Accuracy and Gratefulness (Positive Thread!🙂)
-
Since at times this forum seems to drag downward with all the bug reports and comparisons and things not working (yes, I’ve posted some of those myself too!), I thought I’d take a minute just to show some love for the GNSS Accuracy I’m observing with the Suunto Run!
First off, as I’ve mentioned in a previous thread, I’m the son of a professional surveyor, and literally having been using all manner of GPS/GNSS equipment since I was in grade school, including pole-mounted monstrosities back in the days before smartphones existed (gulp!). I’ve used GPS-only watches when they first came on the scene, watched as multi-constellation features added accuracy, and eagerly awaited the foretold day we’re in now: dual-frequency chipsets with accuracies that boggle the mind. And honestly, with what I’ve seen out of the Run, that’s exactly how I describe it.
I’m in the mountains of Western NC, in a fairly narrow valley, with a steeper slope covered in both conifers and deciduous trees. Needless to say, other than “urban canyons” or slot canyons, this is literally one of the toughest locations for GNSS technology to hold good accuracy. But…the Run is doing it. And incredibly well! I have a route that is a short “out and back,” a perfect test for horizontal accuracy, and one that previous devices have struggled with in all honesty—limited by their technology, and as good as could be expected, but struggling nonetheless.
The below map shows the modern results from the Run, using dual-band GNSS—and its effectively flawless, and honestly I think as good or better than I would expect from pole-mounted professional GNSS equipment! And let’s not forget, the Run has 20 hours of battery at its power hungriest—unheard of for an “entry level” watch around 2018, and not even close to the premium watch offerings in 2015.
I guess all of this to say, taking stock of where the sports computer industry has come from definitely helps me to realize, yes there’s more improvements and innovations to make, more bugs to squash, but overall, it’s amazing what these little pucks on our wrists can do compared to even a decade ago! So, to all the developers and engineers and testers and fine folks involved, you do have one very grateful user in the Appalachian Mountains!
