Suunto 7 blatantly misreporting elevation data. RMA team says nothing wrong with watch.

[marsfarce]

I realized about two months ago that my S7 has been substantially over-reporting elevation data for the past YEAR.

I contacted their customer service team and they said 1) make sure you’re using BEST rather than GOOD gps tracking (which I did), reset the watch (I did) and ensure the sensor isn’t blocked (I checked and saw nothing). Neither of these 3 things fixed it.

Then I mailed it in for RMA and I received the following message: “Dear customer, I have tested your device for the faults reported in the fault description and performed all the
necessary tests but discovered no fault with the pressure sensor. Service includes functional and waterproof testing.
Water resistance of product is tested with air pressure system, no actual water is used. Best regardsSuunto Service Center”

Now how can this be true…?

Here’s some examples:
A) September 18th - my partner’s Garmin 245 watch 276m elevation, mine 803m

B) September 10th cycle with two different people, some using their phones: My elevation for HALF the ride since my watch died - 1023m, theirs for the FULL ride - 774m and 801m

C) A bike ride May 22 (same route as A but my watch didnt die) - my elevation 1303m, my partner’s Garmin 245 - 747m.

D) A bike around around Stanley park, Vancouver - my partner’s garmin 245 - 110m, my elevation…591m…

And the list goes on and on, countless examples of different areas and hikes and cycles. I cycle every day to work with plenty of elevation. A years of worth of data completely wrong essentially.

Would appreciate an opinion, thanks.

[isazi]

@marsfarce most probably, you’re covering the baro sensor holes on the left of the watch, pumping air in and thus creating hills and valleys in the alti graph.

[marsfarce]

@isazi It doesn’t apply to cycling only though. What about hilly, slow hikes with minimal wind?

And why would it by everytime that I’m somehow covering the senors? I’m average build I don’t have an overly large wrist or anything.

Like is the sensor that fickle, if is happening to me without doing anything out of the ordinary, it should be a commonly occuring issue across the S7 no?

[isazi]

@marsfarce there’s no need for wind, and I’m not sure about the body type either. It doesn’t happen to me, it happens to a friend of mine (female) with smaller wrists though.
So you wear the watch very tight? Are your sleeves covering the holes somehow? I’m just trying to help identify the issue. Can you pay attention to this and check if it’s the baro holes covered or not?

[marsfarce]

@isazi said in Suunto 7 blatantly misreporting elevation data. RMA team says nothing wrong with watch.:

@marsfarce there’s no need for wind, and I’m not sure about the body type either. It doesn’t happen to me, it happens to a friend of mine (female) with smaller wrists though.
So you wear the watch very tight? Are your sleeves covering the holes somehow? I’m just trying to help identify the issue. Can you pay attention to this and check if it’s the baro holes covered or not?

I appreciate your help! :). I can’t say that there’s a consistent pattern between the type of clothing I use. This summer has mostly been tshirt weather, the watch isn’t tight enough to be uncomfortable or loose enough for me to feel like it doesn’t make contact or it’ll slip. I guess I have forearm hair but it’d say average for a guy.

I guess I’m just doubtful that it could happen so consistently by some casually overlooked habit I do and not be a hardware/software issue

[freeheeler]

@marsfarce
put the buckle one step loser on your wrist strap and try again

[isazi]

@marsfarce one test could be to mount it on the handlebars of your bike and see if the issue is still there, or any other trick to have the holes free at all time. If nothing changes, must be the watch.
As an example, in your pictures the holes are fine, but what happens if you flex the wrist?

[Kramble]

I had this issue already three times and the support change my watch three times (yes it’s actually my forth S7). You need to prove the issue with solid proofs like pictures of the screen compared to other watch, picture of the altitude graph with a lot of little peaks…(I roll the watch in the paper with pictures when I sent it to the support).
It’s a recurrent issue on S7.
To be sur it’s not a hole issue you can test your watch alone on a table outside, start an activity with ascent/altitude and wait an hour…

[Panagiotis Kritikakos]

@isazi I second that. I had some strange altitude readings on S9P when hiking and having it on wrist but never on cycling where I mount it on the handlebar.

[eurohiker]

@marsfarce i got 5 new watches from RMA (on my 6th watch in 1.5years) all saying the same thing. I gave up on it. Strava corrects the data anyways and i use strava to present the hikes. There’s an “adjust elevation” setting within Strava.

Trust me, elevation is the least of your worries with the Suunto 7. Just wait for burn in, crashes during activities, sometimes not tracking steps, then after reset the thing won’t even turn on. When i plug it into a charger it vibrates non stop and gets so hot that it becomes a fire hazard…

I went hard for a while trying to diagnose the whole altitude thing. You just need to give up on the altitude measurements. No baro app via XDA forums or reset will fix it. You get the same measurements covering the baro hole vs uncovering vs wind vs no wind.
Your wrist is bigger than mine, i had a lot more barohole room. I tried holding the watch on my knuckles, putting on opposite wrists, handlebars and etc. All exact same measurements as if I were to cover the hole. Then i thought there was dust so i put it in a distilled glass of water over night. no bueno.
TDLR: just give up lol
https://forum.suunto.com/topic/5930/suunto-7-double-proposed-elevation-gain-6-6-trails

[isazi]

@Panagiotis-Kritikakos the S9P has the sensor in a different place, so it has a different behavior. It is not affected by your skin blocking the baro holes, but if raining or snowing water may clog the holes. Each positioning has its on advantages and disadvantages.

[aeroild]

@marsfarce I also experienced wrong altitude recordings. I contacted support and then sent the watch in for repair, got it back saying there was nothing wrong. Contacted support again, did all the tests support recommended, sent it back in for repair and got a new watch back. I got a feeling that it is standard procedure to say that there is nothing wrong with the watch first time around…

[freeheeler]

@aeroild
if there’s nothing wrong with the watch they’ll send it back. It is possible that it is “cheaper” to send a new watch the second time…
did the issues with your altitude readings disappear since you’ve received the new watch?

what support does:
they assume your watch has a technical fault, they organize the transportation for you, do the check and act accordingly. if there’s nothing wrong with the watch, they are not there to help you further.

what we in the forum do:
you see something unexpected with your watch and mention it here, we might have seen a similar fault or a behavior pattern that could cause a fault. this could either be technical or, as said, also behavior (wearing style, wet clothes, not waiting for satellite locks just to mention a few).
we can neither measure anything nor do a remote diagnosis, but we can exclude several causes and give tipps how to improve and avoid potentially unnecessary shipments to Suunto.

Please don’t get me wrong, I can and will not judge for individual cases.
I needed to send in my watches to Suunto, too.

[aeroild]

@freeheeler My first watch had good altitude readings the first six months or so and then started behaving very odd. Maybe the service center did some tests in the lab, but I guess real life is far from lab life. My second watch also was good the first six months. Now the altitude is terrible and the screen has burned in. Burn in was no problem with my first watch. I’m hoping for a Suunto 7 generation 2. I like the watch despite its shortcomings.

[freeheeler]

@aeroild
ok, burnt screen is a clear issue.
if the watchs alti works for 6 months and then starts behaving odd it might be dirt on the sensor. I’m soaking mine in water for that reason right now.
(6km run along a flat shoreline shows 28m vertical ascent)

[aeroild]

@freeheeler I’ve soaked it in water and cleaned it with a baby toothbrush several times, but nothing helps. I think it’s a cheap sensor that turns bad after a short time. Just like the screen.

[freeheeler]

@aeroild
hmm, I can neither confirm nor contradict, as I don’t know.
my wife’s S7 works fine for 2.5 years now.
only the buttons seem to start becoming old-ish now

[MeazzaS9]

@marsfarce said in Suunto 7 blatantly misreporting elevation data. RMA team says nothing wrong with watch.:

I realized about two months ago that my S7 has been substantially over-reporting elevation data for the past YEAR.

I contacted their customer service team and they said 1) make sure you’re using BEST rather than GOOD gps tracking (which I did), reset the watch (I did) and ensure the sensor isn’t blocked (I checked and saw nothing). Neither of these 3 things fixed it.

Then I mailed it in for RMA and I received the following message: “Dear customer, I have tested your device for the faults reported in the fault description and performed all the
necessary tests but discovered no fault with the pressure sensor. Service includes functional and waterproof testing.
Water resistance of product is tested with air pressure system, no actual water is used. Best regardsSuunto Service Center”

Now how can this be true…?

Here’s some examples:
A) September 18th - my partner’s Garmin 245 watch 276m elevation, mine 803m

B) September 10th cycle with two different people, some using their phones: My elevation for HALF the ride since my watch died - 1023m, theirs for the FULL ride - 774m and 801m

C) A bike ride May 22 (same route as A but my watch didnt die) - my elevation 1303m, my partner’s Garmin 245 - 747m.

D) A bike around around Stanley park, Vancouver - my partner’s garmin 245 - 110m, my elevation…591m…

And the list goes on and on, countless examples of different areas and hikes and cycles. I cycle every day to work with plenty of elevation. A years of worth of data completely wrong essentially.

Would appreciate an opinion, thanks.

i had the same problem … tomorrow i will send to S7 support I did a run with S7 and S9b, below are the results

[Chris Van Sickle]

This is a very common issue and design flaw with the Suunto 7’s. Many people have this issue. I’ve gone thru 4 S7’s (2 purchased, 2 RMA’s on one unit) and they all eventually have this issue. Clean the baro hole with a baby toothbrush (ultra-soft-bristle) and warm running water. If that doesnt fix it, leave it in the fridge overnight with it powered off to wick any moisture out of the hole.

Good test: record an activity on your window sill after getting good GPS lock. If it stays 0/0m asc/desc, you’re good to go until the next time this happens.