FKA Kiteboarding Forums  

Go Back   FKA Kiteboarding Forums > St. Petersburg/Tampa Bay Forum > Let's Ride!
Connect with Facebook

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #11  
Old 06-18-2009, 01:17 AM
theshiatispimpin101 theshiatispimpin101 is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 22
Default

I have rode my 12 meter with a big board probaly 4-5 times in the past week. The wind direction is perfect for a little downwinder on the beach but haven't go to that yet. It usually kicks in around 4:30 or a tad later, about 13-15 sometimes 15-17 knots, usually a little underpowered but plenty to ride/small jumps which is always a good time imo. This is my first summer which I heard there is No wind, but so far i have been riding alot and I hope it stays this way!
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 06-18-2009, 05:41 AM
Unimog Bob Unimog Bob is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Parrish
Posts: 771
Default

With today's technology, wind sensors are way out dated. Our sensors especially. iKite's current wind observations map is no more than an ad scheme surrounding misinformation, imo.

Vid cams would be the way to go around here if we could get them up in a couple places. I have been saying that for 6 years and had an offer of 250 bucks up if anyone was interested in matching some funds. It never happened. I just rely on the BN9 cam now for info about the beach and call people.

I too Richard, drove out to the beach (PaG) SO many times one season about 5 years ago due to false high readings from the PaG sensor. I was getting pissed seeing 15-18 on iKite and finding less than 8 when I got there. I did it about 20 times. Old(er) timers like Chris Moore remember that happening. Save gas was one of iKite's slogans at the time.. yeah right. I still get mad thinking of it. :mrgreen:

Luckily that sensor got ripped off the Hurricane restaurant during a storm (or sumtin like that). Then, BayNews9 installed a beach cam shortly thereafter, so that was sweet . The cam is decent (but not great). Good ones would be zoomed in a little more on the water in order to see white caps clearly. Oddly, the cam only needs to snap a pic about once a minute. It doesn't have to be 20 fps or anything. "White caps don't lie, wind sensors do" is how I feel about it.

Here is a great beach cam. Imagine having this in a few spots. It has presets that show where kiters/windsurfers ride and the ability to zoom in and pan. Overkill for what would work, but pretty cool. I was zoomed in on Bob one day while he was out there and we were talking on the cell. Pretty cool.
http://cams.exploratorium.edu:8010/

If you are up early like me, wait for sun to come up. It's only 3:30 am where that cam is (at the moment).

Last edited by Unimog Bob; 06-18-2009 at 06:04 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 06-18-2009, 03:11 PM
Unimog Bob Unimog Bob is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Parrish
Posts: 771
Default

It's been blowing about 17 NW for the last 3 hours at Upham.
Very odd for summer, but I ain't complaining.

It's white capping and foggy off of Chrissy Field.

Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 06-18-2009, 04:37 PM
BigR's Avatar
BigR BigR is offline
Can't Re-member
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: In Motion
Posts: 1,620
Default

I'm setting up the same cam tech over by my house.

theoretically if you have the IP address , you'll be able to PTZ in on the
conditions in a five degree slice of the waters on the west side of tampa bay. But, if I mount it 40 feet high I can get most of the bay.

Or , I can point it at my yard as well...........
__________________
__________________
___________________________________
You don't direct ostriches, you herd them
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 06-18-2009, 06:32 PM
Whitey Whitey is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 263
Default

My kid is looking for a job. How about I give her my wind meter & a compass, I post her cell phone number. She can go where you ask her to go and get a wind reading for you and email a photo from her cell phone. It will be way more accurate than ikite and with a couple dozen clients she can break even on gas costs and get a tan working.
Reply With Quote
  #16  
Old 06-18-2009, 10:25 PM
LSUkiter's Avatar
LSUkiter LSUkiter is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: St Petersburg FL
Posts: 160
Default

I guess it'll just take time and alot of getting skunked until I finally start to figure it out. The bay news 9 cam is a good idea, but does it coordinate well with what I would find at the same time at the backside?
I'd throw in for a cam setup in some places. I just wonder how expensive it would be and what kind of maintenance would be needed.
Reply With Quote
  #17  
Old 06-19-2009, 06:01 AM
BigR's Avatar
BigR BigR is offline
Can't Re-member
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: In Motion
Posts: 1,620
Default

PTZ IP Network Cameras are anywhere from $200 to $1000.

The only real maintenance is the IP address the wiring the router and the modem
__________________
__________________
___________________________________
You don't direct ostriches, you herd them
Reply With Quote
  #18  
Old 06-19-2009, 07:13 AM
Unimog Bob Unimog Bob is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Parrish
Posts: 771
Default

Richard,

In general for NW sea breezes, the breeze will happen at the beach up to 2 hours before it reaches the b.s. skyway. So the skyway sensor is a waste for what's happening at the beach, and vice versa, it could be cranking at the beach and blowing zero at the skyway. That happens A LOT more than many people might believe.

However, the skyway sensor is fairly reliable for what's happening at the skyway on NW winds. So if it says 17 NW, it's probably close. The Skyway sensor (called C -cut now) is just not so accurate on due Norths and NNEs. It's pretty good on Easts and Ws and NWs. This sounds odd, but the sensor itself is fine, it's more the fact that the wind blows much more out in the bay (where the sensor is) than it does where we ride when it is blowing N, NNE and sometimes NE.

It takes quite a while to pick up on all these little nuances and nothing is written in stone. Cams showing the spots would be the way to go in a perfect world. If you saw caps, you'd know you would be good to go.
As mentioned though, there is cost involved and possible maintenance head aches.
Raul, that'd be cool. I would love to see the outcome.

We have a few people that live along the beaches right now (including my mom). So we have places to mount cams. I don't need one personally, but I can see it helping out a lot of other riders.
Reply With Quote
  #19  
Old 06-19-2009, 08:45 AM
rigger rigger is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: St. Pete
Posts: 71
Default

Just setup some cams pointing at wind socks. Cant go wrong. You could get a decent idea on what the wind is doing from just a cheap web cam.
Reply With Quote
  #20  
Old 06-19-2009, 09:56 AM
Unimog Bob Unimog Bob is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Parrish
Posts: 771
Default

Not a bad idea. Where are the windsocks?
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:14 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.

Do not advertise outside of [COM] Forums.
Do not show disrespect for others in your postings.
Users can be denied access to this Site without warning.
FKA, Inc., it’s officers and moderators are not responsible
for the content of the postings and any links or pictures posted.

Report Problems by PM to “administrator” or via email to flkitesurfer@hotmail.com

Copyright FKA, Inc. 2004, All Rights Reserved.