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Barometric plot issue with firmware v10.13

SergZak

(Note that this is regarding the eTrex Touch (Gen 2) and not the H1 so it's unknown if this is solely an eTrex Touch issue but I thought I'd put it out here anyways)

Has anyone noticed the barometer acting very strange (as far at plotting the graph goes) with v10.13? After an initial full reset (which I do after every firmware update), everything is fine and the barometric plots match pretty much exactly what my eTrex 32x shows. Over time however, the plots start to take on a mind of their own and vastly start to deviate from what the eTrex 32x shows. The plot is no longer smooth with strange spikes and dips showing rather than a smoothly curved plot. It almost seems as if readings are taken at much greater intervals with perfectly straight lines between these intervals.

All barometer settings are set exactly to what the 32x is set to:

1. Barometer Mode: Variable Elevation
2. Pressure Trending: Save Always
3. Plot Type: Ambient Pressure

All X & Y axis settings are also set the same between the two units when viewing the plotted graph.

Something seems to trigger the beginning of the irregularity but I can't pinpoint it. It could be the new setting for the GPS Stationary Filter but it's not known to me at this time...and that also should have no effect on the barometer's settings.

It could be me powering down the unit as opposed to leaving it on (as I do with the 32x) but the Pressure Trending setting is set to Save Always...maybe the unit is not actually "saving always" when the power is off as it's supposed to be doing and as it was doing in previous firmware versions (when the Pressure Trending feature was added).

I don't recall this being an issue with previous firmware but I could be wrong.

Note also that the only way to get the barometer plotting back to normal (matching the eTrex 32x which I know is correct) after it gets into this "state" is to fully reset the unit, after which, something will again trigger it into misbehaving. A full reset is the only way I know of to clear out the barometric pressure readings and the plotted graph.

  • 0

    Hello  I would love to help investigate this. For this, I have some additional questions: 

  • 0 in reply to Garmin - LF

    1. This is concerning an eTrex Touch, Gen 2 and not a watch. I believe this started after firmware update v10.13 but I am not positive.

    2. This does NOT concern the altimeter but the barometer and it's graphical plot

    3. I have posted the screen shots below from the affected eTrex Touch Gen 2 and an eTrex 32x for comaprison . ALL barometer settings are exactly the same on both unit's settings. I have also uploaded the same screen shots where you have directed (at the link you've provided).

    eTrex Touch Gen 2, v10.13 (below, blue plot)

    This is the barometric pressure plot. This is from an indoor location with the unit stationary for many hours, monitoring the barometer (ambient pressure), GPS is turned OFF (demo mode) so this should not be affecting anything. The sudden spike in the plot occurred after the unit was power cycled. Compared to the eTrex 32x below, the plots seem to match somewhat but only until the power was cycled which apparently caused the spike. After that, the plot is now higher up and did not return back down to where it was before the power was cycled. As I mentioned in my first post above, the barometer plot readings after this event will be skewed until the unit is hard-reset which of course wipes out the entire unit. Power-cycling just skews things even more, just as the first power cycle did.

    eTrex 32x, v2.90 (below, green plot)

    This is from the exact same location as the eTrex Touch Gen 2 above. Again, all barometer settings are exactly the same. I can also verify this barometric plot with a much older GPSMAP 60CS...they mirror each other very well, close to being identical. Power cycling the eTrex 32x multiple times did NOT produce any spike whatsoever in the barometric plot. Also note that the zoom ranges for both plots are exactly the same as well (0.04 in hg / 90 min).

    Something is clearly happening to cause the two units to show different barometric pressure plots. Note that I can not confirm it's the power cycle causing this since power cycling the Touch Gen 2 multiple times again just now did NOT produce a spike in the barometer plot. Something however is odd as evidenced by the screen shots above.

  • 0

    Here are two more screen shots taken about 12 hours later with neither unit moving from it's location.

    eTrex Touch Gen 2, v10.13 (below, blue plot)

    Notice the sharp, perfectly straight plot at the right side in the bottom half of the screen shot. It's almost as if no readings were taken for hours and suddenly there was one so the plot jumped from one point immediately to the later taken point with a perfectly straight line being plotted 

    eTrex 32x, v2.90 (below, green plot)

    Screen shot taken at the same point in time as above.