I have read through the huge GW-60 thread here, but did not find the answers.

Two questions.

1. All I want to do is set it to display speed on the water, then show my maximum speed and distance covered for a day's session. I don't need to upload any logs or anything like that. At least yet. So, in order to display the info I want, do I have to turn on logging? The manual does not make this very clear.

2. If I turn off autosleep and just use it like a regular ole LCD watch, with no GPS, what kind of battery life can I expect before I have to recharge?

Thanks

Segler, did you know that you can upload for free? If you register with KA72 (for free) all of your tracks will be in your data profile rather than lost as an anonymous post. You can track your progress and you can even keep it private if you wish.

If there are any sailors in your local area have a chat to them and even get on board early, it's a great community of sailors.

Sorry but but I can't help with your questions.
Dave

Hi segler. Speed genie is designed so that you can see the result after each run, for speed set it between you're downwind and upwind speed. For alphas set it below you're min gybe speed.



Here's my set up. I'm not sure about needing logging on just for the display, but it won't hurt to have it on. Every thing else there does affect the display.

If you want a permanent display of current speed, then set "speed genie" to a low number, I think it will display current speed once you exceed that number, it will also display whatever you've set up at the end of session.
But remember "max speed" is really max speed + noise. if you want to be more accurate you need to average it out a bit. setting AVG MSEC to 1 will give a 1 second average. You'll notice I've turned MAX off by putting an X alongside it. It's just too misleading.

Where there is a "TOP" alongside the result it shows a split field with best since last reset and last run.

There is a spec somewhere of watch battery life but with permanent display I don't think it's all that long. I'll take a huge guess and say about a week,

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BSN101 said..
Segler, did you know that you can upload for free? If you register with KA72 (for free) all of your tracks will be in your data profile rather than lost as an anonymous post. You can track your progress and you can even keep it private if you wish.

If there are any sailors in your local area have a chat to them and even get on board early, it's a great community of sailors.

Sorry but but I can't help with your questions.
Dave

didnt mean to shout..

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decrepit said..
There is a spec somewhere of watch battery life but with permanent display I don't think it's all that long. I'll take a huge guess and say about a week,

I use mine as a watch, letting it auto-sleep (screen off) and a button press to show the time. I got about 6 months then went gps-sailing without charging (about a 1hr session).

I should add - I had a need to see the time, only a few times per day.

My advice is not to use it as a normal watch and not wear it all the time. Experience shows that the watch band will probably not last long doing that, and wear and tear damage is much more likely
It really is best used and a specialist windsurfing only GPS recorder if you want it to last for many years..
Wear a cheap watch from the local market for time.

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sailquik said..
My advice is not to use it as a normal watch and not wear it all the time. Experience shows that the watch band will probably not last long doing that, and wear and tear damage is much more likely
It really is best used and a specialist windsurfing only GPS recorder if you want it to last for many years..
Wear a cheap watch from the local market for time.

I agree. Besides the band, there's also the chance that you hit the glass somewhere, and it breaks easily since it is higher than the bezels around it. Repairing it costs as much as a new watch.

Hi, another newbie question - is there a way to select a screen and not have it 'interrupted' by a scrolling speed genie report?

Thanks!

you can stop speed genie scrolling by setting it higher than you will go, but then I don't think you can select a screen, I think it will just show current speed. But don't quote me on that or maybe, if you use the "start. reset" buttons you can scroll through all the screens. I suspect they will stay there until you exceed the speed genie setting.

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decrepit said..
you can stop speed genie scrolling by setting it higher than you will go, but then I don't think you can select a screen, I think it will just show current speed. But don't quote me on that or maybe, if you use the "start. reset" buttons you can scroll through all the screens. I suspect they will stay there until you exceed the speed genie setting.

Thanks - I will do some experiments...

So, I did a test. I kept the screen on all the time, never turned on gps, and just had the watch sitting in regular watch mode. It went 22 days before needing to be recharged.

You could use the watch as a regular watch this way, but most people recommend against it. Too valuable and too vulnerable to crystal damage. I concur. I plan to use it only for gps while windfoiling.

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segler said..
I have read through the huge GW-60 thread here, but did not find the answers.

Two questions.

1. All I want to do is set it to display speed on the water, then show my maximum speed and distance covered for a day's session. I don't need to upload any logs or anything like that. At least yet. So, in order to display the info I want, do I have to turn on logging? The manual does not make this very clear.

2. If I turn off autosleep and just use it like a regular ole LCD watch, with no GPS, what kind of battery life can I expect before I have to recharge?

Thanks

If you are not going to do GPSTC you should consider one of the cheaper Garmin products and download the windsurfing App? Works great for on water feedback and easy to download to KA .
Battery will last 36 hrs on GPS and 3 months as a watch.

Help Hi guys having trouble connecting my GW 60 to my computer ,
Comes up com port error.
I'm. not much of computer geek any help would be appreciated
Thanks

The usual problem is dirty contacts, dampen a paper towel and rub the contacts on the back of the watch, if that desn't work do it again!
Then try the contacts on the cable, sometimes they get stuck in, make sure they move in and out freely and are clean.
If that still fails, you could try downloading the GW52 utility and try with that. It's really weird, but there's been a couple of instances of the GW52 util working better than the GW60 util.
It helps to wash the contacts with clean water after every session, it's just remembering to do it!

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decrepit said..
Hi segler. Speed genie is designed so that you can see the result after each run, for speed set it between you're downwind and upwind speed. For alphas set it below you're min gybe speed.



Here's my set up. I'm not sure about needing logging on just for the display, but it won't hurt to have it on. Every thing else there does affect the display.

If you want a permanent display of current speed, then set "speed genie" to a low number, I think it will display current speed once you exceed that number, it will also display whatever you've set up at the end of session.
But remember "max speed" is really max speed + noise. if you want to be more accurate you need to average it out a bit. setting AVG MSEC to 1 will give a 1 second average. You'll notice I've turned MAX off by putting an X alongside it. It's just too misleading.

Where there is a "TOP" alongside the result it shows a split field with best since last reset and last run.

There is a spec somewhere of watch battery life but with permanent display I don't think it's all that long. I'll take a huge guess and say about a week,

Can I please ask a question Decrepit,
With your setting above under RSLT 3A/3B set to value '&500' does &500 mean alfa 500? and if so does this mean it displays the alfa 500 in genie replay screens between runs while sailing
I currently using all your settings and have seen GW-60 running through the genie replay screens when I stop but most of time the only numbers I have taken in is the overall distance and the top speed the rest I don't really absorb while sailing
I was thinking alpha 500 would nice to know while still on the water, perhaps it is there to see
Cheers tony

I get that connection fail on a Windows tablet all the time. I unplug and wait a few minutes, eventually it works, very occasionally it restarts the computer.

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decrepit said..
The usual problem is dirty contacts, dampen a paper towel and rub the contacts on the back of the watch, if that desn't work do it again!
Then try the contacts on the cable, sometimes they get stuck in, make sure they move in and out freely and are clean.
If that still fails, you could try downloading the GW52 utility and try with that. It's really weird, but there's been a couple of instances of the GW52 util working better than the GW60 util.
It helps to wash the contacts with clean water after every session, it's just remembering to do it!

Mikes bang on, always dirty/greasy contacts for me and usually the bottom contact. I use cotton tips

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tonyk said..>>>> With your setting above under RSLT 3A/3B set to value '&500' does &500 mean alfa 500? and if so does this mean it displays the alfa 500 in genie replay screens between runs while sailing
I currently using all your settings and have seen GW-60 running through the genie replay screens when I stop but most of time the only numbers I have taken in is the overall distance and the top speed the rest I don't really absorb while sailing
I was thinking alpha 500 would nice to know while still on the water, perhaps it is there to see
Cheers tony

Spot on that's exactly what it does, but not very well if you have "speed genie" set to 27kts. This is my speed setting. To get alphas you need to change this to your minimum gybe speed. I have mine on 9kts, anything less won't be a very good alpha.
BUT! You could see differences when the data is processed with other software. The watch isn't powerful enough to calculate alphas shorter than 300m, so if you goo to wide after that you won't see it.
Also it uses a different method to calculate the 50m separation so the watch may give you a result if it thinks the separation is just under 50, but other software won't if it calculates the separation as over 50m. And vice versa of course, you may get a result the watch didn't mention.

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decrepit said..

tonyk said..>>>> With your setting above under RSLT 3A/3B set to value '&500' does &500 mean alfa 500? and if so does this mean it displays the alfa 500 in genie replay screens between runs while sailing
I currently using all your settings and have seen GW-60 running through the genie replay screens when I stop but most of time the only numbers I have taken in is the overall distance and the top speed the rest I don't really absorb while sailing
I was thinking alpha 500 would nice to know while still on the water, perhaps it is there to see
Cheers tony

Spot on that's exactly what it does, but not very well if you have "speed genie" set to 27kts. This is my speed setting. To get alphas you need to change this to your minimum gybe speed. I have mine on 9kts, anything less won't be a very good alpha.
BUT! You could see differences when the data is processed with other software. The watch isn't powerful enough to calculate alphas shorter than 300m, so if you goo to wide after that you won't see it.
Also it uses a different method to calculate the 50m separation so the watch may give you a result if it thinks the separation is just under 50, but other software won't if it calculates the separation as over 50m. And vice versa of course, you may get a result the watch didn't mention.

Thanks Decrepit
I'll lower the genie to 9knts and check it out next time I'm out there
On the subject of errors during download for me definitely 99% of the time it comes back to the peg spring loaded contacts jaming on tranfer the cable causing it. After you work out this from then on downloads become a lot more reliable and stress free.