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The
Eco Edge's three-line display is about 1-5/8 inches wide by 1-3/4
inches tall. Depending upon the selected mode, the top
line of the display shows either a 4-hour future game
activity forecast bar graph or a 16-hour barometric
pressure history bar graph. The second line of the display
shows one of four weather forecast icons: Sunny, Partly
Cloudy, Cloudy, or Rainy. The forecast, which covers a 19
to 31 mile radius, is for 12 to 24 hours in the future and
is about 75% accurate. To the right of the forecast icon
is a moon phase icon (one of eight). To the right of the
moon phase is an icon (again, one of eight) that shows the
positions of the moon and sun relative to one another. Depending
on the selected mode, the bottom line of the display shows
the current time, date, year sunrise time, sunset time,
barometric pressure, compass reading, altitude, or
temperature. The digits and characters in these displays
are about 5/16 inch tall. Finally, at the right side of
the display, between the small deer head at the bottom and
the large deer head at the top, is a vertical bar graph
that shows the current predicted game activity level on a
scale of 1 (the lowest) to 10 (the highest). The
ability of the Eco Edge to display sunrise and sunset
times and the relative positions of the moon and sun makes
solunar tables obsolete. To
set up the Eco Edge, you need to set the time format
(12-hour or 24-hour), date, and year. You also must select
°F or °C for the
temperature unit. After this, you enter your time zone,
which can be GMT (0), -1 to -12, or +1 to +14. For
accurate barometric pressure readings and weather
forecasts, you enter
your altitude in feet or meters. For accurate relative sun
and moon positions (on which the game activity forecasts
depend), you must enter the latitude and longitude for
your location. To help you with altitude, latitude, and
longitude data entry, the User's Manual names several
sources of this information. Not
only does the Eco Edge provide current and 4-hour wildlife
activity forecasts, it also has a 97-year almanac and a
Future Mode that lets you view activity forecasts, moon
phases, and sun and moon relative positions from year 2003
to year 2099. You can even change the time zone, latitude,
and longitude for a future date without altering your
original setup parameters. The
Eco Edge provides an audible warning if severe weather is
predicted. This is triggered by a rapid and significant
change in barometric pressure. The barometer and severe
weather alarm continue to function even when the Eco Edge
is off unless you choose to disable the audible alarm. Another
thing you can do with the Eco Edge is enter an estimated
temperature (for example, if you want to check a
prediction for another location where the
temperature is different). After you do this, you have 5
minutes to see if the prediction is different before the
temperature automatically returns to the current actual
reading. To
prevent accidental changing of setup parameters, the Eco
Edge has a Key Lock function. When this is enabled, you
see a padlock icon at the left side of the display's third
line. For
easy portability, a carrying case is included with the Eco
Edge. You also get a wall mounting bracket into which the
Eco Edge snaps when you're not using it outdoors. The
two required CR2032 batteries are also included. These are
not preinstalled because the barometer and severe weather
alarm remain on when the Eco Edge is turned off. Follow
the instructions in the manual to install the batteries.
Battery life expectancy is 6 months with
"moderate" (Speedtech's word) use of the Eco
Edge. A low battery icon appears just to the left of the
activity vertical bar graph in the display's third line
when battery replacement becomes necessary.
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