Another Battery Question

[+Mastifflover]

I know, I know another battery question.. Just wondering though, when my batteries are low in my Legend my accuracy seems to suffer. Is this my imagination? Should I change my batteries before the low battery indicator comes on or am I just wasting them by doing so?

[+CYBret]

Not your imagination...it can happen. Keep 'em fresh.

 

Bret

[+Mastifflover]

Thanks I thought so. I have been at a cache site and doing the infamous gps dance you know 10 feet forward, 10 feet back, 10 feet left etc. Changed batteries and tada gps took me right to the cache.

[+clearpath]

I use a Vista and sometimes when the batteries show 50% then my unit will freeze (hey, thats not what I meant). For some reason, when the batteries get low, my unit just stops working (dang it, thats not what I meant). Seriously, I once bought an (8) pack of batteries (I forget the brand) and that caused my GPS to 'freeze' during navigation. I eventually bought new batteries and they seem to work much better.

Edited January 26, 2004 by clearpath

[GeoWorms]

We use a Garmin eMap, and we've had the same experience. I carry fresh batteries with me because of this. If we get to the site and the GPS won't settle down (and the sky is relatively clear) I'll pop my fresh batteries in irregardless of what the indicator says about them. Often (but not always) this fixes the reception issue.

 

P.S. Doesn't it drive you crazy when people say "irregardless"?

[+Lazyboy & Mitey Mite]

You think it makes a difference? Maybe it does, I never considered it. I was at a cache today with really low batteries, like less than 10% left, and it took me directly to it.

[+fivegallon]

We did 4 caches today,as we were logging the fourth,the alarm on the GPS started showing low batt(very low for the alarm to come on!).It had us right on top of the cache in it's low-batt state.

[Prof. Y. Lupardi]

[...] I have been at a cache site and doing the infamous gps dance you know 10 feet forward, 10 feet back, 10 feet left etc. [...]

Yes, I also have observed once this strange ritual.

A nice example of VOODOO TECHNOLOGY.

 

I think that many geocachers not really knowing how their GPS (and laws of physics and mathematics) works, are in the same position as those natives doing the Cargo cult.

[+radioscout]

Normally this should not happen because any GPSr should have an internal voltage regulator but I had this problem. I ignored the low battery warning and after about 30 minutes the koordinates were very inaccurate.