Download Electronic Compass App ((FREE))

The electronic compass in my K-70 and K-1, and the "level' indicator in live vew are good tools for locating targets in astrphotography. For the object I want to image, I find the current azimuth and altitude using Stellarium, and then watch the electronic compass as I crank the camera around to that azimuth. I calibrate the altitude by leveling the cam in live view, and noting what the gear head dial reads. The gear head dial has markings every 5 degrees. So, say that when the camera says it is level, the gear head reads about -2 degrees. Suppose my target's altitude is 50 degrees currently, I raise the camera until the dial shows 48 degrees. With this approach, I usually find that the object of interest is within 2 degrees of the center of view, which for focal lengths up to 300 mm mean that it is within the FOV.

Here's where the problems occur. I take an exposure (using Astrotracer), and then inspect the image. After I do this, on both the K-70 and the K-1, the icon for electronic compass is gone, and I can't do anything to get it back. This is the double click on the info button, that shows what can be displayed. The EC choice is missing.

Download Electronic Compass App

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That's my question, but two other things bug me. The camera knows the altitude it is pointing at; why doesn't it display that somewhere that I could use it? It's in the Exif as 'pitch angle', but I had to use an exif extraction tool to find it. The compass view should show that. Or at least the 'shooting info' tab in DCU.

I know that the determination of the north direction in the normal Edge 1030 is done by GPS and forward movement.

But how can the 1030 PLUS determine the north direction even when standing still? It is not a magnetic compass, but an "electronic" compass. Can anyone enlighten me?

Thank you!

When you are stopped and rotate the GPS unit around the maps will shift to show the proper orientation. Much better than the 1030 which did not have this compass and the maps would freeze in whatever orientation you had been travelling before stopping which can make it hard to figure out which direction to go when starting again.

I am considering buying a Garmin etrex Vista HCx, or a Venture HC, The Vista has a barometric altimeter, electronic compass, are those important for Geocaching, cause that's all I will be doing. Is this overkill, or would the Venture HC find caches just as well.

An altimeter would be overkill for geocaching if you do not go climbing real mountains. A compass is helpful in many cases for taking bearings and locating the cache. I prefer the oldfashioned magnetic needle compass though.

I've cached with and without electronic compasses. I regard it as a nice, useful feature, but not one worth paying a lot of money for--you can get along without it just fine. (My entirely subjective valuation is that I'd go another $20-30 higher, but not much more).

Can you afford the little bit extra that the barometric altimeter and GPS compass cost? The altimiter is the interesting feature I don't place a lot of monetary value on, but it comes with the compass. A GPS onboard compass and an "oldfashioned magnetic needle compass" do different jobs for me. Because I have a GPS compass, and made the effort to learn what it is, and is not capable of, I like it. I don't use it often. It is usually turned off. But I recognize those circumstances when it will do for me what a magnetic needle compass can not.

Being new to this...I'm glad I bought one with a compass. It has helped me...lack for better terms but triangulate on a location. To me it's nice to get to the location, pop up the compass and walk to the cache.

I really like having the compass. Yes, you may have to hold it level for it to work correctly, and yes, you may have to calibrate it every time you swap batteries. Every time we go out I'm glad I've got the compass, and I can't remember ever wishing I didn't. Sometimes it's very helpful to set the GPSr down on something, let it sit a few minutes - and that exercise is completely useless if it doesn't know what direction north is. Your mileage may vary.

I like the compass mostly for the fact that I can stop and show people the map page and there doesn't seem to be as much jumping around. It's easy enough to pin a compass on the gps lanyard though, I hang one around my neck much of the time. I do it so in case my gps fails, I can go in one direction till I hit a known road or trail.

Exactly! This is the best reason to have a GPS with a built-in compass. I didn't realize what a difference it made until I stopped using my old Garmin Legend and became using my G1 phone to cache. The phone has a compass built-in, the Legend does not. No compass means no readings unless you are moving.. not moving around, but moving forward. The accuracy difference is definitely worth it. I would never buy another GPSr without a compass.

I could'nt agree more,I gave up the compass when I bought the Legend HCx to replace the Summit(non h series)In my short time at this numerous times now I've hit bush where you just can't move fast enough

laps untill your confident again.....its a pain for sure.The compass isn't incredibly accurate they say,but if it keeps you moving in heavy bush untill your in the search zone.......worth every penny to me!!My next upgrade will have the compass again for sure.

All had the electronic compass, were high sensitivity units and had varying degrees of features that I liked. Other than poor reception on the old eTrex Legend the lack of a compass to take bearings to the cache when standing still was the biggest dislike (paperless features of course are important too, but trying to be apples to apples as much as possible).

If I had it to do again after more research here I'd have gone with the Oregon series,no doubt about it.I jumped to soon.Knowing what I know now...paperless is huge! as is the compass.I guess the real problem

I realise this forum is hosted primarily for geocaching purposes, but don't forget that geocaching is not the ONLY reason people buy GPSrs. For me, geocaching is an occasional diversion, not my main use. I currently have a Summit HC (which has the compass and barometric altimeter), which serves me fine - I don't need auto-routing (I use a car sat-nav for that), but I must admit I would like removable memory card feature so I could pre-load more maps for each trip, but that is another issue.

The reason I will never buy a GPSr without a compass is because I use it for navigating in some pretty rugged country. Some of the places I go (deep rain-forest for example), there are no reliable permanent tracks, you can't see your destination (except every once in a while when you get to a ridge or clearing), and you can't move quickly enough to get a reliable bearing using the GPS pseudo-compass. I really find the compass and altimeter calibration "issue" is not a problem at all, and all I have to do is stand still and hold the GPSr horizontal, and Voil! I know which way I need to keep moving to make real progress to my destination. I find the compass is reliable to at least 5 degrees in even the most challenging conditions, and I can get repeatability of 1 or 2 degrees if / when I need to shoot a more accurate bearing.

Yes, I can also do the same thing using paper map and conventional compass (and I do carry both when I am off the beaten track - maps and compasses still work when your last pair of batteries go flat!), but it is truly simpler and quicker for me than conventional map-and-compass navigation. ff782bc1db