Garmin elevation wrong
2 watchers
Jan 2019
3:22pm, 5 Jan 2019
12 posts
|
TheNorthernRunner
Has anybody had any issues with the elevation being incorrect on their Garmin? My 935 is usually incorrect by a few hundred feet on each run. I have re calabrated a couple of times and updated the software but it doesn’t make a difference. Does anybody have a solution?
|
Jan 2019
3:33pm, 5 Jan 2019
1,010 posts
|
oumaumau
Constantly.... But I really only use it as a guide, as it is auto-corrected by default on almost all platforms you would use to review the data. Is there a specific use case where you need the data to be accurate?
|
Jan 2019
3:42pm, 5 Jan 2019
2,821 posts
|
K5 Gus
You need to differentiate here between Garmins with a barometric altimeter and those without, the latter being the most common. Only the top end ones designed for navigation have an altimeter, ie Fenix3, Fenix5 and FR935 ( maybe some older ones as well ). As the 935 does have a barometric altimeter then it should be accurate. When you say that it's not, what are you comparing it to ? Note that Fetch disregards all altitude info in FIT files when you load an activity, and works it out from the GPS locations with reference to a standard database of known heights. In my view this is likely to be less accurate than what your watch will calculate ( and show on Garmin Connect ). If you mean wrong with regards to you counting contour lines on an OS map, then of course contour lines are only every 10m ( on a 1:50000 map ) whereas the watch will work to 1m changes. |
Jul 2020
4:45pm, 14 Jul 2020
35,589 posts
|
HappyG(rrr)
Anyone more recently had issues with elevation / altitude on Garmins (with an altimeter)? I have Vivoactive 3. It used to be useful / interesting, but now it's gash (that's a technical term Gus!  Very clearly wrong - circular route, start at 300 ft, after a couple miles drop 600ft in half a mile and then 300 ft below ground / sea level!) Fetch auto corrects with map/contour data. Both Garmin Connect and Anyone know anything about it? Firmware version, manually recalibrate, clear out the hole that is for the air pressure? THanks. G
|
Jul 2020
4:52pm, 14 Jul 2020
11,516 posts
|
larkim
HG's spot on there - check if there's accumulated "gunk" in the small hole that allows the watch to detect air pressure as that's how it determines altitude (I assume you know that already based on you calibrating it!). I presume you've gone through this support article by Garmin? support.garmin.com I would ask the same as Gus though - how do you know it is inaccurate? If you stand by a known trig point or other mapped point where elevation has been definitively recorded is it "right" or "wrong"? Or are you wondering about accumulated elevation when being reported at the end of a run / ride - in which case, it would be a challenge to argue what is "right" in that circumstance. |
|
Jul 2020
4:58pm, 14 Jul 2020
35,591 posts
|
HappyG(rrr)
Are you asking me larks? As per my "gash" description. Start on a mountain, dive into a mine or deep sea loch, within 4 mile run of my house. Errr, no, that is just wrong! |
|
Jul 2020
6:58pm, 14 Jul 2020
11,517 posts
|
larkim
No, sorry HG - asking the TheNorthernRunner! Just realised though how out of date the post was!! Oops!!
|
|
Jul 2020
7:01pm, 14 Jul 2020
11,518 posts
|
larkim
Can you see actual atmospheric pressure on the VA3? If so, should be easy enough to confirm if that's working OK I suppose. I think GC automatically uses the elevation data from the watch if it is barometric, rather than GPS derived, altitude data, so if the watch is recording it incorrectly due to a fault of somesort, GC won't overwrite it. Not sure how Fetch handles that though - I suspect Fetch just overwrites all elevation data, but I might be wrong, as Fetch doesn't know (does it?) what watch the data has come from?
|
|
Jul 2020
11:22am, 15 Jul 2020
35,605 posts
|
HappyG(rrr)
Fetch seems to ignore the Garmin data which is good in my case! But GC and I've stuck a pin into the hole that in the VA3 is by the button on side and wiggled around to hope to unclog if anything is clogged. I'm surprised there is no "calibrate" option, because even in a altimeter for flying you adjust the altimeter to the pressure for the day / time when you start. My watch Vivoactive 3, says just "turn it on to any GPS activity. It goes green when GPS is found. Then wait another 30 seconds. Altimeter will auto calibrate. There will be no indication." Seems a poor interface to me. Unless it all worked automatically, in which case it would be ace! G
|
|
Jul 2020
2:36pm, 16 Jul 2020
35,614 posts
|
HappyG(rrr)
How AMAZING are Garmin?! Online chat to ask about problem I'm having. The guy gets me to do a Barometric Altimeter test (power off, power on and as soon as screen lights, HOLD button in for one, two then three vibrations. Release and then there are about 20 screens of diagnostics. Screen 15 is barometer - pressure, base pressure, altitude and device temp.) He immediately said it's faulty, needs replacing (fluctuating reading on current pressure is the indicator) and needs replacing. I said, I think it's outside warranty, maybe March 2018 (might even have been a bit before?) No problem he said, it was a few months outside warranty, so as a goodwill gesture I've extended the warranty. Your return instructions are in your email. And they are! So replacement unit on its way. Really fab service, I think! G
|
Related Threads
-
Garmin
Apr 2024
-
From Garmin connect to Fetch...
Nov 2023
-
Garmin 405
Jul 2023
-
Garmin Upload broken or just me?
Jun 2023
-
Garmin advice
Sep 2022
-
Garmin link to fetch issues?
Nov 2021
-
Garmin connect & Fetch
May 2021
-
Back to Garmins...
Mar 2021
-
Garmin forerunner 10
Mar 2021
-
Garmin 735xt problem
Jan 2021
