What's the best or most accurate way to get speed reading??

[Deepvee]

I would think a little Garmin GPS like a Forrunner or Garmin Edge, but I have heard of data loggers as well?

Is there one that is more accurate than other before I purchase a Garmin?


Kintec seem to have something that connected to the receiver or something, but not too sure how it recordes or how to get the data off?

[kfxguy]

The forerunner 101 and 201 are compact, water proof and very accurate. They also update really quick. The 101 takes aaa batteries and the 201 has a built in rechargeable battery and is a little thinner.

[Chilli]

One of the more accurate methods is a Stalker Radar Gun but the cheapest model is about $500.

[kevinpratt823]

This just came out, a buddy already has one.......http://www.amain.com/rc-cars/dynamit...yn4401/p300987

[NativePaul]

The best way to get a speed reading is to go to one of the SAW events, they will time you over 110yds in both directions and average out the times to get a true speed over a meaning full duration rather than a momentary one and it compensates for any tail/head wind. If you talk to the other guys and galls there, you will learn so much that your head will be near to exploding, and you will become much faster than you are now.

A GPS logger is better than a GPS speed meter in one way, I have a GPS speed meter and sometimes it comes back with an obviously erroneous reading that I know my boat is not capable of, which gives me no info, whereas if I had a logger I could just look at a few different points along the track and get the speeds at those points, but I would need a laptop with me or take it home to the desktop to do so, whereas with a GPS meter you can see the results straight away on the device with no support equipment, which is nice.

I have used a fairly cheap Bushnell radar gun at a couple of races and it seemed fairly consistent to see who was faster on the straights and in the corners, but has the disadvantage that it is hard to drive and use it yourself (hence why I was using it), and I am not convinced about the accuracy for a few reasons, the target has to come straight towards you for a true reading, but if the boat is passing you and you are on land then that cant be the case, I don't know whether it is picking up the boat or the rooster tail, the water around it, or sometimes one or the other. Finally even the multi thousand pound ones the police used to use became inadmissible as evidence here many years ago due to the inherent inaccuracy of the technology and forcing them to switch to laser guns.

[Deepvee]

Thanks great input guys. NativePaul- I wish I has a play area like that to clock my boat!

I think for now I will just have to go Garmin GPS. At least with the Garmin I can still use it for biking

[NativePaul]

Do they not have a SAWs event in Canada? It is a shame if not, but a GPS will get you there or there aboots most of the time, if you go for a reasonable distance in a straight line even if you get the odd erroneous reading, just don't go for one of the wristwatch types, as they only update once a second to save battery life which is no good for fast boars travelling small distances, whereas most of the bigger units run at 10hz

[pintobean11]

I use the ulysses speedometer app on my phone. Obviously it's not advantageous to put your phone in the boat but I also strap it in and wrap it in a sandwich baggie.

[Revolt Flash]

I use Big 5 GPS Meter and it works just fine. Not to expensive either.

[PapiW]

Curious as to what speeds you guys are showing. I recently purchased a GPS logger from SkyRC and am questioning the results.

On the Spartan with 3s, top speed showed 113mph.

The BJ29 on 2s at 85mph with X642 prop.

The speeds seems unbelievable. But,when I checked individual 'segments' and found enough runs (2 or more) 'close' to top speed to confirm, if accurate, the top speed was possible.

Let my wife use it to ride bike, and with the exception of one 'false reading' that put her in the next neighborhood, each segment seemed reasonable. (~5mph)


I just can't believe that I'm getting these speeds, and wondered what others were seeing.

[Tamelesstgr]

That sounds like kilometers per hour.

[PapiW]

Yea, that's about what I've decided. According to the 'config' software, it shows as MPH. icon changes from KPH to MPH but, I think the readings are still KPH. I got am uneasy feeling when I saw it was being shipped from China.. sigh. What I get for being cheap :)

Doing the conversion, the speeds would be more in line with what was to be expected. Need to find someone else with a GPS... sigh.

[TRUCKPULL]

These are testing out to be very good.
The refresh rate is very good also -I believe it is 10 times per second.

http://www.amainhobbies.com/rc-cars-trucks/dynamite-gps-speed-meter-dyn4401/p300987

Larry

[IRON-PAWW]

Put it in your car and go for a drive. Then you'll know how fast you were going. Then see what your gps said.

[PapiW]

Thanks guys. I've about decided at best this one is unreliable, at worst useless :D

LED readings on GPS seem to be accurate but, log data is suspect. Particularly overall high speed.

@Iron-Paww In traditional Navy fashion, I spent a drunken week in Perth, many, many moons ago. Nice place!

I had a sponsor and was considering moving there at one time.