GPSr's Waterproof??

[Mr502go]

I read a story about someone with a GPSr that got "drowned" when it was supposed to have the "IPX-7" waterproof standard, which I assume is the one meter for 1/2 hour thing. Well, I was wondering if anyone with an eTrex has dunked their unit?? How old is your unit?? Did it leak or otherwise mess up after being submerged?? If so what was the manufacturer's response??

[+Katetrex]

From other posts in this forum and from information provided from a number kayak boards, forums,and a listserv, a number of gps units have not passed the dunking or even the splash tests. Many believe that use of the gps overtime compromises the seal of the screen and in the case of the Garmins, the rubber strip around the side. The most common complaints I remember are that the screen becomes fogged or the unit quits working all together (even after the battery compartment is dried out). Note that the battery compartments are not considered waterproof by the manufacturers. While Garmin has replaced these units promptly and with no hassle, it didn't do the users any good when they failed out in the wilderness. I use my gps on the water almost all the time, but I use a Voyaguer bag for cell phones. It keeps the unit dry and I can still see and operate it while it is in the bag. I paid less than $20 for it and feel it is worth it to add more insurance that the unit will work when I need it.

[+Mopar]

Katetrex, think you could dig up a few links for us? I use mine both fresh water with my canoe and in the ocean with my PWC. No problems yet, but it has not taken an unprotected dunk, either. The garmin 76 series is marketed primarily for marine use, and I know of none that have failed. I also know that ClayJar has said he often intentionally dunks his meridian gold while hiking/paddling, to rinse off the screen. No problems there either.

 

Tae-Kwon-Leap is not a path to a door, but a road leading forever towards the horizon.

[+Mopar]

quote:

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Originally posted by Katetrex:

I use a Voyaguer bag for cell phones. It keeps the unit dry and I can still see and operate it while it is in the bag. I paid less than $20 for it and feel it is worth it to add more insurance that the unit will work when I need it.

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I don't want you to think I was disagreeing with the use of other protection. Like I said, mine has never taken an unprotected dunking. On the water, mine is kept in a heavy duty ziplock bag, and then when not being used, the gps in bag stays in a tupperware-type container. That then goes into one of those small softsided Thermos lunch coolers, along with things like wallet, PWC license/registration, etc. Things take quite a pounding riding a waverunner at 40mph in the open ocean, so I dont take any chances.

 

Tae-Kwon-Leap is not a path to a door, but a road leading forever towards the horizon.

[GPS-Hermit]

I have a Garmin GPS 12 and it fell in Gauley River in West Virginia at Pillow Rock but only in 6 inches of water but with current all around pushing it along. It was in there for about a minute or so before I retrieve it - I dried it off as best I could and turned it on and it worked fine. It has been rained on many times and I have operated it in the rain with no problem. The battery compartment was dry too. My GPS is Only 2 years old so I can't speak to dry rot of rubber seal such. But Yes it is waterproof - I was impressed. That is no reason not to be careful! Dry is better!

[+Jamie Z]

quote:

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Originally posted by Mopar:

I also know that ClayJar has said he often intentionally dunks his meridian gold while hiking/paddling, to rinse off the screen.

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Heh.... I found this comment amusing, for no other reason than I've paddled with ClayJar. I know he kept his GPS on the floor in front of him, keeping a tracklog... but never once did I see him dunk it. Had he done that, we would have had a little discussion about why.

 

Anyway, I would expect it to take a short dunk... but I don't do it on purpose, although I've been in some heavy rain with my Meridian and haven't made any effort to cover it up. It's still fine.

 

Jamie

[+JoeRadio]

The rino's are supposed to be waterproof too (haven't tested it yet) they look like they could take alot of water without a problem.

[+Mopar]

quote:

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Originally posted by Jamie Z:

OI found this comment amusing, for no other reason than I've paddled with ClayJar. I know he kept his GPS on the floor in front of him, keeping a tracklog... but never once did I see him dunk it. Had he done that, we would have had a little discussion about why.

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Well, it came up once in IRC. I don't feel like digging thru all the logs to find the exact quote, but maybe the great and powerful ClayJar will grace us with his presence in this thread.

 

Tae-Kwon-Leap is not a path to a door, but a road leading forever towards the horizon.

[+Jamie Z]

Mopar, I don't doubt your statement, but I thought I'd throw in my own ClayJar experience, that's all.

 

Jamie

[dave and jaime]

for whats its worth these are comments i made in a thread "has anyone submersed their legend":

 

quote:

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ill first say that i have no experience with the legend but have done plenty of jetsking, snowmobiling and various other activities that test the durability of my mag 315.

 

if your unit craps out after being submersed your warrenty may be void, the battery cover is probably described as splash proof. having said that in all likelyhood there is probably no harm in taking your unit on the water, my mag 315 has the same limitations and has been in the drink several times with no ill effects. your idea of a bag is a good one, and should protect your unit from short immersions if need be.

---

 

further to this magellan techs have told me that they design their units, as does garmin im sure, for outdoor use and getting wet goes with the territory. also i have a divers case for my sony video camera and it comes with a tube of petroleum based jelly for conditioning the gasket and i do this as regular maintenance on my magellan's battery cover, again for what its worth. besides i also like to look at my avatar.

[+Mopar]

quote:

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Originally posted by dave and jaime:

]ill first say that i have no experience with the legend but have done plenty of jetsking, snowmobiling and various other activities that test the durability of my mag 315.

 

if your unit craps out after being submersed your warrenty may be void, the battery cover is probably described as splash proof. having said that in all likelyhood there is probably no harm in taking your unit on the water, my mag 315 has the same limitations and has been in the drink several times with no ill effects. your idea of a bag is a good one, and should protect your unit from short immersions if need be.

---

 

Just for the point of accuracy, the maggie 3xx series does not claim to be waterproof. I believe they are only rated to IPX2 or 3, which is about the equivalent to being in a decent rainstorm. They are not rated as being submersible. The Meridians, and most (if not all)of the handheld Garmins do claim to be able to survive submerging.

 

Tae-Kwon-Leap is not a path to a door, but a road leading forever towards the horizon.

[Mr502go]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I tell ya, I feel really bad, I work for an outdoor store, and sell these units to the public. I was under the impression that the dang things were waterproof to a meter for a period of 30 minutes. I found that kinda suspect when I saw the cheesy lil flap covering the pc/power port on the eTrex line. I did consider the petroleum jelly over the connector conductors to enhance the seal, along with the battery compartment. I tell ya, I'm becoming quite weary of GPS manufacturers misleading claims. Basically what I'm taking from this is my new Vista will probably take a dump if dunked.

[+phantom4099]

I rember when clayjar said that he has cleaned of his merigold underwater. I think he posted it in the yahoo group when I tested my merigold and it failed. I tested it in the sink (being stupid I had the unit on) and the side of the unit leaked. The water just poored into the unit, I noticed after the test that one of the screws was not tight.

 

I got the unit to work by opening the battery bay and shaking the excessive water out, then placing it in front of a fan (so air could go through the SD slot) for a couple of days. It worked for the rest of the time (3 months) that I used it (sent in because of that and blue spots, but I only told magellan about the blue spots).

 

Wyatt W.

moral of the story, don't test your unit, and get some protection for it.

 

Wyatt W.

 

The probability of someone watching you is directly proportional to the stupidity of your actions.

[+st_richardson]

quote:

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Originally posted by JoeN:

The rino's are supposed to be waterproof too...

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The Rinos are rated to same waterproof standard as Garmin's etrex line.

 

quote:

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...they look like they could take a lot of water without a problem.

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Agreed!!!

The Rino case appears to be much more durable than the etrex line. If I had to choose between my Rino or my Vista to dunk, I believe the Rino would fare better regardless of the equal rating.

[dave and jaime]

cited from mopar:

quote:

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Just for the point of accuracy, the maggie 3xx series does not claim to be waterproof. I believe they are only rated to IPX2 or 3, which is about the equivalent to being in a decent rainstorm. They are not rated as being submersible. The Meridians, and most (if not all)of the handheld Garmins do claim to be able to survive submerging.

---

according to my manual and magellan techs my mag 315 is water proof and submersions should not affect a properly constructed unit. the battery cover however is rated as only 'splashproof'.

[Mr502go]

I know the eTrex line, and the Rino line have the same rating, but I'd think the eTrex would be more waterproof considering the eTrex's don't have holes in the case for the speaker. It seems water could enter the case of the Rino much easier.

[+Criminal]

From the Garmin site:

IPX2

Light mist, do not immerse

IPX4

Rain, splashing water, do not immerse

IPX7

Submerged to 1 meter for 30 minutes

Electronics are protected if immersed, but battery compartment may get wet. Be sure batteries and compartment are dry before using.

 

As a rule, I treat "waterproof" electronics one rating lower than the manufacture's specs. My III+ and V (both IPX7) have never been submerged but both have been used in the rain with no problems.

 

My two one-hundredths of a dollar.....

[+Mopar]

quote:

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Originally posted by dave and jaime:

according to my manual and magellan techs my mag 315 is water proof and submersions should not affect a properly constructed unit. the battery cover however is rated as only 'splashproof'.

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I stand semi-corrected. I know when I 1st researched this over a year ago, the Maggies were only rated to IPX2. I went to Magellen's website and checked for myself. The specs on all the 300 series say IPX7. To make sure I wasn't losing my mind (well, maybe I am, but not about this) I went and "Markwelled" this subject. According to posts here from last year, the 300 series WAS IPX2 back then, guess Thales got smart and sealed them up better. Here are the old IPX2 specs:

quote:

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IPX2

Protected against falling water. When tilted up to 15 degrees same as above but unit is tested in 4 fixed positions - tilted 15 degree in each direction from normal operating position.

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And here is IPX7:

quote:

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IPX7

Protected against water immersion. Immersion for 30 minutes at a depth of 1 meter.

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Big difference! So back to the beginning of the thread. Maybe some of the earlier model GPSr's were not as waterproof as they are now?

 

Tae-Kwon-Leap is not a path to a door, but a road leading forever towards the horizon.

[+Mopar]

quote:

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This forum does not allow messages to be deleted.

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[ptv99jgc]

I kayak with my Vista (not white water, but on lakes, rivers, creeks and streams). It has been under water many a time. Presently it is at Garmin to have the rubber gripper strip replaced. The rubber strip does nothing for the water resistance. It is sealed under that strip. It has been under water the length of the lanyard, but never any further. It has been rained on, been in my black Jeep on Hot Georgia days (I suspect that did the glue in on the rubber) and has never faltered. The electronic communication posts under the flap are deeply embedded into the plastic case and will not be leaking, the same goes for the battery compartment power leads.

The unit is built solid and will not go dead if submerged as the IPX7 minimum standards.

 

Paul

[Mr502go]

quote:

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Originally posted by ptv99jgc:

I kayak with my Vista (not white water, but on lakes, rivers, creeks and streams). It has been under water many a time. Presently it is at Garmin to have the rubber gripper strip replaced. The rubber strip does nothing for the water resistance. It is sealed under that strip. It has been under water the length of the lanyard, but never any further. It has been rained on, been in my black Jeep on Hot Georgia days (I suspect that did the glue in on the rubber) and has never faltered. The electronic communication posts under the flap are deeply embedded into the plastic case and will not be leaking, the same goes for the battery compartment power leads.

The unit is built solid and will not go dead if submerged as the IPX7 minimum standards.

 

Paul

---

 

Thanks Paul!! That's the kind of 411 I was looking for, great, I feel a lot better now. I wonder what happened to the people who say their etrex series GPSr leaked?? Just confusing.

[Cape Cod Cacher]

Spend the $20 and buy a GPS bag, they float in either 1 foot or 100... just trust me on this.

[Mr502go]

quote:

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Originally posted by Cape Cod Cacher:

Spend the $20 and buy a GPS bag, they float in either 1 foot or 100... just trust me on this.

---

 

Got a link??

[+Joe Smith]

When I first got my Legend I just had to test and see if it was truly water proof. First I let it sit turned on under the faucet for six hours. Fine Next I took it to the backyard. We have a small fishpond about three feet deep. I replaced the batteries, turned it on, and placed it on the bottom. I checked on it every half hour for a while. Then every couple hours. I switched fresh batteries whenever it died. My unit spent a total of 83 hours under 3 feet of water and it still works fine.Thinking back I should have just left it alone but I am a curious guy. I would trust this unit in a rainstorm anyday.

 

Joe

[+phantom4099]

Alot of times a splash or a quick dunk (as in falling in the water, not a carefull placement) will far exceede the IPx7 rating. There are reports of both both garmin and magellan units that have had waves splashed on them and they went dead.

 

Wyatt W.

Sorry about the grammer, it is late and I am tired.

 

The probability of someone watching you is directly proportional to the stupidity of your actions.

[+iceman857]

I have been looking through this post and wanted to add my experience. I just went on an 8-day river rafting trip on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. I marked about 20 different spots for virtuals but my GPSr (Garmin E-Trex Venture) got water on it from being hit by 15 foot waves in the rapids. The screen fogged up and eventually quit working altogether. I am SO upset. Needless to say, I will be buying a see-through dry bag of some sort for future expeditions.

[+NimravusHSSR]

Here is the entire standard:

 

IPX-0

No special protection

 

IPX-1

Protected against falling water Equivalent to 3-5mm rainfall per minute for a duration of 10 minutes. Unit is placed in its normal operating position.

 

IPX-2

Protected against falling water when tilted up to 15 degrees - Same as IPX-1 but unit is tested in 4 fixed positions - tilted 15 degrees in each direction from normal operating position.

 

IPX-3

Protected against spraying water - Water spraying up to 60 degrees from vertical at 10 liters/min at a pressure of 80-100kN/m2 for 5 min.

 

IPX-4

Protected against splashing water - Same as IPX-3 but water is sprayed at all angles.

 

IPX-5

Protected against water jets - Water projected at all angles through a 6.3mm nozzle at a flow rate of 12.5 liters/min at a pressure of 30kN/m2 for 3 minutes from a distance of 3 meters.

 

IPX-6

Protected against heavy seas - Water projected at all angles through a 12.5mm nozzle at a flow rate of 100 liters/min at a pressure of 100kN/m2 for 3 minutes from a distance of 3 meters.

 

IPX-7

Protected against water immersion - Immersion for 30 minutes at a depth of 1 meter.

 

IPX-8

Protected against water submersion - The equipment is suitable for continual submersion in water under conditions which are identified by the manufacturer.

 

I have a waterproof bag for "wet" outings. I figure it's worth the insurance for a few bucks.

[3fros]

quote:

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Originally posted by Mr502go:

quote:

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Originally posted by Cape Cod Cacher:

Spend the $20 and buy a GPS bag, they float in either 1 foot or 100... just trust me on this.

---

 

Got a link??

---

 

Here's a link.

 

 

Just don't do like I did. I went kayaking and when I got home I washed off all of my gear. I had the tub water running real fast and stuck the waterproof case under the water to rinse off the outside. Then without thinking I opened it up and rinsed out the inside with my 315 still in it. I immediately dumped the water back out dried off the 315 and opened it up. No water inside. That was a relief.

[+Searching_ut]

My eTrex's have been rained on, splashed on, covered in snow, etc over the years and never given me any problems. Being the type who likes to test things out however, I dropped both my Legend and Sportrak into a gallon jar of water and let them sit for awhile just to see what happend.

 

See results here:

 

http://home.sprynet.com/~searching_ut/waterproof.htm

 

While I have a drybag for use in my boat, I don't worry at all about them getting splashed or rained on.

[+DocW]

Perhaps this is for interest: Actually a german consumer magazine tested a couple of GPS-receiver:

Stiftung-warentest GPSr test

(unfortunately its in german, You can see a summary of the tests and some remarks for freee, to get the total results you have to pay)

 

They did a immersion test according to IPX7. As a result: The garmins survived, Sporttrak survived, but both platinums let water in!

Personally I didn't experienced trouble with my Merigold, I cleaned it several times by immersion or rinsing it. But I tightened the screwed when I got the unit.

 

cheers!

 

Stupidity has a certain charm - ignorance does not. (FZ)

[+GOT GPS?]

This is the english version of the Link in the last post:

Stiftung-warentest GPSr test

 

Another link, from above link:

www.geocaching.de

 

I used www.google.com to translate the link in DocW's Post.

 

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