Compass loses calibration after charging

Brad_Olwin · 11 Mar 2022, 13:43

@simon said in Compass loses calibration after charging:

@brad_olwin I do feel like my issue is not explained or not read properly. My questions are just not answered - and I’m a bit disappointed now, given that I do help out in this forum when I notice a question that I can help with.

I think I have been quite clear, if you need to use the compass either as a compass or for navigation or for Endurance/Ultra modes and it needs calibration the watch will ask for calibration. If the compass is not needed the watch will not ask for calibration. It is as simple as that. Magnets, including the charger will require the compass to need calibration. I do not understand why you have an issue. If you are in an area with metal (buildings, cars, etc.) the compass will not work well, open space with no large metal structures nearby. Every time I need the compass, I am asked to calibrate by the watch. I hope this helps.

isazi · 11 Mar 2022, 16:24

Strange, my compass always asks for calibration, basically every time I charge the watch. It automatically calibrates after a while if using it, but it may calibrate wrongly and in that case you can start a manual calibration (it’s in the navigation menu if I’m not wrong).

Simon · 11 Mar 2022, 17:04

@isazi Thanks isazi. To make my issue clear: My watch does NOT ask for calibration. Basically never! Even if the compass is not working at all!

Again: Does the unit need to go to Suunto service?

Simon · 3 Nov 2022, 17:13

In the end, I see that the watch is not behaving as expected. Is there anything I can do? Or do I need to get in touch with Suunto for warranty/service? If so, how?

sartoric · 3 Nov 2022, 17:14

@simon said in Compass loses calibration after charging:

How can I be any clearer with this issue??

I guess it’s clear enough, and it’s clear too that others do not have the same issue.
So what do you expect as an answer ?

If you think your watch it’s defective, contact Suunto support via website and ask for a check/repair.

Simon · 11 Mar 2022, 17:40

@sartoric Thanks, I will

isazi · 11 Mar 2022, 20:47

@simon you can also contact support via the app.

Audaxjoe · 12 Mar 2022, 00:07

@brad_olwin This really isn’t my experience, sometimes it does ask others it doesn’t. am when in an activity I can see no way of celebrating the compass unless the watch askes. And as mentioned it often does not ask.

isazi · 12 Mar 2022, 13:34

@audaxjoe if you move it doesn’t ask. You need to stop.

Simon · 3 Dec 2022, 20:12

@audaxjoe You can actually make the same movement with your wrist like you do for calibration (this figure eight) DURING an activity and it will calibrate your compass. Good to know. Sad that nobody here nor the manual give this very useful hint!

Also, it looks to me like very, very poor engineering work when the compass loses calibration that easily. My Ambit3 Peak asked me once. And that was it! The compass was spot on for years to come. Same with a Coros Apex.

Almost funny - but also very sad - that Suunto opted for a magnetic charging cable with this flawed compass issue.

Please pass this on to Suunto engineering.

inkognito · 13 Mar 2022, 17:35

I have similar experience with my S9 (non-baro). Compass indeed sometimes (actually quite often) looses calibration and it doesn’t ask for it. I usually rely on the route navigation in my watch during my hikes and I definitely hiked more than 1500 km with it. My findings are as follows:

There are cases when compass somehow reacts but you can recognize the calibration is wrong. As it does something while you spin around, the watch probably thinks it’s calibrated. But it’s not.
Making the eight figure with my wrist when I’m on the navigation screen does not usually recalibrate it for me (trust me, I often look like an idiot, waving my hand for one minute in various ways only to find out it didn’t work ).
What actually works is putting my watch close to any magnet for a moment. Then it recognizes the calibration is now totally off and the recalibration is triggered

So, the ability to trigger the recalibration manually would be much appreciated. Especially when we have such nice things as bearing navigation (which is useless when your compass is not calibrated and your watch doesn’t know it).

isazi · 13 Mar 2022, 18:35

@inkognito I’ll open a feature request with Suunto: start compass calibration during activity from navigation screen.

Simon · 13 Mar 2022, 20:45

@inkognito Good post, thanks!

About 1) Same here …
2) Weird that calibration doesn’t work for you during calibration. I just tried again and it did.
3) Your trick with the magnet also works for me.

It seems that several watches are affected - and I also got a confirming private message. Maybe the hardware works, but the software is not ideally tuned. Anyway, I won’t contact Suunto service for that. As long as I can calibrate the watch during activity, it’s okay.

@isazi Thanks, that would be very helpful, too.

Audaxjoe · 21 Mar 2022, 18:23

@isazi said in Compass loses calibration after charging:

@audaxjoe if you move it doesn’t ask. You need to stop.

It doesn’t I am afraid; I was hiking a couple of weeks ago for around 150k at 30-35 km a day with plenty of stops.

One or two days the watch asked to calibrate, most it didn’t. Once I remembered before I started and calibrated the watch first, then ten minutes into the hike it asked to be calibrated!

It not normally an issue as when you move the watch quickly aligned itself, but those times when it is an issue, it proves most frustrating.

So, thank you for putting in a features request to be able to calibrate during an activity manually.

Simon · 21 Mar 2022, 18:29

It’s so weird that the calibration works for me during the activity. I have to be on the navigation screen for it to work. Maybe that clue was missing…

Anyways, I can still hardly believe this sloppy engineering work: a watch that is not able to really store/save the calibration with a magnetic charging connector