How to Take Care of Your Instruments: Three Simple Steps!
You hose down the snaps on your jib, roll your sails nice and flat, rinse out blocks, and coil lines nicely to make sure everything is taken care of. Sailors are meticulous, and there’s no reason that the same care shouldn’t extend to your electronics. Here are three simple tips to keep your instrument dialed in for the long run!
1. Steer Clear of Magnets!
The enemy of compasses is the magnet: and many everyday objects are super prone to throwing your A2 out of calibration. Luckily, unlike your Tacktick or most other compasses, the Atlas 2 can be calibrated in the field using the Vakaros Connect app. It’s tempting to slip your Atlas into a pocket with a cell phone. But, it’s always best to avoid your Atlas coming near speakers, phones, other Atlases, and other strong magnets. One simple way to keep some space between your Atlas’s compass and magnets is to always use your carrying case whenever the Atlas is not mounted on your boat.
2. Use the case: it’s there for a reason
Almost all of us keep our cell phones in cases, and when we’re not using them, we wouldn’t just throw them in a toolbox or a damp line bag. While the Atlas is built for a tougher marine environment, it comes with a carrying case for a reason: it’s always best to replace your Atlas into its case at the end of the day.
3. Ditch the hose-down
Yes, the Atlas 2 holds up to spray on the water. No, it isn’t best-practice to spray it down with a strong stream of water after sailing. Instead, we prefer to use alcohol wipes to make sure all the nooks and crannies on the Atlas are clean.
All this just covers the physical care of an Atlas 2: beyond that, it’s always important to keep your firmware up-to-date using Vakaros Connect so that any fixes we roll out will go straight to your device. Curious about any of these tips? Shoot us an email at sales@vakaros.com and we’re happy to run through anything in more detail!
