Hi, I'm new to the whole speed sailing subject and keen to start logging my windsurf speed then see where that leads to. A triathlete mate of mine is moving on from his Garmin 910xt "GPS Watch" and I'm considering buying it primarily for logging and maybe publishing speed sailing data and secondly for bike riding.
Q1. Does anyone know of the 910xt's suitability for accurate speed sailing data recording and its acceptance and compatibility with speed sailing websites.
Q2. Does anyone have a 910xt and what are your personal pros and cons.
cheers and thanks.
Sam
Hey Sambo56,
I recently posted this reply in relation to a Garmin 310XT question simliar to yours:
I have been using a Garmin 310XT (and recently a Garmin 910XT) for about 1 year now.
The primary reason I got the 310XT (and the 910XT which is a bit smaller and slicker looking) is because it is waterproof to 50m and basically a watch (so easy to wear); I have had some major stacks with it and it is still going strong.
It can do 1s updates and it measures speed in knots (max speed is in Miles/hr or Km/hr dependant on the global units setting!?). It was specifically listed on the SP Speedsurfing site but now they just state a GPS device capable of 1s updates. The data format is .GPX so it is easy to view on Google maps etc but it is not recognised for records (no Doppler Speed measurement). Readability ie pretty good (even while sailing) as the screens cane be customised. A minus of the unit is it can have a few spikes in the data... So you really have to look at the data carefully before you claim your PB...! I use GPS Action replay which has a really good filtering feature to take out unrealistic accelerations or top speeds. Another big minus as I mentioned before is; it doesn't measure the Doppler speed...
I was just mucking around on wave / freeride gear and wanted the data track (where I went) rather that the max speed so it didn't really matter. However I have recently been bitten by the speed bug and am now looking for a more accurate device; Canmore, GW-52?
Anyway that is what I have found.
Hope it helps.
P.S. A Canmore is on its way - hopefully tomorrow...
A gps that does not use the Doppler data for speed will be have very unreliable speed accuracy. The speed may be as much as 2 knots inaccurate.
Devices that use the Doppler speed data should be within 0.2 knots at least of true speed.
If you are spending money for a device primarily for windsurfing, don't buy anything that does not do Doppler speed.
At this time, the only one readily available on the market is the Canmore GPS. Other options are forecast to come along soon.
Thanks for the tips guys, I might still buy it as the price is right, but only in the knowledge that once I stop mucking around I will need to buy something with Doppler Speed accuracy.
As it stands right now, we seem to be in between the EOL GT31 and the adoption of just or soon to be released accurate loggers.
PS. I did try Garmin Email support, but i suspect i was filed in the round bin.
Cheers.
