RE: GPS Velocity Measurement

Eric Johnson (ej@tx3.com)
Mon, 23 Nov 1998 11:15:38 -0800


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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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My experience with GPS, specifically the Garmin GPS II, is that the low
speed readings tend to fluctuate, either with electronic interference, or
just the normal stuff from SA and switching as different birds come into
view.

For a more accurate speed reading, once you're going along at a good clip,
reset the average speed and let it run for 5 or 10 minutes. The long-run
averages seem to be much more believable than any short term fluctuations.
When I think I'm really hauling, I reset the average speed. On my P19 on
lakes (i.e. no current) the average almost always converges on our
theoretical 5.5k hull speed, though I did have a 10 minute run a while back
where I got over 6k for that time period.

If any of you have found a good way/place to mount the GPS II or similar
GPS, I'd like to hear it. I had mine in a dash bracket velcroed to the
cabintop, but I would have lost it on multiple occasions if the power plug
didn't fit so tight.