Electronic compass?Is it worth it?

[+zinnia123]

What is the difference between a electronic compass and one with out? The one I have on order has it. Are the ones with out it harder to use.

[+smithdk]

What is the difference between a electronic compass and one with out? The one I have on order has it. Are the ones with out it harder to use.

 

The electronic compass is a nice to have feature. Biggest advantage is under heavy tree cover or even standing still. Since the compass doesn't require a lock with the GPS, it will work fine in these conditions.

 

One without an electronic compass will have problems in heavy tree cover or standing still (it can't tell which way you are facing) since it requires a lock to the GPS.

 

My Vista C has an electronic compass and I have used it in heavy tree cover to figure out direction.

[jholly]

What is the difference between a electronic compass and one with out? The one I have on order has it. Are the ones with out it harder to use.

 

The electronic compass is a nice to have feature. Biggest advantage is under heavy tree cover or even standing still. Since the compass doesn't require a lock with the GPS, it will work fine in these conditions.

 

One without an electronic compass will have problems in heavy tree cover or standing still (it can't tell which way you are facing) since it requires a lock to the GPS.

 

My Vista C has an electronic compass and I have used it in heavy tree cover to figure out direction.

 

and you have to be moving so it knows which way your moving.

 

Jim

[+Wild Thing 73]

Yes. the electronic compass is great....but takes a little to get use to....stay with it and learn....With me, sometimes when I am stopped after logging a cache, I'm off to the next cache location and I may need to make a 360 turn or a turn of some kind to get the compass needle pointed to the correct bearing....it is a bit discerning, but, I still like the electronic compass and contrary to some, it does not seem to cause any more battery consumption. I get good battery use from my Alkaline batteries. With alkaline batteries you can be assured that your GPS will not just drop dead with out warning...I always carry many spare batteries. I don't like the "war stories" about "I was within a short distance from the cache and my GPSr went dead and no batteries."..Wow, that just won't happen to me...... Yea right!!!

[+zinnia123]

Thanks - I was wondering if I should have gone with the cheaper versions after my order was delayed but I am sticking with the vista hxc. I was that close to getting one with out just because I was in a hurry but I have waited this long might as well wait a bit longer. I just wondered if it was to hyper sensitive, and what the big deal was. And why these models are so hard to find around in stores. I have found anyways. Any models with the xs in them. Couldn't even find the G60cxs which would have been my first choice. oh well. I was getting so mixed up with all the different models.

[+StarBrand]

I find the added electronic compass worthless. Needs calibrated too much. It is jittery. It consumes battery power. However, I know some cachers that will not cache without it. I turn the "feature" off. Save your money.

[killthewhelp]

I have a Venture HC that does not have the electronic compass. My first time out caching with it I had a bit of a hard time, as I had to walk straight in one direction in order for the GPSr to know which way I was headed. I now bring a regular compass with me a** well as the GPSr and I have no problems at all. The GPSr tells me which way the cache is relative to my position, and I use the compass to decide which way to go.

The compass is super light, small, slim, and does not need batteries. I just keep it in my pocket until I get within about 100ft of a cache. Simple and easy, and the GPSr was a great price.

 

As an added bonus, while caching with my brother (of the RandomCitrus crew) we take turns using either the GPSr or the compass. Makes for more of a team-effort.

Edited September 28, 2008 by killthewhelp

[+fizzymagic]

I, too, find the electronic compass worthless. It is not accurate enough to make finding the cache easier; the pointer you get from moving is much more stable and accurate.

 

In case of emergency, my (solar-powered) watch has a built-in electronic compass.

[+Harry Dolphin]

I like my Vista HCx! I find the electronic compass to be very useful. It does require occasional recalibration (aka The Dizzy Dolphin Dance). Far superior to the compass in the eTrex. I'd say "Go for it".

[+markandsandy]

I like my Vista HCx! I find the electronic compass to be very useful. It does require occasional recalibration (aka The Dizzy Dolphin Dance). Far superior to the compass in the eTrex. I'd say "Go for it".

 

I agree. The Vista HCx electronic compass is very useful, doesn't need recalibration all that often, and it sure helps to have the GPSr point the right direction when you are stopped.

[+Prime Suspect]

Calibration takes about 20 seconds. People who talk about additional power consumption are referring to older models. On today's units, it's too small to notice (see the real-world experiment someone did on this in the Unit's & Software section).

 

What is required is an understanding of what's actually going on. Once you "get it", you'll see that the "jittery pointer", etc. isn't a compass issue, but normal GPS (not compass) error. And its the *same* error you would get if you were using a separate hand-held compass. If you could constantly sight with a compass the continually changing bearings your GPS was showing, you would see the same thing that the GPS navigation arrow is showing. You just need to learn that once you get close to the cache, stop chasing the arrow, and start looking for the cache.

[+gcfishguy]

**Edit - It was explained in posts below, and it turns out that the electronic compass does indeed play into the actual navigation to a waypoint. So, everything in italics below is FALSE. I left it there, in case (and I know there are) others were thinking the same way as me. Thanks for setting me straight!**

 

 

I think the issue is that everyone seems to want to link the electronic compass to the process of following an arrow that's using sats to point you to a waypoint.

The two have nothing to do with each other.

 

On a non-electronic compass unit, the compass screen is a compass rose that uses sats to determine where north and south is and display that on the screen. If you're stopped, the GPS can't tell if you're facing North or South. You need to move enough that it can compare your current location with the location you were at a few seconds ago...then it can tell what direction you're walking, and show you where North and South is based on the direction you're walking.

 

With an electronic compass, the unit doesn't need to be moving or have sat reception to display North and South. It doesn't point to a cache or anything, and it doesn't work with the sat data that the GPS uses to show you your location.... it just shows you what a regular pocket compass would show you. North is that way, South is that way, etc.

 

 

For me, the compass on my 60csx is of no value to me at all. Not because of bad design, need for calibration, or anything like that. The only time I ever need a compass is if my GPS craps out and I've lost my bearings and need to get back to my jeep. If that happens, I take out the Sylva Ranger that I ALWAYS carry when I'm in the woods, and use it to head back to the general vicinity of my jeep. Before I leave the jeep, I always put out the compass. The road I'm parked on runs east and west, I'm heading South into the woods, so if I get turned around or anything, I walk North and I'll come back out to the road. I swing the ring around to the bearing that I'll need to come back out on (my back bearing) and put it back into my pack and off I go.

 

There would be a lot less people get lost each year if they carried a simple $10 pocket compass, and made note of which way they walk away from their car. Look at the road you are parked on. Look at what direction you're going into the woods (say, South), and if you get turned around, just walk North and you'll come back out to the road you're parked on.

 

Anyway, that's my take on the whole thing. I have never used the barometer or the compass on my 60csx...ever. I bought my csx used and it had those two features on it. Had I bought it new, I would have bought the model without those features and saved some $ if the savings was enough to consider.

 

There have been a few times that I was bushwacking to a cache, and kept losing reception. I found a spot where I had reception, took note of the bearing that the GPS said I had to follow to get to the cache, pulled out the Ranger and set it to that bearing and used it to bushwack because the GPSr couldn't hold a fix. If I had an electronic compass, yes, I could have used it for the same purpose. But, since I always carry a good compass anyway, I just used that... If you're trying to be accurate, it's easier to use a compass that you can use the mirror and sight ahead accurately than mess with a small digital screen.

 

My point - Your GPS will get you back to your car if you get turned around, electronic compass or not. If your GPS gets smashed on a rock and can't guide you out, well, the built-in compass isn't going to work anyway, is it? To me, the compass is a backup for use in case of an emergency.

You should never be in the woods without a real compass, and you should make a habit of taking it out and looking at it before you leave your vehicle, so you know what general direction to walk to get back to it.

I spent some time in search and rescue, so, yes, I'm harping on having a good compass and knowing how to use it. And when I say 'how to use it', I don't mean you have to be able to lay out a topo map and actually navigate with it. Understand that it points to North, and understand how to use that information to get you out of a jam. I went in North, so I come back out South....easy as that. A $10 investment and taking 10 seconds to get your bearings before you head off into the woods could very well save your life, or at least save you from having to spend a very uncomfortable night in the woods.

 

If I'm wrong about the compass having nothing to do with having the GPSr point you to a waypoint after hitting 'go to', I'll stand corrected, provided you explain it well enough. :-)

Edit - Yup, turns out I was wrong. :-)

 

<><

Edited September 29, 2008 by gcfishguy

[+Prime Suspect]

 

If I'm wrong about the compass having nothing to do with having the GPSr point you to a waypoint after hitting 'go to', I'll stand corrected, provided you explain it well enough. :-)

The GPS uses both the compass (to determine the orientation of the unit) and the GPS data, in order to correctly position the navigation arrow on the display. That's why, on a unit with an electronic compass, you can rotate the unit 360 degrees, and the arrow will always point in the same direction.

[+markandsandy]

 

There would be a lot less people get lost each year if they carried a simple $10 pocket compass, and made note of which way they walk away from their car. Look at the road you are parked on. Look at what direction you're going into the woods (say, South), and if you get turned around, just walk North and you'll come back out to the road you're parked on.

 

<><

 

I agree, and carry my pocket compass as well as the GPSr with electronic compass. No batteries to fail in the pocket compass.

 

 

If I'm wrong about the compass having nothing to do with having the GPSr point you to a waypoint after hitting 'go to', I'll stand corrected, provided you explain it well enough. :-)

 

<><

 

When you hit 'goto' the arrow points towards the waypoint, not north, so the electronic compass allows the GPSr display to adjust if you turn the GPSr, and keeps the arrow pointing towards the waypoint.

[+peiguy]

 

There would be a lot less people get lost each year if they carried a simple $10 pocket compass, and made note of which way they walk away from their car. Look at the road you are parked on. Look at what direction you're going into the woods (say, South), and if you get turned around, just walk North and you'll come back out to the road you're parked on.

 

<><

 

I agree, and carry my pocket compass as well as the GPSr with electronic compass. No batteries to fail in the pocket compass.

 

 

If I'm wrong about the compass having nothing to do with having the GPSr point you to a waypoint after hitting 'go to', I'll stand corrected, provided you explain it well enough. :-)

 

<><

 

When you hit 'goto' the arrow points towards the waypoint, not north, so the electronic compass allows the GPSr display to adjust if you turn the GPSr, and keeps the arrow pointing towards the waypoint.

[+WRASTRO]

**Edit - It was explained in posts below, and it turns out that the electronic compass does indeed play into the actual navigation to a waypoint. So, everything in italics below is FALSE. I left it there, in case (and I know there are) others were thinking the same way as me. Thanks for setting me straight!**

 

 

I think the issue is that everyone seems to want to link the electronic compass to the process of following an arrow that's using sats to point you to a waypoint.

The two have nothing to do with each other.

 

On a non-electronic compass unit, the compass screen is a compass rose that uses sats to determine where north and south is and display that on the screen. If you're stopped, the GPS can't tell if you're facing North or South. You need to move enough that it can compare your current location with the location you were at a few seconds ago...then it can tell what direction you're walking, and show you where North and South is based on the direction you're walking.

 

With an electronic compass, the unit doesn't need to be moving or have sat reception to display North and South. It doesn't point to a cache or anything, and it doesn't work with the sat data that the GPS uses to show you your location.... it just shows you what a regular pocket compass would show you. North is that way, South is that way, etc.

 

 

For me, the compass on my 60csx is of no value to me at all. Not because of bad design, need for calibration, or anything like that. The only time I ever need a compass is if my GPS craps out and I've lost my bearings and need to get back to my jeep. If that happens, I take out the Sylva Ranger that I ALWAYS carry when I'm in the woods, and use it to head back to the general vicinity of my jeep. Before I leave the jeep, I always put out the compass. The road I'm parked on runs east and west, I'm heading South into the woods, so if I get turned around or anything, I walk North and I'll come back out to the road. I swing the ring around to the bearing that I'll need to come back out on (my back bearing) and put it back into my pack and off I go.

 

There would be a lot less people get lost each year if they carried a simple $10 pocket compass, and made note of which way they walk away from their car. Look at the road you are parked on. Look at what direction you're going into the woods (say, South), and if you get turned around, just walk North and you'll come back out to the road you're parked on.

 

Anyway, that's my take on the whole thing. I have never used the barometer or the compass on my 60csx...ever. I bought my csx used and it had those two features on it. Had I bought it new, I would have bought the model without those features and saved some $ if the savings was enough to consider.

 

There have been a few times that I was bushwacking to a cache, and kept losing reception. I found a spot where I had reception, took note of the bearing that the GPS said I had to follow to get to the cache, pulled out the Ranger and set it to that bearing and used it to bushwack because the GPSr couldn't hold a fix. If I had an electronic compass, yes, I could have used it for the same purpose. But, since I always carry a good compass anyway, I just used that... If you're trying to be accurate, it's easier to use a compass that you can use the mirror and sight ahead accurately than mess with a small digital screen.

 

My point - Your GPS will get you back to your car if you get turned around, electronic compass or not. If your GPS gets smashed on a rock and can't guide you out, well, the built-in compass isn't going to work anyway, is it? To me, the compass is a backup for use in case of an emergency.

You should never be in the woods without a real compass, and you should make a habit of taking it out and looking at it before you leave your vehicle, so you know what general direction to walk to get back to it.

I spent some time in search and rescue, so, yes, I'm harping on having a good compass and knowing how to use it. And when I say 'how to use it', I don't mean you have to be able to lay out a topo map and actually navigate with it. Understand that it points to North, and understand how to use that information to get you out of a jam. I went in North, so I come back out South....easy as that. A $10 investment and taking 10 seconds to get your bearings before you head off into the woods could very well save your life, or at least save you from having to spend a very uncomfortable night in the woods.

 

If I'm wrong about the compass having nothing to do with having the GPSr point you to a waypoint after hitting 'go to', I'll stand corrected, provided you explain it well enough. :-)

Edit - Yup, turns out I was wrong. :-)

 

<><

If you are truly out in the woods and need your compass to avoid getting lost you should also have a good topo map of the area, which can be more useful than a compass if you know how to read the map.

[+TotemLake]

I can't speak for the Garmins, but the Magellan GPS units with the electronic compass all give the follwoing information at the same time:

North

Course Over Ground (aka COG)

Bearing to waypoint.

 

It's a very handy feature to have to live triangulate from a couple hundred feet away. I'm usually on the compass once I'm under 500 feet to the cache location as I use that for reference as I study the lay of the land in front of me.

 

The soon to be released Delorme PN-40 will use the electronic compass to actually rotate the map screen to the correct orientation. This is going to be very useful out in the wilderness for me.

[+Prime Suspect]

The soon to be released Delorme PN-40 will use the electronic compass to actually rotate the map screen to the correct orientation. This is going to be very useful out in the wilderness for me.

Garmins have had that ability for many years, and I assumed Magellans did too. Check your manual.

[+TotemLake]

The soon to be released Delorme PN-40 will use the electronic compass to actually rotate the map screen to the correct orientation. This is going to be very useful out in the wilderness for me.

Garmins have had that ability for many years, and I assumed Magellans did too. Check your manual.

I guess I can't speak for the Magellans past the Meridian series.

[+Mudfrog]

I wouldn't say the electronic compass is worthless but i would say that it is a feature you can definitely live without. I used a unit with that feature for over 4 years and had found many different kinds of caches with it. This included those you had to project to and those you had to look or walk in a certain direction for, and can safely say that the electronic compass wasn't needed at all. I played with it a few times but never even turned it on when caching. With any gpsr, simply moving in a straight line gives you the direction you are moving in. Get you a handheld magnetic compass if you're concerned about needing to figure out a direction under tree cover.

[+Kohavis]

I've got a Timex expedition digital watch with a built in electronic compass. But I never use it on a hunt. Why would you need a separate compass if you have GPS unit? It tells you your bearing. My Venture HC (and most eTrex units) has the rotating compass ring in the compass mode that always tells you which way you're heading.

 

I guess I don't "get" why you would ever need a separate one

[+TotemLake]

I've got a Timex expedition digital watch with a built in electronic compass. But I never use it on a hunt. Why would you need a separate compass if you have GPS unit? It tells you your bearing. My Venture HC (and most eTrex units) has the rotating compass ring in the compass mode that always tells you which way you're heading.

 

I guess I don't "get" why you would ever need a separate one

As a backup because electronics do fail. Even though I exclusively use my GPS tri-axial compass, if I ever need it, I have my lensatic compass and a map of the area I'm in. Of course, if you're not venturing very far from the road, then the usefulness becomes less important for both the electronic or the backup.