Magnets in a bino harness?

[Jbxl20]

Are you guys talking about issues while keeping your phone or gps close to your chest? Or just while holding your phone out in front of your harness while checking it? I recently bought a marsupial harness and have only done a few hikes with it while using OnX. I haven’t noticed any issues but I usually keep my phone in my pocket.

 

[MallardSX2]

I dont trust them ever since my badlands bino harness popped open when I jumped a ditch and my Swaro 15's went bouncing off the rocks in front of me.....

 

[prm]

I played with my phone and a Silva, each goes off roughly 20deg when wearing my Marsupial harness.
Magnets have nothing to do with positional data (GPS).

 

[Vandy321]

OP....why not just test it yourself? Get all your devices up in compass or nav mode without your harness nearby, then have someone walk your harness over, note any change. Now you have your own data, specific to your exact setup/products.

My marsupial has no effect on my Garmin position (it's sat based) but my phones compass has error induced. I'm sure the compass in the garmin is effected as well for actual nav, but suspect the updates from the satelites as far as 10 digit grid location override the compass? no clue.

BL, just test your specific gear so you know.

 

[Brendan]

OP....why not just test it yourself? Get all your devices up in compass or nav mode without your harness nearby, then have someone walk your harness over, note any change. Now you have your own data, specific to your exact setup/products.

My marsupial has no effect on my Garmin position (it's sat based) but my phones compass has error induced. I'm sure the compass in the garmin is effected as well for actual nav, but suspect the updates from the satelites as far as 10 digit grid location override the compass? no clue.

BL, just test your specific gear so you know.

The issue will never be position, and no a compass can't override 10 digit grid - they're telling you two different things. One is telling you position, one is direction.

It's when you're standing in one place, pull out your phone or your GPS, and use it to get a heading to your next waypoint or destination (Imagine trying to find your way somewhere in the dark and you stop to find out which direction you need to go). You put the phone / GPS away, and head off in the direction it gave you. A half hour or however long later, you pull out your GPS and the position is showing you that you headed off in the wrong direction because the direction arrow / compass was incorrect.

I can get around it with my Marsupial, and I love the harness otherwise, but I'm thinking about replacing it for that reason.

 

[Vandy321]

The issue will never be position, and no a compass can't override 10 digit grid - they're telling you two different things. One is telling you position, one is direction.

It's when you're standing in one place, pull out your phone or your GPS, and use it to get a heading to your next waypoint or destination (Imagine trying to find your way somewhere in the dark and you stop to find out which direction you need to go). You put the phone / GPS away, and head off in the direction it gave you. A half hour or however long later, you pull out your GPS and the position is showing you that you headed off in the wrong direction because the direction arrow / compass was incorrect.

I can get around it with my Marsupial, and I love the harness otherwise, but I'm thinking about replacing it for that reason.

I'm aware of what a compass and a GPS do. What i was saying is that if your GPS compass is off....yet you punch in a waypoint, the Sat will get you to your point, regardless of the compass pointing a few degrees off azimuth due to interference with a magnet. easy fix...hold your compass further away from your harness

BL...if you (hunters in general) can't pull out a map, get a read on the topo, get a rough cardinal direction and start walking and end up relatively close to your point based on terrain features, your money may be better spent on a land nav course than worrying about a bino harness.

If you're doing night land nav with just a compass azimuth and counting steps, all with a phone in your pocket with GAIA...you're working harder, not smarter

 

[87TT]

If your compass and therefore you map orientation keeps pointing at your chest as you walk, you can go in circles. I got tired of resetting my compass and holding the GPS away from my chest so I got rid of the magnets.

 

[Brendan]

I'm aware of what a compass and a GPS do. What i was saying is that if your GPS compass is off....yet you punch in a waypoint, the Sat will get you to your point, regardless of the compass pointing a few degrees off azimuth due to interference with a magnet. easy fix...hold your compass further away from your harness

Yes it will get you to your point, but only if you realize not to trust the arrow / bearing information to your waypoint or to make sure you're holding your GPS / phone way away from your chest. It'll give you the correct waypoint you need to go to, the wrong direction to get there.

It's not a few degrees - mine will go off by 30-40 degrees and flip 180 degrees if it's real close. And, repeated close passes with the magnets throw a phone's compass out of calibration and you have to go through a re-calibration process.

Dealt with it and tested it all season long. It's a pain in the ass.

 

[bsnedeker]

If you're doing night land nav with just a compass azimuth and counting steps, all with a phone in your pocket with GAIA...you're working harder, not smarter

So you think it's "smarter" to keep your phone out and on, staring at the screen in the dark to make sure you are going in a straight line rather than figure out a heading and put the phone away?

I disagree.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[87TT]

Let's put it this way. When you are in the "can't see your hand in front of your face " dark, and packing out an elk, You don't need or want to be fricken with your GPS. And you don't want to make those multiple trips any longer than needed. So yes I'm checking it a lot.

 

[Oklahomahunter1995]

I had this same concern. However I have the marsupial full enclosed with the fury abs and have had zero issues

 

[etapia]

I had an older Badlands harness with pretty large magnets. It definitely messed with my GPS which is one of the reasons why I switched to a Kuiu harness.

 

[Marble]

It don't know if it has any affect on my phone. But I can tell for sure it screwed me up one night looking for my horse. Found out I just have to hold it a foot or so from my pack and I'm good.

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[DEEF]

Maybe this explains why the compass in onX was acting screwy my last trip. I have a Badlands harness with magnets.

Im relating as well. A couple different times Iv had the compass switch directions. If I recall the issue correctly, it seemed to occur when I placed my phone in my marsupial bino harness. I generally keep my phone in my pant pocket and dont see the compass switching on me. I was thinking I need to buy a dedicated gps, but I think the guy is onto something with Magnetic interference. I will be testing this. When the compass goes out while hiking off trail to the truck in the dark, it can be very frustrating. Only happened twice and both time in the dark and probably holding my phone often near my magnets.

 

[DEEF]

Are you guys talking about issues while keeping your phone or gps close to your chest? Or just while holding your phone out in front of your harness while checking it? I recently bought a marsupial harness and have only done a few hikes with it while using OnX. I haven’t noticed any issues but I usually keep my phone in my pocket.

One time, my phone was resting in the harness. The other time, holding near the harness, but frequently near the magnets as I somtimes rest my phone hand ontop of the harness . After noticing compass discrepency, I began to leave my phone on rather than turning the screen off and kept my phone upright. At the time, I thought it was being directionally challenged. Now that you bring up the magnet variable, I believe that is the issue. Both times my compass went array and didnt recall correctly, it was at dark and I was using it near my chest and more frequently than while in the day. I have the marsupial. I will be investigating this. I believe it is a interferer.

 

[schwaf]

I had a badlands harness, and it screwed with my compass and gps. I wear a compass on my wrist and use it in conjunction with my gps so I can just set the map to north orientation, and I had to hold it out at arms length. I've had my binos slap pavement when I jumped off the roof of my car, and have had it spook game when my arm bumped the lid shut. Absolutely hated that harness after a couple seasons.

 

[Jbxl20]

Thanks DEEF. I’ll have to check it out next time I’m in the woods with my harness. I know plenty of people that use a magnet to hold their phones on the dashboard. I guess it doesn’t mess with the gps driving directions just the compass direction.

 

[Brendan]

Thanks DEEF. I’ll have to check it out next time I’m in the woods with my harness. I know plenty of people that use a magnet to hold their phones on the dashboard. I guess it doesn’t mess with the gps driving directions just the compass direction.

Correct - GPS is not affected, just the magnetic compass which is where the direction arrow comes from in OnX/Gaia etc. So not an issue until you're trying to figure out which direction to a waypoint, terrain feature, etc.

To answer your other question, I never store my phone in my harness, stays in pants pocket, and comes out when needed. It's still an issue.

 

[DEEF]

Looks like I’m going to the Kuiu Pro.

I love magnets and like the build of the marsupial. I have the old style and was getting annoyed with debris entering and the minut fabric noise during stalks. Otherwise, I enjoyed the comfort and durability.

Thanks Brendan and others who brought the phone magnet to my attention.

 

[DEEF]

The issue will never be position, and no a compass can't override 10 digit grid - they're telling you two different things. One is telling you position, one is direction.

It's when you're standing in one place, pull out your phone or your GPS, and use it to get a heading to your next waypoint or destination (Imagine trying to find your way somewhere in the dark and you stop to find out which direction you need to go). You put the phone / GPS away, and head off in the direction it gave you. A half hour or however long later, you pull out your GPS and the position is showing you that you headed off in the wrong direction because the direction arrow / compass was incorrect.

I can get around it with my Marsupial, and I love the harness otherwise, but I'm thinking about replacing it for that reason.

This is exactly what happened to me—Two times where I walked un-necessary miles. Other times I realized it was glitching and couldnt be trusted so I used my other senses.