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GPS accuracy in rainforest

3752510
8 months ago

Has anyone on here got any experience of using the Garmin watches to track activities while in rainforest.

I have a Garmin Fenix 6 and am planning an expedition to the Amazon rainforest, I’m not planning to navigate using my watch but was interested in how reliable people have found them.

Thanks!

  • +1 8 months ago

    Yes, I regularly hike in the rainforest in Tropical North Queensland, Australia. I have a Fenix 6X Pro Solar and find i have little to no issues with GPS. 

    Craig. 

  • 0 8 months ago in reply to craigsam

    Thanks Craig, but when you say little to no issues, do you know how accurately it actually follows your track?

    My watch is generally accurate but I can see that even in normal woodland it is less precise.

  • 0 8 months ago in reply to 3752510

    Hi 3752510, My previous post was reported by someone as abusive !? not sure how what said could be interpreted as such. 

  • 0 8 months ago in reply to craigsam

    Haha I’m sorry to hear that, I can only assume it was accidental by someone. Certainly not knowingly by me.

    Do you have an answer to my question above though? About the precision while following a track or leading you back to the same place, rather than generally knowing roughly where you are. 

  • 0 8 months ago

    The problem is you are not going to get sub-meter accuracy while moving under canopy, unless maybe if you use an RTK unit connected to a Virtual reference station over LTE if you have access to it. It would be expensive and basically useless for falling corners, harvest or stream zones. The only time you would need this level of accuracy is when you need to accurately locate property lines, and if you need to do that you'd better hire a surveyor.

  • 0 7 months ago in reply to jorekco1

    Thanks for replying, I’m certainly not expecting or seeking sub-metre accuracy. Anything under 10-15m would probably be sufficient. I just want to be able to track back to a distinct point if needed, for example, a boat left by a river and if I’m off target, be fairly confident about whether I should be moving up or down the river. 

  • 0 7 months ago in reply to 3752510

    Sorry, because my post was removed i couldn't remember what i had written. I've never looked to much into it but i don't think you can see the EPE anywhere in the watch anymore? (Fenix 1 you could) but i have never had any issues navigating on a trail with the GPS and have also used the watch to find my way back to my previous recorded path while on a hike i dense rainforest. 

    There have been any times where on our return during a complete off-trail hike that we have been able to follow our breadcrumb trail back to the start. I would say the worst i've seen is within 10 meters but on average it would be less than 5 meters. 

    I always carry a map and compass though as a backup