BB wrote:
GPS cards attached to a PDA are not legally accepted for US contests.
Many scorers take them anyway, and don't ask where igc files come from,
but you can't be sure of that. You don't need a certified logger, but
you do need something that internally produces a trace with altitude
info, not just the igc file produced in the PDA by seeyou mobile, GNII
or similar. You can also bug the rules committee to change this, at
least for regionals, as I do annually.

That's a great idea! Since I write my own navigation and IGC file
flight recording software, I'll be able to get that extra 5% of
performance I need to win on a consistent basis, without buying a new
glider 8^)

Seriously, though, there are numerous off-the-shelf consumer GPS units
with recording capability, that meet both the letter and spirit of US
regional and national contest rules, and there are some that cost well
under $150 new. Hopefully, within a few years the IGC will also allow
their use to document Silver and Gold badges...

Marc