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Post by cweston on Apr 10, 2020 11:22:49 GMT -8
Neither has/had GPS. All in all, the cheap Casio is just as useful if not more, and a LOT less expensive ($45 vs $300ish) texasbb, can you just confirm that this is real--that there is a $45-ish Casio watch with an altimeter that actually works? That seems too good to be true. (I don't generally do the kind of navigation where bang-accurate altimeter readings are critical: it's mostly just fun to be able to monitor elevation relatively accurately, and is occasionally very helpful in identifying a landmark identified by elevation on a map or on route beta.) I have a Highgear watch I've used for years, which is pretty accurate, pretty klunky to use (as they all seem to be). When it kicks, I'd love to have a cheaper alternative replacement option.
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texasbb
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Post by texasbb on Apr 10, 2020 13:55:20 GMT -8
I can confirm, cweston . Mine's been working flawlessly since July, 2014. On the original battery, no less. Its approach to elevation is simple--no fancy auto-intuiting of whether you're moving--so you have to recalibrate every now and then. I usually do so once a day, maybe twice if the weather's changing. See here.
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tomas
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Post by tomas on Apr 14, 2020 13:17:30 GMT -8
I own the same Casio and I think the altimeter is fairly accurate; at least for my purposes it is accurate enough. The thermometer, on the other hand, is more of a pain because on my wrist it is always 90 some degrees. So I have to take it off, set it down in the shade, and let the thing cool a bit.
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Post by cweston on Apr 14, 2020 13:29:56 GMT -8
I own the same Casio and I think the altimeter is fairly accurate; at least for my purposes it is accurate enough. The thermometer, on the other hand, is more of a pain because on my wrist it is always 90 some degrees. So I have to take it off, set it down in the shade, and let the thing cool a bit. I think every watch thermometer has that problem.
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reuben
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Post by reuben on Apr 14, 2020 13:53:20 GMT -8
Yeah, watch thermometers are usually worn on your wrist, and your body heats up during exercise, and the temperature it senses is sometimes closer to your body temperature than the ambient temperature.
As for watch altimeters, they work via differential barometric pressure, which will change not only with altitude but with weather changes - high pressure, low pressure, storms, etc.
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ErnieW
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Post by ErnieW on Apr 14, 2020 15:26:28 GMT -8
As for watch altimeters, they work via differential barometric pressure, which will change not only with altitude but with weather changes - high pressure, low pressure, storms, etc. The Suunto Core has a altitude and separate barometer mode. Altitude mode for on the move. Barometer for when you are stationary at camp to track weather. In barometer mode you can turn on a storm alarm. If the barometer drops by a certain amount in a certain time an alarm goes off to warm you of a storm coming.
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reuben
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Post by reuben on Apr 14, 2020 15:35:08 GMT -8
I have some sort of Suunto, but I'm not sure which model. In any case, if the altitude function works by using GPS it will be reliable. Otherwise, it will be only a gross indicator.
I generally know my altitude within a thousand feet or so, whether it's sea level or 14,000 ft, so for me it's not very useful. I'm more interested in the rise and fall of barometric pressure to indicate storms, as you mentioned.
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Post by cweston on Apr 14, 2020 17:00:53 GMT -8
I have some sort of Suunto, but I'm not sure which model. In any case, if the altitude function works by using GPS it will be reliable. Otherwise, it will be only a gross indicator. In reasonably stable weather conditions, I've found barometric altimeters to be pretty accurate, if you calibrate once or twice a day. (That's not hard--one often can compute their elevation pretty accurately from the map at camp, if you're near a lake, for example, as camps so often are. The hard part, without doubt, is simply remembering to calibrate.) I actually try not to look at my altimeter most of the time, because it's usually bad news. ("What? I'm only at 10,500? Inconceivable!") I only pay careful attention if there's a routefinding crux that depends on knowing elevation.
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daveg
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Post by daveg on Apr 14, 2020 18:21:14 GMT -8
What ErnieW said about Suunto. Plus, my Ambit3 Peak has a "FusedAlti" option -- using both GPS and barometric sensor to determine the altitude.
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ErnieW
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Post by ErnieW on Apr 14, 2020 19:46:47 GMT -8
I generally know my altitude within a thousand feet or so, whether it's sea level or 14,000 ft, so for me it's not very useful. I'm more interested in the rise and fall of barometric pressure to indicate storms, as you mentioned. Actually you can use the altimeter function of watching the barometric pressure sort of indirectly while moving. If you calibrate accurately early then later when you are at known altitude points if the altitude is a higher reading then the barometer has fallen. Reading lower than it should barometer went up.
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texasbb
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Post by texasbb on Apr 21, 2020 7:28:14 GMT -8
I can confirm, cweston . Mine's been working flawlessly since July, 2014. On the original battery, no less. Its approach to elevation is simple--no fancy auto-intuiting of whether you're moving--so you have to recalibrate every now and then. I usually do so once a day, maybe twice if the weather's changing. See here. UPDATE: Today, Apr 21, 2020, for the first time, my Casio gave me the blinking low-battery symbol when I tried to check the elevation. Five years, nine months on the original battery for a watch I paid $45 for. (And it's still showing the time/date, it just won't do elevation.)
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