[Brad]

Ok, I'm going to give you the long version of how this works, and then the short version.

The Long Version:
This is true with all altimeters. The altimeter works off of barometric pressure. Let's say that your altimeter increased 130 feet means that your sea level barometer inches of barometric pressure at one time has dropped a little over .10 inches of Mercury. A drop of .05 inches of Mercury increases your altimeter 50 feet and vice versa. A drop in barometric pressure means that a weather front had moved in. The first barometric pressure display on your Xlander screen is the "absolute barometric pressure" factoring in weather and elevation where you are at. By pressing the "select" button three times in the barometric pressure mode will take you to the sea level adjusted barometric pressure. This is where it will show the change in weather at your base elevation. Sea level adjusted barometric pressure is the barometric pressure you see on the news, Weather Channel and http://www.weather.com/ If you adjust your sea level adjusted barometric pressure, it will in turn adjust your altimeter. If you adjust your altimeter it will also in turn adjust your sea level adjusted barometric pressure. I hope this helps your understanding of altimeters and barometers. Altimeters are an "estimate" based on barometric pressure an not an absolute like a second ticking on a Celsium Atomic clock.

The short version:
In a nut shell, altimeter don't acually measure where you are on the earch, but are a number converted from a barometric measurement, which fluctuates as you go up or down in altitude, or as weather changes.

As far as the Compass goes, sometimes I find you have to move away from metal objects, like a car or a computer, and just keep turning it around, it will eventually calibrate.

I hope that helps, otherwise you might try just calling Suunto tech support over there, you can find out where to call by visiting www.suunto.com

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