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Weather gadgets for "casual" weather enthusiasts

George Flickinger

George Flickinger

EF2
Joined
Mar 7, 2004
Messages
115
Location
Broken Arrow, OK
I'll be doing a TV segment next month which I'll show weather gadget gift ideas. The target audience is the casual weather enthusiast/parent or kid who likes weather/weather observer.

I have a few ideas in mind, but what are some items you've run across you think would be cool gift ideas? I'll probably do a range from under $20 to over $100.

Thanks,

George Flickinger
 
The liquid bulb "galileo thermometer" has always been a popular and cool shelf top peice. Personally I would have loved to have a "pet tornado in a box" kit. Where all you need is some dry ice, plug it in...and BOOM a dry ice fog tornado. You can build your own by following some instructions that you can just google search for. I plan on building one for myself but its going to take some time. It would be cool if some cool science gadget manufacturer made an affordable one. (Dry ice not included)
 
Weather books, weather radios, cloud charts, calendar featuring lightning photos, subscription to Weatherwise magazine, while these are not gadgets, they are accessories any wx nut would love. For those interested in lightning, Tesla coils or Van de Graf generators might do.
If the recepient is mechanically adept, how about a book on homemade wx instruments and a gift card to Home Depot?
 
There are some inexpensive home measuring devices that do temp, barometric pressure trends etc.
http://www.windandweather.com/produ...atured&search_value=2001&cur_index=&pcode=362

Another option is a Kestrel 2000 for wind and temp. There are higher priced models that check other parameters.
http://www.kestrelmeters.com/Kestrel-2000-wind-meter.pro

There are also a lot of storm chaser DVD's that are inexpensive "stocking stuffers". You could mention the "Storms of 2007" that is a compilation of amazing tornado video from about 50 chasers that is being sold to raise money for storm victims. It's only $23.95 and will be available in the next 1-2 weeks but can be pre-ordered now.
http://www.thestormsof2007.org/

Bill Hark
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'm not sure if George has done the show yet or not, but I'll recommend the hand held Kaindl Windtronic 2 anemometer. It only measures wind and is a bit pricey at $80, but compared to the Kestrel line it's a better measure of the true speed as it doesn't rely on an impeller. It's also made in Germany so that explains the price! :) Seriously, I own one and the performance and build quality are fantastisch.
 
Dang Winter Weather

Well, due to two active weekends thanks to the freezing rain and snow, we won't be airing this segment...hopefully next year will cooperate. Thank you to everyone for the info....George Flickinger
 
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