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Brunton Atmospheric Data Center Summit
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Brunton Atmospheric Data Center Summit
The Brunton Atmospheric Data Center Summit is a pocket-sized unit that gives you an array of weather information, from wind speed to barometric pressure. Fickle weather and microclimates can wreak havoc on your backpacking, skiing, or climbing trip. The Brunton ADC Summit tracks the climate where you are and reports on an incredible array of conditions, including temperature, wind chill, wind speed, and barometric pressure. It even examines trends and then forecasts the coming 12-hours of weather. The ADC Summit features a storm alarm that goes off if the barometric pressure drops—a sweet feature if your view of incoming weather is blocked by the peak you're trying to summit. An altimeter alarm tells you when you've broken a set altitude as you stumble up a Colorado Fourteener, and a ski run counter is a fun feature to have on the slopes. Standard features like time, day, and date come included, along with a chronograph and race timer.
Bottom Line: Skiers and backcountry enthusiasts of all types will find the Summit Atmospheric Data Center incredibly useful.
Talk shop with all the gear freaks out there: ask 'em questions, upload/browse photos, and give your 2¢.
For each 1000ft you ascend, you will measure a pressure drop...
For each 1000ft you ascend, you will measure a pressure drop of roughly 1 inch Hg (under steady atmospheric pressure). Let's say a good pace will gain you 2000ft of elevation every three hours, that's a pressure drop of 2 inches Hg. I'm not a meterologist, but after reading up a bit, my understanding is that a strong storm might give an average pressure drop of ONLY 0.1-0.2 in Hg over 3 HOURS. Only in hurricanes or other rare weather events will pressure drops even approach 0.5-1 in Hg over three hours. If this is correct, then how could the storm alarm function on an ascent? I sersiouly doubt that it can, nor was it intended to do so.
By: Jersey Hiker
November 17, 2008
The watch has an altimiter so it knows what the pressure should be, and checks how much the pressure has changed vs. how much your altitude has changed. Any anomolies in that would point to a storm.
EDIT (Jersey Hiker): No, you are not correct. I guess a lot of people don't understand that a pressure-based altimeter and a barometer are THE SAME THING. This is a drawback because you will always have to calibrate the alitmeter to a known altitude immediately before using it. Additionally, if atmospheric pressure changes during your climb (which it usually does to some extent) it will introduce an error into your reading (not usually a big error though, especially if you use a topo to recalibrate whenever possible).
A GPS is an example of a non-pressure-based altimeter since it uses satellites to compute your position and altitude. With good reception, a modern GPS is reasonably accurate (USUALLY, but I've had mixed results myself - also having a standard altimeter or combined unit is preferred).
For example: Say you're planning to summit a peak - if you calibrate your pressure-based altimeter in a location with a known altitude right before your hike, then reach the summit and find that the measured altitude is a few hundred feet higher than the surveyed peak height, this means that atmospheric pressure has probably dropped since you began your hike (or the survey is wrong, USGS figures are very accurate though). This also would suggest a possible storm (or low pressure system) approaching. Your altimeter can't warn you when your climbing, but (as I just demonstrated) you can get an idea of the barometric trend by yourself if you understand the basics.
By: Aaron Wilbur , Jersey Hiker
November 20, 2008
Barometers only function properly when your altitude isn't changing,...
Barometers only function properly when your altitude isn't changing, thus, how could the storm alarm function when you're ascending a peak? I suspect that this product description might be a bit misleading - the storm alarm should work nicely when you're at camp for some time, but not while climbing (a GPS/barometer, however, could be capable of this as it can determine your altitude independent of air pressure).
By: Jersey Hiker
October 28, 2008
When a storm is coming, the pressure will drop much faster than you could generate due to hiking uphill. Altitude change on foot actually changes the pressure quite slowly.
EDIT (by Jersey Hiker): I think you've got your facts mixed up here (see my next question). If my research is correct, it's just the opposite: barometric pressure changes as a result of a storm are typically much more subtle than air pressure changes due to altitude change (assuming we're talking about 1000s of feet).
By: Angus Bohanon , Jersey Hiker
November 17, 2008
What type of battery does this use? How long does the battery...
What type of battery does this use? How long does the battery last? Can it be used with a solar recharger?
By: alisok286761
April 28, 2008
This uses a small (about the size of a US quarter) lithium primary battery. They are not rechargable and there is no such rechargable battery currently available.
By: Jersey Hiker
November 17, 2008
