Kestrel
®
4500 Pocket Weather
®
Tracker
Barometric pressure is station pressure corrected to sea level. In order to make the correction, the Kestrel
Meter needs an accurate reference altitude. Altitude is the height above sea level. In order to correctly
calculate altitude, the unit needs an accurate barometric pressure reference, also known as an “altimeter
setting”. Fortunately, you only need to know ONE of these values (current barometric pressure or current
altitude) in order to set your Kestrel Meter up to show accurate readings.
Starting with the known barometric pressure for your location
You can obtain your current barometric pressure by checking an internet weather
site for a nearby location, or contacting a local airport. Set this value as your reference
pressure on the ALTITUDE screen to determine your correct altitude: Press the
button to enter the reference setting mode. Press the button to increase the
reference pressure or the button to decrease the reference pressure. You will notice that the altitude
will change with changes in the reference pressure. Press the button to exit the adjustment mode.
Set your Kestrel Meter down on a table and allow the altitude reading to stabilize. (Note: very small
changes in pressure generate noticeable changes in altitude. In order to provide meaningful readings
for activities where altitude changes quickly, the Kestrel Meter features rapid altitude response. This is
why the altitude readings tend to fluctuate by a few feet.) After obtaining a current altitude from the
ALTITUDE screen, move to the BARO screen and enter this value as your reference altitude by following
the same procedure. Both readings will now be accurate.
Starting with a known altitude for your location
You can obtain your altitude from a topographical map or local landmark. Google
Earth is an excellent free program that provides the exact altitude for any given
address: www.earth.google.com/. Set this value as your reference altitude on the
BARO screen to determine your barometric pressure: Press the button to enter