Problems with Ant+ connectivity

This is going to be the last time I add to the narrative in this thread, but I wanted to drop in just to say this after returning the F5 (and before that the F5X) and going with the Forerunner 935, the issue is most definitely with the Fenix line.

I don't know if it is the housing of the fenix line, if the 935 and fenix line are using different sensors for ANT+ or BTS, but after two days with the 935 The only way i've lost contact with my phone is if I am 30+ft away from it. Anywhere within the realm of that range, even through walls, the watch stays connected to my phone (same phone that I had with the Fenix 5). Went for a quick mile with the 935 yesterday just to establish vo2max with my HRM-Tri and Stryd and didn't have a single drop. I've also heard people say the OHRM on the 935 is more accurate, though I think that has to do more with the 935 being much lighter and doesn't jiggle around as much as the fenix line.

As for the build, I don't know what the complaint is here. It doesn't have the heft of the fenix, but for me that's a good thing. It feels really good on my wrist and it kind of threw off my rhythm during that run since I am so used to the added weight the Fenix has. It'll be something though I will get used to. The bezel is not metal, or if it is it sure doesn't feel like it and it's thinner than the Fenix. As for the screen not being sapphire glass, $8 got me a glass screen protector that is seamless with the watches face. Unless you saw me put it on the watch, you couldn't tell it was there.

On top of all that, it's running the exact same software as the Fenix (if some did not know that), but with none of the problems, none at all. The GPS from that tiny window of activity I did seems to be just a tad bit better (it still wanders a bit, usually on turns), but that was done with normal GPS. Going to try all the options to see what is the sweet spot. The connection to the GPS though was shockingly quick. I usually would have to wait a good 20-40 seconds where I live for the Fenix to find the signal (which I end up just stretching and warming up for it) the 935 on the other hand had me in less than 5 seconds. Battery life is better and the screen clarity is also a bit more crisp compared to the Fenix line, in particular when using the backlight. The Fenix just looked more washed-out when the backlight was on, not so much with the 935.

For me it was a no-brainer, I wanted a functional watch that did all it claimed to do and whatever happened during the manufacturing of the Fenix line hurt it's functionally terminally. The 935 is on live 4.10 as of this writing, it has none of the issues the Fenix line is experiencing, if you can return it, i'd return it and get yourself the 935 (and save yourself hundreds of dollars). For the first time in a VERY long time, I don't have much of an issue with a Garmin watch. I feel confidant in what the watch is doing, have all the functions working the way they do and don't feel the need to traverse blogs, reviewers, people and of course, forums, to see if there is any correlation with issues I am having.

Shame on Garmin for not being honest with it's customer base and publicly acknowledging the problem. Not a single press release or statement about this.

Just like to add angles demo plays a part

Whilst my issues are not as severe as others, I too can easily make my watch lose the Ant signal by simply putting my wrist behind my back which shouldn't be the case. The bluetooth signal isn't affected in the same way. Garmin need to resolve this ASAP , I feel in the quest to improve the GPS signal over the F3 ( it's not by much if at all) they have probably screwed up the ANT signal reception. Overall it's left a sour taste in the mouth and I would like Garmin to buy back my watch at full retail price.:mad:

Whilst my issues are not as severe as others, I too can easily make my watch lose the Ant signal by simply putting my wrist behind my back which shouldn't be the case. The bluetooth signal isn't affected in the same way. Garmin need to resolve this ASAP , I feel in the quest to improve the GPS signal over the F3 ( it's not by much if at all) they have probably screwed up the ANT signal reception. Overall it's left a sour taste in the mouth and I would like Garmin to buy back my watch at full retail price.:mad:

Well said.

Garmin Connect hides dropouts when HRV is disabled

Here are my new tests:
1. I have Fenix 5 Sapphire with the latest firmware 4.10.0.0
2. I did hard reset
3. I did initial setup and kept all default setting
4. I paired only a single HRM belt with F5

Fenix 5 behavior is still the same - dropouts in ANT+ HRM signal reception while FR910XT has no problems.

HOWEVER, I have noticed a strange thing - after Hard Reset the HRV recording was disabled as a default setting (I had it turned on before). In such case Garmin Connect does not show dropouts in HR graphs - instead it paints an interpolated line instead of dropped out signal.
Then I did another test - I intentionally removed my HRM belt between 0:40 - 1:45 test and watch showed "--" in HR screen. The graph in Garmin Connect shows no dropouts.
I analyzed the FIT file using ANT+ SDK and it has no HR data between 0:40 - 1:45.

When I re-enabled HRV recording back, Garmin Connect started to show dropouts in new workouts again.

NOTE: This message was edited. Originally I supposed that Garmin Connect behavior was changed today, but finally I found out that dropouts are masked when workout file does not contain HRV data.

NOTE: I wanted to upload the graphs, but I am getting error during uploading images

Kings Auction

Just another possibility, how old are the batteries in the HRM strap? if they are nearing the end of their useful life, i.e. near 10-12months old (with 1hr usage a day) then the signal from the strap maybe weakening as well. If the Fenix 5 antenna is not as good as other watches, then low battery power in the strap could be a cause as well. Not saying it is the problem but something else to think about.

The issue occurs with 2 my Garmin HRM belts - one brand new HRM-TRI bundled with the Fenix 5 and the other is my original HRM with 1/2 year old battery.
What I am trying to explain with my tests is that the problem is not with HRMs themselves, but with low Fenix 5 ANT+ receiving sensitivity.
Fenix 5 has dropouts even if you have hand with watch behind your back or above head when distance from HRM is less than 2 - 3 foots.
My FR910XT has no dropouts with these 2 HRMs even through it is 8 meters from the sensor behind 2 armored concrete walls. In free space FR910XT receives reliably HRM signal from more than 10 meters.

Originally Garmin stated that the issue is only with 3rd party ANT+ devices and users should use Garmin products. But this is not the case. Problem is in Fenix 5 which has problems even with the bundled HRM-TRI belt.

The issue occurs with 2 my Garmin HRM belts - one brand new HRM-TRI bundled with the Fenix 5 and the other is my original HRM with 1/2 year old battery.
What I am trying to explain with my tests is that the problem is not with HRMs themselves, but with low Fenix 5 ANT+ receiving sensitivity.
Fenix 5 has dropouts even if you have hand with watch behind your back or above head when distance from HRM is less than 2 - 3 foots.
My FR910XT has no dropouts with these 2 HRMs even through it is 8 meters from the sensor behind 2 armored concrete walls. In free space FR910XT receives reliably HRM signal from more than 10 meters.

Originally Garmin stated that the issue is only with 3rd party ANT+ devices and users should use Garmin products. But this is not the case. Problem is in Fenix 5 which has problems even with the bundled HRM-TRI belt.

The Garmin Soft Strap Premium used to have the occasional drop outs for me , 3-4 over 5 hours but the HRM Run 4 doesn't. The Tempe Ant+ sensor I have inside my backpack holds connection with my Fenix5 as does my Speed and Cadence bike sensors. It makes me think that while the watch antenna my not be the best that other factors could also be at play. The tempe sensor which is also Ant+ can be quite a distance away and it connects ok. When in my backpack, the pack and my body is in the way of it and the watch but it doesn't seem to matter. They need to make the Ant+ output from the HR sensors the same as the Tempe :-)

Garmin Connect hides dropouts when HRV is disabled

For those who already read my original post about masking dropouts in Garmin Connect web, later I found out, that HR data is masked only when HRV is disabled in watch menu. This is a default setting and after I hard reset my watch it stopped to record HRV. After re-enabling HRV in my watch Garmin Connect shows HR dropouts again.

I have corrected my original post. I apologize for misinterpretation of this strange Garmin Connect web behavior.
Garmin Connect Mobile never paints dropouts, regardless of HRV settings.

Disappointed

Spoke to Garmin Support again last week. They stated it's a known issue and asked for my continued patience. I pushed them to send me a new F5 or another loaner product until they have fixed the issue but they refused. Instead, they suggested I could try returning it to my retailer (two months after....).

Needless to say, I am very frustrated. The F5 is useless at this point for running and biking. None of my power meters works correctly. And I am not even complaining about the thousands of Connected/ Disconnected messages I get on a single bike ride. It's been over two months and Garmin treats this as a nice to have feature. This is core functionality and this is what they promise and advertise.