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GPS
 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead

Seeing some pics on one of the other threads I noticed some of you out there use GPS. Anyone have any recommendations on GPS devices to buy.... ?

Key uses will be to a) track distance travelled in the day. b) be able to plot routes completed on such things as google earth ( as that looked pretty neat ) c) measure speed etc. thou I understand that the device will need to take into account the 3D slope variations to do this properly... is this possible ?

Any suggestions or recommendations welcome... but bear in mind, I will be looking at the most economical solution !
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person

The Navman A300 is one I have been looking at which seems to fit the bill.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I'm a total newbie when it comes to Skiing - but when it comes to GPS that's a different story Very Happy

To be honest any GPSr you purchase new now is going to do everything that you state above - that is tracking distance, uploading routes/tracks/waypoints to your computer, speed measurement etc. Also I don't think there's any but the very most primitive devices that won't record your height - as long as you have 3+ satellites tracking you you'll get a 3D position fix. You can even look at graphs over specified time limits of your height.

I personally have a Magellan Sportrack Colour which is very good - colour screen, waterproof (and floats), very break resisitant (though have a tight mobile phone style case for it to protect it further and so I can clip it to my 'sack). It measures everything you could ever want - has an electronic compass (not something to get too reliant on), barometer and a thousand more things such as mapping of most of Europe built in (a basic major road mapping - you can get more detailed maps on the various CDs for your computer to upload - quite co$tly though)


Looking at the current market the Garmin units seem to be pretty hot, and they're the market leaders. They're all outdoor recreation specific so anything you buy is going to fit the bill - take a look at www.globalpositioningsystems.co.uk - that's where I got mine from and they're prompt and efficient, have a great choice too.
Some of the better units have slots for memory cards so you can fit in tons of mapping and colour screens - but to be honest its probably more than you need.

For skiing I fancy the idea of the wrist mounted units you can get (Garmin I think)

Hope this helps - to sum up I reckon if you spent no more than £100 I think you'd get something pretty cool. Just watch out for the various hobbies that tend to follow on from buying a GPSr, like geocaching and trigpointing......

Eddyr snowHead
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eddyr, so do GPS give you speed corrected for altitude change? I kind of think they must, but cannot find any definitive statement on the internet. Anyone who flys fancy checking what speed a GPS gives them in a vertical dive?
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Something I guess i'd have to try (perhaps take it parachuting!!)

I would be very surprised if it was not the case - in fact definately it will correct your speed - the GPS will measure how far you are moving each time it communicates with the satellites - therefore if you are going up or downhill your speed will change accordingly and it should change too

Dropping vertically I would think it would just tell you that you're going 0mph but your altitude is dropping. hmmmmmm that's getting me thinking. Are you asking would it tell you your speed if you were dropping vertically??

At any rate I think that is kind of irrelavant, in any real world scenarios (that is what the average skiier may be doing) its going to give a pretty accurate speed measurement. Just watch you don't run into a rock while you're too busy squinting at the screen trying to see your live speed!!
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You'll need to Register first of course.

fragglerock, I am also unsure of this. THe instantanious readout prob. just goes on lat/long to keep it simple (I use a Garmin etrex Vista C) but as this has a barometric feature, they may have improved other areas of the software. OTOH they may not. The manual and website give no further clues.
If you are analysing the data later, you can extract the lat/long (or any other grid system), time and altitude and do the calcs yourself.
THis was discussed on a USENET group last year, with the reasoning that at most skier gradients, the error would be small - a 20 degree slope will be 1.06 times as long as the horizontal measure.

Only skydivers need to worry Skullie
eddyr, my Garmin records trackpoints when standing still but the barometer is changing (as it autocalibrates barometric alt. to GPS alt.) but when this data is in 'Mapsource' (Garmins PC based application) ot shows 0 m and thus 0 m/s for each leg, even though rate of change is >1m/s :

4 29/10/2005 07:22:39 1572 m 0 m 0:02:48 0 kph 0° true
5 29/10/2005 07:25:27 1576 m 0 m 0:00:03 0 kph 0° true
6 29/10/2005 07:25:30 1580 m 0 m 0:00:03 0 kph 0° true
7 29/10/2005 07:25:33 1583 m 0 m 0:00:03 0 kph 0° true
8 29/10/2005 07:25:36 1588 m 0 m 0:00:02 0 kph 0° true
9 29/10/2005 07:25:38 1592 m 0 m 0:00:03 0 kph 0° true
10 29/10/2005 07:25:41 1594 m 0 m 0:00:03 0 kph 0° true
11 29/10/2005 07:25:44 1599 m 0 m 0:00:02 0 kph 0° true
12 29/10/2005 07:25:46 1604 m 0 m 0:00:02 0 kph 0° true
13 29/10/2005 07:25:48 1607 m 0 m 0:00:02 0 kph 0° true
14 29/10/2005 07:25:50 1610 m 0 m 0:00:01 0 kph 0° true
15 29/10/2005 07:25:51 1614 m 0 m 0:00:02 0 kph 0° true
16 29/10/2005 07:25:53 1618 m 0 m 0:00:02 0 kph 0° true

I must now try an interactive 'virtual skydive' by missetting the barometric alt and watching the real time readings as it corrects.
(tomorrow now as I must go to bed)

Garmin's Mapsource programmers are probably a differnet team to the unit firmware team so this essentially proves only the mapsource software is 'wrong'
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Oh God, Anorak thread..... I'll leave you boys to it. rolling eyes
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!

eddyr wrote:

Looking at the current market the Garmin units seem to be pretty hot, and they're the market leaders. They're all outdoor recreation specific so anything you buy is going to fit the bill - take a look at www.globalpositioningsystems.co.uk - that's where I got mine from and they're prompt and efficient, have a great choice too


Second that recommendation - good advice if you call too. aj xx
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 You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.

Hmmmm This looked too cheap to be true... any ideas?
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads

Mine (yellow etrex) was only £5 more than that and so far has done exactly what it says on the tin - they are a very cheap site Toofy Grin
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Just to add my bit, I have had the Garmin Vista since they came out. I have used it on the slopes and it is not very accurate for speed which I think is caused by poor view of satellites. I have been looking for a holster that I can mount at shoulder level but one that will release easily, the geocaching guys mount them on their hats rolling eyes Download the track to a PC with mapware and it makes intersting viewing Cool
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.

Dypcdiver wrote:
Just to add my bit, I have had the Garmin Vista since they came out. I have used it on the slopes and it is not very accurate for speed which I think is caused by poor view of satellites. I have been looking for a holster that I can mount at shoulder level but one that will release easily, the geocaching guys mount them on their hats :roll: Download the track to a PC with mapware and it makes intersting viewing 8)


I have had the etrex and currently have a Gecko 201. I would go for one with a computer interface which these both have. The 201 is just a bit more expensive than the etrex but has a better memory. The big thing the Etrex has going for it is you can use 2600mha NiMH batteries. Batteries really suffer in the cold and you need to insultate your GPS as best you can.

Here is what I thought of them:-
http://pistehors.com/backcountry/wiki/Gear/Global-Positioning-System
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much

Dypcdiver, See below link for what I use - If you're wearing a rucksack it clips nicely on the strap. Sure theres something similar for you Garmin folk!

http://www.globalpositioningsystems.co.uk/magellan-carrying-case-with-belt-clip-description.html
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