Reviews > Electronic Devices > Watches > Suunto Advizor > Kathleen Waters > Long Term Report

Long Term Report: Suunto Advizor Wristop Computer 
August 21, 2006

Contents:
Tester Biographical Information
Product Information
Field Conditions/Completed Tests Results
Summary

Tester Biographical Information    <back to top>

Name: Kathleen Waters
Age: 55
Gender: Female
Height: 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
Weight: 128 lb (58 kg)
Email address: kathy at bysky dot com or TheMiddleSister at usaring dot com
City, State, Country: White Lake, Michigan USA

Backpacking Background: My husband and I started hiking in 1998 after an eye-opening climb up Hahn's Peak in Colorado.

Hooked, we return to Colorado often. We've hiked/snowshoed glaciers, rain forests, mountains and deserts in exotic locations, including Iceland, Costa Rica, Slovenia and Death Valley.

At home in Michigan, we plan for 2-3 hikes of 6-8 mi (10-13 km) weekly and one weekend hike monthly. Weekday hikes take place in Pontiac Lake Recreation Area, a mixture of heavily-wooded moderate hills and flat terrain. Weekend hike locations vary.

My hiking style is comfortable, aiming for lightweight. Current pack averages 25 lb (11 kg) including food and water.

Product Information, including picture (from website)    <back to top>
http://www.suunto.com

Manufacturer: Suunto Year of Manufacturer: 2006 Model: Advizor Warranty: If this product should fail due to defects in materials or workmanship, Suunto Oy will, at its sole option, repair or replace it with new or rebuilt parts, free of charge, for two (2) year from the date of its purchase. This warranty is extended only to the original purchaser and only covers failures due to defects in materials and workmanship that occur during normal use while in the period of the warranty. It does not cover battery replacement, damage or failures resulting in accident, misuse, neglect, mishandling, alteration or modifications of the product, or any failure caused by operation of the product outside the scope of its published specifications, or any causes not covered by this warranty. There are no express warranties except as listed above.

Product Information (from tester)

Weight: 2 oz (57 g)
Color: Black
Size: Fits wrist circumferences from 5.5 in (14 cm) to 8.3 in (21 cm)
My Wrist Circumference: 6 in (15 cm)

For a more detailed description of the Suunto Advizor Wristop Computer, please see my Initial Report.

Field Conditions/Completed Tests Results    <back to top>

During this portion of my field testing of the Suunto Advizor Wristop Computer, some of my hiking took place in the familiar terrain of Pontiac Lake Recreation Area. Elevation range was very limited from 177 ft to 800 ft (54 m to 244 m) and temperatures over this torrid summer varying from 80 F to 101 F (27 C to 38 C). A weeklong trip to Beaver Island in Lake Michigan over the Fourth of July holiday also was enjoyed where temperatures were more mild from a lovely 65 F to 84 F (18 C to 29 C). Lastly, a weeklong trip to Cañon City, Colorado tested the Advizor in high desert conditions. While most of my hiking was in sunshine, I did encounter two misty showers, one steady rain and one 10 minute torrential downpour.

Supplemental heart monitoring testing was completed on my Trekker treadmill in the privacy of my own home.

On a recent weeklong camping trip to Colorado, I wore the Suunto Advizor Wristop Computer the entire trip to see what kind of results I would get under different circumstances.

On the airplane from Detroit to a stop-over in Minneapolis, I was able to see the cabin pressurize to 1 mi (1.6 km) altitude. I watched the altimeter changes happen in real time (cool!) and the reading level off at 5280 ft (1609 m) and stay there until the final descent. I'm not sure how the algorithm works in the plane to correlate the inside cabin pressure with the outside altitude, but I did ask the pilot if that was the correct cabin pressure and he said "Yes."

On descent into Minneapolis, the Advizor showed the altitude dropped to 810 FAS and then changed from 810 to 820 while I was walking around the waiting area. The tower altitude is 702.1 ft (214 m), so it appears that there was an error of about a 100 ft (30.5 m) higher reading. Since the waiting area was not far from the tower and sitting right on the ground, I took the temperature reading and did an adjustment according to the Suunto instruction chart. This adjustment ADDED 3.3 ft (1 m) to the altitude, not lowered the reading to one that would have been accurate. The pressure was 982 mb and the temperature was 84 F (47 C) (after I removed the Advizor from my wrist) so the calculation was .11% X 30 = +3.3 ft (1 m).

I boarded the flight to Colorado Springs and watched the cabin pressure take off to 7182 ft (2189 m) after the plane took off and reading stayed there. When the plane landed the measurement dropped and indicated that the altitude was 5189 ft (1582 m). The actual altitude at Colorado Springs is 6184 ft (1876 m).

On an aside, the fact that I have to do these adjustments is rather time consuming and complicated. Plus the charts Suunto provides in the directions have temperature and altitude points that are quite far apart. So the reading I get will not be very accurate and I always need to be aware of the possibility that the unit will need compensation, even during the same short trek.

I may start out at 5000 ft (1524 m) and actually hike up 200 ft (61 m) higher, but the Wristop Computer may only indicate that I went 180 ft (55 m) for example. I can't always be sure of the reading as far as I've been able to determine from my experience during the past 4 months. In my opinion, the altitude feature of the Suunto Advizor Wristop Computer is this unit's weakest link. At least with the variations of the temperature readings being higher on my wrist, I can always take the Wristop off to get an accurate temperature reading. I've found that altitude is somewhat of a mystery most of the time unless the unit was most recently calibrated and there was not significant change in pressure or temperature.

I had difficulty all week getting a dependable altitude reading as I tripped around the mountain areas in Fremont County. With the temperature reaching upwards of 100 F (38 C), the Advizor had to be constantly re-calculated. The weather would cool down drastically at night in the tent, then heat up during the day. The Suunto instructions indicate that wide fluctuations in temperature will require re-calculation. Fortunately, I had access to a handheld GPS to do the calculations, but if I have a GPS I really don't need the Advizor to check altitude and if I don't have a GPS, how am I supposed to re-calibrate it accurately? Hmmm. I was continually getting readings that were hundreds of feet (meters) lower than what the actual altitude was. I recalibrated the Wristop Computer, once again, then went to a lookout marked 5768 ft (1768 m). Standing next to the sign the Advizor read 5132 ft (1564 m). The GPS measured out at 5761 ft (1756 m). The barometric pressure and temperature adjustment charts could not compensate for that much difference.

Using the barometer feature of the Suunto Advizor Wristop Computer, I was able to predict storms somewhat though. Keeping an eye on the barometric pressure and an eye on the sky, I could tell if a storm was moving towards me or away from me, which was kinda nice. I have no standard to check the barometer against, but when it drops to the low 900s it's pretty much an indication that a good storm is nearby and when you can see it change over several minutes and see which way the clouds are going, it is a nice tool for staying out of trouble.

Summary    <back to top>

Pros:


An incredibly feature rich device within a small lightweight, portable package.
Rugged, durable wristband and watch casing holds up admirably in adverse conditions.
Easy to calibrate/set-up by following clear and straight forward instruction manual.

Cons:


Accuracy of the various functions is not always guaranteed, depending on external factors such as body temperature.
Alarms are not always audible.
Other than the simplest measurements, procedures for timing, recording, etc. require too many steps to remember.

The Suunto Advizor Wristop Computer is a great concept - lots of information possibilities in a watch-size (albeit, a large watch) package.

In my 4 month experience, I found some of the functions easy to use, such as the actual time/date features and the heart monitor. Other functions like the altimeter, I haven't gotten the hang of yet.

I might be slow to grasp some procedures, but I don't see how I would ever be able to use all the functions without always having the manual handy to refer to for step-by-step instructions. There are just too many buttons and variations of "hold" times to memorize which currently limits my usage of the Advizor in the field.

The placement of the speaker on the backside of the Wristop Computer forces the speaker to always be covered by my wrist, thereby muffling the alarm. The volume of the alarm is just not sufficient for me even compensating my hearing disability with hearing aids. If it were possible, the speaker would be much better placed elsewhere, perhaps on the side of the device.

The other issue I have with the Suunto is a lack of faith in its accuracy for some functions. I experienced wide disparity in temperature measurements when the Advizor was worn on the wrist. The altimeter measurements were also a problem for me particularly in Colorado where the weather negatively affected the Advizor's accuracy. While the owner's manual had a chart to make the calculation, that was a hassle to use in the field and still not always accurate.

Using the Suunto Advizor Wristop Computer's heart monitor function was a joy and even though I couldn't hear the alarms when jogging on my treadmill, I wore it daily and will continue to do so in the future. It is a wonderful aid in my fitness pursuits.

I can heartily endorse the Suunto Advizor Wristop Computer to technically savvy people who want to get the most functionality possible and are willing to take the time to learn/memorize how to get it. As long as the manual is handy and I can take the time to calculate the variables, the Advizor is a handy tool to have on my gear shelf!

Thank you to Suunto and BGT for allowing me to test the Suunto Advizor Wristop Computer.

Kathleen Waters

Reviews > Electronic Devices > Watches > Suunto Advizor > Kathleen Waters > Long Term Report