Kestrel 4000 Instruction Manual page 3

which use satellite triangulation to determine altitude. Note that with present GPS technology, pressure altimeters remain more
accurate for measuring altitude change. This is why airplanes still rely on pressure altimeters, not GPS. Finally, the DENSITY ALTITUDE
screen is calculated from the absolute values of station pressure, relative humidity and temperature, and is not affected by the
reference values entered in the BARO and ALTITUDE screens.
Manual Data Storage
To manually store data, press the button. One of the following will appear: Data Stored (data has been captured and will appear
on chart), Full (Overwrite is off and data log is full), or Off (Manual Store button has been disabled). See page 10 for more information
on Memory.
Backlight
The Kestrel 4000 has a high-visibility green backlight, which makes the display easily read in low-light conditions. The Kestrel 4000
NV has a visible red backlight which preserves the natural night vision of users such as military personnel and pilots. It takes 30 to 45
minutes for the average eye to adapt to darkness and maximize night vision. Even a short burst of white, yellow, green or blue light
"bleaches out" the rod cell photoreceptors in the eye and causes night blindness until the entire adaptation process can take place
again. Light in the red spectrum does not cause this "bleaching out" , preventing night blindness and night vision fatigue. This unit's red
backlight is also much dimmer than a standard backlight, making it more difficult to detect with the naked eye in night operations.
Press the button to activate the backlight. The light will remain activated for one minute. Press the
to deactivate the light manually.
You can customize your Kestrel 4000 in multiple ways. Press the
select the highlighted setting. The Main Setup Menu contains: OFF, Memory Options, Measurements, Graph Scale, Units, User Screens,
System, Date & Time, Language and Restore.
Off - Press the or the button to turn the display off. Even when the Kestrel's display is turned off, the unit will continue to
automatically store data at the defined Store Rate. Wind speed will NOT be stored when the unit is off. To continuously measure wind
speed, turn the auto shutdown off (pg. 11). The battery life will be decreased if data is stored frequently. The only way to completely
shut off the unit is to remove the batteries. Custom settings and data will be stored when the batteries are removed.
Units - The units of measure can be adjusted to best suit the application. The following units are available:
Wind Speed Temperature,
m/s meters per second Dewpoint, Wet
km/h kilometers per hour Bulb Temp, Wind
kt knots Chill & Heat Index
mph miles per hour °C Celsius
ft/m feet per minute °F Fahrenheit
Bft Beaufort
Highlight the desired measurement by pressing the
Press the button to return to the Main Setup Menu.
User Screens - The three User Screens can be reconfigured to display the most appropriate information for the application. Only
current measurements can be selected for the User Screens - Min/Max/Avg and Charts are not available.
Highlight the desired User Screen by pressing the or
the and buttons to change lines, and the or
line. Press the button to return to the User Screen Setup Menu. Repeat above process for the other User Screens or press
the button to return to the Main Setup Menu.
System - The display Contrast and Auto Shutdown can be reconfigured as required. The relative humidity and pressure sensors can
also be recalibrated. Press the and buttons to highlight the appropriate selection, and the
The Contrast can be adjusted for better visibility depending on the ambient lighting conditions. Press the
or decrease the contrast from 0 to 20 (0 is lightest, 20 is darkest).
The display can be set to automatically turn off in order to conserve the battery life. Auto Shutdown will only occur after the preset
time has elapsed without any button presses. Press the
60 minutes, Off ).
Baro Cal - The pressure sensor can be calibrated if necessary. It is extremely important to know the precise altitude and mean sea
level barometric pressure at the time of calibrating the sensor. First, set the reference altitude on the BARO measurement screen
to the known altitude (see Pressure Adjustment on page 9). Then adjust the calibrating setting on the Baro Cal screen to the known
mean sea level barometric pressure. Recalibration of this sensor is not typically required, and it is not recommended that you
recalibrate without speaking to an NK technician.
Humidity Cal - The humidity sensor can be calibrated by "teaching" it the correct humidity. Some special equipment is required for
this calibration, including two hermetically sealed containers and saturated salt solutions. NK offers a calibration kit, and instructions
are available on www.nkhome.com. Recalibration of this sensor is not typically required, and it is not recommended that you
recalibrate without speaking to an NK technician.
Press the button to return to the Main Setup Menu.
button within one minute
button to access the Main Setup Menu. Press the
Pressure
inHg inches mercury
hPa hectopascals
psi pound per square inch
mb millibar
or button. Press the or button to scroll through the available units.
button. Press the button to select the highlighted User Screen. Press
button to scroll through the available measurements for each highlighted
or button to adjust or select.
or
or button to scroll through the Auto Shutdown options (15 minutes,
Memory Options - These settings control the data storage properties. Press the
Setting Description
Clear Log All stored data is cleared. This will also clear Min/Max/Avg data.
(Go/Done)
Reset MMA All Min/Max/Avg data is cleared. Chart data will remain intact.
(Go/Done)
Auto Store When On, data is automatically stored at preset Store Rate. When
(On/Off ) Off, data is only stored when manually captured with the
Store Rate* The frequency at which data sets are automatically stored.
(2 sec - 12 hr) (Battery life may be shortened if data is stored frequently.)
Overwrite This setting only applies when the data log is full.
(On/Off ) When On, oldest data point is discarded to allow memory for
the new data point. When Off, new data points are not saved.
Man Store When On, data is stored when the
(On/Off ) When off, the
button to
* When unit is off, data is NOT stored for 2 sec and 5 sec Store Rates.
Measurements - Measurement screens can be hidden from the normal measurement navigation. For example, if wind chill is not of
interest, it can be hidden. Press the
button to highlight the desired measurement. Press the
Graph Scale - These settings control the chart limits of your meter. Depending on the conditions, the lower and upper limits of the chart
scale may need to be adjusted in order to get the best view of the data. Highlight the desired measurement by pressing the
button. Select the highlighted measurement by pressing the
the limits. Press the
measurement selection screen. Press the
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Date & Time - The date and time, as well as date and time formats, can be adjusted. The Time Formats available are: 12 hour and 24 hour.
The Date formats available are day/month/year and month/day/year. (See page 5 for instructions on how to set the date and time.) Press
the button to return to the Main Setup Menu.
Altitude,
Language - Displayed text can be set in one of five languages: English, French, German, Italian or Spanish. To choose a language, use the
Density Alt.
and buttons to highlight the desired language. Press the
m meters
Otherwise, press the
ft feet
Restore - Default settings for units of measure, date and time formats, and system settings can be restored. (See page 15 for a list of
the default settings. ) Press the
button to reset the factory setting. Press the
This section provides examples of applications where a Kestrel 4000 might be used, and the appropriate memory settings.
Weather Monitoring
Auto Store On
Store Rate 1 hr
Overwrite On
Man Store Off
These settings will allow you to track conditions for almost 3 months.
When the memory is full, each new measurement will be stored in
place of the oldest data point. The charts will provide a quick look at
button to increase
the recent weather conditions. Keep an eye out for falling barometric
pressure, which indicates a storm is coming.
Hiking/Camping for the Weekend
Auto Store On
Store Rate 20 min
Overwrite Off
Man Store On
These settings will allow you to track the conditions for almost 26
days. Measurements will be stored every 20 minutes, and stop storing
when the log is full. This will let you review the trip at your convenience
when you return. You can also manually store the conditions, in case
you get caught in 40 mile per hour winds or make it to the top of
a mountain. For more detailed information on your trip, set the
Store Rate to 2 hours overnight, and 10 minutes during the day.
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button.
button is pressed.
button is disabled.
or button to toggle between ON and OFF for each individual measurement. Press the
button to return to the Main Setup Menu.
button. Press the
or button to change between the upper and lower limits. Press the
button to return to the Main Setup Menu.
button to select the language and return to the Main Setup Menu.
button to return to the Main Setup Menu without changing languages.
or button to highlight the desired default setting: Metric, Imperial or Defaults. Press the
to return to the Main Setup Menu.
Soaring/Hang Gliding
Auto Store On
Store Rate 2 min
Overwrite
Man Store
These settings will allow you to track all conditions for 66
hours. Chart your altitude changes, watch how the
temperature and humidity vary with altitude, and log your
apparent speed. Data will no longer be stored once the log is
full, in order to preserve it until it can be reviewed later. Be
sure to clear the data log just before your flight.
Skydiving
Auto Store On
Store Rate 2 sec
Overwrite
Man Store
These settings will allow you to record a detailed account of
your jump. Be sure to clear the data log just before jumping.
As you descend toward the ground, you will be tracking the
altitude every two seconds, as well as the conditions at that
altitude. The chart will clearly show the point at which the
parachute opens, as well as the point you get back on the
ground.
button to return to the Main Setup Menu.
Operation
Press or to clear the log.
Press or to clear the MMA.
Press or to toggle
between On and Off.
Press or to increase or
decrease Store Rate frequency.
Press or to toggle
between On and Off.
Press or to toggle
between On and Off.
or
or
or button to increase or decrease the value of
button to exit and return to the
10
or
Off
On
Off
Off
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