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custom pool length why is there a minimum length?

peterdedecker
over 7 years ago
I noticed today that the minimum pool length you can set is 17 meters.
This means I can't use it in the hotel pool (which is 10 meters).

Is there a specific reason the minimum pool length has to be minimally 17 meters, or could you provide an update to the firmware so shorter lengths can be set up?
  • 0 over 7 years ago
    I think it has to be a certain length for the algorithms to work reliably. 10 metres - you must spend as much time gliding than actually swimming?
  • 0 over 7 years ago
    Just to add a bit to this. In 'normal' pools the 'glide' rope is about 5m from the wall. So in a 10m pool with a 5m glide you're only going to get 2 or 3 stroke in before you turn; hard to see you getting any meaningful information from that. Other than logging an activity, in which case you can just record the time, a 10m pool is for splashing around in. If you want to do some swim training you really need to be in a pool where you can swim.
  • 0 over 7 years ago
    True the shorter the pool, the longer percentage the glide-time is, but you can say that about any pool-length, a 50 meters pool is harder than a 25 meters pool,...

    I'm not a pro-swimmer, my glide from the border is certainly not 5 meters and I don't do "turns".
    Garmin devices have several level of users, some are pro swimmers (like you?), others are runners who want to log an occasional swim, other people just have general fitness in mind, etc... :)

    Other than logging an activity

    is it not the primary purpose of the Garmin watch to log activities?

    My 5 cents: if it does not have technical restrictions to have smaller "custom" pool lengths then ultimately I think Garmin should leave the decision to in which pool you want to use the Forerunner 735XT in up-to the end-user of the device.
  • 0 over 7 years ago
    I'd be willing to bet that there are technical restrictions...

    The device needs to be able to detect a glide from the wall to do lap counting. For it to tell if you're gliding or if you have a really slow stroke rate, it needs to see a handful of strokes. If a good swimmer only had three strokes between turns, would likely result in very unreliable lap counts.
  • 0 over 7 years ago
    True the shorter the pool, the longer percentage the glide-time is, but you can say that about any pool-length, a 50 meters pool is harder than a 25 meters pool,...

    I'm not a pro-swimmer, my glide from the border is certainly not 5 meters and I don't do "turns".


    Still, getting a sufficient number of strokes for the device to work out what you are doing is going to be very problematic. And that's the point as already noted. Nothing to stop you recording the activity duration, but expecting the device to record laps and stroke information in such a short pool is asking/expecting a bit much.
  • 0 over 7 years ago
    > I'd be willing to bet that there are technical restrictions...

    From what I can recall when mentioned this topic to Garmin there are indeed. Clearly no logical reason to set a limit on pool length otherwise...
  • 0 over 7 years ago
    Hmmm, second time in a short pool with this today (15m, which the watch can't be set to).

    it got my first 10 laps correct, but then
    20 laps = it said 17
    30 - 25
    50=45
    100=90.

    surely it is possible...well i know it is, my old Sunnto managed it fine.
  • 0 over 2 years ago in reply to alexmsheldon

    Completely agree.  One of the reasons I got excited about an activity tracker was swim lap counting because I always lose focus when swimming and forget.  In my small backyard pool the diagonal I swim is 11 meters. I don't do tumble turns and swim a slow inefficient *** stroke, but that's what I do.  There's always about a half dozen strokes between turns - with *** stroke you'd think it could use the average compass compass heading to figure out if I've turned or not.  

  • 0 over 2 years ago in reply to whogrant

    For what it's worth at this point I noticed that  can adjust the pool length in Garmin Connect after you upload the activity even below 14m. 

    In terms of training effect, when having such small pool, I of course don't push from sides but start with the strokes right away.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to whogrant

    I have a 13 foot pool and I'm having difficulties with it too. Again, not a Pro swimmer, just trying to record what I get done.