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How is the accuracy of the Forerunner 955? Is my GPS sensor defective?

Gabi
over 1 year ago

Hi everyone, I'm having some issues with the GPS tracking on my Garmin watch. This didn't happen with my previous watch, so I wonder if there's something wrong with the GPS sensor on this one.

I contacted local Garmin support and they told me to, reset the watch and update the firmware with Garmin Express. I did that, but the problem persisted. Then they said that it was normal for the GPS to have some variations depending on the weather, the terrain, and the satellite coverage. But I don't think that explains why my GPS readings are so off.

Here's an example of a workout I did recently with Firmware 16.17 with GPS only +1sec, kayak profile:

As you can see, the GPS is extremely wobbly even though my trajectory is actually pretty smooth and I would not be able to do those turns in my 5.20m K1 even if I wanted to.

The actual problem that bothers me is the speed readings, which are an important metric for my training.

They are very wobbly, and while I can get some idea of the speed I’m paddling, I’m never sure as they are always fluctuating.

 

Here's an example of a workout, in my old 935 with GPS only +1sec, kayak profile:

None of my other club members have this problem in their watches, mostly 245 and 245 music watches.

I don't know what to do. Is anyone else experiencing this? Is there a way to fix it? Or is my GPS sensor defective?

Thanks for your help.

  • 0 over 1 year ago

    you have to set GPS = All + Multiband 

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to Piero

    I tried in older firmware versions and would get similar results. To save battery, I decided not to use multiband. However, I have not tested it since updating to 16.17, so I’ll give it a shot when I’m able to test it again.

    Is this type of accuracy normal when using GPS only mode?

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to Gabi

    Whether this is normal or not depends on the environment in which the activity is recorded. I recommend you try with tutti + multiband and you'll see that you'll get a perfect track. 

  • 0 over 1 year ago

    My experience says that wobbly track depends on settings not firmware. In 935 (had three of these, all behaved the same) smooth one was in case of GPS+smart (never used that, always use 1sec recording). 

    Never tried that on 955, it is set to auto+1 sec and I am totally happy. Tracks are smooth (I don't care, but it is nice) and (which is important) loss of signal/ jumps that happened near certain high buildings disappeared. 

    Actually from your tracks I'd say that wobbly is from 935, nice ones are from 955. Never tried running on water though (actually I though there was only one man able to do so). 

    So +1 to those below - try different GPS settings

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to Sergey_Kessel

    Hi, my watch was set to GPS only+1 sec. Next week I will try different settings and see the results. Thank you for your help.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to Gabi

    Swimming is the worst situation for GPS accuracy. I think it's a good idea using the best mode, multi band, all gps...all. For your doubts about battery... are 10 hours of swim enough ?

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to micchei

    Oops, my apologies for not being clear earlier! Just to clarify, the recordings you see are from my paddling sessions using the Kayak activity profile, GPS only mode + 1sec, both on the 935 and 955. I place the watch on top of the boat while I’m out on the water. As for battery life, 10 hours is more than enough for me.

    What is bothering me is the performance I’m getting from my 955. With both watches in GPS only mode + 1sec, the 935 is performing much better and the graphs are more steady and reflect better what I’m doing. So, I was wondering if anyone has this type of zig-zag trouble as I have with my 955.

    I will follow the advice and try different settings to see the results. Thank you for your help.