GW60 Wrist band saver and the water resist model. Piece of an old wetsuit sleeve......do you fellas know those neoprene rubber suits for cold days, cold water?

Good idea, there's mileage in this

Just don't cover the aerial as it will stuff up the signal

Yep that's been around for decades
used to be able to buy them.

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kato said..
Just don't cover the aerial as it will stuff up the signal

How ?

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Te Hau said..
GW60 Wrist band saver and the water resist model. Piece of an old wetsuit sleeve......do you fellas know those neoprene rubber suits for cold days, cold water?

www.ebay.com/itm/Wrist-Watch-Protective-Cover-w-Vinyl-Window-/192292376467?_ul=AU

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jn1 said..

kato said..
Just don't cover the aerial as it will stuff up the signal

How ?

Wet suit material is absorbent.
Salt water is conductive.
It's just like wearing an aluminium hat, it screens all electromagnetic signals out.
Google "faraday cage"

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decrepit said..
Wet suit material is absorbent.
Salt water is conductive.
It's just like wearing an aluminium hat, it screens all electromagnetic signals out.
Google "faraday cage"

Does this actually block signals ? By how much ?. What you say makes sense (conductor in near field of antenna), but a salt absorbed arm band isn't a Faraday cage by definition. Not even an aluminium hat.

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snides8 said..
Yep that's been around for decades
used to be able to buy them.

They were called Aquastraps if my memory serves me correctly, big in the early eighties.

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jn1 said..

decrepit said..
Wet suit material is absorbent.
Salt water is conductive.
It's just like wearing an aluminium hat, it screens all electromagnetic signals out.
Google "faraday cage"

Does this actually block signals ? By how much ?. What you say makes sense (conductor in near field of antenna), but a salt absorbed arm band isn't a Faraday cage by definition. Not even an aluminium hat.

Kills the GPS reception stone dead!
Remember the sat signal's are coming from the sky, (apart from the odd reflection from the water). So the antenna doesn't need to be completely enclosed, just covering the sky view is enough.
I had a gps in a camel pack pocket. Much thinner and less absorbent material than a wetsuit, data was fine until I fell in and the camel pack got wet, then data stopped for the rest of the session.

It's also interesting, while I've been playing around with my DIY loggers plugged into u-center on the computer.
It's a steel roof over head but close to french windows. I get several satellites during the day but at night they disappear, took me a while to figure out why, the blinds have a thermal reflective coating on them. Aluminium of course!

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decrepit said..
Kills the GPS reception stone dead!

Ok, Surprised to learn that. but there again, thinking how close the shield (wet wettie) is to the antenna, it makes sense.

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jn1 said..
Ok, Surprised to learn that. but there again, thinking how close the shield (wet wettie) is to the antenna, it makes sense.

Also the Satellite signals are very weak, and the watch is a bit insensitive anyway, (small antenna). A few people have had problems with the watch, in marginal conditions, (think mountain lakes surround on all sides by lots of Granite), with the number of usable sats dropping below the required 5. Whereas the GT31 was still pulling in 5 or 6.
It doesn't take much attenuation, before the signal is unusable.

My wife tells me I'm insensitive and that I have a small antennae.

Good stuff Te

That's clever. The buckle fell off mine and it was only held on by the rubber holder. Luckily I felt it sliding down my arm so gently lowered myself in the water and grabbed it. I'm hoping the buckle off another band will fit.