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US MILITARY USING KESTREL® POCKET
WEATHER™ METERS FOR EFFORTS IN AFGHANISTAN
BOOTHWYN, PA… Kestrel Pocket Weather Meters
are proving to be a valuable tool in aiding military efforts in
Afghanistan for the U.S. Military. The Kestrel 3000 manufactured
by Nielsen-Kellerman, is a hand-held digital instrument that measures
wind speed, wind chill, temperature, relative humidity, heat stress,
and dewpoint temperature.
In Kadahar, Afghanistan, military personnel
involved in Operation Enduring Freedom are using the Kestrel
3000 while clearing areas of all land mines and unexploded ordnances
(UXOs), thus making the area safe to be used once again. To clear
an area, mechanical means are first run over the area to detonate
or destroy any mines and UXOs. Then, highly trained dogs are
used to sniff out any mines or UXO’s not originally detected. It is critical that the
dogs are working in the appropriate environmental conditions since
missing a mine can lead to its accidental detonation by the dog’s
handler or a civilian.
Blake Isaacson, U.S. Army B. Co. 367th Eng Bn out of Mankato,
Minnesota, reports that they are using the Kestrel 3000 to check
the air temperature and the wind speed as the dogs are proofing
an area. “These two elements are critical when it comes to
the dogs doing a good job, or not at all. The temperature is crucial
because if it is too cold, the odor of the explosive will not rise. At
the same time, if it gets hot we need to give the dogs more breaks
so that they can keep cool, and if it gets extremely hot we need
to stop the dogs and get them in where it is cool.“ Referring
to the feature of wind speed, Isaacson says this is a critical
factor as well: “What is ideal for wind speed is a slight
breeze blowing at the dog’s side as he checks an area. We
do not want a wind that is over 5 meters a second. When the wind
gets to 5 meters or higher we stop because the odor is being blown
too far from the source, and the dog can not acutely pin point
the location of the source.”
The easy-to-use Kestrel 3000 features a light
but strong impeller for measuring wind speed with an accuracy
of 3 percent or better. The
impeller is protected from damage by the sturdy fiberglass housing,
but if necessary it can be replaced by the user--simply and inexpensively
without tools. Temperature is measured with a patented precision
quick-response thermistor.
The Kestrel 3000 is designed for anyone who
works or plays outdoors and needs accurate and reliable weather
information. The Kestrel 3000 is waterproof to 1 meter and floats
and it comes with a neck lanyard and a protective cover. The
Kestrel 3000 operates on a single common watch battery that runs
approximately 300 hours, and carries a 5-year guarantee.
The Kestrel 3000 retails for $179 and is available at national
retail and catalogue outlets or directly from NK. Other products
in the Kestrel family include the Kestrel 1000 ($89), which measures
solely wind speed, the Kestrel 2000 ($119) which measures wind
speed, temperature and wind chill, and the Kestrel 4000 ($329),
which measures wind speed, temperature, wind chill, relative humidity,
heat stress index, dewpoint, barometric pressure, altitude, density
altitude and wet bulb, along with a multitude of graphing, tracking
and recalling features. New models available for 2004 are the Kestrel
2500 ($199), which measures wind speed, temperature, wind chill,
barometric pressure and altitude, and the Kestrel 3500 ($249),
which measures wind speed, temperature, wind chill, relative humidity,
heat stress index, dewpoint, barometric pressure, altitude and
wet bulb temperature.
For over twenty-five years, Nielsen-Kellerman has been known worldwide
for its waterproof speed measurement, timing and audio systems
for competitive rowers. Virtually every shell at the 2004 Athens
Olympic games carried NK equipment.
- Know Your Conditions -
For more information, contact Amy Winner
at 610.447.1555 x219,
or visit www.nkhome.com.
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