Digital Compass locations

[psschmied]

After wsting a lot of time trying to find a location that would work with a traditional floating cylindar compas, I decided to experiment with a digital one.

One problem is that all but the most expensive models require that a button be pushed to activate the display. Any location on the windscreen would be out of reach. The center of the dash top is painted plastic which would be marred obver time by suction ups or double faced tape, so that leaves the top of the dash toward the driver's side.

Has anyone had success with this location?

[paulj]

One advantage of being cheep - I was able to install a low cost digital compass in the space-filler box under the headunit on my DX. Having done that, I haven't found the compass to be all that useful. A GPS unit, even a hand held on some sort of dash mount, gives more information.

paulj

[psschmied]

On a clear day, in a nice urban area like Chicago, I don't need a compass at all. In a rural area with irregular terrain, such as Tennessee, on an overcast day or at night, a compass an an accurate odometer are necessities, and very useful when calibrated and used properly.

A GPS units' lat/long info doesn't help driving the last 5 miles to a new location in uneven terrain, unless you have a USGS or aviation map with coordinates for your destination. It doesn't much help to know to the minute exactly where you are. A big red dot that says "You are here" is just as accurate.

I've found a basic digital compass from PNI to be as accurate as their most expensive units, but $40 still isn't cheap to replace when it gets stolen.
Anyway, I wasn't asking for someone to justify my having a compass mounted in my car. I was asking if anyone had success or problems mounting one on top of the dash, just to the left of the center shiny plastic section. I'd rather not dig into the dash to find out what is under that section of the dash.

Mounting a compass under an amplifier (head unit) or any other heavy current drawing device is ineffective, because the inductive field immediately around the power conductors will distort the ambient magnetic field as well as permanently magnetize any nearby mild steel.

[psschmied]

I was able to find a PNI Wayfinder digital compass on sale at Sears to $17. After mounting it to the top of the dash, just to the left of the center section, I drove out to a rural rea away from power lines, and was able to accurately calibrate it using the two complete turns method.

During the past week I have been driving through Kentucky and Tennessee and found the PNI compass to be as accurate as the handheld units that I use for exploring on foot. The accuracy did not vary as I used the AC and radio in my EX.

[Lon]

I've been looking for something that would work inside the Element-Bermuda-Triangle. I've tried a couple of magnetic compasses without any luck. I read about this model on the PNI website and it sounds perfect.

[paulj]

This inexpensive PNI is the same model I put in the box under my DX radio.

My GPS shows the path I have taken, so it is easy to deduce what direction I am currently taking, and from that, what direction I should take at an intersection. In that sense it is as useful as a compass. I don't normally enter coordinates of a location, and try to head to that.

I'm not entirely sure why I haven't found the digital compass to be as useful. Maybe the GPS graphical display reinforces the mental image that I am already building, while the compass doesn't add much new information.

paulj

[psschmied]

After years of experimenting with compasses in many cars, I figured out that the "preferred" location by the mirror was to compensate for deficiencies in magnetic compasses.

One of the biggest selling points of the Element to me was its excellent driver ergometrics - control and gauge design and locations. I don't need to move from a confortable driving position to reach every control , the arrangement is straightforward, and the controls can be located and adjusted by touch.

Because I have some vision problems, I prefer to have a compass as close to my central field of vision, and as far away as I can. That way my eyes don't have to refocus or adjust to a different light level. I can operate the radio and heater controls my memory and touch while driving, so I don't need to move my head. Mirrors aren't an issue, because I don't need to refocus.

The dashboard location was as far away as I could put it without having to lean forward (I am tall and have long arms). It is accurate to within 5 degress. If cost were no object, and I could buy it off the shelf, the ideal navigation display would be a heads-up with mapping. I figure that it will be a reasonably priced option with he next 10 years.

The GPS units that I've checked out are still too unwieldy for _me_ to use while driving, and too expensive a temptation as a non-installed accessory.