Kestrel5500 Weather Meter Non-LiNK, Tan

This is a joke right?Straight out of the box this device has a major flaw with temperature reading (um, one of its key purposes). What you should worry about is that Kestrel says that the temperature readings should be *so* accurate that it doesn't even require calibration! This means that even though I know the temperature is off by 5 degrees in my house, I can't even fix it. No way I'm taking this out to the field!This device is highly recommended from the precision rifle community. I'm confused as this is absolute junk so far.As you can see from the picture, my $5 Acurite device is precise AND accurate to my house temperature, but the Kestrel is extremely off and I can't even calibrate or fix it.Furthermore, several buttons that I press in the Android app give me weird web page errors (see pictures).This is my first experience with a Kestrel product, this is an absolute horrible user experience; I cannot recommend this product and would give it a lower than one star if possible.I will update my review if Kestrel fixes these issues, but if I have to return this brand new device, this review will remain one star as it is supposed to "perfectly" work straight out of the box.

Kestrel 5500 weather station arrived quickly from Amazon. Instructions were through and clear. This is a very high quality professional level instrument. Some reviews cite a lack of instructions. My device came with complete instructions. Kit included the carrying case; the 5500; a lanyard; a lithium battery; a weather vane kit for mounting the device to a tripod so it free wheels into the wind; and a link capability to bluetooth link the 5500 with a mobile device or PC. It also has a port for a wired connection to a PC.I found the device easy to use after spending about 30 minutes learning the simple menu system. You can customize a 3 row initial screen with measurements of your choice or scroll down to look at them individually. Some people are confused by the station pressure vs barometric pressure. Station pressure is the actual pressure at your station. As an example, my site is about 4300 feet above sea level. Station pressure in this case is the actual atmospheric pressure adjusted for the elevation since less air is above my site. It typically reads something like 25.xx inches of mercury for station pressure instead of 29.xx inches of barometric pressure. Pressure change is the most important thing to keep in mind and that change will ripple into both barometric and station pressure. You may find atmospheric pressure given both ways on some internet sites depending upon the site. Typically barometric pressure is more common and provides a simple way to track pressure changes. I've found that pressure going up causes wind as does pressure going down. Pressure going down is indicative of a low pressure storm moving in and increasing pressure indicates warmer weather coming.One needs to use the app for mobile devices to pair the 5500 with your mobile device via bluetooth (assuming you have the 5500 with link). I tried paring it without using the app and it would not connect. Just scroll thru the multiple screens on the app after it is loaded and you will get to a page where it allows you to connect to your mobile device. The Kestrel web site has great instructions on pairing as well.I hope this review helps to clear the air on this very powerful device.

Construction, durability, and quality is five stars. Kestrel makes professional grade equipment. The reason for not five stars is to register a complaint: for Kestrel to charge additional $$$ for a USB dongle for PC connectivity or a USB cable for a unit that already costs $400 is a gouge, and egregious.

I use the Krestrel 5500 every day and love it. The App works great on my iPad and Samsung Android phone. Only word of caution is that the lanyard is poorly made and can come apart. Mine did and I fortunately was not.in a boat or over water! The Kestrel is rugged and showed no damage from falling 4 feet to the floor. I modified the lanyard so that the string and the cord are tied together. Then I added some industrial epoxy/glue and pulled the small black cover back over the knot. Presto - I don’t have to worry about the lanyard breaking again.

Instructions not the greatest, find it hard to use to its full potential. It functions perfectly, again the only problem is I find it hard to figure out how to use all the functions and to set it up properly.