Suunto 7 Altitude Issues

aeroild

@eurohiker Here’s a comparison between the altitude recorded by my Suunto 7 on a 8km run and altitude from the same route made on www.plotaroute.com On the gpx from plotatroute altitude is always overestimated. I have also made a table where I have checked the altitude data at the start, at each kilometer and at the end. Here I have also included the official data from the public map service www.lantmateriet.se. The Suunto 7 is spot on the official data!

eurohiker

@aeroild lucky, but i think it’s more of an issue when mountain hiking (which is what I mostly track for altitude) because even 1 meter away laterally can make a bit difference in altitude.

For my runs and my bikes I don’t even look at the altitude because I typically only do those activities on flat land and everything around is roughly the same altitude so when it’s bouncing around it doesn’t miscalculate as much.

isazi

@eurohiker what does this mean? This is not how the barometer works

freeheeler

@isazi
sounds like a setting I once saw in a gps: altitude from map

pilleus

@eurohiker said in Suunto 7 Altitude Issues:

because even 1 meter away laterally can make a bit difference in altitude.

???

Barometric altitude is completely independent from GPS or being on a track or not. I often use barometer only (without GPS enabled) to record the ascent/altitude.

isazi

@freeheeler yes, Garmin watches with onboard map and digital elevation model can do that do. Not the S7 as far as I know.

eurohiker

@isazi yes, but they work in conjunction

@pilleus i don’t they they are independent when they are both on. There is definitely software connecting the 2 while using “good gps 10sec alti track”. It’s pretty consistent with my dips when it bounces off trail at a different altitude.
So you are telling me I have faulty baro AND gps in 4 watches if they are independent?

isazi

@eurohiker no they don’t. The only interaction they have is that the GPS can also be used to compute elevation. If the GPS elevation error is low and the value from the altimeter and the value from GPS have diverged, the GPS elevation is used to calibrate the barometric altimeter, in some way known to Suunto.

freeheeler

@eurohiker
I’m not so sure… why would a baro watch want to rely on a saved map? you stated it already, when you hike along a steep mountain, the worst thing you can have is altitude from map, based on your track… it could be hundreds of meters wrong

eurohiker

@isazi mhmm what are the odds that 4 watches have had faulty gps and baro units. I thought it was a combination thing.

eurohiker

@freeheeler instead i get 2x (good gps) -3x (best gps) the altitude difference on EVERY hike on 4 watches. I would rather the few 100m wrong tbh

freeheeler

@eurohiker
that’s very difficult for us to find out. but as many others said, they don’t have an issue with their watches and my wife’s S7 works pretty well, too… ok it has some hickups every now and then… but who doesn’t. even my watch once hung itself in the middle of a bike ride

freeheeler

@eurohiker
all these spikes look suspicious…

eurohiker

@freeheeler look at my profile…
It;s hard to say i’ve had 50+ suspicious activities in a few months when I really want the thing to work. I wear the thing religiously and now want it to help me track my training for my first tri. Not sure what is suspicious.
https://www.strava.com/athletes/41572177 <-- note weekends will be the hikes don’t bother to look at the bikes/runs. Klimat is also there for the weather (wind)
Don’t know if I can share my whole quantified-self.io profile.

freeheeler

@eurohiker
I picked the first example that jumped at me… June 2nd… those ups and downs are most likely due to a covered sensor hole. could be covered by anything, even a drop of sweat.
the track itself looks pretty good.
it would be even better to see your QS data. I was not able to view it

Brad_Olwin

@eurohiker The spikes are driving up your elevation profile! If you look at my or others Strava profiles you will not see this, I would have to tell you which are S7 though. For me, I get spikes when: (i) my watch is worn where the baro holes and my skin or clothing cover the hole typically pushing air into the sensor and causing a spike ( this is easy to cause when using poles); (ii) high wind directly hitting the baro sensor ( I did about 4000m in a 2h run one time because of this). I personally have not had a clogged sensor and have not cleaned a sensor in a single watch (I have quite a few).

eurohiker

@freeheeler definitely no sweat i was at a like 1 heart zone that whole hike enjoying the views tbh

https://quantified-self.io/user/BxG3lugNexVjw3pPXlLeyLy4WLv2/event/5b6d663772acd4fe78f1b307292059fd482568898d6592d2a7e7bb0d4c0317ba

Let me know if that’s public

@Brad_Olwin baroholes would be the last thing being covered due to my boney wrists holding the sensor at least 1cm away in every wrist position. The watch design is perfect for “my” wrist and baro hole placement.

Bad focus due to light here are the pics on a 3 hole tighter setting than usual cutting off my circulation basically. (trying to cover those baroholes) Pic 2 looks close but it’s still a minimum of 5mm away it’s just back focus/lighting.

freeheeler

@eurohiker
unfortunately unaccessible either.
I bet it is as @Brad_Olwin says. This alti graph on an almost flattish run (june 2nd) follows this covered sensor pattern… and this is why I celebrate the S9P design

freeheeler

@eurohiker
I have to add something more: this steep climb in the beginning: this is not caused by a covered sensor. Normally covering increases pressure and hence alti drops until it’s venting normally again.
But it could be caused by too quick starting of an activity. I saw that on my wife’s S7, too. She went to the start screen and started the activity before the watch was ready and had the satellites locked

eurohiker

@freeheeler Definitely, I agree. I try to wait for a GPS, but sometimes i forget/mid convo, or what ever sh*t happens that’s a user error. That’s not what I’m complaining about though that didn’t double the overall hike altitude or cause the GPS accuracy to be all over the place throughout the whole hike.

That peak design looks amazing but I do love the Suunto 7 design. The watch looks like it’s floating on my wrist due to the heartbeat sensor and my wrist shape/bf%. I never wore a watch in my life but I love wearing this one.
Even winter jackets tuck under until it hits the wall of the heartbeat sensor without me having to do it. At that same tightness I can run my VO2max without it floppying or even moving a mm.

I know it must be annoying seeing me throughout the forums complaining but I have gone the proactive route by making an account here with my own thread explaining my issues in more detail than most people would, opened up RMA cases and got new watches, I have done everything in this thread on at least 1 of the 4 watches. I still have the same issue I started with.
Now for the first time I find out that gps and baro are independent of each other which I thought was the same so I have had 2 issues while thinking it was just 1.