My new Fenix 5 Plus is very in accurate in open water. First time I did around 1,500 meters but it just showed 250. Second time I did around 2,500-3,000 but it just showed 1,500. However the map seemed to track what I did correctly. Also, I had 1,000 meters alerts on but instead it gave me 500 meters alerts. Data recording was set at "every second" mode and I tried all three GPS modes. I also have version 4.20. First reply from Garmin Spain was: "GPS measurement in open water will never be as accurate as when running or cycling because GPS looses connexion when paddling, so we don't think your watch has any problem". Anyone else?. Not surprisingly, the Fenix 5x Plus is also having open water issues.
Hopefully I'll be able to start swimming in the local reservoir again soon. It's still kind of cold out and the water temp is probably a little too chilly yet. I'm curious if it has anything to do with stroke rate and whether you can get an improvement by switching between GPS/GLONASS/Galileo based on what has the best satellite availability for the location and time you are swimming. There are apps you can get that will tell you what the availability is of each satellite type at a given time. Maybe I'll be able to get enough outdoor swims this year to give it some real testing.
Did my first OW swims with the F5+ titanium and while they might be slightly worse than the ones tracked with a 735XT, I was pretty happy with the outcome using GPS + Galileo in Spain and allowing for a lot of time to properly download almanach data and such. This is the track from IM 70.3 Marbella: https://www.strava.com/activities/2322419026/overview and it conforms pretty well to the race course. It looks to be a bit on the long side but then again the start was pretty chaotic so I tried to avoid the crowds and probably added a bit to the course length. Give another little bit for the beach start and exit and I think this is reasonable for a rather difficult task.
I have a new Fenix 5X that I have used a few times for swims. It appears the problem is still not solved. I will have as other described, some tracking and then nothing for 1000yd and when i rest, within seconds it brings up to the current distance (showing I swam hundreds of years in mere seconds. It would be great for it to improve.
It appears to remain a problem. I have a Fenix 5X that I bought a couple weeks ago. I too have the problem that it tracks me for a short distance and then I drop off until I rest and hold my arm in the air for a while. It may show initially that I swam 200 yds and then when I rest (after swimming another 1000 yrds) it at first still shows the 200 yds, it take some time to orient to the satellites and then suddenly it shows me going hundreds of yards in mere seconds (to catch up with my current position). My software is 13.30.
On another note, my previous watch 920XT died after less than 3 years of use. I froze up in the middle of a triathlon and now none of the buttons work. I am disappointed that a $500 watch would only last 2.75 years. Is there anything I can do to keep the $600 Fenix 5X working longer than 3 years?
So a fairly inconclusive set of tests this morning. The distance calculation seemed more accurate, however the GPS track still seems way more jagged than a GPS run, although maybe that is as good as it's going to get. Due to more accurate distance calculations (maybe) I am happier with the OWS capability but maybe this is just a one off, difficult to tell.
Thank you, would you mind sending your findings to [email protected], and indicate which model of the fenix 5 Plus series you have in the subject line?
Just back from an activity holiday which included 3 day open water swim training. Fenix 5x+ picked up the satellite easily on each of my swims however after literally 5 mins in the water - it would start freezing. Sometimes it would kick back in, however it would have missed the distance I'd swam in the interim. Most times it would just freeze and then the device would only track time. This happened every single swim over the 3 days and rendered my device completely useless. I now don't have any active data that I can use from those 3 days. Very frustrating.
I also had issues with HRM when in trekking mode (the other part of my holiday). 3 days trekking - 8 hours a day, in 35degrees with 95% humidity climbing 1000ft+ a day carrying 10kg pack and my heart rate rarely went above 80. I'd not ultrafit and a manual counted showed that I was waaaay above what my device was tracking at. My friends basic £100 FitBit tracked the trek/HR perfectly...
Given the problems I had with my original Fenix 5s+ battery drain, now this I am starting to believe that this range is genuinely not fit for purpose.
