GPS Accuracy

I've been testing the F5 vs FR235 for a couple of months and have posted in other threads about it. The FR235 almost always has a smoother track and smoother pace. The F5 is way more erratic. I'm not sure I can buy into Garmin's explanation, but there's no doubt (in my mind at least) that that F5 is more susceptible to "GPS drift" than the FR235.

I changed the F5 to smart recording last night for the fun of it, and the track and pacing were no better. In fact, they kind of look worse.

I'm so disheartened with the GPS in this device. It's a beautiful watch otherwise.

I wonder what makes some watches perform worse than others. Or perhaps the places I run aren't so challenging for GPS after all?

So far my F5 seems similar or perhaps even a bit better than my FR235 was. The track is slightly offset at times but relatively straight and total distance has been what I expected based on my earlier runs and map plotted routes.

I have mostly run with foot pod as pace source (first stryd then the adidas speedcell) but my first run was with just the watch and pace was fine (compared to FR235 as any foot pod still has better pace accuracy than GPS). Planning to do a full week of running with just the watch at some point for comparison though.

I have the silver variant but that shouldn't probably make a difference. GPS + GLONASS with Smart recording.

I've been testing the F5 vs FR235 for a couple of months and have posted in other threads about it. The FR235 almost always has a smoother track and smoother pace. The F5 is way more erratic. I'm not sure I can buy into Garmin's explanation, but there's no doubt (in my mind at least) that that F5 is more susceptible to "GPS drift" than the FR235.

I changed the F5 to smart recording last night for the fun of it, and the track and pacing were no better. In fact, they kind of look worse.

I'm so disheartened with the GPS in this device. It's a beautiful watch otherwise.

Did you send this info to Garmin?
I really want to see what their response is given that both devices are theirs (and the old mid-range one works better than the new high-end one)

Yes I did. I'll definitely post back if and when I get a response.

So I bought a Fenix 5 after using V800 for a couple of years and between trying out a Suunto Spartan that was returned.
I love the F5 but I was very disappointed about the GPS Accuracy.
Wrong side of streets, delayed turns etc made it stand out with bad accuracy.

However after reading Fellrnr WIKI about GPS Accuracy I remembered that I had enabled GPS+Glonass when unboxing the F5.
So I returned to default settings for my runs, thats Normal GPS (GPS only) and it made my day! The difference was immediate and the accuracy is as good, in some cases better, then the other devices! ;)

Heres are a coupe of examples with the devices and also with GPS and GPS+Glonass:

I have this same problem. Running on the same jungle trail. The path going and coming back is a little wide. Sometimes it look like I am running off the path, which I am not.

Now here is the question is why do I need to be this accurate? Am I going to Mars with my watch or having a brain surgery using my watch? Am I right or wrong? See my attachment:

At what point do I get mad at Garmin?

I have this same problem. Running on the same jungle trail. The path going and coming back is a little wide. Sometimes it look like I am running off the path, which I am not.

Now here is the question is why do I need to be this accurate? Am I going to Mars with my watch or having a brain surgery using my watch? Am I right or wrong? See my attachment:

At what point do I get mad at Garmin?

These kind of "jumps" mess up your data.
You may beat a PR according to the GPS data, when in fact you were far from it.

Jumping from one side of the street to the other (when in fact you're always on the same side) adds quite a few meters (if it's a long street, it may even reach 0.5km if the run is long enough) - it's unacceptable.

Yes, it's weird.
And to compare the Suunto Spartan that one utilizes GPS+Glonass and produces good results.
So I'm suspecting that it's the SW-implementation of GPS+Glonass in the F5 that's messed up more than that it would be a HW issue...

My point: I'm happy with GPS accuracy for now, but would be delighted if Glonass enhanced accuracy even more.

The GPS + GLONASS doesn't improve accuracy, it only helps you get a quicker GPS acquisition and hold on to a satellite lock when there is a limited view of the sky. The watches only calculate position from the signals of three satellites and there are 12 GPS and 12 GLONASS satellites in each hemisphere.

The tracks on your map with GPS and GPS + GLONASS show that you are using Smart Data Recording. To improve your accuracy, you should change that setting to Every Second.

Received a reply from Garmin Support. I provided them with my latest run activity (beta 4.12) and my last comparison against the FR235.
The response time was actually very fast, but of no help unfortunately:

"I'm happy to help. I see from your forum post that your software was running 4.04. We now are running software version 4.10. Please install the update using Garmin Express. if you do not have Garmin Express you can download it here: http://software.garmin.com/en-US/express.html. Your Settings and usage of the device both seem sound. Please reply with your findings after your software update."

The GPS + GLONASS doesn't improve accuracy, it only helps you get a quicker GPS acquisition and hold on to a satellite lock when there is a limited view of the sky. The watches only calculate position from the signals of three satellites and there are 12 GPS and 12 GLONASS satellites in each hemisphere.

The tracks on your map with GPS and GPS + GLONASS show that you are using Smart Data Recording. To improve your accuracy, you should change that setting to Every Second.

Well, I'm not unhappy as it is with smart and GPS only. I feel accuracy is enough for my needs. The thing is that I think GPS + Glonass produced less accuracy....

Can any early adopter of the Fenix *3* tell us how long it took Garmin to fix GPS accuracy issues from the initial release?

GPS problems with the F3 series were never fixed. I went through three replacement watches. Thankfully, I am happy with my 5X.