background image

27

usInG THE BOOTlOADER

When new software updates become available, users can 

update their Kestrel using the NK Bootloader software. To 

do so, please follow these instructions;

Note:  You will need to have either a Bluetooth capable Kestrel 

or the PC Interface cradle and cable in order to upgrade your 

Kestrel software. 

1.   Set up your PC to talk to the Kestrel using either 

Bluetooth or the PC Interface Cradle.

2.   Download the NK Bootloader software from Applied 

Ballistics page on the NK website:  http://www.nkhome.
com/ABProfileLoader.html 

3.   Extract the zip file to the desktop of the PC.
4.   Click on Setup.exe and follow the instructions to install 

the NK Bootloader software.

5.   Once you’ve installed the file, click on the start button.   

Locate and start the NK Bootloader software.

6.   Click on File in the top left.  Find the folder location of 

where the BIN file was extracted from step 3 and select 
that file.

7.   Make sure your Bluetooth is enabled and Kestrel is 

turned on and in range of the PC.   If you are using the PC 
Interface cradle, please have the Kestrel turned on in the 
cradle and connected to the PC.

8.   Select the correct COM port number and click start 

download.   It will take about 10 to 15 minutes to update 
the Kestrel Software.   You should see “REFLASH” on the 
Kestrel unit while updating the code.

9.   Once the progress bar is complete, the Kestrel software 

has been updated and is ready for use.

Summary of Contents for 800.784.4221

Page 1: ...AVAILABLE WITH Wireless DataTransfer INSTRUCTION MANUAL NKhome com 800 784 4221 ...

Page 2: ...e accurate measurement of current conditions only Depending on your location and environment conditions may change rapidly Rapidtemperatureandhumiditychanges i e movingyourmeterfromindoorstooutdoors maycauseinaccuratereadingsof temperatureandhumidityaswellasallreadingsthatrelyoneitherofthesevalues BeforerelyingonaKestrelBallisticsWeather Meterreadings usecaretoeithera force airflowoverthesensorsby...

Page 3: ... Drag Curves 19 Bluetooth Setup 20 Quick Keys 21 WEATHER MODE Setup and Options 22 Screen Navigation 25 Impeller Replacement 26 Using the Bootloader 27 Glossary of Terms 28 Ballistic Environmental Quick Ref 29 Full Range Card Data Sample 31 Specifications 33 Choosing Using Batteries 35 Warranty 37 OVERVIEW for BLUETOOTH enabled models ONLY NK manufacturer of Kestrel brand Ballistics Weather Meters...

Page 4: ...t m s km h kt Crosswind Calculation mph fpm Bft m s km h kt Headwind Tailwind mph fpm Bft m s km h kt Temperature F C Wind Chill F C Relative Humidity Gpp G kg Heat Stress Index F C Dewpoint Temp F C Wet Bulb Temp F C Barometric Pressure inHg hPA psi mb Altitude m ft Density Altitude m ft Pressure Trend Backlit Display Data Storage Points 2900 BLUETOOTH NV Backlight ...

Page 5: ... MEMORY BUTTON POWER SETUP BUTTON BACKLIGHT BUTTON NAVIGATION BUTTONS SELECT EXIT BUTTON HUMIDITY SENSOR REPLACEABLE IMPELLER EvenwhentheKestreldisplayisoff theunitwillstillautomati callycollectandstoredataatthedefinedrate see Memory Options Tocompletelypowerdowntheunit youmust removethebatteries andlosetime dateandothersettings AllKestrelMeterswith temperaturemeasurement allowyoutomeasureair wate...

Page 6: ... to enter the Date Time Screen Press or to change each value BATTERY INSTALLATION KESTREL 4500 AAA batteries have a magnetic signature strong enough to affect the Kestrel 4500 s compass readings Please follow this extra step to ensure the batteries stay in proper orientation Before closing the door push the plastic shim provided with unit between batteries and place clear ring on end over positive...

Page 7: ...tation should take approximately 10 seconds When calibration is finished the screen will read Cal Complete Press to exit to Main Menu To verify the digital compass accuracy test it against a compass the Kestrel meter readings should be within 5 of the reference compass or better If readings appear incorrect simply run the calibration routine again Unit should be held vertically with the back facin...

Page 8: ... toward the direction you want to measure The unit will display the cardinal direction and degrees TheDirectionmeasurementdoesnotrecordMaxand AverageandwilldisplayN Aonthatmodescreen Measuring Headwind Tailwind Crosswind The Kestrel 4500 automatically calculates Headwind and Crosswind with respect to a runway or target direction You must first set the Heading to view these measure ments Press whil...

Page 9: ... Ref Alt Use or to set the known Altitude Sync Alt Use or to switch On and sync the Baro reading to the Altitude screen When Sync Alt is turned On the current DensityAltitude screendataiscalculatedfromthe absolutevaluesofstationpressure relativehumidity andtemp andisnotaffectedbythereferencevalues enteredinthe Baro and Altitude screens BAROMETRIC PRESSURE ALTITUDE SETUP Barometric Pressure data is...

Page 10: ...creen Press twice in rapid succession to instantly change between Weather mode and AB mode Any changes in information are automatically saved upon exiting the current screen There are four exceptions to this rule where an accept screen appears upon exiting the Target Range estimator the Target Speed estimator and the MV and DSF Calibration screens Getting started with AB Mode The three main data i...

Page 11: ...red gun or build your own GUN SELECTION To Choose a Preconfigured Gun Press or to scroll through the different guns Press to turn your selected gun on or off On means the gun is available to be selected in AB mode Off means the gun is not available to be selected For example setting multiple guns to On allows you to quickly switch gun configurations without going back to the Main Setup Menu Pressi...

Page 12: ...w ready to enter or modify all relevant parameters pertaining to the set up of your rifle These parameters include muzzle velocity drag curve ballistic coefficient bullet weight bullet diameter bullet length zero range zero height zero offset bore height rifle twist rifle twist direction and sight adjustment click On the Gun Information screen use buttons to highlight the gun parameters Use and to...

Page 13: ...e model or AB s custom drag curves To select the appropriate drag curve scroll to DC Use and to scroll through options If a custom drag curve is used no further adjustment is necessary If using G1 or G7 drag curves you must adjust the BC by scrolling down and editing to the proper value For more information on the custom drag curves please see page 18 Calibrate Muzzle Velocity This allows you to c...

Page 14: ...DSF that utilize observed drop at range to calibrate the elevation computation The number shown to the top right of the screen represents the suggested range distance at which to apply a drop scale factor for transonic flight Additional drop scale factors can be added to the DSF table by shooting at greater distances including subsonic flight Attempting to enter an additional drop scale factor tha...

Page 15: ... for you However calibrating your muzzle velocity after establishing DSF table will update the first row of your DSF table accordingly without clearing the rest of your DSF table entries TARGET SCREEN Here you are able to adjust the parameter values as well as the unit of measure For example yards to meters Multiple Targets You may create up to five targets A E by highlighting Target and pressing ...

Page 16: ...e Target screen press to enter into either the WD WS1 or WS2 screen Press to enter into capture mode Face the back of the Kestrel meter directly into the wind and press to start and stop the capture mode Please ensure Kestrel impeller cover is open The data collected in capture mode will automatically adjust the WD WS1 and WS2 values in the Target screen Note WS1 can never be greater than WS2 valu...

Page 17: ...re can be measured with the Kestrel by setting the reference alti tude to zero on the Barometric Pressure screen in weather mode although the ballistics solution will use station pressure regardless of the altitude settings EnVIRONMENT SCREEN ENVIRONMENT Lat Temp SP No 42 N 75 F 29 48inHg Inclination Angle Inclination angle is the angle between the target and the horizontal as seen by the shooter ...

Page 18: ...d Elv columns remaining fixed while third column can be changed Range Increment Use while in the Range Card to enter the Range Settings screen Use and to adjust the range increment to the desired value You may adjust the increments to show in 10 20 25 50 or 100 units of measure yards or meters RANGE CARD SCREEN RANGE CARD Rng 300 400 500 5 50 9 42 14 06 Wnd1 L0 13 L0 19 L0 27 RANGE CARD Rng 300 40...

Page 19: ...ntered muzzle velocity calibration should be performed followed by DSF Calibration if necessary for longer range shooting It is recommended that custom drag curves be used whenever possible for maximum accuracy Calibration Custom Drag Curves Ballistics Screen The Ballistics screen displays complete information about the ballistic solution that pertains to the currently selected target and gun The ...

Page 20: ...er your Kestrel s real time and logged data wirelessly and automatically to a laptop PDA or smartphone Android only at this time follow these setup steps If you do not have a Bluetooth unit you will need the PC Interface cable Enable the Kestrel s BLUETOOTH Capability Press to enter the Main Menu Use or to highlight Bluetooth then press Use or to change from Off Disabled to On Ready Set BLUETOOTH ...

Page 21: ... you need to This is a general guideline for pairing your Kestrel with your computer Individual Bluetooth software programs and navigation may vary and some computers do not come equipped with Bluetooth capability and will need additional products to communicate via Bluetooth A Bluetooth Error screen will appear on the Kestrel if pairing is unsuccessful Please see connecting my Kestrel using Bluet...

Page 22: ...al Recalibration of this sensor is not recommended without speaking to an NK technician See Barometric Pressure Altitude Setup section on page 9 for calibration instructions Humidity Cal Recalibrationofthissensorisnotrecommendedwithout speakingtoanNKtechnician Fullhumiditycalibration instructionsareprovidedwiththeKestrelRHCalibration Kits TheunitmayalsobereturnedtoNKforcalibration Visit www nkhome...

Page 23: ... turn On will discard oldest data point to capture new data when log is full or Off will not capture new data when log is full Man Store On Press or to turn On or Off Off will disable button Whenunitisoff datawillcontinuetobestoredunlessthe 2secor5secStoreRateshavebeenselected Data Storage To manually store data press the button The screen will confirm data storage status DataStored verifies that ...

Page 24: ...n lets you select units of measure to best suit your application Use or to scroll to each measurement Press or to change the unit of measurement User Screens The Kestrel allows you to set up to 3 customized User Screens that will display 3 current Measurement values on the same screen These screens are helpful for quick reference if you need to monitor multiple measurements at once The User Screen...

Page 25: ...r measurements MAX AVG FUNCTIONS Wind Speed Wind Chill These values are measured independently from stored and charted data to allow the user to start and stop the averaging period in the manner most appropriate for their application Averaging on all wind related values will be started and stopped together To measure these values Press or to scroll to a wind measurement screen then use or to selec...

Page 26: ...igure1 Press FIRMLY on the impeller module to remove it Insert the new impeller so the side that has the small triangle close to the perimeter faces the front of the Kestrel when installed Figure1 IMPELLER REPLACEMENT Orient one arm of the module straight up Figure 2 The impeller can be pushed in from either side Figure2 Kestrel ...

Page 27: ...d follow the instructions to install the NK Bootloader software 5 Once you ve installed the file click on the start button Locate and start the NK Bootloader software 6 Click on File in the top left Find the folder location of where the BIN file was extracted from step 3 and select that file 7 Make sure your Bluetooth is enabled and Kestrel is turned on and in range of the PC If you are using the ...

Page 28: ...target each active target has its own wind specification Transonic The speed at which the bullet slows to the speed of sound This is also seen as the boundary between supersonic and subsonic Bullet velocities in this range will be displayed with a small dot to the left of the value Target Screen Active tells whether this target is currently active TR target range DoF direction of fire relative to ...

Page 29: ...midity Dalt density altitude calculated from pressure temperature humidity Spin Drift controls whether Spin Drift corrections are included in ballistics calculations Wcap toggles between applying windage correction to just the current active target one tgt or to all targets Range Card Screen ballistic environmental quick reference Elv the elevation sight correction Wnd1 the windage sight correctio...

Page 30: ...be done Mvmt the apparent movement of the target as it appears in a telescopic sight Time the time in seconds during which movement was measured Speed the calculated speed based on range movement and time Cal MV Screen Range the range at which test firing is being done Drp the elevation correction calculated for the specified range updated by user with observed drop MV the muzzle velocity used in ...

Page 31: ... 2509 0 183 0 02R 200 3 52 0 16R 0 34R 1 11R 2450 2332 0 249 0 02R 250 6 93 0 20R 0 44R 1 13R 2361 2164 0 317 0 02R 300 10 79 0 24R 0 53R 1 16R 2272 2006 0 388 0 02R 350 14 98 0 28R 0 63R 1 18R 2188 1861 0 461 0 02R 400 19 55 0 33R 0 73R 1 20R 2101 1716 0 538 0 02R 450 24 37 0 37R 0 83R 1 23R 2021 1588 0 617 0 02R 500 29 59 0 42R 0 95R 1 25R 1937 1459 0 700 0 02R 550 35 10 0 47R 1 06R 1 28R 1859 1...

Page 32: ... 0 35R 850 76 62 0 80R 1 86R 1 46R 1423 787 1 390 0 35R 900 84 40 0 87R 2 01R 1 50R 1358 716 1 508 0 35R 950 93 51 0 93R 2 17R 1 54R 1295 652 1 631 0 35R 1000 103 3 1 00R 2 33R 1 57R 1236 593 1 760 0 35R 1050 113 8 1 07R 2 50R 1 61R 1178 539 1 896 0 35R 1100 125 2 1 14R 2 68R 1 66R 1127 494 2 038 0 56R 1150 137 3 1 21R 2 86R 1 70R 1089 461 2 187 0 56R 1200 150 0 1 28R 3 03R 1 74R 1062 438 2 337 0 ...

Page 33: ... 43 Target Direction of Movement TD Left to Right OR Right to Left Gun Name Characters N A 0 through 9 A Z a z and space Muzzle Velocity MV fps 300 4500 m s 91 1372 Ballistic Coefficient BC no units 0 100 2 000 Bullet Weight BW grains 10 1500 grams 0 6 97 2 Bullet Diameter BD inches 0 10 1 00 mm 2 54 25 40 Bullet Length BL inches 0 10 3 mm 2 54 76 2 Zero Range ZR yards 25 1000 meters 23 914 Bore H...

Page 34: ...0 cm 0 25 12 70 Rifling Twist RT inches revolution 1 00 36 00 cm revolution 2 54 91 44 Muzzle Velocity MV fps 300 4500 Twist Direction RTd Left OR Right Rifling Click mil 1 10 tmoa 1 10 smoa 1 10 Environment Station Pressure SP inHg 12 00 32 00 mb 406 4 1083 6 hPa 406 4 1083 6 psi 5 89 15 72 Relative Humidity RH 1 100 meters 3271 9987 Station Pressure SP inHg 12 00 32 00 mb 406 4 1083 6 hPa 406 4 ...

Page 35: ...purchase spares in advance Low Self Discharge Rechargeable NiMH Eneloop Duracell StayCharged Tenergy Centaura Energizer Recharge PowerPlus Precharged rechargeable batteries which hold their charge for up to one year Lowest capacity option Option to charge multiple sets for use in the field offers cost savings particularly with Bluetooth data streaming LESS likely to leak and cause corrosion when l...

Page 36: ... expiration date Inspect your batteries occasionally at least every three months and remove immediately if you notice ANY moisture or white crystalline material at either end Always store your Kestrel meter within the specified temperature limits 22 0 F to 140 0 F 30 0 C to 60 0 C Be particularly careful not to leave a Kestrel meter with batteries installed inside a hot vehicle in the summer What ...

Page 37: ...proof of purchase is provided the warranty period will be measured from the meter s date of manufacture Except for the warranties set forth herein NK disclaims all other warranties expressed implied or statutory including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose Any implied warranties that may be imposed by applicable law are limited to the t...

Page 38: ...38 ...

Page 39: ...39 ...

Page 40: ... are designed and manufactured in the USA NIELSEN KELLERMAN 21 Creek Circle Boothwyn PA 19061 Phone 610 447 1555 Fax 610 447 1577 Web NKhome com Email info NKhome com By NK 319915_REV1_13 10 23 Please register your Kestrel Meter at NKhome com ...

Reviews: