Watch records the wrong GPS track and Distance, but elapsed time is right. [Details and Screenshot Included]

7393093 - How long are you giving your device to gain a solid GPS lock before you hit the start button?  If you are heading out the door and hitting the start button straight away then it's not surprising this is happening?
Try leaving your device on a window sill or outside while you are lacing your shoes and getting sorted to lock up the house and see if that improves the situation.

cheers
Mike

Thanks for the reply; I appreciate any help from the public considering these forums are apparently not staffed.. and the support chat function won't work for me.

How long do I wait before starting? Well, I press the screen and choose "Run", and wait until the device says it has a signal. Before it has a GPS lock, the top of the screen is red and it says "wait for GPS"

Just now, I went outside, in a clear area with no tall buildings, and it took the watch 8 seconds to get a GPS lock.

Once it has a GPS signal, the top of the screen turns green and I can press the 'button to start my run.

- I have recording set to 1 second (instead of smart recording)

- I am using GPS (I will change this to GPS+GLONASS and see if it helps) but still. Many people say GPS might be less accurate than GPS+GLONASS, but GPS alone should not simply stop recording a GPS track 5-10 minutes into a run!

Now, if Garmin wants me to wait 30 more seconds, or 2 MORE minutes, after the watch says it has a lock.. well I think they should mention that in the manual or something. Or, don't turn the screen green or allow me to start my run until the watch has a GOOD GPS lock.

But, please keep in mind, while I've only had the watch 1 month, I've done many runs and bike rides without waiting any 'extra' amount of time; I simply select RUN or BIKE, wait for it to turn green, then press the button to start. And up until 3-4 runs ago, the GPS map looked pretty good to me. Of course there are the random spots where it cuts a corner or doesn't exactly follow a road... but THIS problem is like the watch stops receiving/processing/recording GPS track data altogether. It's not an accuracy issue, it's a failure of GPS on the watch!

Also, if the GPS didn't have a "GOOD" lock, why does my GPS track show up at all? The pattern I'm seeing is that the GPS track map looks good for the first several minutes, then it just stops. The elapsed time keeps going, but it's like the watch just freezes on the last GPS coordinate (and elevation) and when I finish my activity, it shows a map with an end point that (I'm assuming) is the moment the watch decides to stop tracking GPS.

So, thanks again! I will test your theory out by getting a GPS lock and will even wait 3 MORE minutes, but I've never had any GPS-enabled device that required so much time to get a lock (old Garmin hiking GPS, phones, car GPS navigators, etc. etc.) Once the watch turns green and allows me to start, why should any user have to worry if they should wait even longer for a "better" GPS lock?

Distance and pace are probably calculated from the GPS reading, so the problem is definately GPS. I have noticed that elevation calculations are related to the current pace, in such a way that it ignores air pressure changes when it thinks it is not moving, or not moving fast enough. So elevation error may also be caused by the same GPS problem. 

I don't think it is a corrupted file, and i don't think it has to do with how long you wait before pressing start. A GPS lock is a GPS lock. You get it or not. And if it looses it, it won't track anything at all i suppose.

Things you can try:
- Factory reset (any 3rd party apps installed?)
- Use GPS + GLONASS

A "lock" means finding 3 or 4 satellites. However, more satellites are needed to get a more accurate position and the device will keep looking for any which should be available and add them if found. However, they are moving around the sky in various orbits which change over time and you might have been out at a time when satellite availability in your area was relatively poor. You can see the satellite status at https://in-the-sky.org/satmap_radar.php. Change the date and time to when you had the poor tracking and see how many satellites were available (ignore any below about 20 degrees above the horizon as they are easily blocked). Also see if any might have been blocked by your body when you were running in a particular direction.

You cold also load an app such as GPS to FIT onto your VA3. This can be configured to add a satelllite quality number into the FIT file so you can see if tracking accuracy is affected by overall signal quality.

Applying the more is better philosophy means enabling one of the other satellite constellations as well as GPS although the extra tracking activity means a small hit on battery life.

Hello --- Did you ever get a resolution to this? I'm having a very similar problem. I'm eager to know whether anything resolved for you - and if so, how! Thank you

I’m having this same problem to! My garmin is hugely incorrect when compared to map my run 

@Garmin, same problem here, GPS seems to stop tracking after 1 km, but still records time,steps  and HR. Kindly support.

I am having the same problem. Twice in a row now on the same run I have been doing for many years so I know it’s wrong. Pace is around 1 min slower and distance about 1km less.  Any help?

Same here. Its killing me ;) My pace is shocking with this watch and the distance for me is 1.5 miles out!! 

Hi all, It turns out Vivo device has major compatibility issues with Huwaei device GPS. We ended up returning the garmin product.