subject: Exactly How Exact Are Your Watch Altimeter Functions? [print this page] The watch altimeter you wear on your wrist can be an extremely valuable thing to have around when walking in the woods. If you're on a hiking trip her up in the mountains this device can turn out to be a lifesaver. Although it is not something you want to do a science experiment with, it is accurate enough for the purposes of the active sports recreation enthusiast.
It is very important that you take the time to understand the functionality of your watch if you're that far away from civilization. Your safety is online when you have no tether to the Internet or ability to call out. Therefore, it is a good idea to have a backup plan and your watch in this case can supply you with tons of useful information that could actually save your bacon.
The watch altimeter functionality is just one of the many things that will be at your disposal if you get a device like this. It's almost unbelievable with a little sensors they put in watches can do.
What I would like to do on this piece is just going to will more detail on functions these watches have and how accurate they really are:
Barometer/Altimeter - the barometer is the brains of the altimeter part of the watch. This is because the altimeter needs outside air pressure information to be able to correlate that with height above sea level. So, the barometer on your watch needs to be very accurate.
Temperature readout - this function is usually accurate to within several degrees Fahrenheit.
Directional indicator - this function is based on magnetic north and it has its own device to pick up on where magnetic north is. Keep in mind that is very difficult to completely shield device like this. So, it is likely that interference will be caused by things in the normal hiking environment. It is also difficult to read unless you really know what you're doing.
You must be holding the compass steady and flat in order to get a good reading. If it's around any metal containing iron it's going to point to that metal rather than the magnetic direction. Also, you have to turn these functions on and off because the drain the battery very quickly. And, they display the last compass direction that was shown - so if you're not watching yourself you could end up thinking you going in the last direction, not the direction you are intending to go in at the moment.
The only sensor that you can recalibrate is the altimeter. And, that's one you got to do quite frequently. The compass though can be reset as well, you just need to do that when you change the batteries.
All in all, watch altimeter devices can be a tremendous asset to on the trail. But you got to take the time to understand how they work. The way you do that is by reading the owner's manual and getting familiar with the data that them.
