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Innacurate GPS on all modes

aqular
over 3 years ago

Hey guys - just had a question if this was normal or not. I'm hoping "not" so i can return this Fenix 6 Pro Solar and get a new one but figured i'd ask. I've been running alot using the stryd app on my iphone 12, and that produces a clean GPS track within what i'd consider "acceptable" ranges, where i can pretty much say its always within 10m of the actual path and usually its damn near spot on.

After 2 weeks with my new Fenix 6 Pro Solar, this has NOT been the case. I've tried all 3 configurations (GPS, GPS/GLONASS, GPS/Galileo) and all 3 result in basically the same tracks:

** Okay apparently my computer/garmin are not playing well together and the image didnt upload, i'm going to just add a link, I'm actually running on the southern/bottom side of the street even though it thinks i'm on the north side.

photos.app.goo.gl/iz2a1yu6buYugei79

As you can see, according to the map on connect these tracks are about 30m separated at times, and this was "out and back" as in, i went to the corner and turned around. The red line at the bottom is where the actual sidewalk i was running on is. The entire map makes it looks like i was on opposite sides of the street for the entire run. The "turn around" point is also on the complete opposite side of the street.

I also noticed its having lots of dropouts with the HR strap i have paired via ANT+, but that might be another issue altogether. It honestly might be the strap, i usually use it via BT on my iphone but have it paired as ANT+ to the fenix (and forgotten from the iphones BT menu). Honestly i'm just disappointed, i thought this setup would be more accurate but so far it seems suboptimal.

  • 0 over 3 years ago

    Try putting the watch on your left hand on the knuckle, with the screen facing up. This helped me and improved the image of the track.

  • 0 over 3 years ago

    My 6XPro has the same problem. You talk about line, but what about you peace? Peace is calculated from our positions, so wrong positions = wrong peace. After month I started running with both watches (old Suunto 3 Peak) and 90% peaces are the same, but 10% are completely different, eg. I ran  5:00 but Garmin shows 8:30 for 30 seconds. Is it  acceptable? No. I should speed up, but I know, that peace is not true (4000km with watch, I know my body). Even peace differ than 0:15 is unacceptable, when you have intervals. Yesterday I had 9x 1min 3:30, but once Garmin showed 3:55 for 1min!

    Why I wrote this?
    Look at you images, you peace changed to blue (is it true, you ran slower?)...

    I am very disappointment. And I don't care, Garmin shows I am on wrong side of the steet, but (if) it is sport's watch, and expensive watch, have to work well.

  • 0 over 3 years ago

    When you campare two gpx traces make sure you look at both using the same app. In particular Garmin Connect Mobile does not render with much accuracy but that does not mean thet the underling recorded GPX data is not accurate. Export the GPX file and look at it with another app.

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to 2572376
    2572376 said:
    So really you are back to comparing a phone against a watch gps where the phone can triangulate using phone masts.  

    Do you have any proof that cell triangulation improves accuracy? From what I read it is used mostly for the initial position fix and doesn't provide accuracy better than a few hundred meters, which is a couple of order of magnitude worse than GPS accuracy. 

    However the actual difference is that the latest generations of phones have a better GPS antenna. Fenix seems to have an especially poor GPS antenna because its accuracy is worse than accuracy of low/mid level models such as FR 245. There is an evidence that keeping Fenix rotated, so that it is facing sky the entire time, significantly improves quality of GPS track. That is another evidence that the problem is primarily with the GPS antenna. 

  • 0 over 3 years ago

    Same here. Have been trying all different GPS configurations and use every second recording. Recording cycling activities works great, running tracks are rubbish. Perhaps I keep on expecting too much.

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to NYanakiev7

    Same problem, always with running, it gets better when wearing the watch on inner wrist, not perfect, but much better, as cycling has different angle towards sky I assume it has something to do with antenna position, I am kind off dissapointed as previous cheeper watches were better, I guess no firmweare fix is possible

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to Martin868

    Exported and compared on DCR Analyzer, added a new image to the album with all 3 labeled but on same image (and rendered in the same tool)

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to ArtiFTD

    Yes - it was slower at that point. Its a steep hill that normally kills me Slight smile

    Either way, i get Pace/Distance from the Stryd Pod not the watch

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to 7162912

    I hope this isn't taken as argumentative, but GPS has limitations.  On a Fenix, you have a tiny little device, with limited options for an antenna, and surrounded by screen, strap, bezel, buttons etc etc.  Then it gets strapped to your wrist, and waived and bounced around as you run, potentially covered by clothes, blocked by your own body, and surrounded by trees/buildings etc.

    To my mind it's absolutely incredible that the tracks are as good as they are.

    Appreciate they're not perfect and my edge 830 for cycling is better than my Fenix for running, (have never tried the Fenix on the bike), but it gives me enough data to complete a run (as an amateur).  Let's be honest, none of us really need this stuff, people the world over have managed to run with fantastic results since the dawn of time, and there wasn't a GPS watch in sight!  ;)

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to Velo-city

    Its not argumentative, i just want to understand/fix whatever problem i have where a brand new device that costs as much as this does is 30m off when 2 other devices are basically within 1m (one that is much older, and is also still a 'tiny little device, with limited options for an antenna, and surrounded by screen, strap, bezel, buttons etc etc.  Then it gets strapped to your wrist, and waived and bounced around as you run, potentially covered by clothes, blocked by your own body, and surrounded by trees/buildings etc.')

    The fitbit Ionic that i've had since it was launched produces way more accurate paths in the same conditions. I want to know what about the Fenix i'm doing wrong, or perhaps i have a faulty unit. Maybe i should try and just replace the ionic, the battery essentially wont last a full day anymore otherwise i'd still be using it. I stayed away from the newer versa 3/sense because of the reviews.