Forums >Gears and Wears>Garmin mapping WAY off?
Get Lost :)
Patzer
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Hammy
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There are lots and lots of threads discussing the elevation errors of GPS, right here in this Gears and Wears forum.
The OP didn't mention elevation.
Lazy idiot
Tick tock
Nick Hamel, mordyovits and nj joe did.
Incidentally there are also lots of threads on GPS position accuracy. The culprit is not enough satellites being "seen" by the watch, due to tall buildings, dense foliage, or terrain. Tall trees, especially if it's rained recently and they're wet, can cause problems.
The US military turned off selective availability several years ago and it's been off (more accurate) ever since.
There's a page on the watch that shows how many satellites are locked on, signal strength, and how accurate the postion fix is.
To answer wanderlost's question, IME, the problems are usually worst when starting out, when it's still searching for satellites.It will use as many satellites as it can, you don't have any control over that, other than getting to an open space.
No, I am not talking elevation - I realize how off that is! One run I did recently has me starting in some random location about a mile away from the original start and wandering across/through buildings until it finally meets up with my actual route 2 miles later. Kind of bizarre -- was wondering it was preventable or if others had seen it, etc.
I too have noticed the innaccuracies from time to time with my 301 (I like the larger screen and hold it in my fingers instead of on the wrist so the size doesn't bother me). I went on a run a few weeks ago and checked out my mile 2 pace and continued runing. I ran for about a 1/2 mile and looked at my custom screen which has my heart rate, lap pace and distance. The distance was was at 2.1 miles and I knew that couldn't be right, but the timer seemed correct. When I got back, I uploaded to Garmin Connect and the route, which I've run before, was 0.4 miles short, although the line work was completely intact, but the time ws correct. Garmin Connect has no way of editing any data fields so I started searching for some new programs that would allow me to alter my running data.
I started using SportTracks software recently to edit the route which in turn corrects your pace and mileage. I uploaded the aforementioned run data from my Garmin and it used the correct route length and adjust my pace accordingly. I love the program but wish it were available online so I could log on and upload from anywhere instead of being chained down to my pc. It would be great if RA could add that feature.
The pain that hurts the worse is the imagined pain. One of the most difficult arts of racing is learning to ignore the imagined pain and just live with the present pain (which is always bearable.) - Jeff
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The US military controls the accuracy of GPS and can change it at any time. This could be one reason.
As a former military officer of 8 years, I would suspect this IS the problem....
Champions are made when no one is watching
Prince of Fatness
Not at it at all.
I've got a fever...
Do you make sure it finds the signal before starting out? I turn mine on and set it down, then do my prerun routine. If you set it down after turning it on it stays still and tends to find the signal quicker.
+1
I set my watch down in a spot that has a clear view of the sky, then I get dressed for the run. The watch is always locked in by the time I'm ready to roll.
On your deathbed, you won't wish that you'd spent more time at the office. But you will wish that you'd spent more time running. Because if you had, you wouldn't be on your deathbed.