PIREP: Casio Pathfinder PAW1200

This is a report on the Casio Pathfinder PAW1200 and its application
in the cockpit of a small aircraft.

The PAW1200 has it all: R/C time reception from all atomic clock
signals (US, Japan, Germany, and Britain), solar powered, barometer,
altimeter, thermometer, compass, alarms, stopwatch, countdown timer,
alternate (world) time display, auto backlight, and so on. But it's
surprisingly easy to learn and use. It's a huge watch to contain all
these gizmos (photos and dimensions at
http://esnips.com/web/BobFrysPhotos) but the mildly ludicrous
proportions of the PAW1200 line are part of its appeal.

My test of an R/C (atomic) watch reception is to pitch it into a desk
drawer with other watches and see if it can get a signal from Colorado
to Northern California. This one usually did, and simply set on top
of the desk it got the signal 100% of the time on the first try.
Without the signal it's still accurate, mine gaining about 2 or 3
seconds over 10 days. I turned off the power saving mode as
unnecessary, because kept in the drawer with occasional daytime use is
enough to keep it fully charged.

The "justification" for this, apart from the geek factor, was that it
might be useful in an airplane should the whiskey compass or altimeter
go tango-uniform. Sure. But seriously, would the PAW1200 be useful
as a backup? The answer is maybe.

The PAW1200 senses barometric pressure and reports the raw figure as
well as an altitude estimate, using standard atmosphere data.
Unfortunately you can't set the baro pressure to an airport reading,
so to make use of the altimeter you have to remember to set the base
altitude to your airport elevation before takeoff. Doing so, I found
the watch altitude was within 50-100 feet of the airplane altimeter up
to 8000 feet, as high as I went on that test. It could definitely
help in a pinch if the altimeter quit working, provided you set the
base altimeter correctly *and* atmospheric pressure hasn't changed
much. Or you can check your differential-corrected GPS altimeter
which most aviation handheld GPSs use these days.

The magnetic compass in the PAW1200 also proved accurate, though it
needed a few seconds to stabilize. You have to hold your arm so as to
point the 12 o'clock position on the watch in the direction you want
to read, and it displays the digital compass heading for several
seconds. It agreed with the whiskey compass within reading error.

Though I didn't try it in the airplane, the stopwatch could also be
useful and is not hard to get to.

It can be used at night with its backlight (either manual or auto),
but since the light only lasts 2.5 seconds you have to look quick.

So do its features really make it a valuable addition in a cockpit?
Probably not, but then personally I don't find any watch *that*
useful. Consider it more as a fun piece of hardware to play with.


Another review:
http://www.watchreport.com/2006/03/review_of_the_m.html

Other photos:
http://cantrell.typepad.com/photos/w...200/index.html

Casio website:
http://www.casio.com/products/Timepi...inder/PAW1200/

Best price I can find:
http://www.4-watches.com/casio/pathfinder.html

Bob:

Thanks for the nice review and pics. I recently wrote an article on
this watch on my new watch website. I will put a link to your pics in
the article and also the topic in our watch forum. Your pics are great
and I love that you took the time to show the dimensions in detail. One
question I hope you can answer. I see that you got the titanium model.
I have not been able to get the weight info - it was not on the Casio
site. How much does yours weigh? Thanks again. Take care.

Jay

"Bob Fry" wrote in message
...
This is a report on the Casio Pathfinder PAW1200 and its application
in the cockpit of a small aircraft.

I have never got one of these altimeter, barometer, compass type watches to
work in a light aircraft. This was a Casio PRG-60-T, made of titanium. It
showed ERR on the display most of the time.

It's a huge watch to contain all these gizmos

And made of plastic. Fatal in a light aircraft. Static seems to destroy
plastic cased wris****ches. They just stop working. The size of it !?! My
WWII A2 leather jacket would not go over it.

it might be useful in an airplane should the whiskey compass or altimeter
go tango-uniform.

As a pilot, there is absolutley no way, I would rely on a watch to give me
vital information. If, for whatever reason, a cockpit instrument fails,
there are other methods in determining the information it would provide.
This is why we train to fly properly.

The PAW1200 senses barometric pressure and reports the raw figure as
well as an altitude estimate, using standard atmosphere data.
Unfortunately you can't set the baro pressure to an airport reading,
so to make use of the altimeter you have to remember to set the base
altitude to your airport elevation before takeoff. Doing so, I found
the watch altitude was within 50-100 feet of the airplane altimeter up
to 8000 feet, as high as I went on that test. It could definitely
help in a pinch if the altimeter quit working, provided you set the
base altimeter correctly *and* atmospheric pressure hasn't changed
much. Or you can check your differential-corrected GPS altimeter
which most aviation handheld GPSs use these days.

QNE/QNH settings on a wrist watch? What aircraft type were you flying to
get external air pressure readings on something strapped to your wrist at
AGL 8000+ ?!? Does this watch come with a external pitot heater and make
all the correct compensations?

The magnetic compass in the PAW1200 also proved accurate, though it
needed a few seconds to stabilize. You have to hold your arm so as to
point the 12 o'clock position on the watch in the direction you want
to read, and it displays the digital compass heading for several
seconds. It agreed with the whiskey compass within reading error.

On the ground standing about 30' away from the aircraft probably. The
NAV/COM inside the aircraft would destroy any usefulness as a compass, as
would the airframe construction. You could hold your arm out the DV window
and get some reading - but I would not recommend this.

Though I didn't try it in the airplane, the stopwatch could also be
useful and is not hard to get to.

I have never used a stopwatch - ever. Sweep second hand on a watch (or
aircraft clock) is good enough. I used a kitchen egg timer (it was shaped
like an egg!) velcro'd to the panel during training.

So do its features really make it a valuable addition in a cockpit?
Probably not, but then personally I don't find any watch *that*
useful. Consider it more as a fun piece of hardware to play with.

These Casio - do - everthing and even some more expensive Breitling
emergency transmitters (these are a joke at my flying club) are, I believe,
nothing more than hype and marketing. They make fun toys, but are usually
not suitable for the applications they are designed for. They most
certainly can not be relied on. But then, these things do get better as
time wears on. GPS is still an addition to an aircraft that cannot be
relied on 100% - an I certainly don't trust the US military to point me in
the right direction!

The definitive desription of a pilot's watch is a watch strapped to a
persons wrist while flying aircraft. It could be a $2 quartz or a £20,000
swiss masterpiece. Either way, neither one is better than the other during
operational flying.

However, I currently wear a Citizen Nighthawk eco-drive while I am flying.
It was a Birthday present from my wife that thought the whole "pilot watch"
thing through. She did speak to the right people when making her choice. I
don't think I have actually looked at it while flying and rely more on the
NAV/COM's timer for the time. The E6B acually works, but I have never used
it. It does seem to be a good wrist timepiece though. Maybe the
alt.horology people know different though... Any comments?

Thanks,

Baz.

This is my first news posting, so my appologies if it is inappropriate or
incorrect.