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Descent Mk3 Dive Watch Compass Calibration
Your Descent™ Mk3 - 43 mm, Descent™ Mk3i - 43 mm, or Descent™ Mk3i - 51 mm dive watch comes with a built in 3-Axis Electronic Compass and a GPS compass.
GPS compasses use GPS tracking to determine your direction, and they require that you be moving at approximately two to three miles per hour in order to determine the direction you are facing. The GPS compass may not function properly when standing still or moving slowly.
The 3-Axis Electronic Compass functions more like a traditional compass and can be used when idle or moving at low speeds. This compass is also tilt compensated, meaning the watch can be held in any position and will still give a compass reading. Since GPS only functions where there is signal on land and does not work under water, your watch uses the electronic compass while you are diving.
For best accuracy we recommend manually calibrating the compass regularly and before every dive. If your compass is not functioning as expected, check for updates to your watch's software, check your compass settings, and manually calibrate the compass. See your owner's manual for additional information about compass settings.
Manually Calibrating the Compass
Your dive watch has two options for manually calibrating the compass. Quick calibration can be used for getting a quick correction for land based activities, but for best accuracy during diving we recommend doing the Full Calibration while wearing your diving equipment. The video below walks through the steps for doing a full calibration on your dive watch. Your owner's manual has addition tips and information on compass calibration.
- Hold MENU.
- Select Sensors & Accessories.
- Select Compass.
- Select Calibrate.
- Select Full Calibration.
- Press START.
- Stand with your watch arm raised to shoulder height.
- Bend your elbow to 90 degrees so your forearm is vertical and your watch face is pointing behind you.
- Lower your forearm forward until it is level with your shoulder in front of you.
- Raise your forearm to vertical.
- Rotate your wrist so that the watch face is pointed outward to your side.
- Lower your forearm forward until it is level with your shoulder in front of you.
- Raise your forearm to vertical.
- Rotate your arm from the shoulder so your upper arm points ahead of you, your forearm is vertical, and your watch face is pointed away from your body.
- Lower your forearm until your arm is straight in front of you with the watch face pointed down toward the ground.
- Raise your forearm to vertical.
- Spin your body to your right 90 degrees.
- Perform steps 7 through 16 again in the new orientation.
- Spin your body to your right 90 degrees.
- Perform steps 7 through 16 again in the new orientation.
- Spin your body to your right 90 degrees.
- Perform steps 7 through 16 again in the new orientation.
- Press START.
You should get a message saying the calibration was successful. If the calibration says it was unsuccessful, move further from any large buildings and try the procedure again. Reference the video above for an example of how the procedure should look.
- Hold MENU.
- Select Sensors & Accessories.
- Select Compass.
- Select Calibrate.
- Select Quick Calibration.
- Press START.
- Select Start.
- Rotate your wrist wearing the watch in front of you in a figure 8 motion, making sure to flip your wrist upside down as you cross in front of you.
- When you get the tone and vibration, select Ok.
If you receive a Calibration Failed message move away from any large buildings and repeat the procedure, reference the video for an example of how the figure 8 motion should look.