Sailing with a tablet is now a thing of the past. This easily transportable screen has a built-in GPS. It displays the cartography with often very affordable software in price and use. With its Internet access, it displays the weather and can also do routing. All it needs are sensors to indicate the wind strength and direction so that it can totally replace a navigation system on board a boat.
To receive wind speed and direction information, we need a navigation system that sends the information back via a transmitter (Bluetooth or wifi). This is now a thing of the past. Indeed iTabNav markets an autonomous wind vane anemometer that communicates with mobiles via Bluetooth.
30 days of autonomy
Equipped with a solar panel and a battery, this weather vane has an autonomy of 30 days even in the absence of light. Installed at the head of the mast (it has a standard 16 mm thread), the windvane is completely wireless. It communicates with the mobile in Bluetooth Low Energy which offers an operating distance of more than 50 m, which is more than enough on a pleasure boat and also works inside the cabin.
For reading wind information, in addition to the proprietary application, there are already 4 applications working with the product : Vaavud, iRegatta, eStela, SailRacer and soon Weather4D 2.0. The Anemotracker manufacturer's application (available on iOS or Android) allows to establish the Bluetooth connection and to make the main settings (real wind/apparent wind, information refresh rate, wind value logs, data damping, heading offset settings if necessary).
To limit consumption (and increase autonomy), it is possible to limit the data refresh rate (from 1 to 8 Hz, i.e. from 1 to 8 pieces of information per second).
Sensors for future developments
Despite its small size (135g, 70mm diameter), this windvane integrates many sensors:
- 4 ultrasonic sensors for wind measurement
- 1 integrated compass
- 1 gyroscope and 1 accelerometer to measure the axial displacement of the boat
- 1 thermometer
Some of the sensors are not yet used in applications, but this suggests that there are many uses for them.
Ideal for small boats that need to dismast regularly or do not have an on-board battery, this windvane anemometer opens new paths for all mobile devices.
Features
- dimensions: diameter 70mm x height 57mm
- weight: 135 g
- IPX8 waterproofing
- refresh rate: 1, 4 or 8Hz
- recharge by integrated solar panel 35 x 23mm
- battery life without brightness: 30 days at 1Hz, 3 days at 8Hz, up to 1 year on standby
- wireless data sending via Bluetooth 4.0 - distance 50m
- wind speed: 0 - 40m/s (78 N) - accuracy 0.1m/s (0.2 N)
- wind angle: 0.1° accuracy
- Price 499 euros TTC
