Locosys have announced that the GW-60 will replace the GW-52.





They say this about it:

"Technically, the GPS module (chipset/firmware) and the antenna of GW60/GW52 are the same one.

GW-60 has same good GPS performance and almost 99% similarly UI as GW-52.
For the big change, we replace a new housing with better waterproofing resistance.
Also, now the GW-60 is able to support USB mass storage class (USB flash driver) for non-Windows user."

All that is good news indeed. A number of big things people have been asking for have been addressed:

- Waterproofing - 50M/5 atmospheres pressure should hold up to most water use and crashes
- It appears that they have replaced the touchscreen functions with buttons
- Mac and Linux users will have direct download now
- It can be worn on the wrist (but I will probably still put mine on my helmet. )

It remains to be seen how much wearing it on the wrist will affect reception and reliability of speed accuracy. but performance with good sky view should be virtually identical. They tell me they may have test units for me as early as the end of November. I am guessing it might be a little while longer before they reach the market.

Gee, thats great news!!!!!!!!!!

awesome , one on each wrist and one on the head how cool

I know what I want for Christmas

Great news any idea on Pricing

All that stressing about losing a gps for nothing ay. New one looks more practical and WAY more user friendly!!

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vando said..
Great news any idea on Pricing

I asked the question but got no answer to that one. It is possible that has not been fully determined yet.

I will say that when they introduced the GW-52, it was priced ex factory at exactly the same price as the GT-31.

I am not sure if that is significant for this, but I suspect that to be competitive in the market, it could still be the case.

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sailquik said...
Locosys have announced that the GW-60 will replace the GW-52.





They say this about it:

"Technically, the GPS module (chipset/firmware) and the antenna of GW60/GW52 are the same one.

GW-60 has same good GPS performance and almost 99% similarly UI as GW-52.
For the big change, we replace a new housing with better waterproofing resistance.
Also, now the GW-60 is able to support USB mass storage class (USB flash driver) for non-Windows user."

All that is good news indeed. A number of big things people have been asking for have been addressed:

- Waterproofing - 50M/5 atmospheres pressure should hold up to most water use and crashes
- It appears that they have replaced the touchscreen functions with buttons
- Mac and Linux users will have direct download now
- It can be worn on the wrist (but I will probably still put mine on my helmet. )

It remains to be seen how much wearing it on the wrist will affect reception and reliability of speed accuracy. but performance with good sky view should be virtually identical. They tell me they may have test units for me as early as the end of November. I am guessing it might be a little while longer before they reach the market.

Sailquik, have you tested it? Or seen it?

Sounds great!

Sounds like its going to be approved as they say its the same "Technically, the GPS module (chipset/firmware) and the antenna of GW60/GW52 are the same one. ?

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BSN101 said..

sailquik said...
.......... They tell me they may have test units for me as early as the end of November. I am guessing it might be a little while longer before they reach the market.

Sailquik, have you tested it? Or seen it?

Only the pictures. End of November.

Can you get Aquapacks big enough to put your whole arm in

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AUS 808 said..
Can you get Aquapacks big enough to put your whole arm in

I dunno, but I have seen people get a balloon over their whole head!

The GW-60 'should' not need anything extra with waterproof rating to 50Meters/5 atmosphere pressure. I guess it will depend on how hard you can crash! I know I can crash pretty hard!

It would also be good if someone could design and build a strap extension so it can be worn around the upper forearm or bicep.

That should be pretty simple.

Or even a just Neoprene band with a hole in it for the screen and, most importantly, the antenna?

2 of those and you should be good !!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sport-Watch-Band-Extender-For-larger-sized-wrists-suits-bands-20mm-wide-/172344256256



any idea where the antenna is located ?

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>>>>>

any idea where the antenna is located ?

The theory at the moment is that it's under the "GPS" sign on the strap. This should get the unit close to horizontal in both the overhand and underhand grip. Time will tell what sort of effect this has on accuracy, my main worry at the moment is how affected alpha accuracy is by the gybe action of flipping the sail.
If this is significant, then Daffy's/Sean's extension strap will fix the problem.

Looks good

250mah battery in the gw60. Does anyone know what the battery mah is in the gw52? .

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TRIMMER said..
250mah battery in the gw60. Does anyone know what the battery mah is in the gw52? .

Good question Trimmer. Don't know the answer,sorry. I can't recall ever seeing it in any specifications.

Locosys say GW-60 battery is good for 5-6hrs at 1Hz. I have asked them how many hrs at 5Hz. which is the best Hz rate for best results.

There were statements made of the GW-52 that the battery life was about 8 Hrs, but I think that rating was also for running at 1Hz. I can say that on long skiing days, which exceeded 7 Hrs, with the GW-52 running at 5Hz, I never ran out of battery life. However, those days would have always included at least an hour or two of sitting still in the Coffee shop or lunch cafe where the minimum speed setting would have caused the recording of data to stop for that time. And that was in quite cold conditions where the expectation is that battery life would be shortened.

I don't think we will really know the GW-60 battery life in sailing use until we actually use it, and it will vary according to your pattern of use and minimum speed recording setting.

I expect and hope it would last for at least 3 or 4 hours of use at 5Hz for most people. Only you know if this is likely to cover the duration of your typical sailing sessions.

There is probably no way to make it last for a 24Hr distance attempt though, which can possibly be done with a GW-52 using an external power pack, and can certainly be done with a GT-31. It is probably feasible to plug the watch into a charger or power pack during breaks from sailing if you are having a long session.

Seanhogan, The antenna is in the wrist band. We don't know yet which side for sure until we see it or they tell us. I have asked Locosys that question, and more, and I am awaiting answers. I will certainly post more here when I know.

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seanhogan said..

2 of those and you should be good !!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sport-Watch-Band-Extender-For-larger-sized-wrists-suits-bands-20mm-wide-/172344256256



any idea where the antenna is located ?

Well found Sean! :-)

I was fairly sure that someone would have made something like that!

Just received a reply re battery life of the GW-60 when running at the full 5Hz.

"For the question” Will recording at 5Hz significantly reduce battery life time?”
No. The power consumption of flash memory access is smaller when comparing to the GPS module.
We estimated that would be less than 5% power consumption is increased in 5hz log."

I hope it has a very secure strap. I have lost count of the watches I have lost. That is one reason I was always happy with a Pacqua

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evets said..
I hope it has a very secure strap. I have lost count of the watches I have lost. That is one reason I was always happy with a Pacqua

Stroppo has an excellent solution for that. Stroppo?....

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Stretchy said..

evets said..
I hope it has a very secure strap. I have lost count of the watches I have lost. That is one reason I was always happy with a Pacqua

Stroppo has an excellent solution for that. Stroppo?....

Wet neoprene will block/degrade signal

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yoyo said..

Wet neoprene will block/degrade signal

It can not be stressed enough that in no circumstances, in no way, ever, should you even think about wearing your GPS, of any kind, inside to under your wetsuit.

There have been numerous cases where people suffered terminal loss of usable data in this circumstance.

It is true, we occasionally hear stories from people who claim they have got away with this practice, or at least think they have got away with it because their data 'seems' to be 'OK'. But the fact is you are running a very high risk of seriously degrading to signal strength at the very least, and this has serious impact of the consistency and accuracy of your GPS.

It is true that the signal may pass pretty well through thin, completely dry Neoprene, but the lining always gets saturated with water when in use.

The same goes for wearing inside a Neoprene impact vest or weight vest. It is far better not to risk it, and in these circumstances you also add to the risk by probably shielding the GPS with that big bag of water we call our body.

Best results will always be from wearing the GPS on the head/hat or in the helmet. The next best is on the upper arm or upper forearm (not the wrist) making sure the GPS does not slip around and is always facing upwards (which is why the wrist is not optimal, especially if you sail with an underhand front grip).

How much do you think you will have to pay to get a GW-60 watch?

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yoyo said..

Stretchy said..

evets said..
I hope it has a very secure strap. I have lost count of the watches I have lost. That is one reason I was always happy with a Pacqua

Stroppo has an excellent solution for that. Stroppo?....

Wet neoprene will block/degrade signal

Sorry, my remark was out off context (ie. for normal watch)
my bad....

But very relevant, my ordinary watch is really battling to fit over full winter gear, it's normally under something. I suspect the spray jacket will have similar qualities to the paqua though. As soon as I get a watch, I'll do some tests with it under the spray jacket, but on top of wetsuit.

So far I have done over 40 downloads with 920XT on my wrist and the GW52 on the upper arm continues to be a faster product. Yets hope we can use the GW60 on our wrist also. It may also give faster results wearing on upper arm.

I was initially concerned that the waterproof specs for the GW-60 at 5 Atmospheres would not be good enough. However it is the same as the waterproof spec for the 920XT.

John it is 10 atmospheres. So far I have only been about 1m under water. The push buttons are great for the watch.

Ian, The following is a copy from the specs for the Forerunner 920xt from the Garmin website!

Physical & Performance
Physical dimensions: 1.9” x 2.2” x 0.5” (48.0 x 55.0 x 12.7 mm)
Display size, WxH: 1.1" x 0.8" (29.0 x 21.0 mm)
Display resolution, WxH: 205 x 148 pixels
Color display
Weight: 2.1 oz (61 g)
Battery: Rechargeable lithium-ion
Battery life: Up to 40 hours in UltraTrac mode; up to 24 hours in training mode; up to 4 months in watch mode
Water rating: 5 ATM
GPS-enabled
GLONASS
High-sensitivity receiver
Barometric altimeter
Smart notifications (displays email, text and other alerts when paired with your compatible phone)
Vibration alert
VIRB® control?
Watch functions?Time of day (12/24h), calendar (day/date), daily alarm