Dear forum colleagues, how do you calibrate the altimeter? I've not been able to see how to do this. The values shown are not the right ones, so calibration is needed...
There seems to be an increasing number of cases of the altitude being reported incorrectly. As per another thread, about a month or so ago I noticed that my Edge 130 had me descending 700ft, when I was actually on a relatively flat route barely above sea level. I have noticed that most of my rides over the last month record me at below sea level for the first mile or so (I'm definitely not!) and having recently used the Edge 130 while cycling in the mountains of Gran Canaria the elevation was vastly understated so I had to use elevation correction.
Yep, the altitude recorded by my Edge 130 is weird as well. I'm just using GPS (rather than GPS + Galileo) and got the following elevation values for a typical commute home from work:
Elev gain= 128 Elev loss=175 Min Elev=-78 Max Elev=-17
When using the elevation correction in Garmin Connect the figures change to:
Elev gain= 112 Elev loss=158 Min Elev=5 Max Elev=69
Same here, altitude is randomly off, depending on weather-dependent fluctuations of the atmospheric pressure. AFAIK at the momnet there is neither auto calibration nor any option for manually setting the altitude (firmware 3.0).
Since 3.00, my Edge 130 has been reading super low elevations... I was at 130ft below sea level this morning when I rode through Oakland, California this morning (Should be +100 or so).
Yep, the altitude recorded by my Edge 130 is weird as well. I'm just using GPS (rather than GPS + Galileo) and got the following elevation values for a typical commute home from work:
Elev gain= 128 Elev loss=175 Min Elev=-78 Max Elev=-17
When using the elevation correction in Garmin Connect the figures change to:
Elev gain= 112 Elev loss=158 Min Elev=5 Max Elev=69
Currently using software version 3.0.
The 130 doesn't have a barometer (afaik). Barometers increase the accuracy of elevation measurements.
GPS isn't as accurate for elevation. Keep in mind that the GPS location error is 15-30 feet.
These numbers are so small that it's basically no change in elevation at all. Much of the "weirdness" you are seeing is the inherent/unavoidable errors in the measurement.
Not many cyclists are interested in the absolute elevation anyway.
The "calibration" doesn't improve the elevation gain accuracy at all. It just aligns the unit's elevation scale to a known elevation.
The "elevation correction" uses a database of elevations for various points on the Earth's surface. It's better than GPS elevation (that's why it's offered) but worse than barometric measurement (the points in the database are far enough apart that some gain/loss is missed).
Barometric measurement isn't perfect either.
People shouldn't expect high accuracy in gain numbers (they might be +/- 20% different as a matter of course).
Just to set the record straight. According to the specifications of the Edge 130, it DOES have a Barometric sensor. Just go to the Garmin site and read the specs.
Possibly, because Garmin realized cyclists aren't generally interested in absolute elevation and got rid of an unnecessary feature that just confused people who expect that it increases gain accuracy (when it doesn't).
I have just returned from a cycling tour of the Highlands of Scotland - wild and remote and very hilly! I had the 130 screen set to elevation and hill profile almost all the time and this is really very useful - a superb feature. However, the current elevation figure is way out. At Ullapool, right by the sea, it was showing as 450 feet. I cannot see how to calibrate this. I used Garmin Connect mapping throughout and sent the route to the device via Garmin Express. I'm using v3.0 of the software on the Edge 130. Any ideas?
