewpoint Temp (˚F | ˚C)

Wet Bulb Temp (˚F | ˚C)

Station Pressure (inHg | hPA | psi | mb)

Barometric Pressure (inHg | hPA | psi | mb)

Altitude(m | ft )

Density Altitude (m | ft)

Wind Direction (Cardinal Points, Degrees)

Crosswind
(mph | fpm | Bft | m/s | km/h | kt)

Headwind | Tailwind
(mph | fpm | Bft | m/s | km/h | kt)

o

optional

4

Environmental

5100

Racing

5200

Professional

5500

Weather

• • • • •

• • • • •

• • • • •

• • • • •

• • • • •

• • • • •

• • • • •

• • • • •

• • • • •

• • • • •

• • • • •

5400

• o

• o

• o

HST

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MEASUREMENTS

Moisture Content | Humidity Ratio (Grains) (gpp, g/kg)

Air Density (lb/ft3, kg/m3)

Relative Air Density (RAD) (%)

Evaporation Rate (lb/ft2/hr, kg/m2/hr)

Volume Air Flow (%)

Delta T (˚F | ˚C)

Wet Blub Globe Temperature (WBGT) (˚F | ˚C)

Thermal Work Limit (T WL) (˚F | ˚C)

Globe Temperature (˚F | ˚C)

Naturally Aspirated Wet Bulb Temp (˚F | ˚C)

FEATURES

LiNK Connectivity & Kestrel LiNK Mobile App

Backlit Display switchable white or
Night-Vision preserving red

o optional

Icon 5000

Environmental

5000

Environmental

N/A

N/A

o o o o o

• • • • •

5100

Racing

• •

• •

• •

5100

Racing

5200

Professional

•

•

•

5200

Professional

5500

Weather

5500

Weather

5400

HST

•

•

•

•

5400

HST

5

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GETTING TO KNOW YOUR KESTREL

TEMPERATURE

SUNLIGHT

READABLE

OPTIONS/EXIT

6

SENSOR

DISPLAY

SELECT

POWER

FRONT

REPLACEABLE
IMPELLER

SERIAL NUMBER

CAPTURE
BACKLIGHT

SCROLL/ADJUST

DATA TRANSFER

IMPELLER COVER

PRESSURE
SENSOR

PORT

LANYARD
ATTACHMENT

BACK

BATTERY DOOR LATCH

HUMIDITY SENSOR

AA BATTERY (1)

(Lithium recommended)

BATTERY DOOR

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BUTTONS

Button Name Function

POWER Turns Kestrel on and o.

OPTIONS/
EXIT

SELECT Access Settings on any

UP/DOWN Scroll up and down through

LEFT/
RIGHT

CAPTURE In Weather Mode, manually

BACK­LIGHT

Press for on, hold for two
seconds to turn o.

Enter the main Options
menu or exit a menu.

measurement screen or
select a menu option to
enter its submenu or conrm
a task.

measurement screens or
menus. Adjust values when
entering text in name
menus.

Scroll options left and
right. Adjust values in
combo menus and setting
submenus.

capture all environmental
values.

Turn backlight on or o.
(Also turns o automatically
after one minute.)

KESTREL OPTIONS MENU

Most system-wide and weather setup options are accessed
from the main Options menu by pressing the
from any Weather Measurement Screen or the main
Targeting Screen.

• BLUETOOTH

» Bluetooth On/O
» Conct

• DATA PORT

• MEMORY OPTIONS

» Clear Log
» Auto Store
» Store Rate
» Overwrite

• GRAPH SCALE

• DISPLAY

» Auto Shutdown
» Contrast
» Backlight

• SYSTEM

» Time & Date
» Compass Cal
» Measurements
» Units
» Lang
» Batt
» Factory Restore

• ABOUT

» Version
» Legal

button

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KESTREL MENU NAVIGATION

TYPES OF MENU ITEMS

8

» Tasks are executed by highlighting the eld and pressing Select.
» The presence of a submenu is indicated by a “…” following a eld.
» Highlight the eld and press Select to enter a submenu.

» Adjust a setting by pressing left or right.
» An arrow indicates there are additional elds o screen.
» Adjust the value of a Combo Field by pressing left or right.

» Enter the Combo Field sub menu by pressing select.
» Navigation buttons indicate available actions on the current screen.

» Locked values are either driven by another value or cannot be edited on
the current screen.
» Locked values may have submenus which are entered by pressing select.

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WEATHER MODE SCREENS

MORE MEASUREMENTS

Measurement
& Icon Units

Current Measurement Screen

SELECT to enter settings

Press
menu for that measurement.

Min Ave Max Screen

SELECT to s tart, stop

Press
and clear t he Min/Avg/Max
tracking.

MORE MEASUREMENTS

» The UP/DOWN buttons navigate between all weather

measurements set to “On” in Options|Measurements.

LEFT/RIGHT buttons scroll between the three

» The

display screens for the measurement.

Graph of Sto red Data Log

Data Graph Screen

SELECT to enter

Press
the Data Lo g Detail Scre en to
view log ged data point s.

OPTIONS button exits the settings submenu

» The

and Data Log Detail Screen.

Data Point Value

Data Points Screen

Press LEFT/R IGHT to scroll through
data poin ts. Press OPTI ONS to exit
Data Log D etails Screen .

Data Point S croll Bar

Data Point T ime Stamp

9

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GETTING STARTED

1. INSTALL BATTERY. Slide the battery door latch and open

door. Insert the provided AA lithium battery as indicated
by the label. Replace the battery door, ensuring it “clicks”
fully into place.

2. POWER ON KESTREL. Press

3. ENTER OPTIONS MENU. Press

Menu.

4. CALIBRATE THE COMPASS. Scroll to and select System.
Scroll to and select Compass Cal. Follow the on-screen
instructions:

» Place the base of the Kestrel on a at

» Start the calibration routine. Rotate the

Note: Note: Wh en taking compass r eadings, keep t he Kestrel as verti cal as
possible for maximum accuracy.

5. EXIT OPTIONS MENU.

ADDITIONAL SETTINGS

All additional settings are accessed from the options menu

1. SET AUTO STORE RATE. Scroll to and select Memory
Options. Scroll to Auto Store and ensure it is set to ON.

Scroll to Store Rate and adjust to desired frequency of
automatic weather data logging.

10

surface at least 3 feet from any large
metal objects.

Kestrel around its vertical axis 3 times,
keeping the unit as vertical as possible
and taking approximately 10 seconds

3x

per full rotation. You may need to
restart the routine a few times until
you get the timing correct.

to power on Kestrel.

to enter the Options

2. SET OVERWRITE. Scroll to and select Memory Options.
Scroll to Overwrite and set to On to allow the data log to
wrap once full and to OFF to stop logging when full.

3. SET GRAPH SCALE. Scroll to and select Graph Scale. Scroll
to and select the desired measurement type. Adjust the
Set High and Set Low values to bound the desired display
values.

4. SET AUTO SHUTDOWN. Scroll to and select Display. Scroll
to Auto Shtdwn and choose a time window after which the
Kestrel will shut down without any button presses.

5. SET BACK LIGHT COLOR. Scroll to and select Display.
Scroll to Backlight and set to either White or Red. White is
very bright and ideal for any dim light use. Red is reduced
brightness and a wavelength selected to preserve adapted
night vision for true dark operations.

6. SET DATE AND TIME. Scroll to and select System. Scroll to
and select Time & Date. Adjust the time and date.

7. TURN ON/OFF MEASUREMENT SCREENS. Scroll to and
select System. Scroll to and select Measurements. Set
measurement screens to either On or O as desired.

8. SET UNITS. Scroll to and select System. Scroll to and select
Units. To change all units select Global, then set Global to
Imperial or Metric, and then scroll to Apply and select Go.

To set units individually, scroll to each measurement type in
the Units submenu and set to the desired units. Units can
also be set in the Settings menu for each measurement.

9. SET LANGUAGE. Scroll to and select Lang. Adjust to desired
language: English, Deutsche, Francais, Espanol.

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ALTIMETER AND BAROMETER

The Kestrel employs a stable, accurate pressure sensor to
measure station pressure, the unadjusted air pressure in
your location.

» To use your Kestrel to measure barometric pressure

(station pressure adjusted for local elevation), you
must enter a correct reference value for your altitude.
Accurate barometric readings require that no elevation
changes be made while taking measurements.

» To use your Kestrel to measure altitude changes

(changes in station pressure associated with changes
in elevation), you must enter a correct reference
value for your starting barometric pressure. Accurate
altitude readings depend on stable, weather related
barometric air pressure while measurements are taken.

» Synched values between the Altitude and Barometer

measurement screens allow reference value updates
on either screen to automatically update reference
values on the other.

Note! You cannot use your Ke strel as a barometer and a ltimeter
simultaneously.

SETTING REFERENCE VALUES ON BARO
MEASUREMENT SCREEN:

» Scroll to the Baro measurement screen and

select Settings.

» Adjust either the Altitude or the Barometric

Pressure value to a local, known value obtained
from a mapping reference, GPS, or accurate
weather station in the same location.

SETTING REFERENCE VALUES ON ALTITUDE
MEASUREMENT SCREEN:

» Scroll to the ALTITUDE measurement screen

and select Settings.

» Adjust either the Altitude or the Barometric

Pressure value to a local, known value obtained
from a mapping reference, GPS, or accurate
weather station in the same location.

Note! You should enter n ew reference values when ever
you are using the Al timeter or Barometer f unctions and
your location o r the weather conditions h ave changed.

11

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USING MIN/ AVG/ MAX

Pressing the right scroll button from any Current
Measurement Screen will open the Min/Avg/Max Screen.
The capture process is linked for all measurement screens,
capturing Min/Avg/Max values on one measurement
screen will capture Min/Avg/Max values over the same
time period for all measurements. Each new Min/Avg/Max
capture overwrites the previously captured value from all
measurements.

CAPTURING MIN/AVG/MAX VALUES:

» Scroll to the Min/Avg/Max Screen of the desired

measurement. This can be done by scrolling right from
the desired Current Measurement Screen or scrolling
vertically from another measurement’s Min/Avg/Max

Screen.
» Press Select to Start a new Min/Avg/Max capture.
» Press Select to Stop the capture time period and view

Min, Avg, and Max values.
» Press Select to Clear the Min/Avg/Max values.

MEASURING DIRECTION

» The Kestrel’s compass is intended for measuring wind

direction. The Kestrel must be held vertically with the

back of the unit pointed towards the direction to be

determined.
» Using a Kestrel Vane mount adjusted to level will

provide the most accurate wind and direction

measurements.

12

CONNECTING TO DEVICES USING LINK

If your Kestrel is marked LiNK on the bottom front label,
it can be connected wirelessly to other LiNK-compatible
devices. LiNK is powered by Bluetooth Low Energy®, also
known as Bluetooth® LE, which is available in most iOS
devices and Andriod devices, as well as in a USB Dongle
available from Kestrel that supports connectivity to
Windows and Mac OS devices. LiNK-enabled Kestrel units
can connect to mobile devices running Kestrel LiNK to
install rmware updates. LiNK-enabled units can can be
run wirelessly to computers using the Kestrel Dongle.

CONNECTING TO A COMPUTER, MOBILE PHONE OR
TABLET:

» On your phone or tablet, follow the links at

to locate Kestrel LiNK
for iOS or Android in the App or Play store and install
on your mobile device.

OR

» On your computer, follow the links at

and install on your
computer. Insert your Kestrel USB Dongle (available
separately) into an open USB port.

» On the Kestrel, open the Options Menu and select

Bluetooth. Set Bluetooth to On.

» On your Kestrel select Conct from the Bluetooth

Options menu and set to PC/Mobile. In PC/Mobile
mode, the Kestrel’s Status will change to Available,
indicating that it is available for pairing with a
computer or mobile device.

» CONNECTING TO A NEW LINK-COMPATIBLE DEVICE:

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» Ensure the computer or mobile device is

searching and in range. When Status changes
from Available to Connected, the pairing is
active and your Kestrel is ready to communicate.

CONNECTING TO A NEW LINK-COMPATIBLE
DEVICE:

» Follow directions for your LiNK-compatible

Device to power it on and put it in pairing mode.

» On the Kestrel, open the Options Menu and

select Bluetooth. Set Bluetooth to On.
» Set Conct to Device.
» Scroll to Name and select New, then wait for the

list of available devices in range to populate.
» Select a device from the available list. Once

connected, the settings menu for that device

will open, allowing you to manage the device’s

settings.
» Exit to the Bluetooth menu. Status should

indicate Connected, meaning the pairing is

active and your Kestrel is ready to communicate.

CONNECTING TO/ADJUSTING A PREVIOUSLY
PAIRED LINK-COMPATIBLE DEVICE:

» Follow the directions for connecting to a new

device except instead of selecting New in the

Name eld, scroll left or right to nd the desired

device.

» Status will change to Searching. If the device

is in range and in active pairing mode, a

connection will be made and Searching will

change to Connected, indicating that the pairing is
active and your Kestrel is ready to communicate.

BLUETOOTH CONNECTION INDICATOR:

» When connected to any LiNK compatible device, a

icon will appear in the in the upper right.

» If the paired device goes to sleep or if the

connection is lost, the
waking the device up or returning within range
should automatically reestablish the connection and
the icon should reappear.

Note! LiNK rang e is typically 100 ft /30M line of sight. Shor ter
distances should b e expected if the re are obstacles such as
walls or metal enc losures. Range is also imp acted by the

signal streng th of the other device.

CONNECTING TO COMPUTERS USING USB CABLE:

All Kestrel 5 Series units can connect to a computer via
the Data Transfer Port using the USB Data Transfer Cable
available separately. Kestrel LiNK software is available
for Windows and Mac for downloading logged weather.
data and installing rmware updates.

icon may disappear but

13

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CREATING, VIEWING, & EXPORTING DATA LOGS

In addition to taking live measurements, your Kestrel 5
Series weather meter is a powerful data logger. The Kestrel
will automatically create a time stamped data log of all
measurements at the logging interval you set. Additional log
points can also be captured manually. Logged data can be
accessed four ways:

» Viewed on the Kestrel Meter on the Data Graph Screen and

Data Log Detail Screens.
» Kestrel LiNK mobile apps available in the App Store and

Google Play Store. Requires a Kestrel LiNK-enabled meter

and compatible Bluetooth® LE devices.
» Exported to a PC or Mac using Kestrel LiNK software and a

Kestrel USB Dongle (available separately). Requires a Kestrel

LiNK-enabled meter
» Exported to your Windows or Mac computer using Kestrel

LiNK software and a Kestrel USB Data Transfer Cable

(available separately). All 5 Series Kestrel meters can connect

to Kestrel LiNK using a Kestrel USB Data Transfer Cable.

TURNING ON AND ADJUSTING AUTOMATIC DATA LOGGING:

» In the main Options menu, scroll to and select Memory

Options. Scroll to and select Auto Store and set to ON.

Scroll to Store Rate and adjust to desired frequency of

automatic weather data logging.
» In the Memory Options sub menu scroll to Overwrite and

set to On to allow the data log to wrap once full and O to

stop logging when full.
» When Auto Store is set to On, the Kestrel unit will

14

automatically begin logging at the rate set in
Store Rate.

MANUAL DATA LOGGING:

» Individual data points can be added to the log at

any time by pressing the Capture button.

» Manual capture simply adds every measurement

to the data log at the capture time/date.

VIEWING LOGGED DATA ON THE KESTREL METER:

» Scroll to the Graph Data Screen of the desired

measurement. This can be done by scrolling right
from the desired Current Measurement Screen or
scrolling vertically from another measurement’s
Graph Data Screen.

» A graph of the most recently logged data points

will be displayed and continue to grow at the
selected store rate.

» To view individual data log points, or to view

graph data older than what is shown in the Graph
Data Screen, press Select to open the Data Log
Detail Screen. Scrolling left or right will move the
bar highlighting individual data points. Log values
are shown in the upper left and the time stamp is
shown along the bottom. Press Exit to return to
the Graph Data Screen.

» To change the resolution of the graph, scroll to

and select Graph Scale in the Options menu.
Scroll to and select the desired measurement

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type. Adjust the Set High and Set Low values to

bound the desired display values.

EXPORTING DATA LOGS TO A MOBILE DEVICE:

» Follow the links at

to locate Kestrel LiNK in the App or Play store and

install on your mobile device.
» Follow the directions in the Kestrel LiNK app and

in the section of this manual titled Pairing with a

Computer, Mobile Phone or Tablet: to connect the

mobile device to the Kestrel.
» The Kestrel’s new logged data will automatically be

added to the app’s log whenever the devices are

connected.
» To export logged data to a .csv le for further

analysis, go to the Stats page of the app or the

Manage Data Logs screen on the Manage page.
» Hit the Export Data button. Choose a method for

exporting the data and follow the in-app prompts

to send.

EXPORTING DATA LOGS TO A COMPUTER:

» Follow the links at

to download Kestrel LiNK to a PC or Mac computer.

Install.

Use one of the following two methods to connect

your Kestrel to your computer.

1. Connect your LiNK-enabled Kestrel Meter to your
computer wirelessly:

» Purchase a Kestrel LiNK Dongle and install in your

computer’s USB port.

» Follow the instructions in the “Pairing with a

Computer, Mobile Phone or Tablet” section of this
manual along with the Kestrel LiNK program to pair
the Kestrel and your computer.

2. Connect your Kestrel 5 Series Meter to your
computer using a Kestrel USB Data Transfer Cable:

» Purchase a Kestrel USB Data Transfer Cable.
» In the main Options menu, scroll to and select Data

Port and set to On.

» Insert the USB Data Transfer Cable into an open USB

port and the Data Transfer Port on the back of the
Kestrel unit.

Once connected

» Follow the directions in the Kestrel LiNK program to

conrm the connection.

» In the Kestrel LiNK software, choose a data log from the

Logs window and click on the Export to File button.

» Choose a le export directory on your computer and

click on the Ok button.

15

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WEATHER GLOSSARY

DIRECTION – Compass heading in true or magnetic

WIND SPD – Wind Speed is the measurement of the wind

passing through the impeller. For greatest accuracy, point the
back of the Kestrel directly into the wind.

CROSWND – Crosswind uses the internal compass and a user
selected heading to calculate the crosswind component of
the full wind.

HEADWND – Headwind uses the internal compass and a
user selected heading or target direction to calculate the
headwind component of the full wind.

TEMP – Ambient Temperature is the temperature measured
at the thermistor. For best results, ensure the thermistor
is not exposed to direct sunlight and is exposed to good
airow.

CHILL – Wind Chill is a calculated value of the perceived
temperature based on temperature and wind speed.

HUMIDITY – Relative Humidity is the amount of moisture
currently held by the air as a percentage of the total possible
moisture that the air could hold.

HEAT INDEX – Heat Index is a calculated value of the
perceived temperature based on temperature and relative
humidity.

16

DEW POINT – Dew Point is the temperature at
which water vapor will begin to condense out of
the air.

WET BULB – Wet Bulb is the lowest temperature
that can be reached in the existing environment by
cooling through evaporation. Wet Bulb is always
equal to or lower than ambient temperature.

BARO – Barometric Pressure is the local station
(or absolute) pressure adjusted to mean pressure.
An accurate reading depends on a correct altitude
input and unchanging altitude while measuring.

ALTITUDE – Altitude is the vertical distance
associated with given atmospheric pressure.
An accurate reading depends on correct initial
barometric pressure input and stable barometric
pressure while measuring.

STATION – Station Pressure (Absolute Pressure)
is the pressure exerted by the atmosphere at the
location.

DENS ALT – Density Altitude is the altitude at
which the density of the theoretical standard
atmospheric conditions (ISA) would match the
actual local air density.

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IMPELLER REPLACEMENT

Press only the sides o f the impeller w hen removing an d inserting

to avoid dama ging the precisi on hub bearing. [

» Press FIRMLY on the impeller module to remove it.
» Insert the new impeller so the side that has the

small triangle (close to the perimeter) faces the
front of the Kestrel when installed.

Figure 1

Figure 1] .

» Orient one “arm” of the module straight up .

Figure 2]. The impeller can be pushed in from

[
either side.

Figure 2

17

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Your Kestrel instrument is warrantied to be free of defects in materials and workmanship for a period of FIVE

5 YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY

YEARS from the date of its rst consumer purchase. NK will repair or replace any defective product or part when
notied within the warranty period, and will return the product via domestic ground shipping or NK’s choice
of method of international shipping at no charge. The following are excluded from warranty coverage: damage
due to improper use, storage, maintenance or handling (including corrosion); damage caused by severe or
excessive impact, damage caused by failed or leaking batteries, crushing or mechanical harm; modications
or attempted repairs by someone other than an authorized NK repair agent; impeller failure not caused by a
manufacturing defect; normal usage wear and failed batteries. Measurement accuracy is warranted to be within
the specications on the supplied Certicate of Conformity including specied drift since date of manufacture.
If no warranty registration or proof of purchase is provided, the warranty period will be measured from the
product’s date of manufacture.

Except for the warranties set forth herein, NK disclaims all other warranties, expressed, implied or
statutory, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability or tness for a
particular purpose. Any implied warranties that may be imposed by applicable law are limited to the
term of this warranty. In no event shall NK be liable for any incidental, special or consequential damages,
including, but not limited to, loss of business, loss of prots, loss of data or use, whether in an action
in contract or tort or based on a warranty, arising out of or in connection with the use or recalibration,
performance of an NK product, even if NK has been advised of the possibility of
such damages. You agree that repair, and (upon availability) replacement, as applicable, is
your sole and exclusive remedy with respect to any breach of the NK Limited Warranty
set forth herein.
All product liability and warranty options are governed exclusively by the laws of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

18

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