Instinct - incorrect altitude recording

One new running activity today - V 17.5 on my instinct - no changes - still this "bump" at the beginning of the run and  then a flat line.

really frustrating  

Hi, version 18.10 Beta works better, but not enough... We are expecting for an official version that correct altimeter/barometer issues.

See other threads on this forum about this. Garmin broke this function by pushing out a defective firmware "update" about two months ago, and seems to be unable to fix it. Personally, at this point, I think the appropriate thing to do is to insist that Garmin provide refunds or replacements that work.  

Hi, thanks for your reply - Done a Half marathon this Sunday with  V 17.5 version! the altitude graph is always the same, like in the beginning of this post. Hope we are going to have a new correcting version!

PhilFrance said:

Hope we are going to have a new correcting version!

There is one (v18.10) available for testing since two weeks, pinned to the top of this subforum

18.10 does not help much. Right after manual altitude calibration, sitting indoor by the computer without movement, my altitude reported changed 70 meters in 3 minutes, up to 120 meters in next 3 mins as I am writing. This actually is ruining my Instinct experience, making it a child's toy. Cannot use it seriously anymore...

XMCE said:

Right after manual altitude calibration, sitting indoor by the computer without movement, my altitude reported changed 70 meters in 3 minutes, up to 120 meters in next 3 mins as I am writing.

Unfortunately I cannot test it, since I already gave away my old Instinct, but the manually calibrated elevation remains stable on Instinct 2, as long as the ambient pressure, and the watch temperature remain at the same value too. I recommend repeating the manual calibration again, at an open window (to exclude ambient pressure changes due to the ventilation or A/C, and similar), and making sure the watch stays at the same temperature (for example avoid the calibrating while you do not wear the watch). Note the internal temperature the watch reports at the beginning, and at the end of the test.

If you still see the same quick changes of elevation after the manual calibration, the best would be making a video demonstrating it, and sending it to [email protected] as well as to the Support.

What method did you use to calibrate the altimeter at the beginning of the activity ?
Was the sensor opening clean and free ? Was the wind generated by your movement on the sensor aperture ?

Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately I don't have time for these experiments. Garmin already gets quite a lot of useful feedback from this forum for free. If they mean it seriously, they should use the data provided here and test their products by themselves. The altimeter never provided that much precise values, but was good enough for an amateur hiking and so. Now with the latest update, it is seriously broken. Based on the info provided here Garmin should be able to find the issue and fix it. But on the other hand, I have my watch for more than 2 years already, so maybe the sensor's lifetime is already over...