Hi everyone,
looking for a wrist type (light) speed monitor which I can wear in the water. Found only one GPS based product so far and would like to know if any of you use one ?
I try to get into racing more and am trying to monitor my training efforts a bit better.
Thanks for any pointers
regards
gmd

Have a look at garmin they have some great gps devices that you can upload to their site and track your progress etc.

The windsurfing forums have a whole section dedicated to gps, have a look there I am sure your questions will be answered... There not a bad bunch really...

Garmin Forunner 910XT Waterproof, small, does speed and Elevation

i've used a garmin forerunner 101 once . it said i was doing 9-10m high jumps ! 6m at the very most i rekon .the better ones would be more elavation accurate hopefully ?
it also fell off my wrist during a crash but grab it .
great for **** talk

Smithy said...

The windsurfing forums have a whole section dedicated to gps, have a look there I am sure your questions will be answered... There not a bad bunch really...

Yeah,they are not a bad bunch,
just dont mention that kiters hold the speed record.
Its like mentioning the war to Germens.

"Dont mention ze war"

I forgot to tell that it's recommended to use any kind of "leash" when using the wrist (the original velcro one). Otherway could easily be lost in a crash... Won't be the first...

Elevation is not so important if you are only racing...

Hi Rattlehead, have you tried attaching the speedpuck to a raceboard? Same as you, I have been looking at one to mount on the front of my raceboard. Do you think it would hold ok with the velcro when you flip the board etc? Anyone with any experience having one of these on their boards?

iPhone inside a condom with a knot tied in the end....... Screen still operates to the touch through the dinger
I have been using this to log speeds in the t-cat and a few times kiting with no ill effects
I usually just tuck the iPhone up the sleeve of the wettie and whip it out to reset or check results before going at it again.

It's rudimentary and only gives basic info (top speed and average) but its enough to have a bit of fun with.... Particularly in the buttter smooth glassy locations.

Use two dingers if you are worried !

If you're serious about measuring your speed properly, there's only really one option for kitesurfers, and that's the Locosys Navi GT-31.

All the garmins suffer from aliasing in their recordings, not many of them record both doppler and trackpoint data, and if you start posting on gps-kitesurfing then you won't be taken seriously until you start wearing a Navi.

By all means get a garmin or try using your iPhone if you like, but if you want to know for sure what speed you did, then get a Navi.

(disclaimer, I run gpsteamchallenge.com.au)

nebbian said...

If you're serious about measuring your speed properly, there's only really one option for kitesurfers, and that's the Locosys Navi GT-31.

All the garmins suffer from aliasing in their recordings, not many of them record both doppler and trackpoint data, and if you start posting on gps-kitesurfing then you won't be taken seriously until you start wearing a Navi.

By all means get a garmin or try using your iPhone if you like, but if you want to know for sure what speed you did, then get a Navi.

(disclaimer, I run gpsteamchallenge.com.au)

I'm going to go out on a limb here ,but the speed puck would be just as accurate if not more accurate than the gt31 , I know the gt31 is the recognized measurement instrument for the gps speed challenge , but that does not make it a superior device , more boat sailors use the velocitek instruments than any of the others ,because of the big display ease of use and there more waterproof . I've seen the sailboard guys do a speed run pull up on the bank then dick around for 5mins with their gt31 strapped to their upper arm ........ The speed puck the numbers are big enough to see as you go and if you want to check max speed or 10 sec average you just push the 1 big button it will even scroll though them on the fly !!

BTW Any GPS you strap on your wrist is really just going to give you speed and time and stuff. For just riding around they are all the same when it comes to this. (I defer to speed enthusiasts when it comes to speed courses.)

Most of them you can put in a course and it will give you the time distance to turnpoints.

I guess you could get yacht racing computers that do all sorts of race stuff.

I would be amazed if you could do anything useful with the screen and controls of a GPS while riding along. I'm usually busy riding to do more than look at the time and the speed.

The good bit comes after you've been riding and you can download the trackand analyze it. The Garmins come with some basic software or you can hook into the web version and get some more analysis and store your data in the "Cloud".

There are any number of pieces of free/cheap software that does analysis of GPS tracks for whatever purpose. Google around and see what you find. Most software talks to any brand of GPS.

The cheaper Garmins are all water RESISTANT to 1 metre. I have Garmin 405 for years and it is still going fine. The Garmin 910XT is water PROOF to 50 metres. I don't think you'll get a GPS signal down there.

thanks for all the answers ..
really appreciated guys.
For me the puck looks like a good option .. agree the price is a bit high...
most of you express the sentiment to analyse after the session.. I agree there..
when you are pounding hard upwind the you are not worried about some smallish display .. the puck seems better readable as it was said above .. I do not really care at all what is accepted for some challenge or anything else .. going with the flow never makes you better, it just averages things out :) ..
I will carefully look at all the recommendations given but the GT-31 is probably not my choice for several reasons .. the puck is clearly the top choice for me right now especially for its better water resistance .. well at least by spec that is ..
thanks again ..
see ya on the water .. was there the last 2 days anyway ..
regards
gmd