GPS error?

[Gunk]

It’s quite nice to ride without any devices, when I’m knackered it’s time to go home.

 

[Aravis]

I don't really recognise the problem that is being described. In my experience, recording distance cycled by GPS is phenomenally accurate.

My evidence: as a matter of course I record with two independent devices, both Garmin Edges, but different models. Over 100 miles they always measure within a tenth of a mile of each other, and the distance is equally close to that predicted using my standard route planning technique. I see this consistency repeated time after time. It may be worth noting that this is with autopause set completely off.

I've often started a ride by going straight up the A38 past Tewkesbury Abbey. Assuming I don't deviate from the most obvious route, 10 miles invariably clicks up as I pass the entrance gate, precisely as predicted by RideWithGPS, BikeHike, Plotaroute and no doubt others. Theoretically it's possible that everything is wrong by exactly the same amount...

 

[ColinJ]

I don't really recognise the problem that is being described. In my experience, recording distance cycled by GPS is phenomenally accurate.

Same here.

I plot my new routes pretty carefully on digital OS maps so I know what distance I am expecting to cover. My GPS reading at the end of (say) a 100 km ride would typically be with a couple of hundred metres of my target distance.

 

[ColinJ]

PS If I ride out and back on a wide road I can usually see 2 parallel lines on my GPS screen - the device is accurate enough to indicate which side of the road I am on!

The only reason that I could think of for someone to need better accuracy than that would be for measuring time trial distances, where a few hundred metres error would be important.

 

[Milkfloat]

I don't really recognise the problem that is being described. In my experience, recording distance cycled by GPS is phenomenally accurate.

The OP was walking, not cycling.

 

[Pale Rider]

this is with autopause set completely off.

Anyone else climb so slowly that autopause engages even though you are still moving?

Happened to me a few times in the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales.

 

[cyberknight]

the garmin does it have auto pause on ?
It can affect the distance and average speed either way, when i had my new one i did nt have auto pause on so if i was stopped i kept recording time so the average whichstrava corrected , in the same vein i have auto pause set at 3 mph which means below that it doesnt register so if i was walking it might be below the threshold and not record distance

 

[ColinJ]

My Edge 500 kept auto-pausing in traffic jams coming in to Hebden Bridge. I reckon it would also happen when I am crawling up 20+% climbs so I disabled the feature.

I am not interested in average moving speed, but do want an indication of overall average speed so I have set one field on the GPS screen to indicate that.

 

[cyberknight]

https://www.singletracks.com/gps/gps-distance-accuracy-test-smartphone-apps-vs-dedicated-gps/

 

[Dogtrousers]

Today I went for a short walk and took along all mapping devices.
Satmap Active 12 recorded 3.31km
Strava recorded 3.55km
Ride with GPS recorded 3.6km
Garmin 820 recorded 2.87km
That's a difference of approx 700m in just over 3km.
Which do I trust????
That's a massive error on a 100km ride.

Simple - RideWithGPS. It's the longest!

 

[Shut Up Legs]

Anyone else climb so slowly that autopause engages even though you are still moving?

Happened to me a few times in the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales.

Yes, I've done that a few times myself... purely for GPS research purposes, naturally.

( waits until nobody is looking... )