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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Good morning, Casey,</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> <o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">I carried an altimeter for all of
the Oregon and Washington portions of the PCT, but not in California.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I have several altimeters, but the one I
prefer is a Peet-88 analog model, which weighs 3.6 ounces.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It didn’t make the cut for California
because: 1) It’s not really necessary, 2) The weight, and 3) I carried a GPS
with the same …. but less accurate …. function for about the same weight.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> <o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Quite a few hikers use the
digital wristwatch/altimeter combination and find them useful.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I owned an early-technology digital, and
while I liked it, it wasn’t as accurate as the Peet, and it died at a young
age.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>That was over 20 years ago,
and I think the current technology is much more reliable.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> <o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Most altimeters, be they analog
or digital, are really nothing more than aneroid barometers scaled to read
altitude rather than pressure.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Since they are driven by the constantly-varying value of barometric
pressure, they require frequent readjustment to whatever the current, local
barometric pressure may be.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Their
accuracy is only as good as their calibration and, on a many-day hike,
calibration will depend upon the user finding a reliable altitude on the ground
or from a map.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> <o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">A GPS will usually calculate and
display the altitude based upon Nav-Sat triangulation, but GPS altitude is
generally not as accurate as a GPS latitude/longitude position.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Some high-end GPS models have a built-in
aneroid barometer …. with the associated problem noted above …. as an admission
that GPS altitude based upon triangulation is not very accurate.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> <o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">As Jerry mentioned, an altimeter
will help provide location on a topographic map, even when a compass sighting
can’t be made or when thick trees or a deep canyon preclude the use of a
GPS.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> <o:p></o:p></P>
<DIV><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">If
I’m bushwhacking through confusing terrain, as I often do, I carry ‘topo maps, a
sighting compass, a GPS and the altimeter.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>If I then get lost, it’s because of “cockpit error”.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">Steel-Eye</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV>----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
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style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=reconstructing@hotmail.com
href="mailto:reconstructing@hotmail.com">Casey Burnett</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=pct-l@backcountry.net
href="mailto:pct-l@backcountry.net">pct-l@backcountry.net</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Monday, January 07, 2008 6:51
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [pct-l] altimeter</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV class=RTE>
<P>did people need an altimeter for their pct thru?</P>
<P>did people benefit from having an altimeter for their pct thru?</P>
<P>which did these people use and what is their critic?</P>
<P> </P>
<P>IHS></P>
<P>casey burnett<BR><BR></P>
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