RE: [Paddlewise] Leaky GPS

My experience with Garmin has been excellent..no problem getting an RMA. On
the other hand, I own a 12CX, and prior to that the 12XL and 12. All a
totally sealed and waterproof format. I don't thing the 2/3 form is reliable
for use in a Kayak.

As the temperature changes within the unit it will suck up water. I think
what happens is that the unit sits on the deck, heats up and then a wave
breaks over it, cooling the unit and creating a vacuum which draws in water
around the battery (in your case antenna) gaskets.

A dry bag is a must for a 2/3 in my opinion. Make sure you have no corrosion
on your battery terminals. If it's stopped working once, it will happen
again.

cya

		-----Original Message-----
		From:	owner-paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
[mailto:owner-paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net] On Behalf Of Bhansen97_at_aol.com
		Sent:	Sunday, May 30, 1999 9:27 PM
		To:	PaddleWise_at_lists.intelenet.net
		Subject:	[Paddlewise] Leaky GPS



		Help! My "splashproof" GPS is not splashproof. How does one
handle this 
		problem, or is it insoluble?

		I have a Garmin GPS II, supposedly splashproof. In use, it
sits on the 
		foredeck of my kayak. When I use it, I take care not to roll
or to do extreme 
		leans.

		Shortly after I recieved it, the unit became inoperable.
Changing the 
		batteries, I noticed that there were several drops of water
in the battery 
		compartment, and one battery terminal had corroded slightly
(suggesting that 
		water had gotten into the battery compartment previously, as
well).

		After the usual frustrating merry-go-round with the Garmin
FAQ site, a few 
		e-mails to Garmin, and a rather frustrating phone call to
them, I was awarded 
		a RMA number, authorization to return the unit for repair.
When I got the 
		unit back, the work slip said Garmin had "repaired gaskets,
upgraded 
		software" (though the software version on the returned unit
has the same 
		version number as it did before return).

		Last Thursday I took my first "long" paddle since the unit
was returned, 12.3 
		nmi in almost flat calm conditions, no sea. No rolls. No
significant leans. 
		Probably no significant moisture except drips from the
paddle onto the GPS.

		Saturday when I tried to use the unit again, it was
inoperable. There were 
		*many* drops of water in the battery compartment. I left the
unit in the sun 
		to dry, inserted new batteries, and it works normally again
now. 

		
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