T7AB: Update 9.33 -> 10.44: Dual Grid + MOB w/o Data, Maps working, CIQ-GPS-Apps working

Hi Chris, thanks for your tireless support.

This is excactly the feature I'm referring to. It's failing along with dual grid which makes sense in a way since it points in the same direction.

Maybe inaccuracies with pace & SatIQ belong in this case too since on my direct question in this post:

https://forums.garmin.com/outdoor-recreation/outdoor-recreation/f/fenix-7-series/319141/auto-select---satellite-modes

the TO https://forums.garmin.com/members/3744fffc098f4df282c10258d68164bb confirmed, that he experienced similar issues too w/o going into detail. Thus I suggested he shall open a call as weel as send you a PN about this. Good news for diagnostic reasons: This is a F7XSS, so maybe the problem is not limited to Tactix.

To me it is a very important feature (sailor) since it would enable me not only to start immediate Navigation back to this poit but also saves the MOB-coordinates with the same press off a button - in my case the hotkey <Down>. In this failing scenario nothing is saved, but then: there is nothing to be saved.

As for further claification I observed that, when I have e.g. a watch face which requires GNSS-Date e.g. for showing sunset: if I press <start> for dual grid, which is is failing with all  underlines instead of data and leave the function with <back> the grid data is in the watchface. On the other hand, when I try and save the non existing data by pressing <start> in the function, no favourite will be saved neither an "empty" one nor one with data.

But since data seems to be there for CIQ-Apps I tend to believe inbetween, that there is an upper layer software problem between the software interface of the GNSS sensors an the upperlayer functions within GARMIN-OS.

I still can confirm though, that with my Tactix it doesn't make a difference which satellite combination I setup.

Thank you for the additional information. I tested across 3 different Tactix 7 watches and 1 Enduro 2 since using the same v10.44 software. The Dual Grid and MOB (Man Overboard) features are both 'glitchy'. They do not always populate. If you repeatedly go in and out of each feature, it will populate but it needs to be consistent.

Inbetween I could lay my hands on 4 more Fenix7 (all regular size), all showed this behaviour at least sporadically. It seems that devices with almost no load on the CPU are more prone to show this problem, means e.g. no sync, stock face, best to be observed right after a fresh reset when the OS is as fast as it can be. Often it looks like it would work in first showing the picture above with the empty output and the numbers pop up 3-10 sec's later. This a problem to, if you try and save the position after that it saves only 000,000:000,000 with elevation 0000.

Fact was that non of the owners of the F7s tested by me was aware of the problem since they don't use MOB or Dual Grid but only Tracking itself - which produces more load and thus works fine.

Also tested with one FR955 first on 12.27 then on 13.23 - no problem. Makes sense: if it is indeed a race condition (working assumption triggered by a software developper in my aquaintance, see devopedia.org/race-condition-software ), FR955 is (at least this one was) way slower in every aspect of response (slower CPU?). FR955 has the same GPS version 2.37 in both software versions however, so maybe GPS firmware is not the problem itself.

@all: So if you observe this symptons - if only sporadic - with your unit, pls. log a case with Garmin. This will help since there are still not to many known cases.

Thank you. The issue is being addressed. No further information is needed since I replicated the issue and had it escalated a few weeks back. Engineering is working on a fixing it as quickly as possible.

That is great news, while I knew about the escalation local support told me, that there were still very few cases and thus, quote from Jan 12th: "the priority seems to be still a bit low at the moment". Hence my additional activities to confirm that also with normal F7.

Thank you very much for your steady support, I'll inform my acquaintances accordingly, they'll happy to hear, that no further inquries are needed.

Have a great day

updated to 11.28 today and factory reset the T7 for good measure, looks way better than before. In fact I got 100% lock on Dual Grid and 60% in MOB. With MOB in the 40% failing the distance was still unpopulated and thus Navigation didn't start, Grid data where there. Still way better then with 10.4x, also all not-so-good-tries were with SatIQ.

Of course there is a little testing to be done, but I thought I share some very good news asap.

@Chris: thanks a lot for pulling, I really appreciate what you did ...