For an eTrex Vista HCx, you can set it up to either run in "Auto
Calibration" mode or "Barometer" mode. In auto calibration, it uses
GPS measurements to periodically recalibrate the elevation that is
read from the barometer. According to Garmin's website, this setting
gives you the greatest degre
For the reasons Leslie noted, the Garmin units like the 205 or the older
etrex Legend that just use GPS to measure altitude changes work quite
terribly; I have seen errors by as much as a factor of 2. On the other hand,
the units (like the 705) that have the barometric altimeter seem to be
roughly
My legs are generally able to give me a good overall indication of the amount
of climbing done on a given ride. In fact, there are times when they detect the
minutest changes in upgrade well before the Garmin 705 kicks in... :)
From: Leslie
While it's true t
On Feb 15, 4:32 pm, Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery
wrote:
> GPS should record elevation changes more accurately, and both GPS and
> cycle computers should record distance traveled more accurately than
> mapping software does. In the old days (10-15 years ago), GPS
> elevation measurements were suspe
On Mon, Feb 15, 2010 at 4:32 PM, Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery
wrote:
> I always figured it was the other way around. Web-based mapping will
> not count climbing (or the non-horizontal component of distance
> traveled) because of the coarseness of digital elevation maps. For
> example, if the topo
I always figured it was the other way around. Web-based mapping will
not count climbing (or the non-horizontal component of distance
traveled) because of the coarseness of digital elevation maps. For
example, if the topo model has 10-foot contour intervals, how does the
mapping software deal with a
