[ad_1]
Just a very quick article to provide a little bit of context on a problem some (but not all) see where your saved GPS track is off by more than a hundred yards or more. Usually the pattern of your route is correct, but it can be moved to either side. However, in many cases, at the end of the workout, it sorts itself out. In other words, it’s mostly a one-off problem.
Much of the problem appears to be affecting companies that leverage the Sony GPS chipset in their devices, which are basically all new Garmin devices in recent years, most new Suunto devices in recent years, all Polar devices in recent years, all Polar devices in recent years. years, all COROS devices, the Wahoo RIVAL, etc. More or less everyone except Apple.
Very rough list of impacted devices (I’m missing a ton here, these are just the most popular)
– COROS GPS watches (you have to check the original rhythm, however)
– Garmin Forerunner 45/245/745/945 / Fenix 6 / MARQ / Vivoactive 3/4 / Venu
– Garmin Edge 130 Plus 530/830/1030 Plus
– Polar Vantage V / M / V2, Grit X, Ignite
– Suunto 5 and Suunto 9
– Wahoo RIVAL
Again, I’m missing a boat here, but these are the biggest ones that come to mind.
All of these companies have switched to the Sony GPS chipset since around 2018, with Polar and Suunto initially on board, followed quickly by Garmin, COROS, etc. The Sony GPS chipset is widely used by these companies due to the power savings which allows for longer battery life.
But – that’s all that matters, not the cause of the problem. The issue is with the ephemeris data file, also known as the Extended Prediction Orbit (EPO) or Connected Predictive Ephemeris (CPE) file. Or just the satellite pre-cache file. This is the file that is delivered to your device on a frequent basis (usually every few days). This file allows your watch to find GPS satellites almost instantly when you go out. It’s basically a cheat sheet showing where the satellites are for the next few days, or up to a week or so.
Your watch or bike computer automatically obtains this file via Bluetooth Smart from your phone, WiFi or USB, depending on how you connect your watch. Most companies deliver it whenever your watch syncs and needs a new version. So on your end, you never do anything – it just happens in the background.
Right now, the data in this file is wrong, and therefore the data your watch uses during those first few minutes is also wrong, resulting in offsets. You can see an example of this below, from a DCR reader:
As the watch maintains its connection to the GPS satellites throughout the workout, it will usually correct itself because it pulls the updated data from above. Most people report that resolves either at the end of the workout or at the next workout. You can see it here from another DCR player:
Same here – identical starting point errors on my Fenix 6X Pro and my wife’s Forerunner 45S, then they sort out – I walked, she ran, so my route is more accurate because it had more than time to find a solution I guess … pic.twitter.com/tZ4ysgYPtW
– ac72 (@ ac72) January 2, 2021
To resolve this problem, you can just stick your bike watch / computer outside and let it record one hour of training, then throw it away after that. He will have received the necessary satellite information to probably correct himself.
But it will not impact everyone. For example, I tried today with two Sony-based watches (Garmin FR745 and FR945) to get it to trace an incorrect trail – and it wouldn’t. I suspect this is because in my case the watch was repeatedly bumped while playing with my kids yesterday and today, so I guess it had already re-downloaded what it needed to be correct out of. the door. I also tried with two non-Sony chipsets (Fenix 5S and Apple Watch SE), and didn’t see any issues either.
Speaking to Garmin today, they are working on a fix for the problem, which they say will likely be just updating the satellite’s pre-cache data from the server, which in turn, your watch will capture like it always does. But first, they (and others) strive to figure out what exactly is wrong with the data that’s causing it.
While chatting with another industry person dealing with the issue, they noted that technically 2020 has 53 weeks, and this is week 53. As such, the suspicious Sony data file issue could actually be related to this complexity.
See… just when you thought you had escaped 2020, he’s still waiting for you at the start of your run.
With that – thanks for reading!
[ad_2]
Source link