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245, 55 accuracy altimeter

4496992
over 3 years ago

Hi! I know this has been commented on before but still a tad unsure...I am looking at getting the Garmin 245 or similar (going with Garmin for their ability to turn bluetooth off and therefore EMF for most of the time). I am not really wanting to spend anymore than this (or get a bigger screen size), but am questioning the 245 accuracy when it comes to altimeter. As I do runs on an extremely ‘ hilly’ street (literally just up and down the whole 10km), will the 245 not be able to accurately state my end outcome (ie km’s, cals etc.)? was considering 55 but apparently not as accurate HR wise? Thank u for your help!!!     Nat  - Australia

  • 0 over 3 years ago

    Hi, The 245 and 55 do not have altimeters. Garmin calculate the elevation after using the elevation etc from maps. 

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to N72W
    N72W said:
    The 245 and 55 do not have altimeters.

    This is not entirely accurate. Those watches get altitude from GPS. This is not a barometric altimeter, but an altimeter nonetheless. That said, GPS-based altitude will not be accurate enough for the provided scenario.

    N72W said:
    Garmin calculate the elevation after using the elevation etc from maps.

    This is so called "elevation correction", which is applied by garmin connect after uploading the activity. It is enabled by default for devices that do not have a barometric altimeter, but can be disabled manually, and in that case GPS-based altitude will be presented when viewing the activity.

  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 3 years ago in reply to tmk2
    tmk2 said:
    This is not a barometric altimeter, but an altimeter nonetheless.

    A barometric altimeter is one type of altimeter. N72W is correct when they say the 245 doesn't have a altimeter of any type.  The height measurement does come from geographical surveys, but this is by no means any type of sensor or hardware altimeter. 

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to Former Member

    Thank you for your help guys, - Yeah had heard the metrics was taken from GPS, which is why i was a tad concerned.  By the sound of it, I should be looking at other garmin options in your opinions?  Or is the gps not as bad as it seems?  It is a shame they didn't include barometer in 245, was exactly what I needed (i think?) other than this annoyance.  Thanks again for assistance :)

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to 4496992

    Hi, It depends on your use case.

    For road running I found the correction after the run to be more accurate than my Vivoactive 3' barometer ever was. My Vivoactive had me finishing a run 30 to 40 meters lower than I started when I ran a  10KM loop or out and back.

    Obviously the newer or more expensive  barometric altimeter's might be substantially better but for roan running I personally would not spend extra specifically for a  barometric altimeter especially if I ran areas that have been well geographically surveyed .

    For trail running and to see elevation during the run maybe it is a requirement but I have not done enough of that to comment 

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to N72W

    I have the feeling that barometric altimeters tend to clog and give issues, I have not had much experience with them but I could test my fr245 and my sister's Venu on a walk and I saw the same issue with the Venu as the one you mentioned.

    Do watches with barometric altimeters account for altitude gain when calculating the performance condition during a run? I think that's the only thing I would improve on the fr245 (for a run)

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to Former Member
    N72W is correct when they say the 245 doesn't have a altimeter of any type

    It DOES have an altimeter. GPS provides 3-dimensional position, and that includes altitude. It works on a very different principle than a barometric altimeter, but it DOES measure altitude. Altitude is one of the available data fields on the 245. How would the watch know at what altitude it were if it hadn't any altimeter?

    The height measurement does come from geographical surveys

    No. The watch gets altitude from GPS, as it does not have any geographical survey data. Geographical survey data is used by garmin connect after upload, but this can be disabled, and in that case altitude measured by GPS will be used.