REVIEW: Wndsn Telemeter Dogtag

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We like useful and decorative things. The Telemeter Dogtag from Wndsn in Berlin falls exactly into these categories. You can calculate distances with it, and it also looks good. We have been using it for a few months now and want to tell you about its usefulness.

The Telemeter Dogtag lives up to its name as it is almost the same size as the classic US military "dog tags." It is made of black anodized aluminum, and the measurement scales are engraved with a laser. All in the well-known Wndsn quality.

Also included is a turquoise cord with a snap closure. This allows you to stylishly wear the Telemeter Dogtag around your neck. But the cord also has another important function.

Namely to limit the distance from the Dogtag to your eyes. Most measuring instruments from Wndsn work on a similar principle. The measuring scale must be at a defined distance from your eyes for the engraved degree scale to actually match the degrees being measured. In the case of the Telemeter Dogtag, this distance is 57/3 cm, or 19 centimeters. It worked best for us when we placed the cord over the ears around the head, as shown in the picture. Upon close inspection, you will notice two small knots at eye level, which serve to control the distance of 19 centimeters.

The attentive reader will already recognize the test location. It is the same as for the test of the Wndsn Mil/MOA Range Calculator, as we already know how far the castle is from our location, and because we like the view over Vienna.

Measuring such small objects as the 5m high window with the Telemeter Dogtag is not so easy because you are closer to the eye with the scale than with the Quadrant Telemeter. This makes focusing a bit inaccurate, but we read the angular size of the window as 0.4°.

The scale measures 0.2° per line. Then the fun calculations begin. The formula is printed on the telemeter and reads: height or width of the object, times 57, divided by the measured value. In our case, 5m*57/0.4 equals 712.5m. Unfortunately, we measured the distance about 130m too short. This is due to the small size of the object and the difficulty of focusing accurately. To reach exactly 840m, we would have had to measure 0.34°, that is, between the two lines on the scale. For a rough approximation, it is definitely not bad.

So we try it on a nearer object like the white stone vases, whose height we estimate at 2m. So we held the telemeter to the eye and measured the angular size again. This time it goes better, although focusing is still difficult, maybe we just need glasses.

We read 5° on the scale, which calculates to a distance of just under 23m. We now need to verify if that is correct.

So we quickly took the Wndsn High-Viz Pocket Quadrant Telemeter and measured with it.

We measured an angular size of 4.8° with it. This is 0.2° less than with the Telemeter Dogtag, but that is only equivalent to one scale mark. The advantage of the Pocket Quadrant Telemeter is that the calculator is built into it. This results in a distance of 24m, so we did not measure incorrectly.

But with the Wndsn Telemeter Dogtag, you also have a second scale available. This logarithmic scale makes the calculations easier for you. Instead of measuring the degrees, look for a match with one of the right lines. You then only need to multiply this value by the height of the object, and you will get the distance. In our case, the 4.8° corresponds exactly to the line for 12 on the right side. Twelve times two equals exactly 24m, as we measured with the Pocket Quadrant Telemeter.

CONCLUSION: As a stylish, functional rangefinder, the Telemeter Dogtag has convinced us. For those who want to measure very precisely, the small Dogtag is not suitable, but as a good distance estimation aid, the Telemeter Dogtag has found a place with us. As long as you are measuring relatively near or far, large objects, this telemeter provides very good results and is always more accurate than estimating with "a rough guess."

The Telemeter Dogtag is available directly from Wndsn for 25.00 EURO.

WNDN on the Internet: wndsn.com