Altimeter Fenix 5

After a week of showing nonsense in altimeter and barometric pressure, trying soapy water, droplets of water in sensor hole = nothing brought any improvement. An hour ago, I reset the watches to factory setting, prepared them to second RMA with support of seller, to push Garmin for replacement (first claim rejected, because after reset to factory setting, watches sensors were stable), both, altimeter and air pressure sensor, are stable, showing ± OK values - 279m a.s.l. (real 335m a.s.l.) and pressure 1013,6 hPa (real 1028,4 hPa), without any extra calibration, just wipe watches.

You describe a lot of effort, but did you try just calibrating the altimeter?

Both your barometer reading and you altitude reading will be worthless if you haven't calibrated you altimeter very recently.

When you returned the watch to factory settings, it probably reverted to a standard value for barometric pressure at sea level = 1013.25 millibar. This would explain the watch showing 1013.6 millibar barometric pressure at sea level shortly after you reset the watch. So the watch assumed a barometric pressure at sea level which was approximately 15 millibar too low, compared to the true 1028 millibar. A too low barometric pressure leads to a too low altitude. One millibar is equal to 8-9 meter, so you would end up with altitude being 120-130 meter too low. According to your numbers, it was only 60 meter too low, so there is probably a small discrepancy in the true barometric pressure at sea level.

To me, it seems like you could have gotten an even better result by just calibrating the altimeter instead of resetting the watch. And you are supposed to calibrate the altimeter frequently since it needs to know when the air pressure at your location has changed.

Hi, I guess you missed my previous comment - #203. I understand your point of view, but if "just" altimeter calibration will be the point, I will be very, very happy - because, than, my watches will work OK.
And yes, I tried many times to calibrate altimeter/barometer according to ofiicial meteo stations nearby. I tried that with starting activity (auto leveled with GPS ON), with manual calibration with GPS, with manual calibration with manual altitude entering ... no everytime after factory reset, it seems OK, but after a while again NOK.
Leaving watches on desk seems help as well, but I did not buy these watches to look at them laying somewhere, but wear them. Before buying Fenix, I guess these are really top, but I am thinking about to exchange them to 935 as well now - as mentioned by FlagWix above...

The thing that gets me is ..ok the watch needs calibrating..fine..i get that.. but come on ..every hour if possible garmin states on an email to me:Dreally ..really:mad:put that in the advert and see how many you sell...

Sorry but no..thats the device saying if you tell me what the elevation is and what the pressure is every hour i will tell you the elevation and the pressure every hour:D

i dont have to tell my £5 work watch the time every hour so it will tell me the time every hour..

so im in bad weather in a mountain and need to kbow my elevation...i have to tell the watch my elevation so it can tell me my elevation:rolleyes:

the device is supposed to tell me that.. not the other way round for god sake...thats why i paid £500.00



my edge 1000 has never been calibrated in 2 years and works fine and is accurate.


like above .. i use my watch outside in the hills and mountains ...biking.hiking.snowboarding...not on window sills in the office..

arghhhhhh

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There are two different issues being discussed here:
1) Barometer/altimeter changes due to weather patterns or actual altitude changes - calibration helps with that

2) Static discharge causing ambient pressure to drop continually or drift much more than normal
pressure changes.
A) During times of drift the watch won’t correctly count stair flights (or detect them at all)
B) Drift is bad when potentially connect iq watch faces and/or certain connect iq widgets are used.
C) Drift of ambient sensor can go toward 0mb which invalidates the barometer, altimeter and temp sensor. This may show huge climbs, then negative huge swings.


I have experienced 2) above on all 3 watches I have had and B) and C) with connect iq watch faces/widgets installed. Leaving the watch alone and/or soaking it allows it to eventually recover but this happens again when subject to static discharge.

Resetting latest Fenix 5 but not installing connect iq items I see 1) but still record stair flights and can calibrate. Also experienced 2) A) and did not get a record of stair flights. Then experienced some of 1) again with stair flights accurately recorded. No need to soak because the watch recovers over an hour or two.

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Well, this is how a barometric altimeter works. It has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the watch. It is physics.

It is clear that a barometric altimeter is not for you. Buy a cheaper watch which doesn't have one.

Hi Allan sorry its just a bit frustrating.

Im currently doing a full calibration of both the alt and the baro with the gps running in an activity and the current known elevation of 225ft...my house

After i set the alt i then went to baro and set the same 225ft, it then asked for the sea level pressure..? this is confusing me, average seal level is 1013.25mb.... if i enter that ave sea level pressure will it not confuse the alt to thinking its at sea level? and the pressure at the current elevation of 225ft is 1013.25mb

i would have thought it would need me to enter the barometric pressure of 1003.25 mb which according to charts is the estimate for an elevation 225ft

thanks for all your input here..hope that makes sense to read..

After i set the alt i then went to baro and set the same 225ft, it then asked for the sea level pressure..? this is confusing me, average seal level is 1013.25mb.... if i enter that ave sea level pressure will it not confuse the alt to thinking its at sea level? and the pressure at the current elevation of 225ft is 1013.25mb

I have seen another user describe this behaviour for the F5. To me it seems like the watch is asking for redundant information. When you calibrate a barometric altimeter, you can do it in two ways:

• Either tell it what the altitude is right where you are, so the altimeter can calculate the barometric pressure at sea level and use that as reference for the altitude calculations.
  
• Or tell it what the barometric pressure is at sea level right now at your location, so the watch can use this as a reference for the altitude calculations.
  

If the watch wants to know both, it doesn't make much sense to me. I wonder if it is just a bad user interface. Perhaps the watch just wants to give the user a choice between two ways of calibrating the altimeter, but it is not clear about it, so the user thinks that he has to enter both pieces of information.

Anyway, I am only guessing here. My F3 doesn't ask me for the barometric pressure at sea level. I can only calibrate it by entering my altitude.

Under all circumstances, you should not input a textbook value for the barometric pressure at sea level. You will need to input the correct, current value.

Returned my Fenix 5.
Bought a Vivoactive 3.
Vivoactive 3 Altimeter works.
Tested it several days, altimeter still working.

Personally theories that static electricity, humidity, ambient temperature, blocked port, days ending with the letter y or any other reason that would cause the altimeter to give inaccurate readings is absurd.

I really like the Fenix 5, but at price of $600+ I'm not willing to check my common sense in at the door.

Possible Altimeter (ambient pressure) fix for Fenix 5, Fenix 5X and Fenix 5S:

1) Silicone Spray - protect the rest of the watch for overspray and hold can back about 4-6 inches so you are not filling the ambient pressure sensor with silicone spray. The sensor itself is silicon so the silicone spray will not harm it or the watch (it is just very slippery if it gets on other parts). It is safe for rubber, plastic, metal, etc.

2) To prevent static buildup between the metal bezel top and metal bottom you can connect the two with a very thin piece of wire (maybe a copper strand) - this prevents a voltage difference between the two given that a capacitor is 2 pieces of metal with a dielectric between. The watch body acts as a dielectric. The actual ambient pressure sensor is measuring capacitance, so when a static charge builds on the watch body, it changes the reading of the ambient pressure sensor. If you can dissipate the charge between the metal bezel and the metal base of the watch (ie: a thin piece of wire acts as a short circuit so no charge can build - like a lightning rod acts to raise the potential above a vulnerable structure, the wire would keep charge away from the sensor.

So far this has been 100% effective in my testing ....

I think the Forerunner 935 is less susceptible because the bezel is the same material as the watch body (ie: not a metal conductor).

I know this is DIY, but I think ALL of the Fenix 3HRs, 5, 5S and 5X watches have a similar problem but only when subjected to low humidity and static discharge caused by clothes (ie: removing a jacket, long sleeve rubbing against the watch, etc.)

1) Above may be a good solution similar to soaking the watch in warm water with a mild detergent .... appears to help the sensor reset after static charge causes erratic readings.

2) Definitely addresses the charge buildup (it prevents it). One could technically take a tiny strand of copper wire (thickness of hair essentially) and loop it around a single top bezel screw and the closest bottom screw. The screws are hand tight, so if you loosen one to loop the wire around and then carefully tighten it to the same torque, you should not effect the seal - similar to removing one lug nut on a wheel and replacing it, then torquing it correctly - does not upset wheel.

My very affected Fenix 5 has been rock solid with respect to altimeter and barometer for 48 hours now and counting. Wearing jackets and keeping it on my arm 24/7 caused it to glitch badly within the 1st couple of hours of receiving it. I now have hands-five as my watch face so I can see what the altitude is and it is counting stair flights 100% of the time up and down now. Not going to comment on the exact accuracy of that (sometimes 12 flights, sometimes 11 flights on the same steps, but it gives a great elevation chart now that is accurate).