Run-Down Forums

[ZeKe]

I'm curious if anyone is familiar with these seemingly awesome pieces of equipment.

one place to view them is
http://www.hdosport.com/hdosport/timex/52832info.htm
or you can use the exact watch name to do more searches on google

I'm mostly interested in their accuracy. How accurate is non-military GPS? I thought it was off by a yard or two, if it is won't that make you jiggle down the road adding distance?

Anyone know what I'm talking about :question:

[Dan]

That's a pretty impressive piece of equipment. I was actually just talking to someone about GPS/GIS this evening, but more from the standpoint of surveying and accurately measuring than for recording distance in motion.

I'm not sure how that would apply here, but my impression is there's some pretty reliable non-military GPS applications. However, I'd be surprised if a Timex for under $200 is built to take full advantage of the technology. Two examples come to mind that might help illustrate what I mean:

1) I have a $20 atomic wall clock that updates itself daily with the signal from Colorado. Works quite nicely and even looks pretty good, but you can tell it's lightly built and takes quite a bit of positioning to properly detect the signal. I imagine something more industrially built would have no trouble picking up the same signal.

2) One of my passions is movies. One of the not so well known things is that most DVD players and VCRs are basically cheap plastic boxes that are designed more to get the product out there and hook the customers than to work particularly well or endure. It takes a pretty significant jump up the price point scale to get anything of quality.

Dan

[ZeKe]

I understand completly... But wouldn't that be cool if it worked?

I havn't delt with Timex before, but I had a hunch they make a reliable product. What else do you think about Timex in particular? I figure it's worth whatever it costs, if it works. And I figure if someone is going to make it, and make it work it would be Timex?

I can see it now:

"Hey it says we only ran 1.7 ): musta lost signal back there in the woods"

"Ready to run" "negative, let me catch a signal"

"Hey! we gotta run around this overpass!!!"

"Wow it says we're going 80mph! cool"


-ZeKe

[Dan]

I've had several Timex Ironman watches. I like the design, but I'd rate durability only average. When you get into a much more complex system without a significant increase in price, that sets off several red flags for me...

Dan

[Adam]

The GPS satellites can potentially give you as good as 1 meter resolution. Whether the Timex system takes advantage of that, I don't know. A review I read of the Timex GPS watch (don't remember where, maybe Jogger's World) suggested that it was very accurate for a test trail run they did. Only other thing I know is that it's less accurate the rougher the terrain.

[Paul]

It would seem that a trail run with a lot of switch backs could potentially cause problems. Considering some of the hill routes you showed me today, Dan, I'd like to try that watch with the altimeter readings.