Altitude errors??

Former Member over 6 years ago

Had my 5X about 10 days now, love the watch but really don't know if I can take the lack of accuracy with the altitude. My previous sport watch, Suunto ambit 3, was always within 0-2 meters of know altitude all the way up to Everest base camp.

However the 5X is very disappointing. This morning I did a short circuit walk of 2.5 miles, start point at 47m by the time I got back to the start point the watch read 36m!! The route is fairly flat only going from 47-60m. Thats just an example I notice other times the altitude is far from accurate.

I've tried various and numerous calibrations but no luck.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

0 mariomobiel over 6 years ago

What altimeter settings are you using, and wat firmware if your watch running?

0 Former Member over 6 years ago

Hi Mariomobiel.

Have been running the setting on both auto update and 'watch altimeter' setting. Even in the last hour after recalibrating and with the watch sat on the table I've lost 4m and that's with it set on 'watch mode altitude' and 'auto' off!!??

Sorry can't locate how to find firmware of watch but software update date and regularly sync with garden express for updates.

0 mariomobiel over 6 years ago

Have you checked this threat? https://forums.garmin.com/forum/on-t...ing-on-your-5x
check post #12

to find your firmware version long press UP Menu>Settings>About

0 AllanOlesen67 over 6 years ago

Even in the last hour after recalibrating and with the watch sat on the table I've lost 4m and that's with it set on 'watch mode altitude' and 'auto' off!!??

When the watch is in altimeter mode, it will assume that any change in ambient pressure was caused by a change in altitude.

4 meter is equal to less than 0.5 millibar of pressure difference. The barometric pressure at your location can easily have changed by 0.5 millibar in an hour.

Look at data from a nearby weather station and watch how much the pressure is changing over time.

0 Mistamb over 6 years ago

Teacoaster the ambit3 as nearly all suunto watches has "Fused-Alti". a funktion to continuously recalibrate the Barometric altimeter with the gps altitude. so every difference between the GPS and the baro altitude will be "matched" at suunto.
on the Fenix 5X the "autocalibration" funktion, does only a calibration of the baro alti at the start of an activity. then it relies on the air pressure. every change in weather will be change your altitude. you have to manually calibrate the altitude on longer trips. every now and then while doing the activity.

on watchmode: Auto (tries to figure out if your are moving up and down, or if the weather changes.
Baro-Mode: you tell the watch, that you stay at your altitude, and every pressure change is a weather change.
Alit-Mode: you tell the watch that every pressure change is because you are moving up and down.

0 Former Member over 6 years ago

I did not even bother with elevation until read this thread. Mine was off by 16m on auto calibration so I set it manually and will monitor. I have professional geographic surveys at my current point so it should be accurate.

i am curious if going forward how well it will track.