[Paddlewise] garmin waterproofing

The point about the IPX7 standard is that the item may be submerged for
at limited period of time to a limited depth and still be working when
it surfaces.

When you get hold of a maritime portable vhf you expect it to work
within limits during rain as well as in a liferaft. Youd depend on it.
That is very much the same as in a kayak.

Declaring a gps as conforming to IPX7 gives no meaning if it does not
include all the device. There is no such thing as submersing the
electronic halfpart of the gps 1 meter below the surface while keeping
the powersupply halfpart dry. That the antenna socket shorts the signal
when exposed to water came as a surprise to me which it shouldn't. An
external antenna is a feature that is nice to have but problematic when
in a kayak. And easy to do something about.

I appreciate the concept of rinsing the gps after a trip in saltwater.
This is reasonable selfpreservation and I do it. It is quite evident
from the discoloring of the contacts that the saltwater influences the
contacts in the batterycompartment thereby reducing the servicelife of
the gps and possibly also the available voltage during service. It is
however difficult to reach the contacts in the bottom of the compartment
and clean them. Another factor is that the NiMH batteries also suffer
from the saltwater contact so it would be preferable to keep the battery
compartment dry.

I have used a transparent bag to keep my maps as well as the gps safe
but with condensation inside the bag it was difficult to read the gps.
My funds are limited and being an optimist I trusted the specs of
devices. Afterwards I was wiser.

What puzzles me is that the producer with all his experience isn't wiser
beforehand. They most certainly are competent but a standard as IPX7 is
a standard and you either comply or you do not comply. Just tell me
before I buy. My security depends on it (well, I never go without clock
and compas anyway). It's all about being trustworthy in the future when
new and promising devices pops up and I have to lean on the producers
own declarations.



Jens Viggo Moesmand

Denmark
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