Tempe observations

I know there are topics where this might belong, but they are all old and locked. Forgive me for starting another Tempe review thread.

While I like my Tempe, i find it comes up short here and there. I'd love to rant about it here and have more knowledgeable users tell me all about how I am not using it to its potential Slight smile

  1. I understand the Garmin Look, e.g. the products are uniformly black in color and minimal in form. A temperature sensor in a black chassis, however, will be very prone to inaccuracy caused by ambient sunlight. Almost every activity I log with a Tempe  shows temperature errors that correlate 1:1 with whether or not the sensor is exposed to the Sun. If I have it on my left shoulder and I turn from west to north, (northern hemisphere) the temperature will invariably drop, usually by many degrees (F). Etc. Perhaps this is the one Garmin product that should be molded in either white or a false metal (IR reflective but RF transparent) ABS case?
  2. The clip mount is flexible enough to work for many situations, but the width of belts and straps varies. Perhaps adding a tiny tunnel in the side of the case to allow attachment of a common lanyard might be a simple and equally flexible addition that would be 100% back-compatible with older clips, etc.

i work around the issue in #1 by trying to keep it both out of the light and away from my torso, When biking, i can clip it to a loop of velcro tape I place between my saddle rails and it works excellently. It is out of the sun 100% of the time, gets good airflow, and does not interfere with my motion. Running is more challenging, but if I have a roomy enough belt pocket, it can just go in there, remain shaded, and not report my hip temperature instead of the air temperature.

Any hopes for a white Tempe? Has anyone experimented with spray painting one white for better solar tolerance? Are there STL files out there for alternative Tempe clips for other widths of straps or other mounts, that I can print myself?

  • Best solution I found for running is mounting it on the underside of a cap visor, shaded from sun, good airflow, enough distance from my head. Second best: find or make one of those tiny pouches (in a light color) that were used to mount a Nike+ sensor on a shoe.