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Does Fenix/Tactix 7 actually use BeiDou and QZSS?

7269862
7 months ago

The Fenix/Tactix 7 uses the AIROHA AG3335M(N) GNSS chip which can receive GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, NavIC and QZSS. And this website says the Fenix/Tactix 7 supports all of those constellations: https://support.garmin.com/en-SG/?faq=13CvcPK8Um0mekc3F2eVmA

However, the Tactix 7 product page lists only GPS, GLONASS and Galileo, and NavIC support was only added in the 15.74 firmware. This implies that the firmware has to support a constellation before the watch can use it for navigation, even though the hardware can already support it.

My question: is the Fenix/Tactix 7 able to actually use BeiDou and QZSS for navigation, and if so, since which firmware version has it been able to do that?

Hopefully we can get an explicit yes or no from an authoritative source.

Apple Watch Ultra 2 can use BeiDou and QZSS, so I would expect a premium watch from Garmin to at least match that.

  • 0 7 months ago in reply to 7269862
    7269862 said:
    Can one of the Garmin representatives confirm what satellite constellations these watches are able to use in actual navigation?

    It's all in the link I've already given you, and which socorsu describes to you again.

  • 0 7 months ago in reply to socorsu

    This was the website I mentioned previously that I was looking at, and as explained previously, I am not sure I can trust the information.

  • 0 7 months ago in reply to socorsu

    The big mystery is, what does "supported" mean? As I explained previously, "supported" doesn't neccessarily mean the watch is actually using it, which is why I worded the title of this thread the way I did. "Supported" could simply mean the GPS chip in the watch has the receivers (which I mentioned it does), but the Garmin software is still unable to use them.

    As mentioned previously, I hope to have an explicit yes or no to my specific question from official Garmin personnel. Alternatively, could someone provide convincing evidence that the watches are actually using all those constellations. The Garmin websites that have been repeatedly cited earlier are not helpful as I have already explained.

    I'm not sure DC Rainmaker's information is accurate, since he/she did not explicitly address the discrepancies in the information provided by Garmin as I detailed previously. For all you know, DC Rainmaker is simply echoing the information on that Garmin website that says that the watches "support" all of the constellations. Of course, it would be great if DC Rainmaker could reply directly in this thread if he/she has additional information.

    And as I already mentioned previously, NavIC support was added in firmware 15.74, so I presume the watch is actually using NavIC in places where it's available, since NavIC is supported by both hardware and firmware. But how about BeiDou and QZSS?

  • 0 7 months ago in reply to 7269862
    7269862 said:
    "supported" doesn't neccessarily mean the watch is actually using it,



    Hmm, I've been using Garmin watches that "support" GPS since 2016. What can I say? These watches have also connected to the GPS system ;)
    So you can also be sure that Garmin watches that "support" more systems also connect to these other systems (In areas of the globe where these can also be received).

  • 0 7 months ago in reply to 7269862
    7269862 said:
    As mentioned previously, I hope to have an explicit yes or no to my specific question from official Garmin personnel.

    You are in a forum where users discuss with each other.
    If you require information from a Garmin employee, you should contact Garmin Support directly.

  • 0 7 months ago in reply to bluefish

    Garmin employees are on this forum, such as Chris and Laurie. Why can’t they answer? They have given lots of replies elsewhere on this forum.

    It’s better to post this kind of query on the forum, where open and transparent discussion can take place and benefit multiple users, and Garmin is held more accountable for clarifying discrepancies on their website.

  • 0 7 months ago in reply to bluefish

    This chain of reasoning does not make sense to me. When they say it “supports” both GPS and constellation XYZ, and the watch is known to actually use GPS, it does not necessarily mean that the watch is also actually using XYZ.