Dave Seng wrote: > > Shish! Like I originally thought might happen, we ended up receiving > two totally different responses. Manufacturers definitely have the > opportunity to play games with waterproof specs because there really > isn't any authoritative governing body examining things. PW strikes > again! It's unfortunate that they can play games with the specs like > this, but the nice thing is that we have a forum in which we can dig out > the truth and reveal the details. Hopefully pointed questions like this > will eventually force manufacturers to "ante up" products with "real > world" specs, rather than a bunch of BS driven by their marketing > departments. Then again...like they say.... you can fool all of the > people some of the time..... > > Dave Seng Garmin is not alone in this -- many will recall the "VHF wars" discussed here some months ago. I suspect the bottom line may be that almost any battery compartment which allows the user to replace the batteries (read: "uses alkalines or other non-rechargeable batteries") is prone to water entry. Exception: small-volume/heavily gasketed compartments like the one on my Pentax WR-90, which has withstood water entry for four seasons so far. A letter-writing campaign, *directed toward Garmin's CEO,* might be the most effective tactic. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR -- > JCMARTIN43_at_aol.com wrote: > > > > Okay, Dave got his response first, but mine was longer. I've deleted the customer service person's name, but I have no concern about passing along the guy's info to the list --- and, I'll have to say, Garmin will hear from me on this again. First, the note just received. > > Thanks for your e-mail to GARMIN! The "submersible" qualification you refer to is the IPX7 standard the eTrex falls under. This literally means that if you submerge the eTrex under three feet of water for up to 30 minutes, no water will leak into the GPS housing. It does not mean, nor do we claim, that water will not leak into the battery department. Practically, an IPX7 rating means you can drop the eTrex into a creek or a > > baitwell, pull it out, and keep using it. It's still wise, as it is with any electronic equipment that uses batteries and gets wet, to dry out the battery compartment as soon as possible. In your case, sea kayaking has the potential to subject a submerged eTrex to greater water pressure than being held under 3 feet of water. You might consider putting the eTrex in some > > kind of waterproof pouch for this use. > > > > _____ > > > > Okay, so, if I have this straight, the IPX7 standard states that, if I have this "submersible" GPS and it gets wet on my deck, it may or may not work. If I very carefully lower it in the water and retrieve it, it won't work 'cause it's very possible that it will short out the batteries, and be totally useless for the rest of the trip, assuming I could find where I was going on the chart. Just wanted to make sure I understand how Garmin defines what the specs really mean. Bag the submersible! [snip] *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Sat May 20 2000 - 00:00:40 PDT
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