Ultrasonic wind & weather measurement · UK-built since 1985
Ultrasonic wind sensors and weather stations engineered without moving parts
Gill Instruments designs and manufactures ultrasonic wind sensors and weather stations in the UK. Nothing spins, tips or wears, so there is nothing to seize, stick or drift. Engineers in 150+ countries specify Gill where mechanical instruments fail: offshore, airports, hazardous areas and autonomous platforms.
New data
Full-range accuracy now published.
Accuracy specified across the full operating range, not at a single reference speed. Now in the datasheets for WindSonic 60, WindSonic 75, WindObserver 65 and WindObserver 70, joining MaxiMet and WindUltra.
New launch
Modernise your rainfall network.
Drop-in retrofit for existing networks.
Solid-state optical precipitation sensing for networks that monitor flood risk, water infrastructure, transport safety and climate. Available today.
Product update
MaxiMet Heat Stress.
Now with Thermal Work Limit.
One compact station measures WBGT to ISO 7243 and now reports Thermal Work Limit, giving safety teams measured conditions to manage work and rest in the heat.
Now available
WindObserver with Modbus support
The precision stainless steel 2-axis WindObserver range, now with Modbus support for direct system integration.
Understanding Gill
Instruments engineers specify and forget
Mechanical wind sensors and weather stations fail on a schedule. Bearings wear, cups seize, tipping buckets stick, funnels block. The failure lands where it costs most: safety decisions, control systems and compliance records.
Gill was amongst the first to commercialise ultrasonic anemometry in the 1980s, and we have spent the four decades since removing failure points from measurement. Every instrument is designed, manufactured and tested in the UK, quality controlled end to end, with sovereign supply where it matters.
That is why Gill sensors fly on uncrewed aircraft, cross oceans on autonomous vessels, sit at the top of the Burj Khalifa and feed national meteorological and environmental monitoring networks. When there is no engineer on site, the instrument has to be right first time, every time.
Bearings wear, cups seize
Ultrasonic wind measurement has no rotating parts, so performance after years in the field matches day one.
Tipping buckets stick, funnels block
Optical rain measurement has nothing to empty, nothing to jam and nothing to under-read in heavy rain.
Mechanical drift corrupts data quietly
Solid-state measurement holds its calibration, and UKAS-traceable servicing proves it for your audit trail.
Remote sites multiply every failure
Gill sensors are specified where no engineer can reach them, from ocean crossings to tower tops.
Find your sensor
Not sure which one you need? Two questions
Tell us what you are measuring and where it has to survive. We will recommend the sensors that fit, with a one-line reason for each.
1 · What do you need to measure?
2 · Where will it operate?
Your recommendation
Pick an answer to each question and your best-fit sensors appear here.
Industries & applications
Built for the environments other sensors don’t come back from
From offshore masts to airport runways, our sensors hold up across every sector we serve. Choose yours for the products, case studies and specs that matter.
Marine
Stainless, intrinsically safe, salt-proof.Explore →
Wind energy
Turbine and wind-resource measurement.Explore →
Solar energy
Solar resource and site monitoring.Explore →
Power & grid
Substation and grid weather protection.Explore →
Research & environmental
Reference-grade data for science.Explore →
Security & defence
Field-deployable, vehicle-mounted, rugged.Explore →
Aviation & airports
Runway and airfield wind data.Explore →
Transport, travel & buildings
Road, rail and structure weather.Explore →
Smart cities
Urban weather and air-quality networks.Explore →
Industrial production & manufacturing
Site safety and process protection.Explore →
Government & emergency
Early warning and disaster resilience.Explore →
Agriculture
Microclimate data for smarter farming.Explore →
More than weather
The same engineering, beyond weather
Weather is where most engineers meet Gill first. The same no-moving-parts philosophy also measures liquid level, position and gearbox wear across the Gill Group, on race cars, rolling stock, military vehicles and production lines that cannot afford to stop.
Industrial
automation
Level, position and wear sensing that keeps production lines moving.Explore →
Rail &
rolling stock
Axle wear and fluid level monitoring that keeps fleets in service.Explore →
Automotive &
motorsport
Fuel, oil and position sensing proven in Formula 1 and at Le Mans.Explore →
Defence vehicle
systems
Fuel level, steering position and brake wear on military platforms.Explore →
Also marine craft, mining, construction and UAV fuel systems. Explore all Gill sensing applications →
Featured products
Two firsts of their kind, and the sensor everyone copies
TruMet PW100
Measures precipitation with no funnel to block, no tipping bucket to seize. Accurate rain data that keeps reporting through the seasons.
MaxiMet GMX552
Integrated WBGT heat-stress measurement in one compact station. The simple way to monitor worker and event safety against ISO 7243.
WindSonic
The cost-effective workhorse, and the most imitated wind sensor on the market. Accept no copies: this is the original.
The full range
Four product families. One measurement philosophy
Whether you need a single-point wind measurement or a fully integrated weather station, the right instrument depends on the environment, the parameters and the platform you are integrating with.
Weather stations
Compact integrated and reference-grade stations. Wind, temperature, humidity, pressure, precipitation and solar radiation from a single instrument.
2-axis wind sensors
Solid-state ultrasonic anemometers for wind speed and direction. From cost-effective volume deployments to heated, ATEX-certified marine platforms.
3-axis wind sensors
Three-dimensional wind measurement for atmospheric science, eddy covariance and high-frequency turbulence research, up to 100 Hz output.
Optical rain gauges
Infrared optical precipitation measurement. No funnel, no tipping bucket, no blockages. Standalone or integrated into a weather station.
Why Gill
Six reasons engineers keep coming back
No moving parts
Ultrasonic and optical technology eliminates the wear, bearing drift and icing failures designed into mechanical instruments.
40+ years of ultrasonic
Gill was amongst the first to commercialise the ultrasonic anemometer. Four decades of refinement sit inside every sensor we ship.
Specified for headline projects
Mayflower Autonomous Ship, Saildrone, the Burj Khalifa, national met networks. The list keeps growing.
Designed and built in the UK
Every product engineered and manufactured in the UK, quality controlled end to end, with sovereign supply where it matters.
Calibration you can verify
UKAS-traceable calibration and servicing keep instruments accurate and auditable across their whole operational life.
Direct UK engineering support
Free configuration software, full documentation and direct access to UK-based engineers. No chatbot. No ticket queue.
Proven in the field
Numbers from deployments, not testimonials
Wind monitoring on the world’s tallest building
Gill wind sensors provide wind data at the Burj Khalifa, 828 metres of tower where sensor access is measured in abseil hours, not ladder minutes.
Weather data across the Atlantic, with no crew
The Mayflower Autonomous Ship crossed the Atlantic uncrewed with Gill weather sensing on board. No one aboard to fix anything, and nothing needed fixing.
3,000 km across the Australian outback
MaxiMet GMX500 supplied race-critical weather data as the Brunel Solar Team took their eighth world title in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge.
Record-setting uncrewed ocean voyages
Saildrone’s uncrewed surface vehicles carry Gill sensors on record-setting ocean missions, from hurricane tracking to circumnavigating Antarctica.
Latest from Gill
News, launches and events
Gill launches the TruMet optical rain gauge
Our first infrared optical rain gauge, engineered to overcome the long-standing reliability challenges of mechanical rain measurement.
MaxiMet GMX552 heat stress station now available
The first compact weather station to integrate a black-globe sensor for real-time heat stress monitoring.
King’s Award for Enterprise presented to Gill
His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire presented the King’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade at our UK headquarters.
FAQs
Common questions about Gill sensors
A mechanical anemometer measures wind with spinning cups and a vane, which wear, seize and drift over time. An ultrasonic anemometer measures the time sound pulses take to travel between fixed transducers, so there are no moving parts to wear out and no routine parts to replace.
It depends on three things: the environment, the parameters you need and the platform you are integrating with. Use the comparison tools to shortlist by family, or send us an enquiry and a UK-based applications engineer will recommend the right instrument within one working day.
With no moving parts there is no scheduled part replacement. Recalibration intervals depend on your application and compliance regime. When calibration is due, our UKAS-traceable calibration service typically turns instruments around in three days, with loan units available on request.
Yes. Heated options keep transducers clear in icing conditions, stainless steel WindObserver models are built for marine and offshore installation, and ATEX and IECEx certified options are available for hazardous areas.
Depending on the model: RS-232, RS-422 and RS-485 serial, analogue outputs, SDI-12, Modbus and NMEA. Output format and platform compatibility usually drive the final shortlist, so tell us what you are integrating with and we will point you to the right variant.
Every Gill instrument is designed, manufactured and tested in the UK, and has been since 1985. Quality is controlled end to end at a single site, which also means sovereign supply for defence and government programmes.
Instruments ship with warranty as standard and extended warranty options are available. Support means direct access to UK-based engineers, free configuration software and full documentation, with a response within one working day.
No. Weather measurement is where most engineers meet Gill first, but the same UK engineering also delivers liquid level, non-contact position and oil debris sensing across the Gill Group. These sensors run in motorsport, rail, defence, marine and industrial automation, wherever fit-and-forget reliability matters.
Question not covered? Ask an engineer directly and get an answer within one working day.
Follow Gill
Latest from Gill on LinkedIn
Product launches, field deployments and life at Gill, straight from our LinkedIn page.
Calibration & warranties
Service the sensors. Extend their life. Protect your data
A sensor is only as good as its last calibration. We service instruments of any age and keep the paperwork auditable.
Calibration & servicing
UKAS-traceable calibration with a typical three-day turnaround. Instruments of any age serviced, so the data you rely on stays verifiable.
Extended warranties
Extend cover beyond the standard warranty to match the life of your deployment. Check your current cover or arrange an extension.
Repairs & loan units
Factory repair by the people who built the instrument, with loan units available on request so your monitoring never goes dark.