GPS that records height gain

[Amex]

Hi,
i have no doubt this has been covered a lot but i can not find the answer, i am after a gps system that i can run with, that will record my distance and height gain, but i don't want to have to down load the info to find out that i should have done a bit more!
I could do with a unit that shows distance and height gain on screan at all times, so as when i am out i know to carry on a bit or drop off!
Am i asking the impossible?
Thanks
Steve

[wasabi!]

My Forerunner 305 will do this quite happily, the height gain isn't very accurate whilst on the move but can be improved when downloading

[Amex]

My Forerunner 305 will do this quite happily, the height gain isn't very accurate whilst on the move but can be improved when downloading

Thanks Wasabi, how inaccurate is it? i could live with a 100 foot or so could just do with knowing the height gain, i can sus out distance with time on feet but it's the gain i guess

[wasabi!]

It seems to report roughly double the actual climb. It calculates height using the GPS which is inherrently inaccurate (something to do with needing a lock on 4 satelites, rather than 3 for location). What you tend to see is that your current height will be reasonably accurate but it will have lots of little spikes which add up to the inaccurate total.

Not sure any of that made sense... sorry

[Deeko]

That's pretty much the case I'm afraid. I only ever look at the elevation totals in sporttracks so I can smooth out the jaggies. Seems pretty accurate after you mess around with it though. The current elevation is also accurate when out on the hills with a clear sky but not so much in towns.

If you want decent on the fly altitude gains then you'll have to get a altimeter watch like a Suunto x3hr etc. These have the benefit of a max and avg descent/ascent rates. mistcherubs got one and he's always extolling the virtues of descending over 100m per min!!

[Bleaklow]

I download my Garmin 205 into Sport Tracks. There's a new plugin out for Sporttracks 2.0 that corrects the elevation of GPS tracks using SRTM elevation data.


It automatically downloads the height data from the NASA FTP data server. Resolution is supposedly about 3 arc seconds for the UK.

Comparing it with OS map heights accuracy seems to be about +/- 5m

[Fat Bloke]

Not sure what the Suunto X9i does but it's a gps/altimeter/barometer etc all in one unit (no HRM though).

I want one but..................I can't justify £350-ish!

Might treat myself to one (or a derivative) next year for my fiftieth (!!! !!!)

fb

[Deeko]

I've been using ST2.0 for a while now. I had no idea it was using SRTM! I thought it seemed a fair bit more reliable/accurate!