Electronic compass..

July 23, 2007

How do these function ? whats the purpose over a magnetic compass ? i have a garmin lil yeller and carry a magnetic compass..whats all the advantages with the electronic as i could be persuaded to up grade....thanks :laughing:

Edited July 23, 2007 by team lagonda

July 23, 2007

You dont have to move to get your arrow to point in the right direction. (Arrow pointing to the cache)

Edited July 23, 2007 by linuxxpert

14.3k · July 23, 2007

You dont have to move to get your arrow to point in the right direction. (Arrow pointing to the cache)

Yep. If you don't have an electronic compass you will have to walk in a straight line for 10-15 feet to get your GPS to point at the cache again. My first GPS was like this. I got used to it but I made sure that my second GPS had an electronic compass. :laughing:

July 23, 2007

Linuxxpert,,so when you turn it on,it automaticly points straight to the cache ? how are they on batteries ....

14.3k · July 23, 2007

Linuxxpert,,so when you turn it on,it automaticly points straight to the cache ? how are they on batteries ....

Yes. The compass function uses more battery life, but not enough to really notice.

July 23, 2007

thanks Trailgator,,bout how much more for the electric garmin ? just the next step up one....

18.9k · July 23, 2007

Keep in mind to function properly - you need to recalibrate the lectronic compass between battery changes at a minimum.

I've got a n electronic compass on my watch and don't see the need to spend extra $'s for one on the GPS.

9.2k · July 23, 2007

An electronic compass allows the unit to know its orientation, which has several advantages. A GPS without a compass will attempt to deduce this information, but you have to be moving in a straight line, with the unit pointed straight ahead, for this to happen. If you're holding the unit 15 degrees off, instead of exactly straight ahead, the arrow will point 15 degrees off, and the compass ring will be 15 degrees off.

A unit with an electronic compass can automatically reorient the map display to match the direction you're holding the until. You can stand in one spot and turn slowly around 360 degrees, and the map display will turn with you. Very nice for getting the lay of the land. A unit without an electronic compass simply can't do this.

An electronic compass allows you to use Sight-&-Go (at least, Garmins do). Since the unit knows its orientation, you can line up the two sighting marks on the face of the unit (like aiming a gun), and project a course to whatever you're pointing at. Then, by using course (rather than bearing) navigation, you can navigate to that point, even if you have to detour in places.

The electronic compass does need to be calibrated occasionally (no more than once in a day, usually), and it takes about 15 or 20 seconds to do so. Not much of an inconvenience for most people.

There is a small additional power drain, but many people just leave the compass turned off until they need to take a reading. Then they toggle it on (just one button push), get a reading, and toggle it back off. And the GPS will automatically turn it off if you are moving faster than a set speed. So it's not much of an issue.

The people who don't like electronic compasses seem to fall into 1 of 3 camps. The first are those who are comfortable with a hand-held magnetic compass, and don't see much benefit in having an electronic compass in the GPS, and like having a compass that doesn't need batteries to work.

The second are those who have used a unit with an electronic compass in the past, and complain that "it goes crazy" when they get close to the cache. They simply don't understand the effect of GPS error, and the fact that a hand-held magnetic compass would behave in exactly the same manner, if they were able to do second-by-second compass sitings with it. When you're that close, turn off/put away the compass and start hunting the cache.

The last is a very small minority, and for them it seems to be a case of sour grapes. The thought seems to be, "my GPS doesn't have a compass, therefor, I will denigrate any GPS that does, to make me feel better about what I own". Fortunately, that's a very, very small group.

2.3k · July 23, 2007

Electronic compasses on a GPS are just a battery hog. A real compass can take almost no space on your body. A separate electronic compass, other than those built into watches, can be a good source for spare batteries, that is if that use the same that your GPS does.

24.7k · July 23, 2007

How do these function ? whats the purpose over a magnetic compass ? i have a garmin lil yeller and carry a magnetic compass..whats all the advantages with the electronic as i could be persuaded to up grade....thanks

None really.

Your hand held is as good as any electronic compass.

If you are in the habit of sighting ahead, the electornic compass will annoy you since when you stand still it points one direction and when you walk it points another slightly different direction. Maybe that's what calibration is for.

When I've had a GPS with one I kept it turned off untill I specificly wanted to see it. Then it would point mostly the right way...

Some people like them and they work well enough. However three steps and my non electronic compass is as good as I've need.

3.5k · July 23, 2007

I always carry a compass with me when geocaching and use it a lot. When I get under tree cover and the GPS needle starts pointing in all different directions, I hold it side-by-side with a magnetic compass, turn the GPS so it lines up with the compass and the arrow points me right to the cache. Works like a charm.

I used to carry a magnetic compass, but my cellphone has a built in electronic compass that seems to be very accurate. Unfortunately my cellphone is slowly dying and they don't make this model any more (and I can't find anything comparable) so I might be out of luck soon.

As for the electronic compass on my GPS (Garmin GPSMap 60CSx), it's nothing but trouble. I turned it off shortly after I got the unit and haven't bothered to ever turn it back on.

Bret

Edited July 23, 2007 by CYBret

July 23, 2007

The problem I had with the electronic compass on my old Garmin Etrex Vista was that using it in the vehicle would knock it out of calibration. This made it necessary to perform the calibration procedure (hold the unit parallel to the ground and rotate it slowly through two full circles) before starting to hike. Irritating. Since I always carry a magnetic compass anyway, I wasn't particularly inconvenienced by "downgrading" to the compassless Foretrex 201.

Incidentally, the Foretrex allows you to customize the data screens so that, for example, the navigation screen (the one with the pointer) also shows the compass bearing to the target. This number is independent of the unit's orientation, so you can dial it in to your magnetic compass and follow it toward the cache location. Having the compass bearing from your car to the cache in mind is a good habit to develop in the event the GPS craps out.

Nothing against the electronic compass feature. I wanted it to work, and when it did, it was very nice.

Edited July 23, 2007 by Mule Ears

July 23, 2007

Gezzz! My ifinder expedition C has 3 electronic compasses and each one is diffirent.

1 say on course and off course 2, thedirection your head and shows a path your making. 3 the other

shows trk and brg

which compass to to find cache?

21.9k · July 23, 2007

Moving thread from Geocaching Topics to GPS Units and Software.

1.8k · July 24, 2007

You can now buy a Vista with the EC for about 60% of what it cost 3 years ago, and you can still install good maps in the same.

July 24, 2007

wait until come up with solar powered hand held gpsrs battery and solar

July 24, 2007

Well I have a 76CSx and it started giving me fits about 2 months ago. I used the electronic compass all the time even though I always carry a magnetic compass with me and liked it BUT sometime ago the pointer would go away as well as the compass ring all I had was a circle with a bunch of little lines. To get it back I had to turn the unit off and on or recalibrate the compass yes turn slowly in one dirrection 2 turns. It was not too bad doing it once a day but about 2 months ago it started happining more ane more until if I was out 3 hours I was "fixing" it 10-20 times. So now I just turn off the electronic compass and use it with the pointer only and as long as I am moving it is good as gold. I have a great since of direction and when it tells me to go North and I know North is not that direction I get out the magnetic compass hanging off my pack. Which is also a whisle which I always carry and I make the wife carry one also an old scout habit I guess.

July 24, 2007

Gezzz! My ifinder expedition C has 3 electronic compasses and each one is diffirent.

1 say on course and off course 2, thedirection your head and shows a path your making. 3 the other

shows trk and brg

which compass to to find cache?

Although your Expedition does have an electronic compass (one), you are confusing it with the map orientation (North Up, Track Up, Heading Up, etc.). For the sake of prosperity, it should be pointed out that the map orientation is simply how the map is displayed on the screen. For example, if you have it set to North Up and are walking East, it will look like you're walking toward the side of the screen. If you have it set to Heading Up, then the map will have East at the top of the screen and you will appear to be walking forward. I would venture to guess that any receiver you can buy nowadays has at least a few options for map orientation. The receiver can display different map orientations regardless of whether it has an electronic compass, although some orientations (Heading Up if I recall correctly) will use the compass and adjust while you're standing still.

Edited July 24, 2007 by Steel City Seekers

July 24, 2007

If you are in the habit of sighting ahead, the electornic compass will annoy you since when you stand still it points one direction and when you walk it points another slightly different direction.

Could you please explain why it shouldn't point in a different direction if you change locations? I'm missing something, I think.

24.7k · July 24, 2007

If you are in the habit of sighting ahead, the electornic compass will annoy you since when you stand still it points one direction and when you walk it points another slightly different direction.
Could you please explain why it shouldn't point in a different direction if you change locations? I'm missing something, I think.

I was using a borrowed unit. The calibration could have been off. I could have been in a spot where the declination was different from the declination table due to a local disturbance. Hard to say, but when standing still It would point about 15 degrees off from where it would point when I was moving.

5.3k · July 24, 2007

I am not a real big fan of a Magnetic/electronic compass that is bulit in a GPS. I carry a standard base plate compass. I have used and I own a GPS with a bulit in compass, I have not found it to be all the usefull. Keeping in mind that the coordinates for a cache may be off by about 20 feet, the compass may be taking you to the location.

2.3k · July 24, 2007

Those who think that a standard orienteering compass will do just as well, haven't understood that there's a difference from you knowing where north is, and your navigator knowing it. No separate compass will allow you to place the GPS near where the cache is and watch the distance and direction to the cache, as it's computed by the GPS. With a magnetic compass inside, you can take advantage of the fact that the position is usually determined with higher accuracy when the GPS is steady in one position. But without that compass, it will only tell you how far away it thinks the cache is, not in which direction.

When I look for a caceh, I do just that. I park the 60 CSx or the eTrex Vista on some suitable surface, then I go looking. If I can't find the cache, I go back and check if the GPS has refined it's opinion, and then check out the place it's pointing to now.

If the coordinates given are way off, this is of no use, of course, but this does show one of the things a unit with a magnetic compass can do, but one without can't.

Then it doesn't matter that you can accomplish this in other ways too. The point is what you can use the magnetic compass for.

Besides, if you buy a Garmin, you also get a barometric sensor. This will improve elevation accuracy and, more important, give you a new set of tools for checking your elevation related information.

9.2k · July 24, 2007

Well I have a 76CSx and it started giving me fits about 2 months ago. I used the electronic compass all the time even though I always carry a magnetic compass with me and liked it BUT sometime ago the pointer would go away as well as the compass ring all I had was a circle with a bunch of little lines. To get it back I had to turn the unit off and on or recalibrate the compass yes turn slowly in one dirrection 2 turns. It was not too bad doing it once a day but about 2 months ago it started happining more ane more until if I was out 3 hours I was "fixing" it 10-20 times. So now I just turn off the electronic compass and use it with the pointer only and as long as I am moving it is good as gold. I have a great since of direction and when it tells me to go North and I know North is not that direction I get out the magnetic compass hanging off my pack. Which is also a whisle which I always carry and I make the wife carry one also an old scout habit I guess.

You obviously have a defective unit. That really has nothing to do with the usefulness of electronic compasses in general.

9.5k · July 24, 2007

I am not a real big fan of a Magnetic/electronic compass that is bulit in a GPS. I carry a standard base plate compass. I have used and I own a GPS with a bulit in compass, I have not found it to be all the usefull. Keeping in mind that the coordinates for a cache may be off by about 20 feet, the compass may be taking you to the location.

And I'm on the flipside of that coin. Using the compass during the last 200-500 feet allows me to live triangulate the location. Sure it gets you within the error rate but then using a standard compass isn't going to pull you in any closer either and I can at least have a heads up look of hte area snd can start looking ahead at the likely spot based on the direction the compass is pointig at the waypoint when programmed as a GOTO waypoint.

Hiking Staff in one hand, compass in the other, dog leash in another, GPS in another... hmmmm half my octo-arms are used up.

Having the electronic compass as a part of the GPS means you condensed the number of objects you have to hang onto when getting a live bearing. All-in-one gadgets aren't like the all-in-one gadgets of the 70's. They actually do work.

July 25, 2007

If you are in the habit of sighting ahead, the electornic compass will annoy you since when you stand still it points one direction and when you walk it points another slightly different direction.
Could you please explain why it shouldn't point in a different direction if you change locations? I'm missing something, I think.

I was using a borrowed unit. The calibration could have been off. I could have been in a spot where the declination was different from the declination table due to a local disturbance. Hard to say, but when standing still It would point about 15 degrees off from where it would point when I was moving.

So you say the compass is bad based on borrowing a unit for awhile? My guess is that when you started walking you switched from a two handed grip to a one handed grip and rotated the GPS 15 degrees. It took me a while to figure out the arrow points at the cache no matter which way you point the GPS. Please try a unit again.

1.6k · July 25, 2007

Been using my Magellan Meridian Platinum for years. Love the built-in EC. What could be better than pointing right to the cache (or adjusted benchmarks) all the time? No need to re-calibrate very often (not at battery changes, not in/out of car), only maybe once a month or so. You DO need to turn OFF the EC in a car - duh! Works great. Extra battery use barely noticeable. Unfortunately, Meridian series no longer made. Don't like specs on Explorist series for other reasons. I was disappointed Delorme PN-20 didn't have an EC, but bought one anyway for other reasons (great mapping!) .

24.7k · July 25, 2007

...So you say the compass is bad based on borrowing a unit for awhile? My guess is that when you started walking you switched from a two handed grip to a one handed grip and rotated the GPS 15 degrees. It took me a while to figure out the arrow points at the cache no matter which way you point the GPS. Please try a unit again.

I've always been in the habit of sighting ahead and picking out landmarks that mark my bearing. When I get two results, one based on with/without electronic compass it's not related to kung fu grip.

Without the Electronic compass, you do need to hold the unit correctly. If you walk backwards you need to turn the GPS backwards for it to point the way. The GPS makes assumptions about how you hike with it.

Since 3 steps is all that's needed to make a normal GPS work like it should and point the way, I've never been tempted with an Electronic Compass again.

24.7k · July 25, 2007

If you are in the habit of sighting ahead, the electornic compass will annoy you since when you stand still it points one direction and when you walk it points another slightly different direction.
Could you please explain why it shouldn't point in a different direction if you change locations? I'm missing something, I think.

My mistake. Same location. Two bearings dependong in if the electronic compass was on or off. One taken just as I walked up to the spot. One after I stood still and turned on the compass.

August 19, 2007

When I look for a caceh, I do just that. I park the 60 CSx or the eTrex Vista on some suitable surface, then I go looking. If I can't find the cache, I go back and check if the GPS has refined it's opinion, and then check out the place it's pointing to now.

I have done the same thing.

I have used another trick with the EC as well.

One recent cache had a fair x-country hike, under cover of tree canopy. We got as close to the WP as possible by driving on logging roads, and then set off. When we reached the edge of the standing timber, I knew I would have trouble with reception. I took a bearing with the EC on the GPSr, and then follwed that as closely as I coluld. Each time we got to a more open area, I refined the bearing, and continued on. This got me right to the cache area, which was an opening in the trees, and worked very well.

A seperate compass (which I own and use regularly for other purposes) would have worked here, but wouldn't have been as effecient.

Edited August 19, 2007 by table/cache

Electronic compass..

Recommended Posts

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Join the conversation