What method does the 1030 use for recording elevation gain during a ride? Air pressure? GPS? Map data?
Note that I'm talking about recording, not calculating -- unless it's recording using map data, in which case they would be the same thing, but I listed that option only because it's possible, not that I think it likely.
Why I ask: for several years I've been downloading from older devices first to Mapsource, later to Basecamp, then exporting as GPX, loading into Google Earth, and saving in My Places. For my diary, I've been using the elevation gain calculated by Google Earth. I know that GE overestimates gains for my rides, but I've never been sure by how much. Being in north Florida, I can easily get 1000' to 2500' of elevation gain, but it comes in many very small bits, 10' to 100' each, so verifying on a topo map is very ... well, let's just say vision-intensive. I used to do that 30-40 years ago, but my eyes don't cooperate so well any longer.
On one of my regular rides, GE consistently calculates about 840' of gain, and the 1030 consistently records about 690' -- about 20% more in GE. That's enough to matter to me, especially when I'm using my Florida rides to predict how well I'll do in Vermont and in Big Bend NP. 8=)
Of course, I like Google Earth's numbers better. ;-) But I know GE overestimates. (OK, lies.)
OTOH, I see that the 1030 often displays no change in elevation when I ascend and descend a 10' high "hill". Many rides here have a lot of those.
So I'm sure the accurate elevation gain is less than the GE calculation. But is it significantly more than what the 1030 records? How slight an elevation change can the 1030 reliably and accurately detect?
Edward
