NASA wind - still rubbish mastehead sensors?

I have had good service from NASA instruments in a succession of boats. The only dud is the wind indicator masthead unit which, as has been stated, is rubbish. Every wind indicator masthead unit that I've ever had has given trouble sooner or later, including some of the more expensive makes, and I now content myself with a simple Windex. It doesn't bother me not to know the precise wind speed - I still know when it's time to reef.
 
JimC said:
I now content myself with a simple Windex. It doesn't bother me not to know the precise wind speed - I still know when it's time to reef.
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That's where I've ended up, by default, like you. In practice it troubles me not a bit, if you can accept not being able to contribute much to those "did-you-see-the-speed-of-that-gust?" conversations afterwards.

That said, anyone (and I'm certainly not singling out NASA) who supplies duff kit for the top of a mast should be made to go up there and fix it. At gunpoint.
 
I think they do exchange masthead units.....

I also agree that their manuals are ****....... the wiring diagrams are like something a child would draw. I can see how they kept the cost down by making them cheaply but it wouldn't cost a penny more to change the content!
 
Took our masts down again for another sojourn in the wonderful French waterways. Since replacing the NASA Windex Head it never really gave me any clues as to accurate wind direction, despite going through the set up and checking when it was conveniently sat at ship's head. On dropping the masts, I discovered the direction indicator shaft was seized and also one of the cups virtually fell off. Does anyone on this string have experience of the wireless ones? I am seriously thinking of moving away from the Clipper Windex as, having had the head to pieces, they are quite cheaply put together inside and not what I would call reliable.
I agree with one of the other authors about unreliable stuff at the mast top. This winter's money is going on a new VHF antenna after the last one did extremely well for (I think) the 30 or so years it was up there. hey ho. Even though WM is a motor sailer (Fisher 34) i agree with another author that I don't look at the windex when deciding when to reef, I see how she feels, look at the sea and go outside and feel the wind.
 
From reading previous threads on this subject I think problems with masthead wind speed & direction units are common to all makes.
But for some reason, probably because they are cheap and therefore more people have them, more people seem to complain about problems with NASA units.

Whilst I sympathise with those who've had problems after only a few months, overall the NASA units really don't do too badly.
How many other moving parts can you think of on your boat that are maintenance free, exposed to all the elements, yet cost as little as the masthead unit?

Yes they're fragile. But they have to be light weight so they'll register low wind speeds.
If they were made of stainless they wouldn't start to move in anything less than a force 6. Then you'd still all be complaining.

I think commercial boats use systems with no moving parts, based on the hot wire principle, where the rate of cooling is proportional to wind speed.
But these kind of systems use too much current for sailing yachts. And are very expensive.

FWIW I've had my NASA wind speed unit for around 6 years, and it's still on the original cups.
I think the bearings are getting a bit stiff as it doesn't seem to register lower wind speeds as easily now, but hey ho.

At least I know that when I do need spares, NASA will be there at the end of the phone and I will be sent what I need promptly and at reasonable cost. I really don't think much of the harsh criticism is fair. Although admittedly I'm not in an exposed coastal location with my unit at the top of an inaccessible mast.

I do seem to remember reading a thread a while ago about someone who had retrofitted small ball bearings into their unit, which seemed a great idea.
 
Thanks for this. I am not complaining as I have had good service when my first one went TU. Now the second one has gone the same way I am a little
disappointed but appreciate that these things take a pounding. Actually the spinner spins and only one cup has broken (fixed with super glue). it is the direction wing that is seized and that bearing is moulded in sadly. It just spins a tiny magnet.
I will probably order up another head and see how I get on with it.
 
My nasa anometer worked fine but the wind direction showed just one direction because the wind vane had stuck. So I took it down and found that the magnet had rusted away and seized up the vane. I cleaned it all up and fitted a new vane and now nothing works!
 
Our boat is fitted with a Simrad wind instrument. These are giving just as much grief as NASA. The replacement mhu is over £500....
Some have decided to convert the NASA nmea mhu for use with the Simrad. You get at least two for that money.

I was not convinced I would get much from a working wind instrument other than Swmbo could say yep first reef at 15 to 20 knots instead of I can see fish through the reefing window time for a first reef.

However when connected to log and GPS the VMG function showed me that my windward progress in our new boat was much quicker by sailing much freer than I would have done. Probably not much use on short hops but useful on longer legs or if racing.
 
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On my old boat, I had the NASA masthead unit, the display and a close-haul display. I found it very accurate, and everything still worked when I sold the boat five years after installing the unit. The boat had then been outside the whole time. The new boat had a newish Navman 3100. I didn't like the tiny direction display, so I bought a wireless Tacktick (now Raymarine). The bearing packed up after a year. The dealer however was a model railway enthousiast, who hand-made his own tiny steam locomotives. He made a new bearing up himself. It is now fine five years later.
 
My experience with the NASA wind unit is good. The cups disappeared last winter, and the vane had a lump of rust as the magnet.

Contacted NASA and they said to send it in. Did that, and it was returned with new lower case and cups, and a new magnet in the vane. Cost - £38 including postage.

That is what I call good service.

Contact them by phone or email.
 
+1 for NASA marine.
Drifter's MHU must be about 12 years old (I have only owned her for 1+ season).
The previous owner supplied me with a replacement anemomenter, since the old one was missing.
I went to the masthead to find out that not only were the cups missing, but the spigot, too.

Left it for a while, but when we unstepped the mast in January I removed the unit, returned it to NASA and they replaced the vane (whose magnet had rotted per other posts) and the bottom half of the housing as well as fitting my cups. Got it back 3 days later totally fixed (apparently! Not been able to test it yet).

Total cost £36 including VAT & P&P (but remember I supplied my own cups). I spent £10 shipping it to them but if I had known how fast they were going to be I would have used the 3-day shipping and saved £8.

So: the cups may be fragile and the magnet disintegration annoying, but my service experience has been first-rate.
 
There have been other posts and it seemed to me that every wind instrument gives problems. NASA seesm like marmite! I'm investing soon in the NASA wireless unit as my current non-Nasa set up has failed again after little more than two years with a new mast head unit.
 
Burnham Bob said:
There have been other posts and it seemed to me that every wind instrument gives problems. NASA seesm like marmite! I'm investing soon in the NASA wireless unit as my current non-Nasa set up has failed again after little more than two years with a new mast head unit.
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Burnham Bob,

may I say on behalf of other NASA wind kit owners,

F*****G good luck ! :)
 
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