dive computer with integrated compass

[yankeenica]

I have a nitek trio. The digital compass is slow in reacting catch up to changes in direction. The result is that you tend to overcompensate one way and overcomplensate for the overcompensation - if that makes any sense. Standard analog seems to me to be the best way to go...

 

[Matt S.]

I thought the compass in my D6 sucked.

The compass in my Sol is pretty good... Good enough that I don't have to take a separate instrument with me. But since I have a SK7 already, I use it.

 

[nelsondejesus]

Since I use the compass of my Galileo Sol, for general direction only, I would say that the same performs quite well. Love its wide screen features. Easy to read

 

[RonR]

I just ordered a Vyper Air, and will see how good the compass is in that. My buddy is ordering the Atomic Cobalt as soon as it comes out. He demo'd one in Mexico a couple of months ago, and said it had the best compass he's ever used.

The Cobalt does have a 360° compensated compass. Cobalt Guide: Dive Screen: Compass Display
Other considerations with an on-screen compass, as implementations differ:
Can you leave the compass on, or does it go away after a time- is there a compass "mode"?
Does the compass display obscure dive data?
Is it tilt compensated (it's hard to hold things level underwater...)?
How easy is the display to read?
Do you want a simple "out and back" bearing setting, or do you need more advanced navigation options?
I expect digital compasses will quickly become the norm- they will work at more angles than traditional compasses and the components are getting better and cheaper.

 

[craig chamberlain]

to be honest i disagree with anyone who says that an intergrated compass in a dive computer is neccessary. i think that if you bourght a normal dive computer and a compass seperat it would be better because it is easier and more accurate.

hope this helps

 

[RonR]

to be honest i disagree with anyone who says that an intergrated compass in a dive computer is neccessary. i think that if you bourght a normal dive computer and a compass seperat it would be better because it is easier and more accurate.

I don't think anyone would say an integrated compass is necessary- many divers, particularly in good vis areas, won't use a compass at all. However, as a developer, I think what you will see is electronic integrated compasses getting easier to use, less expensive to add, and more accurate, in more situations, compared to traditional instruments. Already electronic instruments (some, anyway) can be used in any attitude in the water- upside-down, or sideways- which you can't do with an analog compass. Accuracy in an analog compass is mostly a function of size- the bigger the card, the easier to see the heading. That's not the case with a digital compass, which can be both small and accurate. Admittedly, the accuracy needed for underwater use is not very high. For digital, the limiting factor is the quality of the display and usability of the interface.

The cost of the components is now low enough that, apart from the software, digital compasses are much less expensive to add to an existing computer than a traditional compass. If for that reason alone, I expect that having a digital compass will become the norm in the future.