Weather Instruments Incorporated into GPS'?

[ejmct]

Years ago when I was a kid I had a cheap watch (Casio or Timex) and it had a waterproof digital thermometer built into it. So I was thinking...

 

How hard would it be for GPS manufacturers to incorporate a thermometer and a baramoter into a hand-held GPS like my Vista. Seems like since there is [theorectically] a barometric altimeter already in there, it shouldn't be that hard to add those weather-related things and maybe others I'm not even thinking about.

 

I know it wouldn't do much in your car but if you're a hiker weather data like that might be helpful, especially if there was little added cost and size.

 

I don't know if this has been brought up before, but its a thought...

[+brdad]

I'm not sure about Vista, but the basic yellow Etrex has has a temperature sensor for temperature compensation. However, you can not access this reading in normal mode, you need to be in diagnostic mode.

 

To enter diagnostic mode with the Yellow Etrex, hold in on top right and top left buttons and then power the unit up. Unfortunately, the reading is in ºC, so if you want ºF, you'll need to convert.

 

If the GPS has been running for a while, this temperature may be a little above ambient temp, but I've always found it to be pretty close.

 

Press the top right button a few times and there are a few neat display diagnostic screens.

 

I would think Vistas and other Etrex models are similar?

 

If hooking a car battery up to a monkey's brain will help find the cure for AIDS and save somebody's life, I have two things to say .... the red is positive and the black is negative." (Nick Dipaolo)

[+Team TJ]

My Magellan Meridian Platinum has just what your wondering about, A built in Barometer and Temp. If you let the unit run for a bit it will keep a 24hour log of the barametric pressure.

[shabbasuraj]

I tried it with a Legend and it does not work....

 

lates...

[+zenrandom]

you should be able to get to the diagnostic page of etrex w/ click sticks by holding down click stick while powering on unit.

 

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If it ain't broke, I can *fix* that...

[+GOT GPS?]

Get a spot with a good view of sats, then plug in the Platinum to an external power source, and maybe even a com port on a computer. The longer the GPS runs, the better the data. The Platinum does have a weather data screen display, the only thing missing is a humidity sensor.

 

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My home page about GPS units and information

[+raouljan]

To interface NexRad to a GPSr....

 

>Personally Responsible for the Recovery of .00217% of the Benchmark Database!<--watch this number!

[+apersson850]

Notice that when an eTrex Vista, for example, is showing its calibration screen, with the temperature, it isn't wise to let it get just any satellite lock. Garmin uses this function to calibrate the internal GPS clock for different temperatures. To do that, they used a simulated GPS environment, with antennas set up indoors to transmit GPS signals that allows the clock to be calibrated.

If real GPS signals are received when the calibration screen is open, this may miscalibrate the clock. That will lead to less precision and/or less ability to get an initial satellite lock.

 

This isn't permanent, though, so even if this has happened to you (probably without your knowledge), just use the unit frequently. It's made in such a way, that this calibration continues all the time, during normal operation, to compensate for aging of components in the GPS. So even if parts or all of the compensation tables in the unit are erased or altered, they will rebuild as time passes by.

 

Anders