Instinct Crossover Tactical - very loud button clicks

rdecocq said:

When hunting or bird watching, this scares the animals away. When in tactical missions, this gives away my position. 

Really!!! Lovely example of hyperbole!

if your buttons are making that much noise, then I suggest you contact Garmin Support. 

rdecocq said:

The buttons make a very loud click sound, which is not very uhm tactical.

I have no such experience - maybe you have some System settings set incorrectly for maximum stealth button pushes.

Try the following:

MENU > System > Sound and Vibe > Key Tones [Toggle Off]

and

MENU > System > Sound and Vibe > Key Vibe [Toggle Off]

and for maximum OPSEC and Sound Discipline while in enemy territory

MENU > System > Sound and Vibe > Vibration [Toggle Off]

If those countermeasures still cause risk to your life, then you should do as @philipshambrook suggests and contact Garmin Support.

HTH

I believe rdecocq does not complain about any beeps or vibrations, rather just about the plain mechanical click, when the button is depressed. Well, my I2 is already 2 years old, and most of the buttons no more springy. They click only very softly without any noticeable noise. However, two of them do still click almost like new, and if you are in absolute silence, you can hear the sound clearly. I agree that it could compromise the safety if used in silence with someone (or something) listening carefully. 

I am afraid though, that there is no true solution for it - exchange for another unit won't help. Perhaps using a silicone protective case as shown below could dump the clicks sufficiently.

trux, you are right, it is all about the physical sound of the buttons. I hope they will get more quiet in time.

This is just another anoying aspect of this watch, beside the condensation issue, which Garmin says is normal. Unbelievable that a MIL spec watch gets useless below freezing point. Garmin is really underperforming with this watch, compared to their otherwise excellent equipment.

I still believe the original post is a classic case of exaggeration. Put it like this, even at its loudest the button press could only be heard by even the keenest ears within a couple of feet. What sensible person would be moving to press buttons on a watch when that close to wildlife or an enemy combatant? The movement of arms etc required to push the button is far more likely to be detected than the sound, Unless of course the user is lying in wait with a finger poised over the button ready to press it.

If the watch is really making intolerably loud mechanical clicks when the button is being pressed that can be heard more than a couple of feet away then that is an issue that should be addressed by contacting Garmin Support.

Yes, of course this is somewhat exaggerated. In normal situations the click sound is soft enough, but animals have very sensitive ears. Deer at 100 yards distance do look up if I push one of the buttons, that's how alert and sensitive they are. And that's why a real tactical watch should be completely silent.
I know, this is a very special situation, but I just wanted to mention this for other people. Don't expect a complete silent watch.

rdecocq said:

Deer at 100 yards distance do look up if I push one of the buttons

My wife falls into this category.  She's able to hear the button presses from across the room while the TV is on.  She likens the sound to clipping fingernails.  

That's a very accurate description of how it sounds: clipping fingernails. It's not only the Instinct Crossover, but also my old Fenix 3 had this to a lesser extend. It looks like the button clicks get more quiet after a long time of usage.