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Bring back manual calibration of the altimeter

Former Member
Former Member over 5 years ago
I don't own a VA3, but my wife does and I'm posting on her behalf. Garmin has decided to remove manual calibration of the altimeter to a know elevation with the recent 5.0 FW update. Altitude readings on the VA3 are now completely dependent on your GPS signal. Depending on weather/cloud cover, buildings or trees, and how many satellites are available at the time a GPS signal is obtained, Garmin states on their support website that a + or - 400' discrepancyisn't uncommon and is acceptable for their watches. See the link below.

https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?fa...Type=noProduct

If you'd like to have the manual calibration returned to the VA3, simply post a "yes" to this thread. If you want to post more, or if you don't want manual calibration to return, you're of course welcome to do so too. My intention is to contact support in a few days and direct them to this thread. The more people who respond, the better chance Garmin will consider returning this option in a future firmware update. Please keep in mind when posting that this thread is in no way a demand or requirement that Garmin make any changes, but simply a request by VA3 owners.
  • 0 over 5 years ago
    Yes, of course it should come back!
    And this menu-point should be in the first level of the menu.
  • 0 over 5 years ago
    Hello,

    I'm tottaly agreed.
    I have noticed something similar to what you told.
    But I have noticed something strange. I have followed some hints I read in this forum: I fixed GPS and then checked altitude. Then evelation was callibrated, as you can see in the attached pictures, elevation is good, at least when comparing to the values obtained directly from mobile GPS. In the place I runned these tests, I moved to higher places, and then I returned to the same place I took this picture: elevation changed, and then returned to similar values where I took the pictures.
    It was looking that Garmin have done its homework on this firmware.
    However, when I returned home, I took a hot shower (I always do it with clock on my wristle). Then I noticed that the elevation started to decrease. And now the watch it is showing a constant elevation (about 38.8 m), when it should be about 55 m.
    So, in my thoughts, all automatic calibration performed by GPS shall be done several times a day, if you want to have more precise readings. Barometer have no utility. Please, bring this to Garmin support
    Regards
    Hervandil
  • 0 over 5 years ago
    Yes of course they should bring back this feature.
    This is an admirable initiative from you but I'm afraid it will lead nowhere. In my 8 years as a customer I've never seen them take any notes from users. Garmin do as they please.
  • 0 over 5 years ago
    Yes, This option should be brought back!
  • 0 over 5 years ago
    Yes, bring back this option. Firmware updates should add features, not remove them
  • 0 over 5 years ago
    Yes, bring it back.

    And by the way, make the watch run as it should ! Beta testing should be finished when you release product on the market !
  • 0 over 5 years ago
    YES!!

    I think the main problem is the changes in altitude (or elevation) is not being recorded accurately.
    In other words, I think most of us can live with a run that begins 25 meters above/below actual altitude SO LONG AS the up/down changes are recorded accurately, right?
    Before and after the 5.0 update, the VA3 records a slow/consistent decline in elevation. In other words, if you were to run on a track for 1 hour, it will show a decline in altitude at the end.
  • 0 over 5 years ago
    Yes, useful and definitely a feature that Garmin should bring back.
    but I agree with godolphins and, as I stated elsewhere, I experience more or less the same phenomenology.
  • 0 over 5 years ago
    Yes, bring back manual calibration.

    For those of us who are uninformed, what was Garmin's rationalization for removing it?
  • 0 over 5 years ago


    mTag: Garmin-blake gave the reasons here https://forums.garmin.com/forum/into...date-to-sw-5-0
    They are not entirely clear (at least not to me).