How Important Is A Built-in Electronic Compass?

January 1, 2004

i'm hoping to buy a gps receiver shortly, but i still have some deciding to do. at this point, i'm mainly looking at the Magellan Sportrak Pro, but it does not have a built in electronic compass (something i would really like). my questions to you are: can i live without one? are they that usefull?

i would also like to hear any opinions you may have on the unit or your suggestions for another one. i really can't make up my mind at this point <_< to tell you the truth.. i don't even know if i should go with Magellan as opposed to Garmin. :wacko: somebody help me.

24.7k · January 1, 2004

Here is the deal. I've done countless hours of painstaking research on this very issue and this is what I've learned.

If you don't have the compass you don't miss it.

If you do have the compass you like it.

Not much to work with, but it's the truth. In other words if you like the sport track, you will be happy with it. You will be able to see the use for a compass but really won't care all that much that you dont' have one.

4.5k · January 1, 2004

GPS's are like on-board electronic compasses.

If you don't have a GPS you don't miss it.

If you have a GPS you like it.

(Sorry RK - As a Vista owner, I couldn't resist. Happy New Year.)

Alan

3.8k · January 1, 2004

I find that I use the compass a lot for those real hard to find caches. I can set the GPS down while I look and go back and see if it is pointing in the direction I am looking after it settles down a bit.

I could find a cache without it though. Sure is nice to have though.

January 1, 2004

webscouter, are you talking about an electronic compass built into the GPS, or a standard stand-alone one?

thanks for the comments people. dadgum, you're fast. keep 'em comin' <_<

Edited January 1, 2004 by fiend

5.3k · January 1, 2004

The electronic compasses are nice, but if you're looking at other Magellans the difference is softend a lot by the Northfinder feature.

As you may know, the electronic compass will show you compass orientation even while standing still, while the non-electronic versions give you a compass bearing based upon movement...no movement, and you can't be sure of which way is which. However, the Magellans have Northfinder, which gives you icons for the sun and/or moon's positions in the sky relative to compass directions...line them up, and you've got your bearing. This only fails you in overcast conditions; most of the time you can figure where the sun is. For those occasions, a handheld compass will do the trick.

1.5k · January 1, 2004

I don't even use the electronic compass. I keep it shut off. You have to calibrate it after battery replacement. In fact, I keep the Magellan in the trunk. Use the Garmin and find the cache.

January 1, 2004

I use the electronic compass very frequently. If you don't have it, you have to walk a while before the GPS can give the good direction. And as soon as you stop, the GPS "forget" the direction you have to follow. I couldn't miss it.

9.5k · January 1, 2004

I don't even use the electronic compass. I keep it shut off. You have to calibrate it after battery replacement. In fact, I keep the Magellan in the trunk. Use the Garmin and find the cache.

For most geocaching needs, recalibration isn't truly necessary. I haven't recalibrated my compass since the firmware upgrade to 5.16 required it and have changed out the batteries several times since then with an accurate enough reading on the compass for urban use. The variation seems to be +/- 3&deg.

The only times I'll be concerning myself with calibration is just before I foray into deep woods when the hike will be longer than 3 miles one way or when a cache requires a bearing reading.

Many others here have heard me say the same thing below:

I bought into the electronic compass because I'm a klutz. I don't want to have to deal with more than one device at a time when I'm on the trail. I don't want to have to deal with my GPS, a magnetic compass, my hiking staff and keep track of my dog. So knocking down to a handheld that does it all, such as the MeriPlat, was a bonus for me. That doesn't mean I don't carry a spare compass. I carry three others. One more electronic on my Suunto wristwatch and two magnetics; one in my pocket the other in my backpack.

3.3k · January 1, 2004

GPS's are like on-board electronic compasses.

If you don't have a GPS you don't miss it.

If you have a GPS you like it.

(Sorry RK - As a Vista owner, I couldn't resist. Happy New Year.)

Alan

Well... I have 2 GPSrs (Legend and eMap). Now that the GPSMAP 60C is coming soon, I don't have that one yet - AND I MISS IT ALREADY!!!

(Sorry - as a 60C owner wannabe, I couldn't resist!)

Oh, as for the compass & alitmeter - I do okay without 'em. I consider them a waste/drain of battery power.

Edited January 1, 2004 by Neo_Geo

January 1, 2004

I just bought a Sportrak Pro and quit happy with it.

IMO, the two most important things in a GPS

are good antenna (heli-quad) and battery life.

The Sportrak has excellent antenna and average

battery life. A unit with electronic compass will

cut battery life in half while it is in operation.

Of the Garmins, the Rino and 60C/S have heli-quad antennas.

The Rinos have great appeal since they have

longest battery life (24 hours) when radio is turned off.

The Rino120 has 8meg of ram and about minimum I'd want.

The new Rino130 has 24meg, electronic compass ... if you must.

January 1, 2004

An electronic compass sounds nifty, but I really like carrying my old Stocker & Yale military compass with me. Then again I like analog guages over digital too......

<_<

3.5k · January 1, 2004

To me the compass in itself isn't worth the expense of upgrading. I like carrying my Silva and so far it seems to be doing pretty good for me.

Bret

January 1, 2004

when i do geocaching i wear a real compass all the time. in france, you have to pay for maps and it's pretty difficult to find good 1:25000 (meters) maps for free so i usually don't have a map handy but the compass surely is. the gps can drop dead, break so having a compass will help to walk a straight line when you're in a wood <_< i got a small one that fits in the hand and is inside a platic box, a recta dp2 :

closed :

opened:

it has a mirror below it to target and get a bearing. when you close the box the mirror goes inside of it :wacko:

resistant and small.

January 1, 2004

I'm using a Magellan Sportrak Map GPS and it has a compass... Ya might want to take a look at it...I would think the Pro has one too. Take a look at the PDF manual.

Good luck picking a GPS.

Also I got it on sale at Radio Shack... 169.97 with 30 dollar mail in rebate... So total out of pocket 139.97.

January 1, 2004

I'm using a Magellan Sportrak Map GPS and it has a compass...

The compass in the SportTrak Map is NOT a magnetic compass. It only works when you move. GPSr dead, compass dead........ <_<

January 1, 2004

I use a GPSMAP76S, and I wouldn't want a GPS without a compass. The primary reason isn't to know which way is north, but so that the GPS screens stay aligned, even if I'm turning in circles.

-Bob

9.5k · January 1, 2004

A unit with electronic compass will
cut battery life in half while it is in operation.

Not so. On a 12 mile hike with the compass enabled I had 10 hours runtime.

And what is that mantra every GPS owner has?

Carry extra batteries.

I carry an extra pair for the day I'm out with my GPS. For a weekend, that would be 3 pairs + 1 more pair for good measure. I usually come home with 2 pairs of batteries unused.

Edited January 1, 2004 by TotemLake

9.5k · January 1, 2004

An electronic compass sounds nifty, but I really like carrying my old Stocker & Yale military compass with me. Then again I like analog guages over digital too......

That's the beauty of the MeriPlat. It does look like an analog gauge. It is the true magnetic electronic floating 3-D compass. That's why it needs calibration when the batteries are replaced.

January 1, 2004

I use my Legends map page when I am caching. I set the map to north up all the time, use the goto function and align the GPSsp to north when I am close. Points right to the cache! I use a compass to align the GPSsp with north. So no an electronic compass is not important, but but I am sure it would be nice.

9.2k · January 1, 2004

However, the Magellans have Northfinder, which gives you icons for the sun and/or moon's positions in the sky relative to compass directions...line them up, and you've got your bearing. This only fails you in overcast conditions;

... or if it's around noon, or...

I have to laugh when someone mentions that mickey mouse "Northfinder". <_<

You'll get a far more accurate indication of where north is by just walking in a straight line with your GPS for 10 feet.

And you don't really a Magellan to do the "Northfinder" trick. It's something most Scouts already know. You can do it with any analog wristwatch (or just by drawing a watch on a piece of paper, if you don't have one - your GPS will tell you the time).

On the northern hemisphere: point the hour hand towards the sun, and bisect the angle between it and 12 o'clock, and you get south. If it is past 6 PM or before 6 AM, remember to use the larger angle.

On the southern hemisphere: point 12 o'clock towards the sun and bisect the angle between it and hour hand the same way to get north. For early morning and late afternoon the same angle rule applies as above.

That said, it's foolish to rely on it (or the "Northfinder"), when you can get a good enough compass fairly cheap, and it won't care if the sun's out or not.

Edited January 1, 2004 by Prime Suspect

1.4k · January 1, 2004

And as soon as you stop, the GPS "forget" the direction you have to follow.

I don't know what unit you have, but on mine the arrow is still there, but it won't move like a real compass as I turn around. So you have to be mindful of when the pointer is valid and when you've moved so that it's wrong.

I do find having a magnetic compass handy.

However, a backup external compass for hiking would be a good idea just in case anything happens to the GPS. Having to abort the mission is acceptable, but being able to navigate to safety is required.

5.3k · January 2, 2004

I have to laugh when someone mentions that mickey mouse "Northfinder".

You'll get a far more accurate indication of where north is by just walking in a straight line with your GPS for 10 feet.

Can't argue with much of what you say--and you got me on the time of the day/year when the sun's directly overhead--but I'm like TotemLake on this...convenience is a priority for me. When I had to hold my Venture in one hand, a compass in another hand, and look at the data sheet or PDA in...well, you get the picture.

When my Plat's electronic compass occasionaly flaked out last summer (a problem apparently resolved with the newest firmware), I switched over to GPS compass. Northfinder was definetly helpful. It got me started in the right direction, rather than having to walk 10 feet in the wrong direction to figure out where I should be headed. It allowed the reduction of gear clutter in my hands. I didn't have to figure out where the hour hand of my watch would be pointing if it wasn't a digital display.

Was it a suitable replacement for a stand-alone compass? Not even the electronic compass in my Platinum is that; most of us know that it should be standard practice to carry a backup compass for the times our most convenient directional tools don't work well enough. But the orignal questioner said he was considering a SporTrack, and as one who has found value in the feature, I thought he should know about it. Who knows--maybe if I used it more than I did, I might have a lower opinion of it, too.

Do you have enough opinions yet, Fiend? I think the bottom line is finding your personal blend of accuracy, convenience, and cost. Don't worry too much about which unit you buy; after you learn how to use it you'll know firsthand the features that are and aren't important to you...and your second unit will be the one that fits you best.

1.3k · January 2, 2004

I have a sportrak map, which does not have a compass. I carry a nice compass with me at all times, but have yet to really use it, to actually help me out with something that my gps could not do. I think the built in gps compasses are "neat" especially the magellan 3d ones, but definitely not a requirement. Compasses can be very tiny, so as for space considerations, i dont think that really applies. Anyways, i love my sportrak, its light, and small enough (not like the meriplat, even though i think they are great) and its really not such a big deal to take a step or 2 to get your direction. get the spotrak. :unsure:

4.5k · January 2, 2004

There's a couple of more advantages with on-board magnetic compasses that were not mentioned above (at least with a Garmin Vista). While not necessarily important for caching, they're important for hikers and other who are navigating in general and/or those who use quad maps. You can:

1. Using the "Sight 'N Go" feature, you can visually locate a landmark (like a distant mountain or lake) by aligning the front and rear sight lines on the Vista. (Kind of like you would do with a regular mirror type compass). But the advantage with the Vista, is you then click a switch and you've locked the magnetic bearing line with an accuracy of a few degrees. You then navigate following the pointer arrow to the mountain or lake. You don't even have to remember the degrees as it's stored. Satellite reception is not required; the bearing arrow is always visible.

2. As an alternative, you can estimate the distance to the destination at the time you sighted it in 1 above and project a waypoint. Then follow the bearing arrow to the created mountain waypoint as a destination just as you would a cache. That's helpful as you travel back into woods where you'll lose sight of the mountain.

These features take a regular compass one step further by allowing you to easily sight a bearing, locking its bearing to navigate on and projecting a waypoint as well. You can also see the advantage of these features to be used in conjuciton with UTM quad maps for those who use these. Let's say your map tells you to travel 245 degrees. You start "sight N Go" rotate the Vista until it reads 245 and click the switch locking the magnetic bearing line. Then follow it to the destination. If you've calculated the distance from the map, just project that distance and create a waypoint. Just set the GPS to true north so the maps and GPS match up.

Alan

edit=added info

Edited January 2, 2004 by Alan2

1.3k · January 2, 2004

with a decent compass that has a rotating bearing ring, you can "lock" in a bearing, and it will keep you right on track. Of course, you cant project a waypoint with the compass, but it still works well. :unsure:

9.5k · January 2, 2004

The bottom line, fiend, becomes: What is it that you want your GPS to do for you?

With the myriad opinions here, asking someone to advise you whether or not you need to have an electronic compass gains very subjective perceptions of what is important and what is not.

Realistically, the extra cost of the Meridian Platinum gains you three extra sensors. The barometer, the thermometer, and the compass. The first two help with tracking weather, the compass is a convenience factor that some can do without and others are glad they have it. I use all three, others use only the compass and then others don't care to have it in the first place.

Decide what's important for you and whether or not you can do without the other "conveniences" and go with it. Still undecided with that conundrum? Carry a daytimer sized booklet in one hand with a compass in the other while trying to read both at the same time. If you plan on using a hiking staff, have that out in the open and wear your backpack. Typically, you'll only use the compass once in a while for gaining your bearings. The GPS "North pointer while walking" will probably give you all that you need, but work with pulling the compass out of your pocket every few minutes and then tucking it back in or have it on a lanyard on your backpack strap and walk around in your backyard as if you were hiking and see if this is what you can live with without putting out the extra cost.

Did I do all that? Nope. I recognized early on that I am a klutz. My broken cell phones are proof of this. One device, many functions. This works well for me. It was worth the extra cost. My cell phone? I now keep it in a leather holster (most of the time) now. That helps protect it from me. :unsure:

January 2, 2004

i really like the meridian platinums 3 axis compass as a convenient plus.

but... i only have the non magnetic compass of my sportrak. it is ok while moving, but i won't rely on it as my only compass. i carry my trusty Stocker Yale :unsure: also. some may recognize it as the old military standard lensatic compass. i have spent many a night on a "route", and in unfamiliar territory with a topo and the old crusty trusty... so i rely on it.

the compass on the GPSr to me is an added +.

opinion.

robbie

January 2, 2004

There's a couple of more advantages with on-board magnetic compasses that were not mentioned above (at least with a Garmin Vista). While not necessarily important for caching, they're important for hikers and other who are navigating in general and/or those who use quad maps. You can:

1. Using the "Sight 'N Go" feature, you can visually locate a landmark (like a distant mountain or lake) by aligning the front and rear sight lines on the Vista. (Kind of like you would do with a regular mirror type compass). But the advantage with the Vista, is you then click a switch and you've locked the magnetic bearing line with an accuracy of a few degrees. You then navigate following the pointer arrow to the mountain or lake. You don't even have to remember the degrees as it's stored. Satellite reception is not required; the bearing arrow is always visible.

2. As an alternative, you can estimate the distance to the destination at the time you sighted it in 1 above and project a waypoint. Then follow the bearing arrow to the created mountain waypoint as a destination just as you would a cache. That's helpful as you travel back into woods where you'll lose sight of the mountain.

These features take a regular compass one step further by allowing you to easily sight a bearing, locking its bearing to navigate on and projecting a waypoint as well. You can also see the advantage of these features to be used in conjuciton with UTM quad maps for those who use these. Let's say your map tells you to travel 245 degrees. You start "sight N Go" rotate the Vista until it reads 245 and click the switch locking the magnetic bearing line. Then follow it to the destination. If you've calculated the distance from the map, just project that distance and create a waypoint. Just set the GPS to true north so the maps and GPS match up.

Alan

edit=added info

Alan2 has the best analysis so far.

In addition an electronic GPSr will automatically know what declination to adjust for if you go to diffrent parts of the country and although I have a nice silva and use it, I usually forget to bring my declination map when I travel. Even if I did bring the map, they are pretty crude.

Also for cache hunting if you rely on a GPS compass bearing you never know when it loses signal and is trying to update. At least If I enter a bad coverage area and lose signal, with a electronic compass I have at least walked straight over caches many times.

January 3, 2004

I'm using a Magellan Sportrak Map GPS and it has a compass...

The compass in the SportTrak Map is NOT a magnetic compass. It only works when you move. GPSr dead, compass dead........

Your right about that. But you can change the settings to read (True North, Grid North or Magnetic North)....

Sorry if I was miss leading you, I'm new to the sport. Didn't realize you wanted a real magnetic compass.

January 3, 2004

I use the gpsmap76S and find the compass a little too sensitive and off compared to my hand held on known points I've found.

So I find it easier to take out the handheld and leave the electronic one off.

I belileve it doesn't change any of the funtions while navigateing, those are from the sat's.

JIm

How Important Is A Built-in 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

Link to comment

Link to comment

Join the conversation