Garmin 64s keeps recording distance even stopped

[simoesl]

This getting me mad

I walk and the device records the walking time (as well as speed) etc - which is fine

If I stop briefly it starts recording stopped time - which is fine

Then.... I stop to eat during the trip (letting the device on) and when I pick it up eg 39 mins later it recorded *distance AND walking time *!!!!!

Looking at the recorded track I see a series of movements around the place I stopped....

I then watched the speed before the screen went to sleep and after waking up.... and it was never zero.... even if the device was still

 

This spoils the whole statistics including how much we walked and the average speed

There are enough satellites locked

 

I didn't have this problem in my old 60s...

 

Any help please?

[+Timpat]

Is your track Record Method set for Time vs Distance or Auto? Time setting would cause what you see.

[39_Steps]

Hmm. So its better to always eat outdoors and set the gadget to not record track points unless we have moved more than 10 or 20 feet from previous point?

[simoesl]

Is your track Record Method set for Time vs Distance or Auto? Time setting would cause what you see.

Thanks for the reply

I have it on Auto - thought this would be the correct way to mix both variables?

[simoesl]

Is your track Record Method set for Time vs Distance or Auto? Time setting would cause what you see.

Thanks for the reply

I have it on Auto - thought this would be the correct way to mix both variables?

Actually need to correct - thought it was the best way to *ignore* both variables- my understanding is that auto drops a point when there is a change in eg speed, night etc.... not connected therefore to time or distance

This would mean for me that if I leave the device alone on a table there isn't any change and therefore it should not record anything

[39_Steps]

Depends on whether the table location is such that it can receive a "good" gps signal. Indoors is typically less than the best for reception. Therefore the device may record a spaghetti nest of random reflected and attenuated points, and then tack on the distance between those random points.

 

Try experimenting with your hiking starts and stops outdoors under a clear sky to see "optimum" performance for your device. A quick glance at the track screen may tell the answer, although it is possible that internal algorithm filtering may reduce the total errors in recorded distance. (I think you already stated that outdoor usage was OK).

[+Mineral2]

it also depends how often you are having it record, even on auto. I've had birds nests in my tracks even when stopping to eat lunch in an open field on a clear day. That's just the nature of a GPS.

 

Because all methods of track recording are prone to some sort of error, whether it be error in position estimate for each point, or rounding errors due to constructing curves with straight lines, and because tracks are sampled less often than the trip computer samples data, there will always be a discrepancy between your trip computer, which I've found tends to overestimate distance, and the recorded track, which tends to underestimate distance. Usually the difference isn't THAT much, but can be noticeable when you think you hiked 5 miles and basecamp tells you it was 4.5. The exception to this is the newer Oregon series (600 and 700) which allow you to sync your trip computer with your track (I'm not sure if this was added to the 64 series as well).

 

As far as the birdsnest goes, it's unavoidable and must be removed later in Basecamp or your favorite alternative program for viewing and editing track data. The Oregons listed above are the only models that I'm aware of that give you the option to pause tracking when you stop so you're not accumulating these extra points during lunch.

[+Viajero Perdido]

If they tune the GPS receiver to ignore small motions, this problem is fixed and another one resurfaces: it stops updating when you're homing in on the cache.

 

Can't win.

[+Mineral2]

If they tune the GPS receiver to ignore small motions, this problem is fixed and another one resurfaces: it stops updating when you're homing in on the cache.

 

Can't win.

 

How do you accomplish this? navigation data (distance and direction to a destination waypoint) are different than tracking data, or data collected over time (distance traveled, speed, etc.).

[simoesl]

...

... and because tracks are sampled less often than the trip computer samples data, there will always be a discrepancy between your trip computer, which I've found tends to overestimate distance, and the recorded track, which tends to underestimate distance. Usually the difference isn't THAT much, but can be noticeable when you think you hiked 5 miles and basecamp tells you it was 4.5. ...

 

As far as the birdsnest goes, it's unavoidable and must be removed later in Basecamp or your favorite alternative program for viewing and editing track data. The Oregons listed above are the only models that I'm aware of that give you the option to pause tracking when you stop so you're not accumulating these extra points during lunch.

yep... in my case we actually walked 20 Km and so we had 2 o Km more i.e 10%...

 

I still find it annoying and the way I resolved was to switch the GPS OFF when I stopped for eating to avoid what you (rightly... :-) ) call birds nest

 

BTW: I saw that we were having "too much" on the trip computer... and confirmed at home when I looked at the birds nest pattern at home in the computer

 

Viajero is right I think when he says you can't win... (unless you switch the GPS off)... because if you set the logging based on distance then the birds nest goes but you loose the small steps for caching

As I was not doing caching I think distance is perhaps a good alternative?

or set the interval in Auto to Less Often?

 

Cheers

luis

[+Mineral2]

 

Viajero is right I think when he says you can't win... (unless you switch the GPS off)... because if you set the logging based on distance then the birds nest goes but you loose the small steps for caching

As I was not doing caching I think distance is perhaps a good alternative?

or set the interval in Auto to Less Often?

 

 

No, that's not right at all. Your method of track recording should not affect geocaching one bit. Your location will still update on the screen, as will the distance and direction to the cache. It's just that another track point won't be laid down until the GPS thinks you are a certain distance from the last point.

[+Atlas Cached]

it also depends how often you are having it record, even on auto. I've had birds nests in my tracks even when stopping to eat lunch in an open field on a clear day. That's just the nature of a GPS.

 

Exactly.

 

Because all methods of track recording are prone to some sort of error, whether it be error in position estimate for each point, or rounding errors due to constructing curves with straight lines, and because tracks are sampled less often than the trip computer samples data, there will always be a discrepancy between your trip computer, which I've found tends to overestimate distance, and the recorded track, which tends to underestimate distance. Usually the difference isn't THAT much, but can be noticeable when you think you hiked 5 miles and basecamp tells you it was 4.5. The exception to this is the newer Oregon series (600 and 700) which allow you to sync your trip computer with your track (I'm not sure if this was added to the 64 series as well).

 

Correct again. On Oregon 6x0, this application is called "Active Track", and on the Oregon 7x0 "Current Activity".

 

As far as the birdsnest goes, it's unavoidable and must be removed later in Basecamp or your favorite alternative program for viewing and editing track data. The Oregons listed above are the only models that I'm aware of that give you the option to pause tracking when you stop so you're not accumulating these extra points during lunch.

 

The Montana 610/680 also have the "Active Track" application with identical features.

[simoesl]

 

Viajero is right I think when he says you can't win... (unless you switch the GPS off)... because if you set the logging based on distance then the birds nest goes but you loose the small steps for caching

As I was not doing caching I think distance is perhaps a good alternative?

or set the interval in Auto to Less Often?

 

 

No, that's not right at all. Your method of track recording should not affect geocaching one bit. Your location will still update on the screen, as will the distance and direction to the cache. It's just that another track point won't be laid down until the GPS thinks you are a certain distance from the last point.

may be we are saying the same thing or I interpreted wrongly what Viajero said... but what I mean is the following

--> when you are looking for a cache, at certain steps you do walk slowly and back and forth... so... if you set the tracking log to "distance" and set the distance to e.g. 10 meters, then anything less than 10 meters will *not* be logged... so in the end if you want to know how much you walked, the result will not be correct

This is what I meant with not winning...

But as I said I am more worried with the overall hiking distance...and *it seems* that the birds nest only goes away with GPS off, setting log to distance or perhaps auto and setting a longer interval (I have not checked this...)

 

Also: what I saw is that *both* the trip computer and the track registered more than the track by about 10% to 15% (or then the official forest services have it all wrong, which can also be true of course)

 

MANY THANKS to all for the help and replies. Really appreciated! I learned a few things

cheers