Altimeters (revisited)

[grandpa]

Originally, I posted on the newbies forum as I fit into that category, and having read the discussion a while back on altimeters, didn't see anything about mechanical altimeters, so am posing the question here also:

 

Of all the altimeters (watches, fobs and so on) available, do any of you have any particular + or - opinions that you'd care to share?

 

Are the electronic ones any good? Mechanical better or worse? I'm looking for "whiteout conditions" type usage. would you suppose that a GPS (60CSx) as good as any other gadget in this regard?

 

thanks,

 

Dave

[mike1]

I bought an Avocet watch more than 10 years ago and I still like it very much. I have to send it in every couple years to get new batteries, but they also re-calibrate it and they have been generous about replacing other worn and broken parts. I use the barometer function quite a bit as well which you typically wont get with a GPS. IMO you get a good altimeter and are a good navigator/planner with a map and compass and you can leave the extra weight of a GPS at home.

[genepires]

I have never use a gps but I remember seeing one that had a built in barometer with the GPS so that you could do weather predictions as far as seeing the pressure change even if you are ascending/descending.

 

If you can figure out the gps, I would bet that it is a superior device to compass and altimeter in a white out. I usually try to avoid that condition though so I have never needed a gps. Using all of the tools (map/compass, altimeter and a gps)and knowing how to use it (really use it not just book know how) would be the best option as it is all options.

[Mtguide]

I'd second that idea on being competent with all methods; and in my own experience, there are times when knowledge of the map, combined with compass and altimeter, have actually given a better working sense of where you are than just a GPS reading.

 

I'm probably somewhat predjudiced on the side of map,compass and altimeter simply because I learned that method as a kid in the Boy Scouts, and began climbing many years before GPS ever came along. However, GPS has now been cleared by the military to a much higher degree of accuracy than was originally allowed. It used to only be good to within around 200 or 300 yds for civilian use, a pretty significant margin of error, not really acceptable in a serious blizzard whiteout on dangerous terrain. At that time, I wasn't too impressed. Now it's about 5 to 10 feet,or even closer, much more workable.

 

In any event, it can be vital to have that "sense of where you are" in three dimensions, not just as waypoints along a course of travel, and that's where your altimeter, your ability with the compass,and your own understanding of the topography, can save you a lot of grief in a grim situation. Little techniques like knowing how to navigate around an obstacle by departing from your compass bearing at a right angle to your course of travel, and then return to the original bearing,are quite a bit simpler and faster with a compass.

[grandpa]

I'd second that idea on being competent with all methods; ...

 

...In any event, it can be vital to have that "sense of where you are" in three dimensions, not just as waypoints along a course of travel, and that's where your altimeter, your ability with the compass,and your own understanding of the topography, can save you a lot of grief in a grim situation.

 

 

And I do want to avoid the "grim situation" next summer, but want also to be prepared as much as I can if it occurs.

 

And this brings me back to the original question - which, if any, of the current crop of altimeters are you most satisfied with, and why? Which are to be avoided (and why)? Do the mechanical ones offer any advantages, or are they merely "old school" now and have been sucessfully replaced by the electronic age?

 

Thanks all for the comments so far,

 

Dave

 

[genepires]

I think the mechanical ones are more accurate. (as of 8 years ago when I last looked at that) Maybe that has changed. But I think the weight and bulk of the mechanical ones don't make the difference in accuracy worth it. I have a suunto one from a long time ago and it has performed well. The newer ones are undoubtably better. I think there was a thread about this previously that would be good to search for. lots of opinions on it.

 

Just a thought for others who may be looking at this thread. Maps and compass/altimeter get you up a route and a gps will get you down the route. Unless you have a waypoint list to follow,(from someone previously going up the same route) I don't think it is easy to make them up from a map, hence the need for a more primitive method for direction.

[grandpa]

...I think there was a thread about this previously that would be good to search for....

 

Yes, there was, and I looked into it for a few pages, but didn't see anything about mechanical altimeters. I also wondered if they are heavier than the electronic counterparts, but they also don't need batteries nor to their faces go bad in the cold.

 

I'm looking to buy one before this coming summer, and am starting my research here, now.

 

thanks all,

 

Dave

[ScaredSilly]

The watch altimeters are okay as are the compasses on them. But for precision and accuracy nothing beats a good analog compass and altimeter along with a map. They do not have batteries and rarely fail. Much rather use them for the most part. GPS do have their place - like finding your vehicle that is down in a desert wash.