Shift in GPS track depending on wrist

Former Member over 5 years ago

As an avid heatmapper / run every street I'm particularly interested in more accurate GPS tracks. I've been perplexed by why has appeared to be a shift of my GPS tracks to the left of where I run no matter what direction I run in. So if I run an out and back on a road it looks like I've practically run a loop because its shifts it off the road on both sides. In general my tracks are off the road and sometimes its more egregious than others. I took to running on the wrong side of the road (with traffic instead of against) to get it more centered. I then did an experiment and changed my watch to my right hand. Low and behold my tracks started looking significantly better! I figured there must be some sort of setting I was missing. I found the wrist setting in my Fenix 6 and changed it from "left" (the correct setting) to "right" and it made no difference.

Wearing the watch on my right wrist example here:

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/4692022516 - I ran on the side of the road against traffic and its shifted to the right, which is closer to the middle of the road

Wearing the watch on my left wrist example:

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/4488678027 - notice how all the tracks are to the left where you would be running against traffic off the road

Really neither of these examples are very accurate as they don't capture where I really ran but at least with wearing it on the right hand it will actually show on the road I was running on. I don't know if this is an intentional shift or not. Also I'm not a fan of wearing it on my right hand (again wrist setting seem to make no difference in my tests). Does anyone have any info on this?

Also this isnt a one off test. All my runs with my Fenix 6 are like this and I found many with my Fenix 5 as well. Additionally I have done several runs with it on my right wrist and they consistently produce better results every time.

Top Replies

Dr Phil over 5 years ago in reply to Former Member +7 suggested

What's wrong with this? https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/4692022516?fullscreen=true. Yes in places it's adrift much not by much considering there's a reasonable amount of tree cover there…
Simone.01 over 5 years ago in reply to Fursty_Ferret +4

Fursty_Ferret said:
Electronics do not work on magic

Algorithms sometimes can do something similar than magic. Look what is happening in photocameras into smartphones, for examples in Google Pixel device…
RISBAC over 5 years ago +4

Such negativity here... Why do you care if some people are curious about the influence of the angle of the watch ? Maybe it can't fix anything with the watch indeed, but then what? I find that positive…

All Replies

0 7162912 over 5 years ago in reply to MiniEggS

Maybe, I'll give it more testing over weekend.

What surprised me that I got clean straight line with +- max 2-3 m (I consider this excelent) in the area where on previous 50+ runs my track regulary wobles 20-30 m to the left. It gets worse because I return the same way so tracks are sometimes 50m apart.

Come to think of it, my bike ride also was much better, it seems wrist position makes a difference.

0 Former Member over 5 years ago in reply to 7162912

I also tried wearing my 6 pro on the inside of the wrist. Apart from feeling unnatural, it did not improve the track (running) one little bit. Still offset 10-15-20 m to the left.

0 swtex15 over 5 years ago in reply to Former Member

Thank you to everybody who has tried the inside wrist position. I'm happy that it's helped some people, but it looks like it's almost a 50/50 toss up as to whether or not it will help any given watch... and that's hardly a solution. From browsing this and other threads, it seems the offset problem affects a fair number of people, and it also seems we've collectively exhausted just about everything in our power as consumers to try. Someone earlier in the thread suggested reporting the issue to [email protected], so I guess the more people who report it, the more attention it will get. Hopefully it's something Garmin can fix on the software side.

0 Former Member over 5 years ago in reply to swtex15

Has not been fixed since September last year so I would not hold my breath any more. Then again, there is a certain user here always claiming his, his wife's, neighbours etc. sixes are just fine in this and all other regards. At least it works well for somebody.

0 Simone.01 over 5 years ago in reply to Former Member

Fortunately people without issues does not send e-mail to Garmin. This is why is important to report everything you think is an issue without listen to people that does not have any issues. I think ;)

0 GJRodenburg over 5 years ago in reply to swtex15

I was skeptical, and have only tried it once now, but... https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/4794082882 After about half a lap I decided to turn the watch to the -inside- of my wrist.... lo and behold, the watch started tracking true. What black magic is this... Going to try it more often.

0 Former Member over 5 years ago

Not been trying to move the watch to the innerside of my wrist, but the offset is here also. Will try moving the watch in a next run.

More sginificantly is the difference between 2 different Garmin watches, like other people have stated also. Below the tracks i ran with my girlfriend this morning. Captured from the Garmin Connect web interface. On the left side, her Vivoactive 4, the right side my Fenix 6, doiing 2 laps.

I do not mind my route beiing somewhere off for 5m (can't have it all from a 1,5" piece), but i do mind the significant difference between the 2 devices. The smooth Vivoactive and the wobbly Fenix 6

I have asked Garmin's customer service about this. They responded with "ehm, this should not be like this" and suggested to swap the watch for free. Good service, but it will not solve the issue, i guess. In respond I asked them, with the 2 GPX files send, if there will be a solution for this shortly.

Is this an issue we wille have to live with because of the Sony chipset, and the metal bezel/cast the F6 is made of?

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/4795296819

0 RISBAC over 5 years ago in reply to Former Member

The top image is two laps from a Vivoactive 4, is it correct? Since it uses the Sony chipset too, and has a metal bezel, it's interesting to see such a difference

0 pietero over 5 years ago in reply to Former Member

Is this an issue we wille have to live with because of the Sony chipset, and the metal bezel/cast the F6 is made of?

To 'answer' you in another way - during the past 21 days a Polar Vantage M and a FR 645 traveled around my house (lock down) every day, approx 27 laps / day at the same time, basically following the same footpath.

The Polar (by implication the Sony chip-set) is with every run quite true to the real track while the offset of the Garmin 645 is again visible with every run, see attached example. (My house is not in the street :) )

BUT - interesting, I have NOT found this (offset) with my F6s, it is tracking very close to actual.

Black = Vantage, Blue = FR 645:

(In the end I am glad that this offset issue is getting some airtime.

Here is eg one of my threads - detailing the issue : https://forums.garmin.com/sports-fitness/running-multisport/f/forerunner-645-645-m/153675/running-tracks-persistently-displaced-to-the-left Subsequent to that post I also 'discovered' the wrist issue and I concur with the observations posted here.

I realise this is the F6 forum, I am just trying to bring more examples to the discussion.

0 Former Member over 5 years ago in reply to RISBAC

RISBAC The image with 2 laps is from my F6 pro, 1 lap is from the Vivoactive.