[Joakim Ågren]

Originally Posted by FrederickUK

Well, I picked up my Core from the Post Office this morning and it's bloody brilliant!

It's a 849x-xxxx serial, so pretty recent off the production line too. I've left the scratch protector film over the battery hatch to try to allay the static a little bit, and after wearing my fleece all day it's still showing 6:11pm which is pretty much bang on (UK time anyway!)

Just need to set the reference altitude and align the compass for proper deviation and I'm off on the slippery slope of Core ownership!

One thing that does make me a bit suspect though, is that if you press the Backlight button, on the clock and alt/baro screen it's a perfect, solid backlight - but on the compass screen it's flashing... is this usual?

Yes the blinking light during compass operation is normal!

The compass and the light is the most power hungry function in existance in the watch world even more so then a GPS. Thats because of the extreme sampling rates, therefore Suunto has limited each session to 45 seconds and also since the battery is incapable of delivering full power to the compass and light at teh same time Suunto have choosen to alternate the power between the light and compass which causes the blinking effect.

This solution is better then some other manufacturers like Casio that just lock the compass completely making it almost useless to operate during the night. Suunto has the smarter solution thats for sure!

	Suunto Visit SuuntoWatches.com to see Suunto's full line of wrist top computers and compasses.

	Suunto Core - Click for more info The Suunto Core is the benchmark of Suunto's ABC (Altimeter, Barometer, Compass) wristop computers, furnishing the best features of top-selling Suunto predecessors, and then advancing upon their legacy with innovative environmental monitoring functions that any outdoor adventurer will find invaluable. The Suunto Core is the culmination of years of testing, research, user feedback from the field, and technological advancements in the Suunto laboratory.

	Suunto X9i - Click for more info Introducing the Suunto X9i - the new and improved version of the Suunto's X9, voted "Best Product of 2004" by Fortune Magazine. Now available in two colors, the X9i combines GPS functionality with an altimeter, barometer, compass, and thermometer ... all these instruments, packed into a single watch.

	Compass Compasses are sensitive, absolutely crucial instruments to precision navigation. The earth's magnetic field, inclination, and your longitude and latitude all influence the horizontal plane of a compass needle. As a result, compasses are balanced for different geographical zones. Suunto Compasses overcome this limitation to traditional compasses by using a simple 'Two Zone System'. With a Suunto Compass, the only 'balancing zones' are the northern and southern hemispheres. In addition to this innovation, certain Suunto Compasses come equipped with useful features like luminous needles and marks, centimeter/inch scales, magnifying glasses, clinometers, sighting notches, and more.