Would you rely on electronic compass?

[+Dogs Dad]

I'm considering my first GPS purchase having relied for many years on a map and compass when hiking. At times, your life depends on these simple tools when in the mist or clouds, miles from anywhere, and with the dangers of the mountains and moors all around. I generally trust my magnetic compass and have some awareness of the locations where the geology of the area may affect its reading.

 

An electronic compass bundled with a GPS unit seems to really only come in to its own if I could place similar reliance on it, otherwise, I'd take my magnetic compass on such outings anyway.

 

Do you place total reliance on your electronic compass (if you have one built in to your unit) and if not, was there a point in getting it?

 

Cheers

[+Stonebreaker73]

Electronic compass is alright for getting around but never leave a proper compass at home when setting out.

[+Cardinal Red]

I would not "place total reliance" on any electronic device. And that includes GPS units! The electronic Compass built into my GPS works great sometime and gets quite confused at othes. It didn't cost much and has been worth it a few times. The electronic compass in my GPS is tied into the navigation data. A stand alone compass is not. But I always carry a magnetic compass in the pack just in case.

[+Dogs Dad]

Thanks for the advice. Will not throw the trusty magnetic compass away just yet!

[+VeryLost]

Thanks for the advice. Will not throw the trusty magnetic compass away just yet!

 

Besides, don't you just feel more official with an assortment of geocaching do-dads hanging all over you? I often wear a photo vest when I'm caching, and I've got a good compass in a pocket, a compass/thermometer combo hanging on a clip, and several Bison tubes just dangling around.

 

It's all about the accessories!

[IanTan9]

Do you place total reliance on your electronic compass (if you have one built in to your unit) and if not, was there a point in getting it?

 

I have always got a magnetic compass in my backpack,but I have done things sort of backwards I bought what might be termed a dedicated electronic compass (Silva Multi-Navigator) which uses the GPS satellites to workout where it is,and then does the variation/deviation calculations for me.The thing I like about an electronic compass is that it works while you are standing still,and the locations I go to..... if I was fogged in and become disorientated I would prefer to be not having to wander around trying to get a GPS to register the direction I need to go in...... and although I am not an expert cacher by any stetch of the imagination I would think that an electronic compass that works while not moving would come in useful when close to a cache and would save the wandering around in circles trying to find the final position...... because my compass will give me the direction to the location/grid reference/Lat & Long when a matter of 3-4 metres from the location.Assuming that the compasses in units such as Garmin,Magaellen etc work the same as mine..... they do I feel have a use.....would I rely on mine? in conjuction with an OS map be it 1:50000 or 1:250000 not 100% no but then on the other hand I have'nt as yet had to get the magnetic one out of the backpack but it is always there.

 

As to my doing things backwards I am just in the process of making the final choice as to a GPS reciever which is not easy being a "Mac" user and finding there is a severe lack of mapping software

 

Just as a matter of personal interest..... anyone happen to know if Epson printer inks are waterproof enough to print maps on waterproof paper such as "Memory Map Toughprint" for use outdoors?

[+StarBrand]

Totally rely on?? No. Totally rely on my old trusty compass?? No. I could just as easily drop it on a rock as I could lose battery power in my GPS.

 

Nothing wrong with technology. Wether it is a modern GPS receiver or a quite a few hundered year old technology - it is still just technology. Do you carry a sextant as a backup to your compass?? Star and Sun charts as backup to the sextant? Just where should I draw a line on whose technology is enough. I carry extra sets of batteries for my GPSr.

 

My electronic compass is built into my solar powered watch - so makes a perfectly adequate backup to my GPS - plus my hiking staff has a small "old fashioned" compass. More important to let someone know where you are going and when you expect to return. Be familar with the terrain and lookover a map or carry one with you before venturing out.

[+sbell111]

StarBrand nailed it.

 

Whether you rely on any one item completely depends on the situation that you will be placing yourself in. As far as caching is concerned, there are some caches that you don't even take the GPSr out of the vehicle for. Others that I would recommend the GPSr and a compass for. Heck, if you are going to be very remote, you might want to go with a GPSr and two compasses. After all your batteries might die and you could break a compass.

[+The Leprechauns]

Heck, I use redundant *everything*, especially when hiking alone. On a night cache deep in the woods, I may have two GPS units, one "good" compass, one cheap keychain compass, three light sources, and an assortment of extra batteries.

 

I started carrying the backup GPS *after* I dropped my GPS V into a mountain stream midway through a 12 mile hike. The compass has come in handy when I've had poor satellite reception or where the GPS is just acting ornery, like when I've been standing still for a long time. I never quite totally trust a GPS compass. In the back of my mind, I always have a rough reverse bearing back to the car in case all the electronics die. And even on a day hike, I carry a flashlight in case of emergency. That one penlight got a group of three down off of a mountaintop when we were caught up there unexpectedly.

 

Of course, for a daytime suburban park cache along a trail, I'll plunge into the woods with just the GPS and a pen much of the time. My pack varies depending on where I'm going.

[+fishin'fool]

I have worked on alot of commercial fishing vessels, and even with the advanced electronics onboard such as gps,loran,radar,and auto-navigation devices costing tens of thousands of dollars they all had one thing in common. A good ol' magnectic compass on the dash. We put our lives in the hands of these devices day in and day out , but also new them good enough that when something didn't seem right with them we always had the ol' standby on the dash!

[+Renegade Knight]

A compass is a tool. I carry one and have never used it. I have used the compass in my GPS (non electronic compass) to solve a puzzle cache. That was PITA but worked well enough to find the cache. As a general rule I have no use whatsoever for a compass while caching.

 

If my GPS broke while on the trail, the compass would be handy if I already knew the heading back since all my maps are in the GPS and not in my pack. If I didn't, I recon I could use the plastic to help start a fire and wait for my rescue.

[mtbikernate]

If I venture very far from my parking spot, I carry my GPS (which has an electronic compass), paper maps, and a magnetic compass (Brunton Eclipse 8099, which costs nearly as much as some GPS receivers). I've spent enough time in the woods far from civilization that I've encountered places and situations where a GPS is more or less useless. I have also encountered places and situations where a magnetic compass is useless. I even have an additional electronic compass in my watch.

 

In all practicality, I haven't seen too many electronic compasses that can give you an accurate heading within say 3 degrees or so. My magnetic compass is accurate to within 1 degree. If I need to sight an accurate bearing, it's magnetic compass all the way.

 

I suppose the lesson is this. If you don't carry any redundant or backup equipment for backcountry navigation, you had BETTER be close enough to civilization that it won't matter because your life could be in danger. If you do like to venture far from your parking spot, then you really ought to carry at least one set of backup nav equipment.

[+ThePropers]

Nope.

 

I have a hard time relying on my GPS completely when out in the woods, because if I drop it, it might break. Then where would I be? Lost, that's where. But hopefully not lost on the island from Lost. That place is creepy.

 

Anyways, I carry a "real" compass with me.

Edited January 3, 2007 by ThePropers

[+Alan2]

The advantage to having an electronic compasss built into the GPS is for convenience and ease of use. Most people cannot get better than the 3 degree accuracy from a regular compass than you get from the magnetic compass/GPS combo anyway so that's a moot issue. Anyway, with waypoints, the GPS is taking you to the spot anyway, you're just following an arrow on the screen - which direction you're traveling is beside the point.

 

A GPS without a built in compass will not tell you the direction you have to travel unless you are moving. Standing still you must use a separate magnetic compass to give you the direction, something I consider a PITA. I'd rather have the second hand free for hold a walking stick or a tree while going downhill. Another advantage to a combo unit is when you take a bearing, you can lock in the waypoint and direction automatically. No need to "transfer" info. In my opinion, combo units are the way to go.

 

Whatever you use, you should always carry a backup regular compass regardless of the type of GPS you are using although I never had to use mine in the 5 years I've had my Vista, a combo type.

Edited January 4, 2007 by Alan2

[dsandbro]

I have yet to see the batteries die on a old-fashioned magnetic compass.

 

There are a few locations where mag compasses give erroneous readings. These are usually well known and marked on maps. This is offset by the locations where GPS signals are erratic. Usually NOT well documented nor listed on maps.

 

I am curious about the comment mag compasses only have an accuracy of 3 degrees. I am consistently within 1/2 degree on my Silva Ranger. Less than 1/4 degree with my Suunto.

[+fizzymagic]

I am curious about the comment mag compasses only have an accuracy of 3 degrees. I am consistently within 1/2 degree on my Silva Ranger. Less than 1/4 degree with my Suunto.

Well, unless you have better declination tables than most, and update them every year, the declination accuracy is only 1 degree anyway.

 

The compass is an inherently low-accuracy instrument. Quite useful, but not a precision tool.

[+norsehawk]

When I go out for a day of hiking/geocaching, I carry my Garmin 60csx on my belt, my Magellan xplorist 210 in the backpack, a cheap hiking pole with compass in the handle, and a compass in the backpack (cheap 10 buck one from walmart but it works well enough)

 

Heck, when I went on vacation to Japan for a month, the 60csx and the 10 buck compass were manditory equipment for leaving the apartment I was renting, for the first few weeks, I needed the gps to get to/from the apartment, then the 3rd week I could usually get pretty close to my desitination, and the last week I could walk it with no problems, but I still carried the gps and compass so I could find my way back to whatever station I got off at.

 

I've also seen the electronic compass get confused too many times not to carry a normal compass with me.

[+Dogs Dad]

Cheers for these wise comments. I completely agree that no single device should be relied on totally. Always use your head too. Given the comments, I have though opted for the Vista CX and look forward to the functionality of an electronic compass as well as my trusted magnetic device.

[GermanSailor]

Do you place total reliance on your electronic compass (if you have one built in to your unit) and if not, was there a point in getting it?

 

Cheers

 

No, because:

 

Never rely on just one system if it is that important

Batteries can fail.

I can drop / otherwise damage the unit.

Nobody knows what software bug the unit may have and Murphy's Law tells us, that you will discover it at the most unappropriate moment.

 

If you think your LIFE depends on some equipment you probably shouldn't be there in the frist place. Geocaching is just a hobby!

 

GermanSailor

[GermanSailor]

The compass is an inherently low-accuracy instrument. Quite useful, but not a precision tool.

Yes, of course. But I consider myself a pretty low-accuracy piece of equipment when it come to following a bearing to one degree while hiking.

 

GermanSailor