Track day July 4th with Motorhead.

[moparjim]

First off had a great day with Mike. I have to thank him for getting me out to the track.
As usual while swapping front wheels. Passers by asked the usual "what will it run?". After checking the da I figured 10.8's, judging by the last outing.
The first pass was 10.71. Fluke?
Next pass 10.73 so I guess not. Best of the day was a 10.67@130 and the 10.73 was the worst. What is surprising is the weather at the time. Plus I didn't want to be around if they decided to give everyone a hard time.

So the police were on premises and the track was told they had 3hrs to clear out the spectators. So they made the ones that wanted to stay register to race and make a pass.
I don't know how that worked out because I left early because of the heat.
@Mean Cat and @Marc W this DA info should be interesting to you.
My Kestrel read 2600 to 3200' during the day.
I am showing the kestrel as well as the track app DA from around 1:15. I did not take a screenshot of ADO or TRC apps.🤦‍♂️
So the track had DA at 1636'
TRC had it at 2150
Air Density Online had it at 2100'
The Kestrel read 3262'
The apps had the temps in the mid 80's more or less. My car read mid-high 90's and the Kestrel was around 100f at that time.
Interesting at home TRC and the kestrel read very close to each other. So close I questioned my purchase of the Kestrel.
The results are very similar to what we found last year with @Hpindy on his Kestrel.
The apps read about 1000' and his kestrel was 1900-2100'.

 

[moparjim]

For those that question my stock numbers and 60' times. Here is a video I found from my last outing at the track of a race promoter checking the the track before grudge wars.
I basically can show up and send it without having to do an easy test pass first. I had a laugh when the guy walking was asked in French if he thought the track was ok. His flip flops fell apart immediately. 🤣

https://www.facebook.com/groups/quebecgrudgewars/permalink/993428324446795/

 

[Marc W]

The Kestrel is way higher! The others are close enough to be supporting each other, and then that thing is in outer space. I know that when using the DA+ app on my iPhone, it shows the actual elevation ASL. You can look up track elevation and using that app has always been dead on at least with that number. 🤔

 

[moparjim]

The Kestrel is way higher! The others are close enough to be supporting each other, and then that thing is in outer space. I know that when using the DA+ app on my iPhone, it shows the actual elevation ASL. You can look up track elevation and using that app has always been dead on at least with that number. 🤔

The elevation is correct in the apps as it is on the Kestrel. I set the altitude manually on the Kestrel to be sure. It was off by 40' when I started it. Here is a shot from my kestrel app it takes a snapshot every hour. The thick vertical line was me taking a snapshot at 11.53 am. The line before was 11 and the one after was 12pm and every hour after. The dip was when I had it on me and I was inside the building. This was of the temp. The apps never read more than about 85f.

 

[moparjim]

The elevation is correct in the apps as it is on the Kestrel. I set the altitude manually on the Kestrel to be sure. It was off by 40' when I started it. Here is a shot from my kestrel app it takes a snapshot every hour. The thick vertical line was me taking a snapshot at 11.53 am. The line before was 11 and the one after was 12pm and every hour after. The dip was when I had it on me and I was inside the building. This was of the temp. The apps never read more than about 85f. View attachment 19938

I also took 2 shots of the da 1 min apart. 1st in the shade in the car the second on the pillar with sun on it. The Da differed by 20'. 🤷‍♂️
So that didn't cause an artificially high reading by any great amount.

 

[moparjim]

Oddly as I stated at home the TRC app and the Kestrel read almost identical numbers.

 

[moparjim]

The nearest weather station I know of in relation to the track is about an hour away from the track.
Is this relevant I have no idea but it may have something to do with it.
The times others have had a meter the DA and temps have been different from the apps.

 

[moparjim]

@Marc W here is a history of the da taken at the same times as the temps. The dip is from inside the building. and at 11:53 when I took the snapshot. The Kestrel was outside in the shade.
Hpindy had readings slightly lower on his vs the app at Cayuga on the same day. Yet I remember at my track his read about 1000' higher than the apps.

 

[moparjim]

@Marc W here is screenshots of TRC and the Kestrel at my place at the moment.

 

[Marc W]

It’s all clear as mud. 😝. When I was in Kentucky.... iPhone app I have read 2600’ during the day and I saw it go down to 1700 later at night. The readout on my screen said Clay City. So it knew where it was. If I remember... it was saying that altitude ASL was 600’. Speedy said some were reporting high 3600’ DA. Kestrel? I’m assuming that the phone app is getting its DA from the nearest recognized weather station. Airport? FAA station? Military base? If that is within a reasonable distance from the track then I think I would be more confident in that than a small hand held device that is acting as its own station. I doubt that a Air Force Base or FAA Airport is using a Kestrel to report altimeter settings to pilots.

 

[moparjim]

It’s all clear as mud. 😝. When I was in Kentucky.... iPhone app I have read 2600’ during the day and I saw it go down to 1700 later at night. The readout on my screen said Clay City. So it knew where it was. If I remember... it was saying that altitude ASL was 600’. Speedy said some were reporting high 3600’ DA. Kestrel? I’m assuming that the phone app is getting its DA from the nearest recognized weather station. Airport? FAA station? Military base? If that is within a reasonable distance from the track then I think I would be more confident in that than a small hand held device that is acting as its own station. I doubt that a Air Force Base or FAA Airport is using a Kestrel to report altimeter settings to pilots.

The last 2 times at the track the apps had temps much lower than any thermometer at the track.
The kestrel had temps inline with the thermometers that I saw at the track. My kestrel is new so not likely out of whack.
Air density online has the track name yet temps always appear to be off.

 

[Marc W]

The last 2 times at the track the apps had temps much lower than any thermometer at the track.
The kestrel had temps inline with the thermometers that I saw at the track. My kestrel is new so not likely out of whack.
Air density online has the track name yet temps always appear to be off.

I’ll have to start checking what my app is reading compared to the actual temp outside at the moment. The Weather.com app on my phone is reading the same as my DA+app. Maybe they are in bed together. 😂

 

[BULL]

The last 2 times at the track the apps had temps much lower than any thermometer at the track.
The kestrel had temps inline with the thermometers that I saw at the track. My kestrel is new so not likely out of whack.
Air density online has the track name yet temps always appear to be off.

I have had two of the ballistic kestrels for long range shooting. (1000-2500yds). They are notoriously inaccurate and even faulty. This may have improved since I last dealt with them, but it was the case back ~5yrs ago.

Contact kestrel to check for updates and/or recalls/repairs.

 

[Mean Cat]

Congrats @moparjim on some nice passes , yeah the differences in the DA's are frustrating that their that far off & not knowing really which one is more accurate ?
I think I will just keep using the ADO on my iPhone vs. the tracks app , I have always used the ADO anyway so that will keep me consistent.
On the tracks app at the bottom of the screen page it says "weather data is corrected to 0ft. altitude" , and the track is at about 40' , so I'm not sure but some difference in that as far as readings go.

 

[moparjim]

It’s all clear as mud. 😝. When I was in Kentucky.... iPhone app I have read 2600’ during the day and I saw it go down to 1700 later at night. The readout on my screen said Clay City. So it knew where it was. If I remember... it was saying that altitude ASL was 600’. Speedy said some were reporting high 3600’ DA. Kestrel? I’m assuming that the phone app is getting its DA from the nearest recognized weather station. Airport? FAA station? Military base? If that is within a reasonable distance from the track then I think I would be more confident in that than a small hand held device that is acting as its own station. I doubt that a Air Force Base or FAA Airport is using a Kestrel to report altimeter settings to pilots.

I agree with what you are saying.
But at my track the nearest weather is dorval airport, st. Hubert airport or Platsburg N.Y.
All are a fair distance from the track and weather this time of year can have smaller pockets of weather especially when this hot and humid. 45 miles away my wife had a thunder shower at home and nothing at the track.
In the late fall/winter the apps temps are closer to thermometers at the track.🤷‍♂️
The kestrel actually reads a little lower DA than the TRC app.
The weather apps have temps at 88 here at the moment so not far off I guess. The thermometer at home reaads 92 so close to the temps on the app and kestrel.

 

[moparjim]

Congrats @moparjim on some nice passes , yeah the differences in the DA's are frustrating that their that far off & not knowing really which one is more accurate ?
I think I will just keep using the ADO on my iPhone vs. the tracks app , I have always used the ADO anyway so that will keep me consistent.
On the tracks app at the bottom of the screen page it says "weather data is corrected to 0ft. altitude" , and the track is at about 40' , so I'm not sure but some difference in that as far as readings go.

That was what led me to buy the kestrel.

 

[Mean Cat]

Right now ADO is reading 2934 DA & the track app is showing 2323 DA , pretty big difference.

 

[moparjim]

I have had two of the ballistic kestrels for long range shooting. (1000-2500yds). They are notoriously inaccurate and even faulty. This may have improved since I last dealt with them, but it was the case back ~5yrs ago.

Contact kestrel to check for updates and/or recalls/repairs.

Well there you go I had not heard that. I was under the impression this was the way to go.

 

[moparjim]

Right now ADO is reading 2934 DA & the track app is showing 2323 DA , pretty big difference.

That is what I was getting. Large differences in info.
Either way I was quite surprised that the silly car ran 10.6's in the heat and managed 130mph traps.

 

[Mean Cat]

That is what I was getting. Large differences in info.
Either way I was quite surprised that the silly car ran 10.6's in the heat and managed 130mph traps.

Yeah , really good ET's , I noticed the humidity was low or what I consider low compared to here , I think that makes the most difference in how the car will run even if it's hot outside.