ikitesurf closes windgraphs

Local weather resources and topics.
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OliverG
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Post by OliverG » Tue Jul 22, 2008 9:45 pm

iKite is a great resource, and relatively speaking, priced affordably. What do you end up spending 80 or 100 bucks on? Could be eating out a couple times, a couple weeks of coffee and pastries, or something equally trivial which ends up costing more than you think over the long run. They do their best to get forecasts right, and the real-time wind conditions and stats are the real draw. Not just for the Bay, but if you travel too - Hatteras, South Padre, Hawaii, etc.

If it helps any, you can get a discounted membership here:

https://www.bayareakiteboarding.com/vie ... php?t=3733

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Post by super_monkey » Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:06 pm

Forecast? Hell, I wish I had a dollar for every time he or it was wrong. As for cheap... let's just say not all of us are as blessed to be rich bastards.
Whining doesn't help anything and I have a hard time believing that $10 a month would break your bank (that's 35 cents a day). I know a lot of people would rather 'do-it-themselves' but the value I, personally, get from that site is far more than what I pay for.

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K. Cliff
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Post by K. Cliff » Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:23 pm

Whining? Chris don't piss me off. I have access and all I'm saying is a lot of people don't want to pay $120.00 a year for one meter (in their area) a few months a year. Thanks for the discount anyways Ollie.
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Shuttles available upwind from Pittsburg and Sherman all summer. Come see what kiting west has to offer.

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Bob
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Post by Bob » Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:34 pm

I enjoy looking at the current wind in Maine on IKS. If its windy I then call my brother to tell him to get the trainer kite out that Ihe got for Christmas.

I have every work around weather site bookmarked and at the end of the day looking at Actual Wnd at Sherman 14 or 12 or Wadell Bluff or Alameda or Point Isabel etc. just tells it like it is. With Tides and Currents too. Yeah it costs money and yeah there are work arounds but honestly it is the gold standard in real time winds and the models are getting better every year. If you are keen to kite often the service will help you nail a few more sessions for sure.

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glenn
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Post by glenn » Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:36 am

For me the wind sensor readings cost only 2 cents per view. This is crack head math. If it costs 35 cents per day, and I check the sensors at least 17 times per day------oooohhh What a bargain!!!!!

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baypirate
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Post by baypirate » Wed Jul 23, 2008 10:05 am

I have only marginal knowledge about this, but I also used
windfinder

Not sure how accurate their forecasts are and the readings are few and delayed, but it looks like the stats are useful.

For what's worth (i.e. $100), I think the paid service is decent value.

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wow

Post by zgur » Wed Jul 23, 2008 10:06 am

Are you guys f"N kidding me? you want that for free? who is going to pay for the phone lines? servers? software? etc., etc., etc., put down the vitrual bong kids.........

What do you do for a living? do you give away your product and service for free? Are you kidding me??????? this is not the soviet union circa 70's........

BTW, do you have cable TV? how much does that cost you a month? how much value do you get from this??? Do you have a cell phone? how much do you pay for that???????

If you don't think it's a good value, roll your own. Try to figure out all the key elements you need to know to make the right call in this very complex micro climate environmet. Go to the other web sites that tell you what happened a few hours ago........Once you are done gathering and understanding the data, it will be the next day, and you will have missed a sesh.......many of us have tried this route, if you want to learn on your own, let er rip...........

I personally, think it's a great value. Data is accurate, timely, easy to understand and to make smart decisions based on what you have at your fingertips, including on your phone. I've w*surfed for many more years then kiting, and have been a memeber for along time: i vote with my very limited funds each month..........

For me, 1 dream session at my favorite spot is priceless. How much do you value a great session?? How much time have you spent learning skills, dialing in gear, traveling to places where you can practice....so that what?????? When it's happening, you want to be ready and able to get some, right?

My view of the world is that it can all end tomorow: i could get hit by a car, I can have a stroke, the plane I'm boarding as I type this can explode in mid air...........and a million other things that are not known......I don't live in fear, rather use that to fuel my passion for getting the most out of EVERY moment.........

For me dream sessions are important........The stoke it creates is beyond any $ value......to each their own, you may not get as much value from a good session w/your bros...........

I'm VERY far from rich,.......just work hard on making good choices......I don't drive the coolest new car, live in the biggest house.......don't have cable.......go out to eat, blah, blah.....but I do pay for the things that I value........

So c'mon and get real.

Ok, placing my soap box back under the table now, or the seat that is in front of me w/that giant lady (how did she get so big??? oh my god, how much does she have to eat every day to keep that weight up?)

get some, Z.

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glenn
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Post by glenn » Wed Jul 23, 2008 10:23 am

To Ollie's point about travelling: iKite keeps years of archive data, so if you are unfamiliar with the best wind season for a new spot far from home, you can study the archives and plan the best possible trip.

another advantage is having sensors in unfamiliar locations when you are travelling for other purposes (with kiting gear of course).
For example, last year I kited Lake Champlain in NY State and this year in June I kited the St. Lawrence River in Montreal. Two very fun sessions (especially St. Lawrence) that would have probably not been possible without access to the sensors.

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MehYam
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Post by MehYam » Wed Jul 23, 2008 11:18 am

Are you guys f"N kidding me? you want that for free? who is going to pay for the phone lines? servers? software? etc., etc., etc., put down the vitrual bong kids.........

That's a little overboard. People's expectations are set by all the services on the web that provide equally valuable services (i.e. mapping + directions) virtually free. Not to mention those handy free web cams.

I just wish ikite had a different pricing mechanism, something that didn't make me feel like I do when I pay for a cable TV package, 90% of which I don't want. I also wonder if they'd end up grossing more in volume by cutting their fees in half. As it stands, the "Wendy" automated call thing works well enough for me, and is much less money.

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lacasaverde
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Post by lacasaverde » Wed Jul 23, 2008 1:56 pm

I gotta agree with Z here. After many years of just guessing, I finally stepped up and plopped down my $13.95 a month. My cable bill is way over that, and I don't use the cable nearly as much as iKitesurf. Also, in these days of $4.++/gal, it's a lot cheaper than a drive to the coast that ends up being a bust. I find it's worth every penny...
It ain't easy being greene.

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