Fenix 6X with wrong elevation data and spikes on altimeter profile - Sign here if you have the same

Hello everyone, I’m reporting my very bad experience with Garmin. I bought one of the premium products on the market and a strong brand, looking for highly reliable basic metrics, GPS and Barometer Altitude. I’m a long trail runner and these data are very important.

But in 1 year, I was completely disillusioned from the Fenix 6X Sapphire not able to measure for me the altitude gain. I wasted a lot of time with Garmin, I called, I wrote to support and beta testing team, I had 2 replacements without any explanation, but the problem is still not resolved on the 3rd device and several Firmware.

I have hard times to accept to not have an official answer from Garmin included no mentions on firmware fixes, apart replacements without any explanation. This make my suspicious of a design flaw (on barometer sensors and holes positioning) that Garmin doesn’t want to acknowledge, but this is just a personal speculation.

Problem:

After 20/25 minutes of running, the elevation profile starts to present random peaks and spikes in altitude that finally results in completely wrong elevation gain. Randomly I have hundreds of meters of altitude gain in flat runs of 10 / 12km. We are not talking about errors of "a few meters" but about measurements that on average are more than 3 times, with more than 250% error!

The elevation profiles are ALL OF THE SAME TYPE where the problem is appearing after 20/25 minutes.

It is not a problem of using the watch ... I have been running both trail running and road for 10 years, never had such problems with Suunto (Ambit 2, Ambit 3 Peack, Sparta, Suunto 9 Baro), only with Garmin Fenix ​​6X Sapphire.

I went through several tests:

  1. I tested 3 Garmin Fenix 6X Pro (my first one and the 2 replacements)
  2. I Test the various types of calibration (manual, at start-up, continued). Enabling, disabling the maps.
  3. It's not a GPS coverage problem, I run in open spaces and clear skies
  4. I have hard reset clock
  5. I have tested the various firmware releases over the months and the problem has always arisen

 The problem does not occur:

  1. Wearing the watch on the right wrist (where the barometer holes are NOT frontal to the running direction so no direct air flow that may push swear in)
  2. Using a wristband on the right of the watch, protecting the barometer holes from sweat
  3. Using a cover (where the barometer holes are protected)
  4. Wearing the watch on the belt
  5. In easy activities, such as walking

These items, combined with the fact that the problem occurs after 20/25 minutes, may indicating that the cause is the sweat entering on the barometer holes with the swing of the arms and the front air running, thus disturbing the sensor. Not sure why this is not happening to everyone, maybe it could be depending by the individual sweating level and\or different physiology of the liquid (who knows? The PH, …).

Since in my several calls with the support they told me they never had complaints for altimeter problems I invite whoever have the same to reply indicating “I have the same” and I compile in this post the list of the customers affected

Only 2 examples...find many in other posts on the forum. All are similar, some better, some worst but always wrong.

     

Users affected:

  1. Paolo Costantini
  2. acajic14
  3. eezytiger

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  • i have a Fenix 6 Pro (not X) and have not noticed anything like that.  I also live in a flat area and my altitude graph is pretty flat.  Can you compare the temperature plot of the same run to one of the altitude plots in your post?   This is interesting.

    I don't understand your point #1, are you saying that you don't have the problem when the holes are facing your hand (toward you fingers and away from your elbow)?

  • I will post for temperature. I also did this in previous posts... btw it’s the third swatch that have the problem so unlikely it’s a problem is temperature sensor.

    • I correct #1. I meant that if I wear the swatch on the right wrist, the holes of the barometer that are on the right side of the Fenix, are not in the direction of the run and the sweat drops probably are less probably hitting the holes...
  • I'm also affected with that...It started at the end of may when temperature (and humidity) went up, somewhere around 9.90 beta. Same profile graphs with very wrong elevation data - for example I climbed 300m during 1h30 tennis match or 250m during football training in summer. Now when I have watch over the clothes everything is OK...

  • I have not been running for some months due to injury, but here is an example from August with my 6X Pro Solar. Total elevation gain for this run was recorded as 123m when usually it should be about 20m for this route.

    The watch was bought in December 2019 and has always been kept up to date with firmware, including most of the betas.

  • Same for Fenix 6 Pro. Also same behaviour when I am doing, say, a cardio training where I stay in one spot for the whole training, and when there are no temperature changes (measured by a tempe, which is not even worn on the shoe, but placed on the ground/table a couple of meters away). The altitude gain in half an hour might reach 200-300 m.

  • Apparently same problem as mine, more sweat with temperature... an sono sweat wearing over clothes. I add your name in the list

  • Graph has same problems as mine... looks that spikes start after 15 mins or so, early than me as it was august and more hot... more sweat? I add you on the list.

  • Can you double check if “gain” in quote is starting after XX minutes thus relating when you start sweating?

  • Since in my several calls with the support they told me they never had complaints for altimeter problems I invite whoever have the same to reply indicating “I have the same” and I compile in this post the list of the customers affected

    I understand that you'd like to see this issue solved for those who suffer from it, but I don't understand what's to be accomplished by adding names to a forum thread?  Isn't this already done on any given thread when replied too?  Wouldn't it be more fruitful to post your support case number and then encourage others with the issue to call support themselves and reference that number and then have them post their case number for the next person?  I think a list of case numbers to reference would go much farther with support than a list of forum user names. 

  • Well, this is very interesting.  I looked through some of your other posts and can see you have quite a bit of history on the issue!  I suspect beyond sweat, the watch is getting warmer because you are and that's also throwing off the readings.

    While I understand your desire to publicize this to potentially warn others about the issue (ask me about my cell phone carrier sometime!), beyond that I can see a few options.  I mean all of this in all sincerity.  I totally get your frustration,  but no one here can fix the issue so as far as I can see you can.

    1. decide that the altitude doesn't matter when tracking a run. 

    2. or if you can't do that, go with one of the solutions you identified

    3. or, if that's uncomfortable, see if Garmin will take the watch back

    4 or if they won't, try to sell it to someone that doesn't care about altitude.

    I see a lot of people complaining about altimeters on lots of watches so maybe the best solution for runners that really care about it is to get watches without altimeters  (like the Forerunner 245) and rely on the map elevation correction in Connect.  Personally, I don't much care about altitude, but I live in a pretty flat place.  It doesn't impact anything else that I know of.  But when I'm walking or hiking in a hills, I am interested in it, but I'm unikely to be impacted by sweat clogging the holes, and I've not noticed problems.  (Before you ask, in light of option 4 above, I already have a Fenix so I won't buy yours, Grinning )

    I'm sorry that you're all having trouble.  Frowning2