SOTA Watches

Actually I agree, but just for a bit of fun I’ve ordered one, so I’ll see how it does. It amazes me that for 11 Euros (including shipping), I can get a functioning watch, phone, camera and audi or video recorder. The quality of each of these components will not be up to current standards but probably those of about 5 years ago.

A bit of “Dick Tracy” (spy character) fun in any case.

Depending on how the bluetooth works, I might even leave this “watch-phone” in the car and use it purely as a phone with the cars multimedia device, which has a built-in bluetooth hands-free capability.

That’s a lovely, tidy board for SOTA operation by the way!

73 Ed.

Using Applewatch

73, Hans PB2T

Hi Hans,
Apple Watch, too expensive in my opinion as is the Samsung one - by the way you don’t drive a Tesla do you … more exploading Lithium batteries!

Ed.

No Tesla Ed, but the lithium batteries that I use for SOTA are still OK.

The batteries in the Samsumg Note 7 that have been exploading are Lithium Ion I believe. We tend to use lithium polymer or lithium iron phosphate in SOTA which I believe are somewhat similar to lithium ion, but thankfully I also have not had any explode on me.

I’m not sure what the batteries that make the floor up in the Tesla are. Horrible situation though as there was no way to rescue the two people in the Tesla as they were sat on top of the burning/exploading batteries.

Ed.

Well the €11 watch that I ordered from the Philippines arrived from Taiwan a few days ago…

I’m actually quite happy with it. It works on it’s own as a telephone/SMS messenger (I put a pre-paid SIM in it and it worked straight away). Of course it’s also a digital or analogue (look) watch, a pedometer, audio player and video and audio recorder, Then … when linked via Bluetooth to my Android Smartphone, it receives alerts from programs (such as SOTA Spotter - see below) as well as being able to remote control the camera in the Smartphone, use the smartphone’s contacts list, call/SMS through the Smartphone (or direct from the watch). And a few more features that I’ve forgotten! For the price an interesting addition to the SOTA kit.

The watch isn’t out of focus my smarrtphone camera set it’s focus on the background! Here is a SOTA Spotter alert for Mike 2E0YYY that had just come in. No fiddling down through menus to find the alert as on the old U08 watch, this simply works and displays alerts from whichever apps on the Smartphone you allow.

Oh yes the watch itself also has a built in browser that it can access the Internet with via the 3G SIM card - the display is somewhat small though, to say the least!.

The watch doesn’t run an operating system but there are already free tools to change the firmware yourself on the Internet (e.g. to add your own clock faces).

73 Ed.

I don’t need a watch or clock - I simply read the label that I stuck on the edge of my little Acer’s screen; it’s marked, “SAVE!”

So I “SAVE”, and Digipan records date, time, callsign, and that’s it, lovely jubbly!

John

Casio PRG-500. She isn’t cheap, a few years ago they sold new for about $2,400 USD, but they can be had much cheaper since they have been discontinued by Casio. They now make a visually different protrek lineup. Mineral Crystal Bezel, High Visibility orange indicators, Atomic Timekeeping, Second Hand as a compass mode, temperature, barometer, Barometric Altimeter, 24 Hour weather trend, differential altimeter, count down, count up, data logging, multi lap stopwatch functionality, etc etc etc - and it recharges itself from sunlight (the bezel is a solar panel.) Check around for used ones, I got mine for $700 a few years back. Analog timepieces (with hands) are a win for bush use, because any analog timepiece can be used to find true North if the rest of your equipment is lost or destroyed. This just makes it that much easier by having a compass function as well. Just say no to using a shadow stick. This thing puts the Apple Watch to shame, and does so without any external infrastructure.

http://jakartacasio.com/image/cache/data/protrek/jam-casio-prg-500-1dr-500x500.jpg

I use a Timex Iron Man Triathlon watch. I can set 3 different times on it and with a push and hold of a button change to utc. Works for me.

Roland KG7FOP

Of course if you want to make sure you are safe then there is this one. It also tells the time.

Compton
VK2HRX

Solid Titanium case and strap is great. My watch weighs so much less because it’s Titanium. It’s also so much tougher than stainless steel and hypoallergenic too.

Shame it needs batteries and isn’t solar powered.

I could tell you some stories about nuclear stuff and its effect on electronics from my defense industry days… but then I’d have to killl you :dagger: :gun: :bomb:

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I have been using Suunto Traverse for long time.
You can plan you own routes and connect with PC/Anroid etc. Never get lost! Very high quality and Traverse Black is on sale now -25%

73 Marko oh9xx oh3xr

My SOTA watch is not well :cry:

I have the Casio Wavecepter as shown in the thread above. Reading up about the watch on the Internet led me to discover that a common fault is constant resetting. I’ve had the reset problem but now the watch has stopped receiving time updates over RF. I can still set the time manually but I can’t trust the watch not to reset. The reset issue wasn’t such a headache when the watch could auto update with correct time.

I have asked Santa for a new radio controlled watch and I’ve been very good this year so I’m hopeful that a new watch will arrive soon :slight_smile:

I got a clock from Mike 2E0YYY and it’s got lovely big easy-to-see numbers on it. The clock now lives in my MTR pack.

I have an old Timex RC Watch but the strap is really scruffy. I put the Timex watch on this morning in readiness for my Ingleborough G/NP-005 activation today and about 30 minutes later the strap broke :sob: Luckily I had another timepiece with me today.

BTW I qualified today’s activation with 200mW on the gentleman’s band, 30m :slight_smile:

73, Colin

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Hi Colin 160 metres is “the gentleman’s band” - you’ll need to find a new name for 30 metres HI

73 Ed.

No, Ed, I won’t retract it.

30m is the band where gentleman are to found, as are 160m and 17m. 160m may be ‘The’ gentleman’s band but 30m is ‘a’ gentleman’s band!

Hello Guru,
I always use my mountain Suunto.
When I climb the mountain I install a silicone protector, in case I suffer a fall. Among other functions, the most important is:
UTC time.
Altimeter.
Barometer.
Compass.
Storm alarm.
Indication of climate.
etc.

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No problem with that Colin - 30m, one of the Gentleman’s Bands. I actually agree with you - when I used it in Australia - I found a real camaraderie on the band! Now I “just” need to learn Morse (or digital) to get back on it here in Region 1.

73 Ed.

A half hunter pocket watch has to be the gentleman’s timepiece as well :wink:

Maybe a wind up power source for the QRP radio would go nicely?

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Love the dayglo colours. Easy to see against the snow, grass, dirt, rocks, anything! Even the lock has a dayglo surround, presumably added by you! Fabulous!

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My trusty, beat-up, old Casio “G-Shock.” I love it because it is set nightly by a signal from the atomic clock in Colorado, plus the battery is rechargeable–the black around the edges is made of small solar panels. I have not had to set it or worry about the battery for years.

It’s set for local time, so I have to do some quick math when logging SOTA contacts.

It’s also handy at work (I’m a passenger train conductor) because the time is always exact.

73, Steve W6SAE