Suunto 7 Altitude Issues

[Brad_Olwin]

@andrea-antonio-guadalupi said in Suunto 7 Altitude Issues:

I find this situation unacceptable, a product that costs almost 500 euros has all these problems …

could you list all of the problems?

[Egika]

@brad_olwin said in Suunto 7 Altitude Issues:

@egika I had an altimeter app on the watch for a long time, it does a very good job of providing the altitude for where I live, that is about all I know. This was while not recording an activity.

Yeah, so probably the whole altitude and baro handling is done by WearOS and 3rd party apps. So probably no intelligent filtering and automatic changeover from baro to alti…

[pilleus]

@egika said in Suunto 7 Altitude Issues:

the whole altitude and baro handling is done by WearOS and 3rd party apps

I think so. Since I installed Alti-Barometer app with automatic altitude calibration the altitude reading and ascent are great. Start and end altitude are correct and ascent and descent too.

But in Ghostracer I must calibrate the barometer even if the Alti-Barometer app does it before.

[Andrea Antonio Guadalupi]

@pilleus alti-barometer app???

[pilleus]

@andrea-antonio-guadalupi

https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/app-alti-barometer-app-w-tile-auto-calibration-notifications-and-more.4136449/

[Andrea Antonio Guadalupi]

@pilleus I tried the application, but the altitude is completely wrong sometimes …

[Kurt68]

I cannot solve the problem. With a run of 400m ascent, the S7 shows between 100m and 200m more ascent compared to an Ambit3 and an S9. There are always short spikes down and up that are wrong. I had the watch at service and was told that the sensor was not faulty.
The S7 is dark green

[Brad_Olwin]

@kurt68 It appears that something is temporarily blocking the sensor holes, either you skin or fabric.

[Kurt68]

@brad_olwinI can exclude clothes I paid special attention to that. If it’s the skin that’s a problem, I can’t change anything? It can’t be dirt. The watch was just at the service.

[freeheeler]

@kurt68
Suunto Core, Suunto 9 and Suunto 7 obviously have this issue.
With S9 and Core it does not matter so much as you have either no HR at all or you can but on the chest belt. With S7 I consider this as an issue, since OHR requires a proper fit on the wrist.
IMHO it is a design flaw that can happen to all designers. Let’s hope Suunto improves that for their upcoming baro watches. I would have ideas… but @cosmecosta and I are still fighting who’ll get the job

[cosme.costa]

@freeheeler I thought that we agreed to be collaborative .

Now seriously, I see the issue but I also see advantages to the actual design. This design is also used in some Spartans without many complains (the Ultra has different case but same position for the holes and Spartan Sport with baro has the same case). I also remember @Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos commenting that A3 peak had also some downsizes regarding the baro design, but he didn’t commented which ones.

@Kurt68 have you tried to use the watch in the other arm?

[Kurt68]

@cosmecosta with the S9 I didn’t have the problem. The idea of ​​wearing the watch on the other arm also occurred to me today. I’ll try tomorrow.

[freeheeler]

@cosmecosta
I assume he meant that the same location in S9 as in A3P was not possible because of internal electronics etc.

[eurohiker]

I have a very detailed posted here showing that the watch DOUBLES my elevation gain which is nuts.

I’m fine with 10-15% off (even though that’s being insanely lenient for a 400euro watch with great GPS support/barometre)

Here is my post Suunto7 doubling my elevation gain

[Kurt68]

@cosmecosta I wore the watch on the other arm today and the result is much better. I will be watching over the next few days. Now there is only the problem that in the first minute 20-30m ascent are measured. Today I waited 5 minutes before I started and the starting height was correct and still 20m were measured which I did not do in the first 30 seconds. It’s just a minor problem, but it’s strange behavior.

[freeheeler]

@kurt68
observe it if it happens frequently. my wifes S7 had this weird “I count what you actually did not do anyway” only once.

[Kurt68]

@freeheeler It’s always like that with me. Today I tried to start a training session and didn’t move. After a 5min and 24m ascent I deleted the training and started a new one and the S7 counted a 20m ascent. In the end it was 791m ascent on the S7 and 756m above the Ambit. If you now deduct the 20m at the beginning, the result would be ok

[cedric13]

The S7 ascent is totally delirious ! It’s the double of reality !
Here an example of my last weekend trail running ,
first screen shoot from Suunto App and second screenshoot from Strava after Map elevation adjust fonction.

I tested also with my previous Ambit 3 Vertical and the ascension is correct like Strava.
So what happen with this new S7 ?
It already need to come back at Suunto waranty ?

[freeheeler]

@cedric13
please publish your activity and send the link. As you may have read it is easier for us to check the alti graph and hence we can exclude “wrong” handling of the watch

Edit: by the way, while you mention Strava.
I have noticed recently that Strava differs slightley to Suuntos ascent values (again!). Has the Strava and Suunto collaboration ended already? I don’t see the Suunto branding within my Strava account anymore.
I am asking, because once upon a time I’ve asked Strava why the ascent values in Strava differ to the values from Suunto and their simple answer was: “Suunto is doing it wrong…”. Then the partnership started and obviously Suunto was doing it right. But now the values differ again. Anybody any idea about that??

[isazi]

@cedric13 if you can share more details we may be able to help more.
This is a comparison from a couple of weeks ago, hiking for 17/18 kilometers in the Dutch dunes.

Ascent:

Descent: