wind speed flag

[Unimog Bob]

I saw a post about this on the SF kite forum. looks like a great idea and more reliable than our sensors. Now if we could just get a couple in view of some web cams.

http://www.directhitgolfflags.com/

I have never seen that type of flag. Cool.
I am more use to seeing the typical wind sock that you see at airports.

I agree and have been saying that (for-just about-ever) that having a camera fixed on a wind flag/sock would be far superior to having a sensor. Let's face it, for our purposes, most of us just need a lower threshold to be broken (for me these days, around 15 knots) to make it worth going.
I don't need to know the absolute wind-speed (the wind sensors don't supply it with accuracy anyway). I just need to know it is more than a certain value. Once I get there, I will rig accordingly. That's what wind socks do, tell you it is "more than".

If the camera focused on the windsock took one pic every 3 minutes, that'd be all we would need. That would be light years superior to much of the sensor info available to us on Imight that only updates info once every 2 hours and most of is is way off, anyway.

To add to it (pass it on to SF) you could put a very light, large adv. flag on top (like Randy's Best flags). Those things are fully stretched out in 5 knots. This would mean that every time a person logged on to see the wind flag in action, they would see a literal banner ad in the form of the larger adv. flag up top. That could help to pay for the installation, possibly.

No brainer for a shop/brand involved with wind-sports products to get advertising and provide a useful service.
Same idea as gulfster's wave-meter.

[Unimog Bob]

If I lived closer to a riding spot I'd put a cam up no problem. I don't know of anyone that lives on the beach right now. I think Woody lives out on Anna Maria. I'd like to see one out at the SW. We could try a gorilla cam by hiding an old laptop with a wifi card with a cantenna or a super yagi a solar panel and a cam. Then hijack someones wifi to uplink. Oh yeah SF is San Francisco. http://www.bayareakiteboarding.com/

[BigR]

They have those flags in the Gorge, and we also used to have one in VK Maimi ( after Jim climbed the guano tower ).

They work alright, enough to give you a rough idea, which you can prity much tell from watching the water a bit

Yeah,

All I need is a cam pointed at water. I have that for the beach.
It'd be nice to have it for the SW. Then again, I am 2 minutes away, so I don't care too much.

I am still surprised WSW or someone hasn't put up a cam or two.
It's probably the best way to get constant traffic to your site.
It would pay itself off in about 2 weeks with the added revenue from the site, I bet.