Altitude data when running in heavy rain

aligigi

@freeheeler I did have a chance to test that theory, a few weeks ago some really heavy rain cought me at home with nothing to do so I went out for a run. I wore the watch upside down on my wrist with the holes looking down and the buttons oriented towards my elbow. I ran the same course and the elevation was correct. I guess that with the holes looking down the raindrops could not affect the baro sensor.

jjpaz

I had same issue last week. With heavy rain water drops block baro sensor holes in S9P.
When running and hands pointing forward, the holes are pointing up. Baro holes are more exposed than S9B in that conditions.
After that, when it’s raining I try to turn hand a bit to “protect” holes and clean water drops in the holes every 5-10min.
With light rain no problem.

Panagiotis Kritikakos

@freeheeler Another rainy ride today, at least for the most part, not as heavy and wind as yesterday, but I covered the watch under the jacket. Elevation profile and ascent/descent values were right and the profile smooth.

Anyway, IMHO that behaviour with the positioning of baro holes for an outdoor watch with barometric altimeter (it’s one of the features that make me choose GPS products and I guess it’s not only me) could be a bit of problematic design. I don’t know the limitations and what leads at the positioning of the sensor/holes but from a customer perspective I’d like my barometric device to behave as expected on bad weather and when it’s normally positioned on the hand, instead of covering, turning upside/down etc.

DMytro

@Panagiotis-Kritikakos with previous models holes were positioned on the side. This however caused bad values to occur because of wind gusts and also due to contact with sleeves if I recall correctly. I guess, no matter the position, there’ll always be some give and take. Unless suunto places multiple sensors on each side to make a cross reference. That might be am overkill tho, instead I’d prefer to have a post workout correction in SA, akin to Strava.

Panagiotis Kritikakos

@DMytro I’m sure, it can be tricky. Don’t know how other watches from other manufactures behave. Post workout correction is ok. It’s done on Strava but still missing in SA. My main concern is during the activity, especially for mountain oriented activities where the watch is on hand.

inkognito

So, nice solution would be to introduce the option to choose from “FusedAlti” and “GPS only” somewhere in the navigation/elevation settings, right? And make these options accessible during the exercise…
My main concern why I chose Suunto 9 non-baro instead of Suunto 9 baro was that I’d rather have expectedly less precise elevation metrics than totally wrong values in some cases (rain, after swimming, heavy sweating, strong wind, possible sensor failure, etc)…

Panagiotis Kritikakos

@inkognito That could be an option to prevent misleading readings from the start.

sartoric

@inkognito
Maybe and maybe not
Consider that if it’s heavy raining, probably the gps signal is sh***y too ?

Panagiotis Kritikakos

Again today, with very strong wind, the baro sensor seem to have failed tragically. For an ascent of about 1300m, the watch reported 5500m! I was standing still, the baro graph along with meters of ascent were going mad. For an outdoor watch, failing to operate properly in not ideal/friendly conditions is bad, espeically when such fetaures are reasons for buying the device at first place.

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DMytro

@Panagiotis-Kritikakos but do you know if competition has better results in such conditions?

I think it would be helpful for users to be able to switch to gps-altitude if the recognize that conditions interfere with baro measurements.

Panagiotis Kritikakos

@DMytro Generally, no I don’t know. If they have similar it doesn’t justify the result. My mate however with Garmin didn’t have such issues today.

GPS/baro switch has been mentioned before and I think would be helpful.

Brad_Olwin

@Panagiotis-Kritikakos I have had this happen as well. About the only solution is to wear under your shirt sleeve or jacket.

Panagiotis Kritikakos

@Brad_Olwin It was under the jacket, but the sleeve was not very tight to the wrist and I had headwind.

freeheeler

@Panagiotis-Kritikakos
we’ve had a windy day today, too and I’ve noticed wind effect, too.
but it is only a problem when it’s windy (and maybe really heavy rain). but I would always choose the baro sensor position like in peak and pro, over the position on the S9B.
it is the better compromise IMO

thanasis

@Panagiotis-Kritikakos said in Altitude data when running in heavy rain:

@DMytro Generally, no I don’t know. If they have similar it doesn’t justify the result. My mate however with Garmin didn’t have such issues today.

GPS/baro switch has been mentioned before and I think would be helpful.

About the switch , You mean like ambit 3 (alti-baro-automatic )?
it would be great but I don’t expect any feature-type amendments to the FW … but

@Panagiotis-Kritikakos look at the bright side … you will be adding 5K for the vertical week

@Panagiotis-Kritikakos said in Altitude data when running in heavy rain:

GPS/baro switch has been mentioned before and I think would be helpful.

I absolutely vote in favour. It would be nice to only be able to use the GPS in certain circumstances. Yesterday I was running on the plains with bora (wind gusts over 70 km/h) and the barometer went crazy.

Jeffrey Tillack

@Panagiotis-Kritikakos I have an S9B but also use a Garmin Instinct. You can turn off the baro and just use GPS when u want. Nifty feature.

Panagiotis Kritikakos

@thanasis I almost forgot about A3P switch, but couldn’t be changed during the activity. I remember having it always on automatic.
Regarding the vertical week, it’s a pitty the activity took place a day before it started

@Jeffrey-Tillack You mean on the Garmin device?

Spree

@Panagiotis-Kritikakos If you set the alti/baro to “baro” in Suunto Ambit3 Peak, it does not measure altitude via GPS only; it fixes the altitude and doesn’t change it at all, while interpreting all changes in measured absolute pressure as changes in sea level pressure.

What is requested here is rather a way to forget about the barometer altogether and using GPS for altitude (while, probably, not measuring weather at all, since that would also be very wrong)

isazi

It is an interesting idea to have a setting for altitude: baro or GPS. I will forward it to Suunto.