Cup anemometer

[BoaterAl]

On the way back from Calif. to KC on I-40 a now deceased bird totally misjudged a take-off hitting the roof cap then broke the wind sensor off the base. The 9050110 looks the same as the others on the coach.
Girard quoted $146 each for complete blade style. They advise drilling new base plate holes would be needed. Is Girard the source for the blade style ?

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Apart from thinking there shouldn't be such fragile components which might be subject to damage, I wonder why it has to be a rotating wind sensor.

Wouldn't a device much like an upside down pendulum work? When no wind blows the device stands upright, but as the wind velocity increases the pendulum leans and when it reaches some angle relative to its base it sends a signal. A simple open or close circuit. The sensor which just sticks up into the air can be built so it can literally be knocked flat but will return to its intended position as soon as the force is removed.

I see the little cups spinning in the breeze and all I think of is everything from low branches to the high speed winds resulting from a 70 MPH speed into a headwind are going to damage it.

[ms911]

Apart from thinking there shouldn't be such fragile components which might be subject to damage, I wonder why it has to be a rotating wind sensor.

Wouldn't a device much like an upside down pendulum work? When no wind blows the device stands upright, but as the wind velocity increases the pendulum leans and when it reaches some angle relative to its base it sends a signal. A simple open or close circuit. The sensor which just sticks up into the air can be built so it can literally be knocked flat but will return to its intended position as soon as the force is removed.

I see the little cups spinning in the breeze and all I think of is everything from low branches to the high speed winds resulting from a 70 MPH speed into a headwind are going to damage it.

There has to be a better yet we buy $140 pieces of plastic.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Those little wind cups are the kind you find on home weather stations and are intended to be on the roof of a house.

They were never designed to be at risk from low hanging trees, birds in flight, or high speed winds such as when driving. Other than protecting it with a 1/4" wire rod cage to prevent physical damage while allowing the flow of wind I can't imagine any other choice since it is likely there is some electronic way of measuring wind speed built into the circuitry rather than a simple open or closed circuit.

Don't get me going on converters building ever more complex and costly to maintain coaches. The list of things people can be expected to spend serious dollars on to maintain a coach keeps getting longer and longer and as the market value of coaches goes down due to the age of these coaches owners who buy these are just not going to spend the dollars necessary and there is going to be a lot of junk in the marketplace.

If our coach chassis is supposed to be this theoretical million mile coach, then the stuff that goes into making it into a motorhome should at least be made with the same focus on long durable service.

[michaeldterry]

If our coach chassis is supposed to be this theoretical million mile coach, then the stuff that goes into making it into a motorhome should at least be made with the same focus on long durable service.

Yeah! What Jon said!

[HarborBus]

Is there a consensus that the blade type anemometer is hardier that the cup type (they are both plastic)? If so has anyone found a source for them besides Girard?

[ms911]

Is there a consensus that the blade type anemometer is hardier that the cup type (they are both plastic)? If so has anyone found a source for them besides Girard?

Not yet but I am looking.