compass aberration

Hello,

did you make a calibration of the compass?

Greetings.

Here's a list of what I've done or factors accounted for:

- toggling Compass=>Auto Off then On (fixes only temporarily, then recurs soon thereafter)
- Compass calibration
- Using default Profile files instead of my own customized ones
- Changing the North Reference setting
- Ensuring no magnets or magnetic fields while walking with the device
- Clear view of the horizon, and clear of vegetation
- Activities being recorded, or not (I don't use Tracking, i.e. sending points to mapshare)
- wifi active or not
- bluetooth active or not
- Sensors and GPS setting are set to default

Sorry. No idea more.

I would call the Garmin Hotline.

This service is very good.

This could be a problem with the quality of the GPS fix and the threshold for switching back and forth between the electronic compass and GPS-derived heading/bearing. The interaction with the Auto setting is suggestive of this, but not conclusive.

To oversimplify a bit, the device will use the electronic compass when not moving, or moving below the threshold speed (which is typically around 2mph). Above the threshold, it uses GPS-derived information instead of the electronic compass. This is true of all Garmin handhelds, not just the 66i. AFAIK, there is no setting which allows you to control the threshold speed. "Garmin always knows best"

To be clear, you don't need a fix to calibrate or USE the electronic compass. But if your fix is bad (particularly in challenging conditions, when a portion of the sky is obscured), the device may see apparent motion when you are actually standing still. This can cause it to erroneously switch to GPS-derived direction.

Note that avoiding ferrous metals and magnetic fields (high-tension power lines, for example) applies both while calibrating and while using the electronic compass. 

All of that said, the response time of the electronic compass should be almost instantaneous if properly calibrated. I can spin my chair in a circle and the compass keeps up. You might have a hardware problem with the device. Open a support ticket.

(You could also try a factory reset, followed by recalibrating the compass. This would also require you to repeat the outdoor portion of inReach activation. Might not do any good at all. OTOH, this is likely to be one of the first things support will suggest.)

twolpert, thanks for your notes on how the compass is integrated into the rest of the device.  I have already controlled for magnets and magnetic fields, have factory reset, and recalibrated.   I had the previously new 66i (with the same issue) replaced with another one.  A friend also has a 66i, and his does NOT exhibit this problem under any circumstances.  Mine has the problem nearly ALL of the time.  A ticket is still open, at this point I'm trying to collect info to see if anyone else has this problem; so far, no one is reporting it besides me.  I'll continue to work with Garmin.