[Watch] SSU : altitude changes with temperature

[Dimitrios Kanellopoulos]

@Mff73 Hey hi! !!!

Can you shake it? It should change then as well and that is a pressure sensor issue.

I just now did the test with running and my Alti changed 1m only and that was due to GPS alti.
Take a Look:

This is a 5m pause.

IMHO it looks like a faulty sensor or the sensor got dirty etc.

I had my dad watch with the same issue. These are the tests I did:

• I shaked it and changed alti.
• Make sure you shake it in a way that you “bang” the pressure sensor grill on your palm. That should shake the sensor vertically and change the altitude.
• Temperature as only it self should not matter.

But there is a solution as well.

Hot water at ~35 and:

• Leave it in a glass or have it running constantly on the pressure sensor grill under the tap.
• Flush again
• Very soft toothbrush if there is debrys.

If the above do not help then please ask support.

PS. If you are leaving in a humid area that affects even more a ‘dirty sensor’

[Mff73]

Thanks for tips.
Shake this evening and no effet, but I am waiting for after shower revival
Yes, another symptôme, after shower, or hand in water, altitude decrease by around 80/90m, and stay constant during more than 2 hours.

Will try thé warm water and see.

[Dimitrios Kanellopoulos]

@Mff73 the water gets in? Then its normal.

[Mff73]

@Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos
Yes, but 2 hours to get out
If I put my old ambit 1 in water and Shake it, I retreive good altitude in à couple seconds.
With my SSU, now, whatever I do, I have to wait.
For now, watch is in warm water. Let see.

[Dimitrios Kanellopoulos]

@Mff73 oh. Something is funky. Mine comes back at about 30m Max after poool swimming 1hour. Both s9 and ssu. From what you say looks kapot.

[Mff73]

Hi folks,

My ticket is on the way

Let’s wait and see, I will let you know

[valdis830]

Temperature affects, but I think not so much. Around 0.6 m for each degree ??

[Mff73]

@valdis830
I think the same, but, it is the only parameter that I think is modifiés when I just put my finger behind thé watch.
No news from support for now.

[Mff73]

Support answers me to restart watch and let it on table for a day (for électrostatic reason) and if nothing better, send it to Finland.

My SSU is on the way to Finland
Wait and see : repair/replacement or maybe they will find nothing

[Mff73]

No news from Finland, but since then, I re use my Ambit 1, and Altitude doesn’t change without any reason, and after shower, just shake the watch to make water out sensor, and altitude becomes correct (more than two hour with SSU).
I wait eagerly my spartan to come back to see how it works

[Dimitrios Kanellopoulos]

@Mff73 try blowing gently air in the spartan. It takes then 1minutes.

[Mff73]

@Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos
Will try as soon as my SSU come back from Finland

[Mff73]

Hi, Suunto receive my watch, let’s wait 7 days from now :), but UPS said that it has been delivered on monday, so repair delay is calculated from when Suunto decided to registered the delivery
No matter, i am quite happy with my old Ambit, it is so reliable, just old fashion, no bluetooth, charger is a pain to clip, buttons have some arthritis , no fusedalti, but descent/ascent is spot on, and no difference between start/end of move.
Wait and see.

[Dimitrios Kanellopoulos]

I am reading in anxiety in every notification I get from this post. Good morning pal.

[Mff73]

@Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos
My only anxiety is that Suunto techs find nothing wrong.
But I send them à link of my video where I show that altitude lost 10m on a few seconds, just putting fingers behind.
In Suunto techs I trust.

Please @Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos , do not put too stress on you regarding my or others issues

[Dimitrios Kanellopoulos]

@Mff73 have another user with same issue let’s see.

[Mff73]

Just receive my new toy. Some driving to do towards week-end location, some drinks with friends there, and I will be ready to test

[Mff73]

Hello,
No vidéo to share, none of my test managed to change à single meter of altitude : neither fingers, nor température (reasonnable).
My new precious is perfect, old one was defective.

[77alex77]

@Mff73 said in [Watch] SSU : altitude changes with temperature:

Hello,
No vidéo to share, none of my test managed to change à single meter of altitude : neither fingers, nor température (reasonnable).
My new precious is perfect, old one was defective.

Hello,

Glad to see that you have gotten a new watch. I would like to ask you something of you don’t mind : could you check carefully how the altitude changes with the OUTDOOR feature. Actually my Suunto 9 has a very strange behaviour with altitude.

When I do a move with starting point equals to ending point, ascent does not match exactly with descent, I get almost 20m of difference, it is not logical at all.

During my vacation, I lived at 350m and every day I went to the Mediterranean sea. The altitude provided by my Suunto 9 was about 350m at home (ok) and about 20m at sea (nok) instead of a value in between 0 and 5m. I did several times a manual/automatic calibration at sea but the issue remained : I left the sea with altitude at 5m (ok), once at home altitude was about 350m (ok) then the day after when I went to the sea the altitude was about 20m (nok).

I have contacted Suunto service to get their point of view.

Thanks

[Dimitrios Kanellopoulos]

This is normal behaviour.

The altitude calibration from the GPS is never correct near by sea level. I am now actually at sea level for 1 mont and most devices report GPS altitude of -7.

To obtain the altitude check also some phone app about what GPS reports.

When you run the watch uses a feature called fused alti that calibrates constantly the altitude according to GPS reference combined with the readings of the pressure sensor.
When you start a move at the first 10 mins it tries to calibrate the altitude of the starting point. Eg like auto calibrating it your self , but actuality happening while running.
Thus you can have a different end point.

Also keep in mind the pressure sensor can be offset by many factors that’s why fused alti is there. To “peek” also from another altitude source.

Regarding the different gains , the barometric pressure change can affect it, however , also the route can.
That is why Suunto count ascent , at a -+3m threshold.

That means that if you don’t climb 3m in some minutes and you only climb 2 then it does not count.

So for example of you were runninh stairs up, and you did 2 stairs of 1m each it will not count. But if you did 1step again after doing the steps it would. This exists there to reduce noise, eg even arm movement that passes 1m etc etc.

I hope it helps.

PS to test your sensor , try to rub behind the watch , eg increase temp and see if altitude changes. Or if you are at the sea place , wear the watch , leave it aside, wear it again and you should have always the same altitude. That’s is how I detect those so far.