Found a significant bug:

Seems like its a GC thing. Steps are fine on the watch. The uploaded activity has about 10k steps or exactly twice the sumStrokes value in the activity record. I.e. it is assuming two steps per pedal revolution/cadence which I believe is an accepted conversion. Strange you have only had it once. I get it all of the time. Does your trainer have a cadence sensor?

On another note when just now checking the watch I notice the watch has recorded two HR readings about 15 mins apart with a value of about 120 bpm which is about twice what it should be as I am sitting down typing this! No doubt I will be awarded extra calories for this. Not is this a symptom of the low sampling rate or the OHR sensor just getting stuck on a particular value?

Yes, I use the new Garmin cadence sensor. I wasn't experiencing this issue with or without the cadence sensor. My steps were counted again today. Strange!

I'm on the updated software. If possible, the updated has made the calorie count even worse. At this moment I have 4,925 steps from just moving around and this has tallied 1,101 calories.

This appears more believable now, though apparently the update did not address calories...

Time of Day Steps Active Calories Duration Distance Activity Type Activity Name
7:04 9,382 546 54:11 7.01 mi Running Kilmarnock West and Crosshouse Ward Running
Daily Steps 5,518 188 -- 2.61 mi -- --
Totals 14,900 734 54:11 9.63 mi -- --

It'll probably jump up as the night progresses though.

I'm relatively confident regarding running calories burned, though step burns had previously been too high.

First thing after waking up went for a 4.5 mile walk, says 787 calories (Which seems very high, can I adjust that somehow?)

It says I've done 9,800 steps (guess that includes the walk?), but it's added another 500 calories to my active for today already..

Hopefully Garmin fixes this within the next few weeks or i'll be returning this thing before I can't.

First thing after waking up went for a 4.5 mile walk, says 787 calories (Which seems very high, can I adjust that somehow?)

It says I've done 9,800 steps (guess that includes the walk?), but it's added another 500 calories to my active for today already..

Hopefully Garmin fixes this within the next few weeks or i'll be returning this thing before I can't.

That seems way off. Is your max HR set correctly in the device settings? What does the HR data look like in the activity itself?

That seems way off. Is your max HR set correctly in the device settings? What does the HR data look like in the activity itself?

Just checked today so far. Done 5000 steps and 242 calories which I guess is OK. 787 calories still seems high but I guess it depends on how fast you walk and if your HR is elevated enough. Sometime my OHR locks on a high value (twice my HR it seems) for a while which can add extra calories. That wouldn't explain the extra 500 calories added which seems like some double counting is going on somewhere. Without knowing the settings in the watch and your HR trace this is all speculation of course.

That seems way off. Is your max HR set correctly in the device settings? What does the HR data look like in the activity itself?

I tried to set my Max HR to 205. I'm pretty out of shape right now (working on getting back into shape), but my Max HR has always been pretty high. I'd assume this should actually bring the calories down, not up.

Hopefully these links work.

Walk Details: http://i.snag.gy/XzlER.jpg
Heart Details: http://i.snag.gy/BWKTk.jpg
Step Details: http://i.snag.gy/EpTyK.jpg

It seems like the heart rate is picking up way higher then it should, if I hit 'down' the HR sometimes starts at like 110 then falls to 74/78. If I wait for 15 minutes even if sitting it'll be back to 110 and within a few seconds fall to 74'ish.. It seems like when its idle its picking up a high heartrate.

From 11:30-1:00 I went for a ~120 motorcycle trip up through the mountains, the HR seems a bit higher then i'd expect but maybe I've never actually recorded that before.


Active Details:


Active Details:
Time of Day Steps Active Calories Duration Distance Activity Type Activity Name
7:47 AM 8,312 787 1:17:04 4.53 mi Casual Walking Las Vegas Running
Daily Steps 3,185 2,266 -- 1.73 mi -- --
Totals 11,497 3,053 1:17:04 6.26 mi -- --

I tried to set my Max HR to 205. I'm pretty out of shape right now (working on getting back into shape), but my Max HR has always been pretty high. I'd assume this should actually bring the calories down, not up.

Hopefully these links work.

Walk Details: http://i.snag.gy/XzlER.jpg
Heart Details: http://i.snag.gy/BWKTk.jpg
Step Details: http://i.snag.gy/EpTyK.jpg

It seems like the heart rate is picking up way higher then it should, if I hit 'down' the HR sometimes starts at like 110 then falls to 74/78. If I wait for 15 minutes even if sitting it'll be back to 110 and within a few seconds fall to 74'ish.. It seems like when its idle its picking up a high heartrate.

From 11:30-1:00 I went for a ~120 motorcycle trip up through the mountains, the HR seems a bit higher then i'd expect but maybe I've never actually recorded that before.


Active Details:


Active Details:
Time of Day Steps Active Calories Duration Distance Activity Type Activity Name
7:47 AM 8,312 787 1:17:04 4.53 mi Casual Walking Las Vegas Running
Daily Steps 3,185 2,266 -- 1.73 mi -- --
Totals 11,497 3,053 1:17:04 6.26 mi -- --

Well that seems to explain the high calorie burn, I.e. you are recording a high HR for large periods of the day. The HR falling to 70 something bpm when you hit the down arrow is a current (annoying) feature of the watch. It does take a while to settle. I suggest running in broadcast HR mode for a few hours while you are inactive to get a higher sample trace. If its still showing high, then do some manual checks to compare. Or wear a strap and run the watch in other activity mode and check the trace. The MC trip does seem high, but maybe that depends on what kind of a rider you are!

What your data doesn't show is the HR zones which normally set themselves according to your max HR. This also affects the %Max reading. Check to definitely see if your Max HR is set correctly as this can affect other readings. If you are genuinely running a 150 bpm HR on the walk activity then this may explain the 787 active calories, but the 2266 for the rest of the day does seem high. So, my advice is to double check your Max HR settings and get some data with a HR strap or in broadcast mode. This will drain the battery more so make sure its charged.

One other point, how do you know your Max HR is 205? You either need to use a standard calculation to determine this based on age etc or drive yourself hard enough to hit you max HR. If you are really out of condition, maybe use the calculated method to determine this until fitness improves or take some advice from someone who is trained to give it.

If you think there is a problem still give the helpdesk a call as your watch may be faulty.

Well that seems to explain the high calorie burn, I.e. you are recording a high HR for large periods of the day. The HR falling to 70 something bpm when you hit the down arrow is a current (annoying) feature of the watch. It does take a while to settle. I suggest running in broadcast HR mode for a few hours while you are inactive to get a higher sample trace. If its still showing high, then do some manual checks to compare. Or wear a strap and run the watch in other activity mode and check the trace. The MC trip does seem high, but maybe that depends on what kind of a rider you are!

What your data doesn't show is the HR zones which normally set themselves according to your max HR. This also affects the %Max reading. Check to definitely see if your Max HR is set correctly as this can affect other readings. If you are genuinely running a 150 bpm HR on the walk activity then this may explain the 787 active calories, but the 2266 for the rest of the day does seem high. So, my advice is to double check your Max HR settings and get some data with a HR strap or in broadcast mode. This will drain the battery more so make sure its charged.

One other point, how do you know your Max HR is 205? You either need to use a standard calculation to determine this based on age etc or drive yourself hard enough to hit you max HR. If you are really out of condition, maybe use the calculated method to determine this until fitness improves or take some advice from someone who is trained to give it.

If you think there is a problem still give the helpdesk a call as your watch may be faulty.

I'll give the running broadcast mode after a workout next week a shot to see if it helps stabilize. Today is my day off and the HR readings seem to be closer to what i'd expect.

Back 4-5 years ago when I was actually in shape, during HIIT intervals I could get to around 205-210 according to Polar H7, which doing a manual check seemed about right. My Max HR has always seemed to tend on the slightly higher than average side, so i'm guessing I burn less then most estimates show. When I was in shape the HR would fall back down resting levels pretty quick, a bit slower now, but hopefully I can get that spring back! :)

If I sett he Max HR on the watch higher will that cause the estimated calorie count to go up or down? I'd assume down but maybe i'm wrong there?