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Re: [pct-l] altimeter watch- is it worth taking?



At 5:09 PM -0800 2/10/2000, PCT-L Guest Post wrote:
>* Message posted to PCT-L from the National Scenic Trails Website
>* by our guest vivek aggarwal <vivek1111@hotmail.com>.
>* Please use <mailto:vivek1111@hotmail.com> to reply to the sender.
>
>I'm thinking of purchasing a Suunto altimeter watch, <

<REMEMBER:  SNIP--  NO BARFBACK HERE>

No. To be brief and concise.  I have used an Avocet altimeter watch for
over 4 years and before that a nice $50 altimeter.  The 3rd dimension
is nice, sometimes essential in navigation-- if  I know I am on a certain
contour line +- 100 feet I can feel more confident in navigating.

Now- for the %^$^#$^%  altimeter watches... it has so many cool
features it becomes a chore to use and a royal pain.. What do you
really need/like? Temp, time, direction, and altitude?  Well my little .05 oz
thermometer +- 5 deg is great; my timex ironman keeps on ticking,
and my good altimeter keeps on altimt'iting! And my compass is fine.

The Avocet and Suunto are pieces of high-tech uncompleted poorly
engineered unreliable junk IMO!  My Suunto leaked and they replaced that
3 times before I got my money back.. The Avocet went to the shop
and/or exchanged 9 (yes, nine!) times before I got my money back.

These watches try to do to much. Another example, altitude determination
requires thermal compensation of the mechanism..this is "easy" in
an hand-held unit..there is a bimetallic strip.... but electronically
it is a lot more complex and hence prone to larger errors and requires
daily (if not 2-3 x) recalibration for reliable accuracy. (Read the fine
print of the manual!!)

I rate myself an expert on these watches now, as well as being a graduate
practicing engineer I loath the day I got "suckered" into laying down
my hard-earned cash for these things! The reliability of the Avocet
chip is terrible.

Not being too biased, I give them both a "Consumer's Report"
worst-buy/don't-buy
rating.

The $50 altimter is now $70 I think; granted it is inconvenient to keep pulling
out-- but keeping it as one of the few items I put in my fanny pack (others
include lip balm, sun screen, insect repellent, compass) it is not too
difficult to reach
whilst walking.

--Rich Calliger





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