inaccurate track recording

[smc123]

Does anyone else find the Suunto 5 measures tracks about 5% too long? This seems to be because it is consistently poor, rather than being widely out in a particular spot. For example, here’s a section from a recent route tracked on the Suunto 5 and Ambit 3. Both were had navigation set up to follow a pre-plan route and both had a confirmed GPS lock before starting.
I’m surprised the Suunto 5 is so much worse than the older Ambit. It isn’t something specific to my watch - this is the second Suunto 5 I’ve had (first returned due to faulty battery), and both have this issue.

[Tomas5]

@smc123 i have this problem too. But it is more like 10-20% percent for me while hiking.

Today, by official map it is around 7,9km long. By my father xiaomi phone it was 7.5km long with mapy.cz and 8.54km with locus (without autopause). By my Suunto 5 it is 9.23km with manual pause.

60bb61b2cc6ae71479c84f74.fit

And it is almost every time i do some hiking in hills.

(

[Tomas5]

Here is my thread related to this problem.
https://forum.suunto.com/topic/6421/incorrect-distance-when-hiking/21

Sadly my last suunto watch. I had no issue with ambit 2s accuracy but this is not good at all.

[smc123]

@tomas5 looks like a few people have this problem with the Suunto 9 as well as 5. It’s a shame as previously I would have recommended Suunto without hesitation, but the Suunto 5 seems a step backwards from the Ambit.

[Egika]

@smc123 said in inaccurate track recording:

@tomas5 looks like a few people have this problem with the Suunto 9 as well as 5. It’s a shame as previously I would have recommended Suunto without hesitation, but the Suunto 5 seems a step backwards from the Ambit.

there is no way of comparing GPS accuracy when not done under the same conditions (location, satellite constellation, view of the sky etc.
Small variations can have big effects here.

Suunto 5 and 9 have been available and tested thoroughly for quite some time. I cannot think that they have a systematic issue.

[Dimitrios Kanellopoulos]

The Suunto 5 should have quite a great accuracy also according to most reviews (so to let out personal experiences or misluck of a faulty unit).

[smc123]

I’d hoped it was a faulty unit, but have had exactly the same issue with two different Suunto 5s (first one was returned because the battery life was only 10hrs).

Comparing the Suunto 5 and Ambit 3, both were set up as closely as possible the same, both with GPS on best accuracy, both with navigation screens on, both carried in same place (attached to waist belt of rucksack as both are too big to wear on my wrist) on the same trips.

[Tomas5]

@smc123 I am almost sure that my watch are not faulty, because on bike I get really good accuracy. Only while hiking when there are hills and trees around, accuracy is worst. Maybe Ambit 2s was better thanks to compass ? If there was some algorithm to smooth track recording based on compass too ? It is just my guess.