GPS Accuracy

Yeah, the F5 is with green gps and 'press start' msg though (which is about 2 mins after the gps going green in this case) so should be enough to get atleast something. And it's not as if we're surrounded with high buildings or thick leaves here, so meh. Not impressed to say the least :/

If you keep getting GPS tracks like that then I suspect there might be something up with your unit, so you might want to contact Garmin CS in due course or even just take it back to the shop you purchased from for an exchange. I was due to go for a run today, but I've sprained my Achilles so just took the dog for a leisurely walk instead. Sorry it's only the Strava link, but not wanting to publicly expose exactly where my front door is Strava has the privacy zones that GC doesn't. There's a fair bit of walking in woodland with leaves growing and the track is very good and always within 2-3 metres of where I went (I do know the area like the back of my proverbial hand). The little squiggles in the track exactly correspond to where I had to stop for poop scoping or just avoiding other dogs. 1 Sec with GPS+GLONASS for those interested. To be honest, these tracks are better than what I've got so far running along some of the same paths.

https://www.strava.com/activities/922377757

That walking track is indeed terrible, even with UltraTrac on mine it's not that bad, the distance is off compared to the FR235 though, as usual. What's strange is that FlipStone's running track is pretty good which would rule out a defective watch (like the one swapped by another forum member the other day) I would say.

As for my own comparisons I ran without my footpod today and like most (all?) others here the instant pace was absolutely ridiculous, swinging from 4:20/km to 6:20/km while I was running at a pretty constant 5:20/km, no such problem on the FR235 that varied reasonably (i.e. still usable) from 5:30 to 5:15. So yes instant pace is generally not a useful metric but that shows that the underlying data is "messy", which is consistent with the "wobbly" track, the irregular autolap and the erroneous overall distance. Unfortunately the forthcoming v2.70 firmware makes no reference to GPS improvements...which doesn't mean they aren't there of course, we shall see. Hopefully we'll have some first FR935 running tracks tomorrow to see if it's platform or "casing" related.

EDIT - here are some FR935 comparisons and it's not looking good https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?372931-GPS-Accuracy&p=964941#post964941 can't even do as well as an iPhone 6 :-(

...but this FR735/FR935 comparison sees a happy owner https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?372931-GPS-Accuracy&p=964943#post964943 so more time needed ;-)

Fenix series has always been bad around tall buildings, especially reflective glass ones. That track doesn't surprise me. Forerunners do better in urban areas. Fenix great on trails!

Hi,

I got my F5 replaced yesterday, due to a potentially faulty unit. At first, I thought the GPS of the replacement watch performed better . Here is a walk that I took with my first watch.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1648371856

Then here is that same walk with the replacement watch. In reverse order

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1648863105

As you can see there is a considerable improvement.

The next day which is today, I went for a morning run. Here are the results. The GPS track is all over the place. Same issue that I was having with my first watch.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1649593859

Any help or pointers would be greatly appreciated. All of these walks/runs have been taken with GPS + GLONASS and also with 1s second reading. The walk with the replacement watch was done with the original firmware that came on the watch.

@WEBVAN, I'm just not seeing the awefulness you are. Admittedly I don't run/walk/ride in a jungle (concrete or real rainforest variety), but I equally don't ride a bike around an open desert either ;). I'm not saying the F5 is the greatest GPS watch ever made for GPS tracking, the watches that hold that accolade are huge and have horribly ugly antennas extending in to the strap below the watch face, but the F5 seems acceptable to me if I'm not constantly looking for the badness. This is starting to feel like the F3 GPS accuracy thread all over again; unfairly I feel this time (the F3 really did have issues for the first 2 months after release, but it's hard to put the lid on the accuracy can once it's opened).

Beta 2.72 released and is stickied. GPS firmware update included.

https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?372987-Fenix-5S-5-2-72-Beta-Release

Thanks, will be loading that ASAP !

@Crispin_Ellisdon - what "awefulness" are you referring too precisely ? The problems I described in my previous message are pretty factual and frankly unacceptable and there's no reason anyone should have to deal with that because the F5's GPS performance is "good enough at the end of the day", that was a valid argument in 2003 when the only game in town was the FR201 ;-) Anyway, on to v2.72 !

Line in the sand - GPS v4.22

OK, so 2.72 beta is out with an updated GPS software from 4.20 to 4.22. Can I suggest that no more tracks/data that are claimed to be awful (or good even) be posted unless on the latest software (and confirmed 15 minute static soak , as per the 2.72 instructions). Fair?

@Crispin_Ellisdon - what "awefulness" are you referring too precisely ?

Not so much your own data posted, 235 is a similar form factor and a valid comparison/benchmark so that's fair game; but every time someone else posts a wayward track there's a conclusion drawn.... Regardless, the big jumps into rivers that you have seen are not unique to the F5 (just stroll back to my first post on this thread); iPhones can go off piste from too from time to time ;).

OK you could land a helicopter on the 301/305, so they'd struggle not to have good reception. Moving forward, my trusty old 405cx had mega GPS tracking; but I know that came at the price of a compact/attractive form and battery consumption. Ambit 3 and v800 are oft quoted as inter-stellar GPS performance, but there is a compromise in their form, size and function too.

Replaced the watch

Fenix series has always been bad around tall buildings, especially reflective glass ones. That track doesn't surprise me. Forerunners do better in urban areas. Fenix great on trails!

Many thanks for the feedback.

I'll try the beta firmware and if not I will talk to Garmin about replacing the F5 with the 935

Sixth training. Solid and accurate results. Gps only and record 1 sec.
Today I have run along the sidewalk with some slight change in some lap but the results are excellent. The other workouts similar to fenix 3. I am very happy.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1651940111

I just did a 5k over one of my usual routes with the new 2.72 beta firmware with updated GPS f/w. http://mygpsfiles.com/app/#vgN6UZQg

Usual caveats apply, different day, only a single sample etc

The tracking does look better. Less corner cutting and it had on the right side of the road under tree coverage. The discrepancy in distance is down to me crossing a few road junctions with it in manual pause, I didn't get lucky with the traffic today...