Fenix 6X Sapphire - Problem with GPS Total Distance.

That is not 30m cut. 

baselpower said:

However if you look at this corner, it still looks bad on Here Maps (corner cut by almost 30 meters)

Agree. I, or my F6, have those days as well. My F3 had that as well.

Unfortunately I don't think that there will be any FW or GPS updates that will make things drastically better. Perhaps they will manage to get better distance accuracy but the GPS accuracy is what it is. For Garmin GPS is their core business, that's what it is all about. They produce devices for outdoor, training, hunting, marine, aviation (both civil and military). I think that they are well aware of tradeoffs when choosing hardware architecture and the impact choices will have.

I remember the huge thread about GPS accuracy in the Fenix3 forum. In the beginning I was disappointed as well but in the end I can honestly say that my F3 was the best training device I've ever owned (used a couple of different Polar devices before the F3) and I've always been able to use the data. The only thing that wasn't accurate all the time was the track on the map but I know where I ran and I always got the same distances. So far my F6x behaves the same.

When the power supply(ies) for the GPS chip is not CLEAN, the errors for bends, turns, curves and etc becomes obvious.  I am qualified to say it because I have been in the GPS industry for three decades and have helped companies to fix this problem when they are forced to stop production with the same complaints that all people are discussing here.  GPS is not new and its accuracy and capabilities are far more capable since 10 years ago. Unfortunately, for famous brands, they are not pressured by the market. It ends up the price of those products don't proportional to the quality of components that should be used. We are the victim of the modern economy.  

This from a MTB ride on Sunday. I really can't get too concerned at a difference of 240m over 31km? One watch on either wrist.

And my wife recorded this on her 945...

Fnet could you elaborate on the power supply being CLEAN? Is this an entire production run issue or is this an issue that may vary watch to watch? This is the first Garmin watch that I’ve had issues with. It’s the first time I’ve instructed my athletes not to upgrade to the new watch. It’s been pretty disheartening. 

from my experiences it is on par with past devices if not more accurate. just ran a 10 mile race, watch recorded 10.06 miles. i can live with that. 

It really depends on the conditions. It can be pretty clean and accurate. But at other times, the distance and pace aren't very accurate. Mostly in difficult conditions for the satellite and with lots of turns. 

The Fenix 5 is the same. Almost always underevaluating the distance. And with worse GPS performances. So it's not really new at Garmin's. But it really depends on the conditions. It can be spot on. But with poor GPS reception, it can be a problem if you need accurate pace and distance. 

I somehow do not think Garmin has issues with the GPS Power supply because the GPS works fine on the FR945. It wouldn't make sense to change anything from the FR945 GPS setup and technical realisation, so I assume they did not do that. I think it's some kind of software error/adjustment. I also found the Fenix 6 watch of some athletes I follow to be 100% (+-10m) accurate (comparing the GPX and tracked distance from their tracks) which I do not understand. I hope that Garmin does not individually adjust the watches of pro athletes to assure better quality for them and deny it for the "normal" people.....