Electronic Outdoor Gear; Altimeters, Compasses, Thermometers

We took a few of the electronic outdoor equipment out to compare how they work. We compare features of the Garmin Legend GPS, the Garmin Rino 120 GPS and a Motorola Talkabout T6320 Radio. These are some of the most feature rich units we have found over the years at prices we could afford. These units give us a lot of information and abilities when camping, hiking, hunting, fishing and geocaching. Usually we pass the units around or if everyone has their own radio / GPS then the Rino is carried and the other two units are carried in the pack as backups. Together these three units offer; two GPS Units, two Two Way Radios, two Compasses, three Altimeters, a radio scanner, national weather radio, barometer, sun and moon charts and a lot more.

The three Altimeters each report a different altitude while sitting on the same rock. The Garmin Legend reports 5982 feet, the Garmin Rino reports 5945 feet and the Motorola Talkabout T6320 reports 5660 feet. The two GPS units get their altitude from the satellites I assume, while the Talkabout T6320 needs to be calibrated at a known altitude.

The three units in their compass mode. The Garmin Legend only acts as a compass when it it in motion, It can report a bearing on it's compass display. It does not point north however. The Motorola Talkabout T6320 is also only useful when moving since it reports the direction it seems to be pointing (or direction it's moving in). The Garmin Rino 120 however can point north even when standing still. It is very close to a digital version of a regular magnetic compass.