Re: [Paddlewise] E-Trex waterproofness

>From: JCMARTIN43_at_aol.com
>In responding to a post on the eTrex GPS, Bill Hansen wrote, "yes, I'd be 
>very interested in knowing if the unit is truly waterproof. My personal 
>luck with Garmin (RE: both water-resistance of their "waterproof" units, 
>and also RE: repairs) has been poor, though I know that others have had 
>much better experiences."
SNIP
As to its submersibility: one piece of anecdotal information (from a 
retailer of eTrex, suggesting his source was Garmin) is that, while the 
electronics portion of the unit is submersible, the battery container may 
not be.  I'd be surprised if Garmin is weasle-wording its watereproof 
statement, however, and the battery case does have a thin "O" ring seal on 
it, but I'm going to test this bit out now and will provide some feedback.  
If the battery compartment leaks, it goes back for a refund. END QUOTES


I work for a pretty large outdoor retailer, and did a kayak camping trip 
over the Easter weekend with our Q.C. manager and his wife. We chatted about 
the E-Trex, among other things.

He's seen a few returns (out of many, many sold) for leakage. Some of these 
were damaged or defective units, others up to Garmin "specs". Our Q.C. guy 
said that Garmin was guite candid that the electronics area is sealed, but 
the battery compartment is not always waterproof; Garmin did not seem to 
consider this a "state secret" or a defect. (I'm speculating that the 
battery comparment is not full-on watertight so that batteries can "off-gas" 
in a non-explosive manner - the better diving lights have built-in 
over-pressure relief valves for this.)

If you want to go straight to the source, why not submit a question to the 
tech support through Garmin's web site (www.garmin.com)? I submitted a 
couple of questions about my GPS12 (which I always carry in an Aqua-Pac when 
kayaking) re Y2K and the year-end rollover, and I got polite and helpful 
replys within hours.

Philip Torrens
N49°16' W123°06'

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