Spilts/altimeter watch

[graeme]

After four new straps and three new units my casio splits watch has finally died. Does anyone know what you can get nowadays that will record 30+ splits, keep the mist out and act as an altimeter too, preferably not weighing a ton?

Graeme

[Adventure Racer]

My Polar S710i does - though I suspect that may be a little more expensive than you were after

[chepls]

try the polar rs800 it will even tell how fast your running

[Neil M35]

I have a working Casio I could sell you - less than half the price of a Polar rs800.

[tokoloshe]

Try Casio STR -800. No altimeter but with the ability to record splits over a number of runs. It even has much larger numbers for the hard of hearing.

[Marco Polo]

It even has much larger numbers for the hard of hearing.

[m4rk]

is one allowed to use an altimeter whilst orienteering? does that not count as a navigational aid?

[graeme]

You are not allowed to use an altimeter while orienteering (rule 7.1.7). You can use them in most Mountain Marathons and fell races.

[tokoloshe]

In almost all orienteering terrain I cannot imagine that the use of an altimeter would be much help. Most O maps use contours to show the shape of the land not to accurately plot lines of equal height, so even if the map showed you had to climb 200m (and how long would it take to count them) it would probably be between 180 and 220. Hardly going to be faster than using other features.

[Adventure Racer]

Would be helpful on a contouring leg (that's the sort of thing where it's very useful in the mountains), assuming the map isn't totally rubbish.

[candyman]

as long as the altimeter is accurate enough, even if your height is out by 5 metres that could put you a long way from where you want to be, oh and as long as the atmospheric pressure isn't dropping or rising...

If I was racing against somebody who had an altimeter I would be more than happy for them to use it because its only going to distract them from concentrating on what they really should be looking at - the map.

[Adventure Racer]

oh and as long as the atmospheric pressure isn't dropping or rising...

Do you often find fronts come through whilst you're on a leg on an orienteering course?

From what I've seen with the altimeter I have I'd trust it to put me within 2m vertically at the end of a 5 minute contouring leg in normal conditions - that's actually better accuracy than I think you'd get from most maps. Certainly from experience of using one in the hills it's not a huge distraction from the map - no more so than the requirement not to run into trees.

[candyman]

I can only talk form personal experience, I have an altimeter on a hrm (the type this discussion is talking about) and when running loops it will often show a variation of metres in the start point each time even when there isn't a front coming through.

Granted there may be better quality altimeters around but I don't have any experience with them.

In any case I still stand by my second statement, perhaps with a caveat that I am talking about elite level orienteering. Its possible to become World Champion without using a compass and an altimeter would certainly be less useful and more distracting.

[graeme]

I have an altimeter on a hrm (the type this discussion is talking about).

I started the thread hoping for advice on an altimeter without a HRM.

With my old casio altimeter, I found what AR says to be correct - accurate to a couple of meters and stable against weather for hours. BUT ... it did take about 20 seconds to settle so would be useless for orienteering.

Graeme

[candyman]

yep well, i have the same polar as mentioned above S710i, I get good info on climb etc from training runs and it also can be linked up with a bike if you ride to do speed, distance etc. Its not cheap though...