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Reviews > Electronic Devices > Watches > Suunto Advizor > Coy Starnes > Field ReportSuunto Advizor
Field Report  June 19, 2006 Tester: Coy Starnes Gender: Male Age: 44 Weight: 240 lb (109 kg) Height: 6 ft (1.8 m) E-Mail: starnescr@yahoo.com Location: Grant, Alabama, USA Tester Bio I live in North East Alabama. I enjoy hunting, fishing, canoeing, and most other outdoor activities but backpacking is my favorite pastime. I enjoy hiking with friends and family or solo. I hike throughout the year and actually hike the least in the hot humid months of summer. My style is slow and steady and my gear is light. However I will sacrifice weight for comfort and durability. A typical 3-season load for me is around 20 lb (9 kg) not counting food or water. I usually sleep in a hammock and cook with an alcohol stove. My backpacking trips are usually 2, 3 or 4 days in length. Product Information Manufacturer: Suunto Manufacturer URL: http://www.suunto.com/ Year of Manufacture: 2006 Color: black with gray trim Listed Weight: 1.9 oz (54 g) Measured Weight of Advisor: 1.9 oz (54 g) Weight of Heart Rate Monitor Belt: Not Listed Measured Weight of Heart Rate Monitor Belt: 2 oz (57 g) MSRP: $299.99 US (including HRM belt) Warranty: two years excluding the battery Product Description To see all the specifications and functions of which this watch is capable a quick review of my Initial Report is in order. But briefly, the Advizor is to a watch much like a multi-tool is to a knife in that the Advizor is much more than a watch. It is also a thermometer, barometer, altimeter, alarm clock, stop watch and heart rate monitor. It has several memory functions that allow the user to review past altitudes, barometric trends, heart rate during workouts and the list goes on. Field Testing Locations and Conditions I wore the Advizor daily so it saw everything from nice air-conditioning to hot sweaty days outside. I wore it swimming on 4 occasions. I wore it while day hiking, overnight camping and while training on trails here in northeast Alabama. I wore it on a 4 day 36 mile (58 km) hike on the Appalachian Trail In Georgia. The coolest temperature so far has been 44 F (7 C) and the warmest has been 94 F (34 C). The highest elevation has been 4500 ft (1372 m) and the lowest was - 70 ft (- 21 m) when going through the tunnel under Mobile Bay on I-10. I am not positive how close my watch was reading the elevation at this time but on some stretches of I-10 just above the Bay (sea level) I was reading 20 ft (6 m) and that is about what it looked like. Field Test Results For this report I will follow the same layout I outlined in my Initial Report. The Suunto Advizor has got to be one of the most interesting items I have ever attempted to master. It was difficult to remember all the steps necessary to reach certain functions but worth the trouble and frustration. A lot of it is not really the watches fault either. I just have a short memory when it comes to remembering which button and in what order to mash them does what, but more on that later. I found the Advizor to be everything it is advertised. I am still learning but I can say that I now have the basics down pat. I just need to use certain functions more routinely so that I won't forget how to use them. I may even make me a cheat sheet that is more detailed than the one supplied to help me remember the more detailed button sequences on some of the functions buried within this watch. Time: I used this feature the most, mainly to tell what time it is. I also used the Advizor as stopwatch a lot, timing various things at work. Interestingly, in the time mode, pressing the + button gives me the seconds in the third field for about 10 seconds but then it reverts back to the date. This was not good when I wanted to time something for more than 10 seconds but did not have the luxury of timing it at exactly when the minute changed from one minute to the next. However, the outer part of the watch has a moving indicator that functions exactly like a second hand in that it makes one revolution every minute. The indicator changes sizes during every 5 second interval but repeats that pattern all the way around. There are also white marks on the rotating bezel of the watch at 5 second intervals. I soon learned to use this feature as second nature. The stop watch for the HRM works like a stop watch but in conjunction with the HRM. I have used one alarm (I can set up to 3) setting during the past 2 months. It does not always wake me up but I estimate it woke me about 75% of the time. I still have not figured how long it beeps because when I did hear it (it woke me up or I was already up when it went off) I turned it off. When it didn't wake me it was not going off when I woke up an hour or so later. I also had difficulty finding the backlight on this watch. I could not find how to turn it on by experimenting and even though the directions on how to activate it is one of the first things mentioned in the manual, I overlooked it. I eventually assumed it was just not on my watch. Then I accidentally mashed the mode button for 2 seconds (thinking I was mashing the select button) while trying to set up another function and shazzamm, the backlight works!!! I also set my watch to an atomic clock. This was just over 2 months ago. The atomic watch and my Advizor are now 4 seconds apart and the Advizor has lost 4 seconds. Temperature: This mode shows up when viewing the barometer. I used it a lot.  I was able to document the coldest night while
testing a sleeping bag. I wish the temperature display would show
while looking back at the barometer readings for the past 6
hours. That would let me know if it were cooler during the night
then at daylight. This would be unusual but it did happen to me a
couple of times while out camping. For instance, it got 6 degrees
F (3 C)
cooler than the 64 F (18 C) indicated in this picture during a
thunderstorm at
around midnight. This happened on another night during (you
guessed it) another thunderstorm. I used the temperature indicator while hiking by wearing the watch off my wrist and in plain view. I found that the hotter it got the less the watch was affected by wearing it but it still measured warmer on my wrist than when off. After it got above 90 F (32 C) I could basically wear the watch as the difference was only about 2 F (1 C) greater. In cooler weather it generally read anywhere from 5 to 10 F (3 to 6 C) greater than the actual temperature Barometer: I really did not use the barometer as much as I thought I would. I did notice that when it was about to rain or raining the readings were quite a bit lower than normal. However, a falling barometer did not coincide with rain that often. In fact it has been up and down a lot over the past few weeks but we have not had any rain. The trend indicator bar is quite interesting as well. It is divided into 2 sections and each section represents the trend over the past 3 hours. They were usually showing some combination of flat and up or down indicating some change in the past 6 hours but also remained flat for long periods of time. I saw both pointing down one afternoon and sure enough we had a major line of thunder storms roll through shortly thereafter. Altimeter: This is going to be complicated so bear with me. It is also kind of embarrassing that it took me so long to figure everything out but to be honest I was so busy playing with the HRM function that I was negligent in checking out and memorizing all the altimeter functions. First of all, the altimeter works and is very consistent within the current barometric pressure if the pressure remains steady. For instance, during my HRM (Heart Rate Monitor) training hikes I started my HRM recordings at a certain rock and ended at a certain log. Almost without fail the Advizor showed the difference between these 2 points as 310 ft (94 m). The difference was never over 320 ft (98 m) or under 300 ft (91 m). I imagine the barometric pressure was changing fast enough on those couple of occasions to give me the slightly different differential readings. However, not all went smoothly as I learned to use the log function. I played with and was successful in setting up a log event before a 4 day hike but then promptly (after a few weeks) forgot how I did it. I also forgot to end this log event and when I went back to check it out I had gained 6,310 ft (1923 m) and descended 7420 ft (2262 m) in a 12 hour period. I seriously doubt I could hike that much up and down in a day. I suspect I went somewhere in the car during this event. I did find the HR info for that log event interesting. I maxed out at 150 BPM, averaged 112 BPM and my low was 76 BPM. I was in my THR zone 31 min and below it 40 min. It showed 0.00 min above and considering I set my max THR at 150 this makes sense. Anyways, after getting home from the 4 day hike I was so aggravated with myself that I sat down with the manual and reading glasses and finally figured out how to set up (and end) a log event. As far as the actual altitude readings, here at home and in the woods nearby, the altitude varied a little depending on the current barometric pressure but were usually very close to actual known altitude at certain locations such as the lake. When the barometric pressure increased my altitude readings went down slightly and vise-versa. My watch was usually within 100 ft (30 m) of a known altitude and usually closer than that. On my 4 day hike I used the altimeter function quite a bit. There were a couple of places on the trail that had signs or other markers showing the altitude. I did not adjust the reference altitude (I forgot how) and during the time in the mountains the altimeter was consistently reading about 300 ft (91 m) low. Once I got home to my more familiar topography the readings were again very close to actual altitude. When hiking I attached the Advizor to my fanny pack but wore the fanny pack in the front. It was attached in a way that let me see the face of the watch while hiking. I would put the Advizor in different modes and watch the changes. Of course the altitude was the only mode that was not like watching grass grow and at my hiking rate (ascent or descent rate) this could be considered debatable. I noticed that on an average training hike without my pack my rate of ascent was around 30 ft (9 m) per minute until I got really winded. Then it slowed to around 20 ft (6 m) per minute. On really steep sections I did climb a bit faster for short periods of time. Using this as a loose guideline, I used the watch to determine how much longer I would have to climb on my recent 4 day hike. There were several places where I knew how many feet I needed to gain to summit from looking at the topo map. I basically divided this into 300 ft (91 m) sections. I chose 300 because this roughly equaled the 310 ft (94 m) climb I was used to doing regularly in about 13 minutes (without a pack). So, if I need to go up 900 ft (274 m), I just mentally prepared myself for 3 of the climbs I was familiar with. Unfortunately, this did not work all that well. I distinctly remember one 900 ft (91 m) climb that felt like 10 climbs. It was the second major climb that day. It took me 1 hour and 15 minutes to make this climb so I averaged gaining around 12 ft (4 m) per minute. Then later on that day, I was expecting a 600 ft (183 m) climb to be tough based on the previous feeling on the 900 ft (274 m) climb. I was surprised when I made this climb fairly easily but not any faster as far as my ascent rate went. So much for that theory… Compass: As I expected, I did not use this feature much at all. I did check it against my regular compass on several occasions and the electronic needle on the Advizor and the real needle on my liquid filled compass were so close that I could not tell any difference. I certainly could not hike in as straight a line as the compass would allow even if on flat ground with no trees in the way. I also did not attempt to set the compass for any magnetic declination. I still need to play with the compass some more to understand the tracking mode. The Heart Rate Monitor Oh my, I really don’t know where to begin. I used the HRM 21 times during the past 2 months. I have recorded each session in a log book in which I also recorded other stats and comments on how I felt each day, or any peculiar circumstances like hiking barefoot on some of my hikes. I found out I was a lot slower barefoot and that it was much harder to get my heart rate into my training zone. As for results, I am not ready to proclaim victory but I am making slow progress. After losing 3 lb (1.4 kg) I made this comment on May 2nd (after about a month of training) in my training log. It shows my mental state. "I'm disappointed. I have worked hard and can tell a big difference in how I feel hiking back up the hill. It is much easier but my results on paper are barely noticeable. My knees keep me from being able to train real hard so I need to watch my diet more." Well, another month has passed and I am still not thrilled with my weight loss of 3 more lbs (1.34 kg). On the other hand, I am very pleased with the progress I have made in reducing my hiking time coming out of the holler. My RHR (resting heart rate) has also improved quite a bit. Here is a chart showing my progress for my RHR, blood pressure and weight loss.
Below are some log entries that show my hiking progress but first I need to describe an entry in my training log. Here is one from May 12th. I must have been feeling pretty good that day. 5/12 7:25 PM c1 (TTT 12:22.8) (Abo = 5:30) (IN = 6:40) (Bel = 0.24) (max/avg/min 161/147/97) As shown here, I started my HRM at 7:22 PM. My TTT (total training time) was 12 min 33.8 sec. I was above 150 BPM 5 min 30 sec. I was in my training Target Heart Rate (120 to 150 BPM) 6 min 40 sec. I was below 120 BPM 24 sec. My max HR was 161 BPM, my average HR was 147 BPM and the lowest HR was 97 BPM. As an aside, 161 is the max BPM I have recorded with the HRM. These pictures should help clarify what I am talking about even more.
And now for the promised entries showing my HRM training progress. Keep in mind that c1 and c2 represent 2 different courses. Both are similar but c2 is steeper for a short distance and a little longer overall. As can be seen, I am now hiking c1 in about 3 minutes less time and c2 in about 2 minutes less time. What these training log entries do not show very well is how much easier it is to hike up each course.
As an aside, we had a Gospel meeting the first week of June and I ate more food each night than I normally do (and normal for me is too much). The little old ladies just cook too good! As a result, I lost 3 lb (1.36 kg) the first month, and then 2 lb (0.91 kg) on my 4 day hike. I gained back 2 lb (0.91 kg) during the meeting but have since shed those and an additional pound (0.45 kg). So my overall weight loss from April 11 until June 17 is only 6 lb (2.72 kg). I expected to do a little better but on the other hand it could have been worse. This past year I have gained about a pound a month. Thank goodness this trend has been reversed since I started training with the Advizor. And since my goals include getting in better condition for hiking I have decided to assign some terminology on what I mean. I have noticed myself and other hikers tackling big hills. At the beginning of this training I was pretty far out of shape. I was struggling up hills. At this stage in my training I trudge up hills, a slight improvement. One of my hiking buddies marches up hills. He can maintain a faster pace than me but is pretty tired and winded at the top. My son glides up hills but he is only a little tired and slightly winded at the top. Great hikers in trail condition breezes up hills. They hit the top barely breaking a sweat and are not breathing hard. They would have to jog to get their heart rate up. I will be happy to reach the "glides up hills" stage. I have been pretty careful while training, trying not to hurt my knees. Unfortunately, both have hurt and the right knee has become puffy several times during the past 2 months. I would skip a few days training then try again. Then on my 4 day hike it really started hurting on day 3. I almost bailed out that night but finished the hike on day 4. I rested almost a week afterward, only taking a few slow hikes down to the holler. My knees are still not fully recovered (they will never be fully recovered but I mean like they were before the 4 day hike) but I am back to training at full speed. Here are my recent training log entries starting with the 4 day hike. 5/29 approx 8 miles backpacking (knees did Ok today) 5/30 approx 11 miles backpacking (went across 3 big mountains today but did OK) 5/31 approx 11 miles backpacking (both knees sore at daylight and by the end of the day my right knee was starting to get real puffy and sore) 6/1 approx 6 miles backpacking (Knees not doing too bad after taking 2 Aleve last night and 2 again this morning) 6/3 short hike to holler. Knee is sore from the 4 day trip so I took it real easy. 6/5 4:37PM c1 (TTT = 13:12.3) (Abo = 0) (IN = 12:45) (Bel = 0.27) (max/avg/min = 145/136/105) Knees still sore so I'm taking it easy. 6/10 5:42 PM c1 (TTT = 11.18.7) (Abo = 0) (IN = 10:32) (Bel = 0:46) (max/avg/min 147/137/92) My knees are better so I pushed it back to my normal training pace. 6/13 7:22PM c1 (TTT = 13:14.14) (Abo = 0) (IN = 12:51) (Bel =0:50) (max/avg/min 141/130/102) 6/16 Right knee is really sore. I'm not sure why. Anyways, I took a long slow hike for 1 hour 41 minutes. 6/19 11:22 AM c2 (TTT = 12:43.8) (Abo = 2:33) (IN = 9:23) (Bel = 0.47) (max/avg/min 156/140/88) Right knee acting weird. For the past 3 days it has a weird pain every few steps but once I get warmed up this pain goes away. Summary Thus Far I really don’t have any complaints other then that the backlight is pretty dim and the alarm is not very loud. Forgetting how to set up an altitude log event during my 4 day hike was extremely frustrating but entirely my fault. The Heart Rate Monitor has been a lot of fun to test even though it is brutally honest. As you can see in these before and after shots I have improved slightly over the past 2 months. My 38 jeans are fitting much better and I can certainly tell a diference in my hiking ability.
Continued Testing I will continue to use the watch for my daily watch and use the various features during my hikes and training sessions. I will continue to use the HRM for my training hikes and hope to lose a few more pounds. Of course I will still need to lose some weight after this test is completed. Stay tuned to see how the Advizor continues to motivate me for a couple more months. Read more reviews of Suunto gear Read more gear reviews by Coy Ray Starnes Reviews > Electronic Devices > Watches > Suunto Advizor > Coy Starnes > Field Report | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
