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The world's most complete weather meter AND the world's most portable weather station. Lightweight, handheld, multi-function weather meter and data logger with large sunlight-readable graphing display and tripod vane mount option.
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Kestrel 5500 Weather Meter Overview
The next generation of weather monitoring is here with the Kestrel 5500 Weather Meter.
This Kestrel meter does it all. The Kestrel 5500 weather meter provides the same trusted accuracy, reliability, and usability as the original Kestrel 4500. Measure every environmental condition plus wind direction, crosswind and headwind/tailwind. Use it golfing, sailing, flying, spraying, shooting and more. Drop-proof, dust-proof, waterproof and able to withstand extreme environments without damage, your Kestrel weather meter travels with you anywhere you dare to go. A range of carry pouch options makes it even easier to take your Kestrel meter with you.
The Kestrel 5 Series platform offers a large, high-resolution and contrast display with ease of font readability. It also includes a built-in dual color backlight, extra-strong polycarbonate lens, AA battery operation and optional LiNK iOS and Android wireless connectivity and app support. Like all Kestrel meters, the Kestrel 5500 is drop-proof, dust-proof, waterproof and able to withstand harsh environments without damage – so it can so it can work or play as hard as you do, wherever you go. A range of carry pouch options makes it even easier to take your Kestrel meter with you.
In addition to measuring the current environmental conditions, the Kestrel 5500 tracks and logs over 10,000 sets of time-stamped data. Your data log can be transferred to a iOS/Android device wirelessly with the LiNK wireless communication option and Kestrel LiNK app, or to a Windows/Mac device with either the accessory Kestrel LiNK Dongle or waterproof USB Data Transfer Cable (Both sold separately).
The true versatility of the Kestrel 5500 becomes apparent with the addition of the Kestrel Vane Mount. This precision-engineered accessory securely mounts the Kestrel 5500 to any tripod or other ¼-20 fitted bracket. Once mounted, the Kestrel 5500 becomes a full-featured weather station – with a large wind vane and precision pivot keeping the Kestrel oriented into the wind for continuous measurement and logging of wind speed, wind direction, and all other key weather parameters. The Kestrel LiNK app also displays the Kestrel’s real-time readings on a vivid, customizable dashboard – providing a remote display that functions up to 100’ away. The ENTIRE Kestrel 5500 + Vane Mount kit weighs just 10.5 ounces / 295 grams, and packs into the included padded belt carry pouch that is just 2.5 x 3 x 8.5 inches / 6.5 x 7.5 x 22 cm. Providing hundreds of hours of accurate measurements, the Kestrel 5500 is truly the world’s most compact weather station. The Rotating Vane Mount is included with the 5500 with LiNK, or available for purchase separately. It works with any Kestrel 5 Series meter.
Kestrels have been put to the test in some of the harshest conditions on the planet. U.S. Special Forces, combat weather teams, HazMat crews, wildland firefighters, smoke jumpers, Mt. Everest expeditions and auto pit crews are just a few who rely on a Kestrel to provide them with the crucial environmental data they need. Watch any on-screen meteorologist during a hurricane, and you’re sure to spot a Kestrel in action. Be your own meteorologist, anywhere in the world, with a Kestrel 5500.
The specs on this page relate to all Kestrel 5 series meters. Just because a measurement is listed in this chart does not necessarily mean that it is included with all meters. To see a listing of all measurements and features for this meter, please click on the In-Depth tab above.
| SENSORS | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SENSORS | ACCURACY | RESOLUTION | SPECIFICATION RANGE | NOTES |
| Wind Speed | Air Speed | Larger of 3% of reading, least significant digit or 20 ft/min Speed | 0.1 m/s 1 ft/min 0.1 km/h 0.1 mph 0.1 knots 1 B* 0.1 F/S* | 0.6 to 40.0 m/s 118 to 7,874 ft/min 2.2 to 144.0 km/h 1.3 to 89.5 mph 1.2 to 77.8 knots 0 to 12 B* 2-131.2* | 1 inch|25 mm diameter impeller with precision axle and low-friction Zytel® bearings. Startup speed stated as lower limit, readings may be taken down to 0.4 m/s |79 ft min|1.5 km/h |.9 mph |.8 kt after impeller startup. Off-axis accuracy -1% @ 5º off axis; -2% @ 10º; -3% @ 15º. Calibration drift < 1% after 100 hours use at 16 MPH|7 m/s. Replacement impeller (NK PN-0801) field installs without tools (US Patent 5,783,753). Wind speed calibration and testing should be done with triangle on impeller located at the top front face of the Kestrel. Measuring wind speeds above 60 m/s / 134.2 mph can damage the impeller |
| Ambient Temperature | 0.9 °F 0.5 °C | 0.1 °F 0.1 °C | -20.0 to 158.0 °F -29.0 to 70.0 °C | Airflow of 2.2 mph|1 m/s or greater provides fastest response and reduction of insolation effect. For greatest accuracy, avoid direct sunlight on the temperature sensor and prolonged sunlight exposure to the unit in low airflow conditions. Calibration drift is negligible for the life of the product. For further details, see Display & Battery Operational Temperature Limits. |
| Relative Humidity | 2%RH | 0.1 %RH | 10 to 90% 25°C noncondensing | To achieve stated accuracy, unit must be permitted to equilibrate to external temperature when exposed to large, rapid temperature changes and be kept out of direct sunlight. Calibration drift is typically less than ±0.25% per year. |
| Pressure | 1.5 hPa|mbar 0.044 inHg 0.022 PSI | 0.1 hPa|mbar 0.01 inHg 0.01 PSI | 25°C/77°F 700-1100 hPa|mbar 20.67-32.48 inHg 10.15-15.95 PSI | Monolithic silicon piezo-resistive pressure sensor with second-order temperature correction. Between 1100–1600 mbar, unit will operate with reduced accuracy. Sensor may not operate above 1600 mbar and can be damaged above 6,000 mbar or below 10 mbar. Calibration drift is negligible for the life of the product. |
| Compass | 5° | 1° 1/16th Cardinal Scale | 0 to 360° | 2-axis solid-state magneto-resistive sensor mounted perpendicular to unit plane. Accuracy of sensor dependent upon unit’s vertical position. Self-calibration routine eliminates magnetic error from batteries or unit and must be run after every full power- down (battery removal or change). Readout indicates direction to which the back of the unit is pointed when held in a vertical orientation. Declination/variation adjustable for True North readout. |
| CALCULATED MEASUREMENTS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| MEASUREMENT | ACCURACY (+/-) | RESOLUTION | SENSORS EMPLOYED |
| Air Density | 0.0002 lb/ft3 0.0033 kg/m | 0.001 lbs/ft3 0.001 kg/m3 | Temperature, Relative Humidity Pressure |
| Air Flow | 6.71% | 1 cfm 1 m3/hr 1 m3/m 0.1m3/s 1 L/s | Air Speed, User Input (Duct Shape & Size) |
| Altitude | typical: 23.6 ft/7.2 m from 750 to 1100 mBar max: 48.2 ft/14.7 m from 300 to 750 mBar | 1 ft 1 m | Pressure, User Input (Reference Pressure) |
| Barometric Pressure | 0.07 inHg 2.4 hPa|mbar 0.03 PSI | 0.01 inHg 0.1 hPa|mbar 0.01 PSI | Pressure, User Input (Reference Altitude) |
| Crosswind & Headwind/Tailwind | 7.1% | 1 mph 1 ft/min 0.1 km/h 0.1 m/s 0.1 knots | Wind Speed, Compass |
| Delta T | 3.2 °F 1.8 °C | 0.1 °F 0.1 °C | Temperature, Relative Humidity Pressure |
| Density Altitude | 226 ft 69 m | 1 ft 1 m | Temperature, Relative Humidity Pressure |
| Dew Point | 3.4 °F 1.9 °C 15- 95% RH. Refer to Range for Temperature Sensor | 0.1 °F 0.1 °C | Temperature, Relative Humidity |
| Evaporation Rate | 0.01 lb/ft2/hr 0.06 kg/m2/hr | 0.01 b/ft2/hr 0.01 kg/m2/hr | Wind Speed, Temperature Relative Humidity Pressure, User Input (Concrete Temperature) |
| Heat Index | 7.1°F 4.0°C | 0.1 °F 0.1 °C | Temperature, Relative Humidity |
| Moisture Content | Humidity Ratio (“Grains”) | 4.9gpp .7g/kg | 0.1 gpp 0.01 g/kg | Temperature, Relative Humidity Pressure |
| Probability of Ignition (PIG) | PIG Accuracy dependent on proximity of inputs to reference table steps. | 10% | Temperature, Relative Humidity |
| THI (NRC) | 1.5 °F 0.8 °C | 0.1 °F 0.1 °C | Temperature, Relative Humidity |
| THI (Yousef) | 2.3 °F 1.3 °C | 0.1 °F 0.1 °C | Temperature, Relative Humidity |
| Relative Air Density | .0.3% | 0.1% | Temperature, Relative Humidity Pressure |
| Wet Bulb Temperature - Psychrometric | 3.2 °F 1.8 °C | 0.1 °F 0.1 °C | Temperature, Relative Humidity Pressure |
| Wet Bulb Temperature - Naturally Aspirated (NWB TEMP) | 1.4 °F 0.8 °C | 0.1 °F 0.1 °C | Wind Speed, Temperature Globe Temperature, Relative Humidity, Pressure |
| Wind Chill | 1.6 °F 0.9 °C | 0.1 °F 0.1 °C | Wind Speed, Temperature |
| ADDITIONAL PRODUCT INFO | |
|---|---|
| Display & Backlight | Multifunction, multidigit monochrome dot-matrix display. Choice of white or red LED backlight. |
| Response Time & Display Update | Display updates every 1 second. After exposure to large environmental changes, all sensors require an equilibration period to reach stated accuracy. Measurements employing RH may require longer periods particularly after prolonged exposure to very high or very low humidity. WBGT requires about 8 minutes to reach 95% accuracy and about 15 minutes to reach 99% accuracy after exposure to large environmental changes. |
| Data Storage & Graphical display Min/Max/Avg History | Logged history stored and displayed for every measured value. Manual and auto data storage. Min/Max/Avg history may be reset independently. Auto-store interval settable from 2 seconds to 12 hours*, overwrite on or off. Logs even when display off except for 2 and 5 second intervals. Kestrel 5 series units hold over 10,000 data points. |
| data Upload & Bluetooth Data Connect Option | Wireless range up to 100ft. Connection requires optional USB data transfer cable or Kestrel Link Dongle or Kestrel LiNK app. Employs Kestrel Link protocol for data transmission with Link supported devices. (Kestrel LiNK for iOS/Android, Kestrel Link for PC/MAC). |
| Clock/Calendar | Real-time hours:minutes:seconds clock, calendar, automatic leap-year adjustment. |
| Auto Shutdown | User-selectable – Off, 15-60 minutes with no key presses. |
| Languages | English, French, German, Spanish. |
| Certifications | CE certified, RoHS, FCC, IC tested and WEEE compliant. Individually tested to NIST-traceable standards. |
| Origin | Designed and manufactured in the USA from US and imported components. Complies with Regional Value Content and Tariff Code Transformation requirements for NAFTA Preference Criterion B. |
| Battery Life | AA Lithium included. Up to 400 hours of use, reduced by backlight, alert light and buzzer, or Bluetooth radio transmission use. |
| Shock Resistance | MIL-STD-810g, Transit Shock, Method 516.6 Procedure IV; unit only; impact may damage replaceable impeller. |
| Sealing | Waterproof (IP67 and NEMA-6) |
| Display & Battery Operational Temperature Limits | 14° F to 131° F | -10 °C to 55 °C Measurements may be taken beyond the limits of the operational temperature range of the display and batteries by maintaining the unit within the operational range and then exposing it to the more extreme environment for the minimum time necessary to take reading. |
| Storage Temperature | -22.0 °F to 140.0 °F | -30.0 °C to 60.0 °C. |
| Size & Weight | 5.0 x 1.9 x 1.1 in | 12.7 x 4.5 x 2.8 cm, 4.3 oz | 121 g. (Lithium battery included) |
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