Weather effects?

[garytlove]

i did a search for weather having any effects on GPS and i got logs about discounts at walmart so sorry if this has already been covered. i'm curious if what the etrex manual said about weather not effecting reception to be true. i want to climb mt. rainier sometime soon and would like to have the option of using the etrex if the weather should get bad enough to not see landmarks. would it work in a snowstorm? i would guess that a white out would be the same as being under tree cover... i don't know though. does anyone have any experience with thier GPS in severe weather? thanks.

[crr003]

Mist thread

 

Some thoughts in the Mist thread. I also have an email into Garmin about this. I'll post the reply if I get one.

 

Nil Satis Nisi Optimum

[crr003]

Mist thread

 

Some thoughts in the Mist thread. I also have an email into Garmin about this. I'll post the reply if I get one.

 

Nil Satis Nisi Optimum

[+GOT GPS?]

http://www.4marine-electronics.com/saoff.html

 

http://www.ion.org/meetings/past/gps2001/e2.html

 

http://www.au.af.mil/au/database/projects/ay1997/acsc/97-0563/doctrine/doctrin.htm

 

interesting stuff

 

Could try in www.google.com :

 

"How weather effects GPS"

 

------------------------

My home page about GPS units and information

[Kerry.]

There are "weather conditions" that can/could affect GPS reception but these are really not what we here on the ground might associate with weather. Most of the issues generally are in space with sunspots, geomagnetic storms etc.

 

The system is an "all weather" system and severe weather shouldn't have any affects. I doubt you'd be worrying about if your GPS works if the weather ever got that bad/extreme to be a real issue.

 

Cheers, Kerry.

 

I never get lost everybody keeps telling me where to go

[+EraSeek]

I have been on the slopes of Mt Rainier several times in a whiteout with my GPS, and used my GPS to follow my route up and down. It worked fine. No, weather is not a problem for reception with your GPS. One caution however... cold tempatures CAN be a problem. It can slow your unit, or even cause it to fail. That is what happened to a group this year that ended up with fatalities. They were in very bad contions high on the mountain, tried to circle around to a better spot, but did so too low because their GPS froze on them. you must use LITHIUM batteries in such conditions to prevent this from happening. Lithium will work at much lower temps. But bring spares. They will show a nearly full charge until they are dead.

 

[+kevin917z]

i have used my eTrex yellow in extremely dense trees and in heavy pouring down rain with lighting, it had no affect at all on the gpsr

[Adventureguy]

I was just below Camp Muir on Rainier two years ago when the weather became a complete white-out. We were only using a map and compass, but a climber nearby had a gps (can't recall which unit now)... he said it was working fine. Obviously a lot of factors come in to play on this one, and if you are planning to climb Rainier I'm sure you are aware of that. But, in that particular instance the guy near us on the Muir snowfield was having no trouble finding his way around with the GPSr. Hope that little bit of insight helps, and good luck on your climb!!!