... and how well does it work? I really like the idea of having a compass on a G-Shock but do they work reliably and well, from a car for example? I've heard they work better outside, 'in the wilderness'.
JohnM
MOST compasses aren't going to work in a car, surrounded by large chunks of metal -- and the compasses in G-Shocks are no exception. They work best when they're away from large pieces of metal (like cars and buildings) and away from electrical fields (as also found in buildings and cars.)
In the ancient days of paper maps (long before GPS and smartphones) there were relatively inexpensive "stick on" car compasses for dashboards that didn't work particularly well. There were also higher priced versions that allowed the car owner to turn a couple of small adjustment screws until the compass was properly adjusted to work inside that particular car's magnetic field -- but the compass had to be mounted TO the vehicle for it to work properly, since moving the compass a few feet across the dashboard could throw off those adjustments. When people sold their cars, if they took their compass out and put it in the new car, the compass had to be re-calibrated.
From every thread I've seen around here, most G-Shock compasses are RELATIVELY accurate outdoors and able to find "north" within a few degrees. That's probably okay if you're standing at a crossroads on a cloudy day, wondering which way is east, but they're NOT considered accurate enough for hard-core orienteering or if you need to to find an exact azimuth of 263 degrees.
Current Casio models with a compass include the G- and GW-9300 Mudman, the GW-9400 Rangeman, and virtually every Pro Trek or Pathfinder model. Pro Treks/Pathfinders also usually include altimeter, barometer and thermometer features as well. Pro Treks may not be QUITE as tough as G-Shocks, but they can probably handle 90% of the abuse and still function perfectly -- their minor Achilles' heel are usually metal bezels which will show signs of minor dings and scrapes that a resin G-Shock bezel wouldn't show.
In the ancient days of paper maps (long before GPS and smartphones) there were relatively inexpensive "stick on" car compasses for dashboards that didn't work particularly well. There were also higher priced versions that allowed the car owner to turn a couple of small adjustment screws until the compass was properly adjusted to work inside that particular car's magnetic field -- but the compass had to be mounted TO the vehicle for it to work properly, since moving the compass a few feet across the dashboard could throw off those adjustments. When people sold their cars, if they took their compass out and put it in the new car, the compass had to be re-calibrated.
From every thread I've seen around here, most G-Shock compasses are RELATIVELY accurate outdoors and able to find "north" within a few degrees. That's probably okay if you're standing at a crossroads on a cloudy day, wondering which way is east, but they're NOT considered accurate enough for hard-core orienteering or if you need to to find an exact azimuth of 263 degrees.
Current Casio models with a compass include the G- and GW-9300 Mudman, the GW-9400 Rangeman, and virtually every Pro Trek or Pathfinder model. Pro Treks/Pathfinders also usually include altimeter, barometer and thermometer features as well. Pro Treks may not be QUITE as tough as G-Shocks, but they can probably handle 90% of the abuse and still function perfectly -- their minor Achilles' heel are usually metal bezels which will show signs of minor dings and scrapes that a resin G-Shock bezel wouldn't show.
No a compass will not work in a car IMO.
The best non G-Shock, Pathfinder, Pro Trek, Casio I've found is the SGW-100. It uses the outer ring for the compass pointer, has a tough as nails case, has mineral glass crystal, plus big digits, and 200m WR. The EL lights up the digits only and not the whole display so as not to mess up your night vision. It can be had in resin strap or fabric strap versions. There are even models now that use multi colored cases and negative lcds. All that for around $50.
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The best non G-Shock, Pathfinder, Pro Trek, Casio I've found is the SGW-100. It uses the outer ring for the compass pointer, has a tough as nails case, has mineral glass crystal, plus big digits, and 200m WR. The EL lights up the digits only and not the whole display so as not to mess up your night vision. It can be had in resin strap or fabric strap versions. There are even models now that use multi colored cases and negative lcds. All that for around $50.
I have one of these with the green case and green fabric strap. The display is very crisp with a lot of contrast. It's probably among the best displays on any of my digital watches. I like the blue and green tinted areas too.
rocat, what is it about some of these older models that you like the most (e.g,. PAG-80, SGW-100)? Is it the fact that they're trimmer and less bulky, as well as reasonably priced? Regarding the compass function specifically, my understanding is that the newer models allow for 60 rather than 20 seconds of continuous compass use, as well as quicker initial response time.
People love different models for all kinds of reasons. A lot of people at this forum absolutely adore the "classic square" G-Shocks, which probably puzzles many Casio engineers and salespeople all over the world as Casio makes newer and shinier models.
One of the nicest things about the SGW-100 (which I don't own) is that it's EXTREMELY affordable compared to most G-Shocks that feature a compass and compared to every Pro Trek/Pathfinder. From pictures on this forum, it also appears to be smaller than most offerings from the "outdoorsy" Pro Trek line.
One of the nice things about the PAG-80 (I own the solar/atomic version) is that it has an ENORMOUS display and it's easy to tell time at a glance. Rocat's fabric strap is also evidence that a lot of older Casios are more "customizable" because there are other, similar models that feature interchangeable parts.
However, the PAG-80 is NOT "trimmer and less bulky" when compared to other watches! Casio has apparently made an effort to make some of their newer Pro Treks slimmer and smaller in size, because some of their earliest ones don't fit that well under shirt or jacket sleeves. The PAG-80 looks enormous on paper, with some of the largest dimensions on Casio's website, but as often happens that's because of the way Casio measures their watches -- but even measured normally it's still a big watch! (I like mine a lot, but have trouble wearing it with some winter coat sleeves.)
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PAW-1100 left (uses same case as PAG-80), MTG-900 middle, "normal" sized square GW-5600J right.
60 seconds of compass functionality also sounds good on paper, but does anybody actually NEED that much time to take a compass reading?! Casio is understandably proud of the fact that their new version 3.0 sensors are more accurate, faster, and use less battery power, but a full minute is a long time to be staring at a compass, especially when it's an electronic one and there's no need to wait for a mechanical needle to stop swinging back and forth.
One of the nicest things about the SGW-100 (which I don't own) is that it's EXTREMELY affordable compared to most G-Shocks that feature a compass and compared to every Pro Trek/Pathfinder. From pictures on this forum, it also appears to be smaller than most offerings from the "outdoorsy" Pro Trek line.
One of the nice things about the PAG-80 (I own the solar/atomic version) is that it has an ENORMOUS display and it's easy to tell time at a glance. Rocat's fabric strap is also evidence that a lot of older Casios are more "customizable" because there are other, similar models that feature interchangeable parts.
However, the PAG-80 is NOT "trimmer and less bulky" when compared to other watches! Casio has apparently made an effort to make some of their newer Pro Treks slimmer and smaller in size, because some of their earliest ones don't fit that well under shirt or jacket sleeves. The PAG-80 looks enormous on paper, with some of the largest dimensions on Casio's website, but as often happens that's because of the way Casio measures their watches -- but even measured normally it's still a big watch! (I like mine a lot, but have trouble wearing it with some winter coat sleeves.)
PAW-1100 left (uses same case as PAG-80), MTG-900 middle, "normal" sized square GW-5600J right.
60 seconds of compass functionality also sounds good on paper, but does anybody actually NEED that much time to take a compass reading?! Casio is understandably proud of the fact that their new version 3.0 sensors are more accurate, faster, and use less battery power, but a full minute is a long time to be staring at a compass, especially when it's an electronic one and there's no need to wait for a mechanical needle to stop swinging back and forth.
Let's not forget about some other models that have compasses like the Gulfmaster, Mudmaster, and others not normally thought of maybe as having a compass such as the GW-A1100 Aviator...
The cool thing (to me) about ana-digi models like the Gulfmaster and Mudmaster is that in compass mode, the second hand becomes the compass pointer, and the little digital window shows direction, and degrees. (such as "WSW 240") I think that's pretty cool!! Even though, I personally have not used my compasses on those watches since I have not needed it. ;-)
The cool thing (to me) about ana-digi models like the Gulfmaster and Mudmaster is that in compass mode, the second hand becomes the compass pointer, and the little digital window shows direction, and degrees. (such as "WSW 240") I think that's pretty cool!! Even though, I personally have not used my compasses on those watches since I have not needed it. ;-)
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