Garmin FR910XT update adds TSS/IF/NP, gazillion other items/fixes

A few hours ago Garmin released an update that enables the TrainingPeaks metrics of TSS/IF/NP, as well as adds a whole crapton of other items and fixes.  And yes, crapton is a technical term.  This brings the unit inline with the updates that the Edge 800 received last fall, and the Edge 500 received just a few short weeks ago.  Note that the FR310XT will still not be getting the updated metrics.

Within the larger list (included at bottom of post), the are ones I consider of particular note – or ones that either impact me or I’ve heard have impacted you:

– Fixed several problems causing shutdowns during biking and running activities.
– Fixed and improved several aspects of elevation calibration and calculations.
– Added new power metrics (Training Stress Score (TSS), Intensity Factor (IF), Normalized Power (NP), kJ).
– Added support for left right power balance. (READ: Vector and Quarq Cinqo)
– Added support for 3, 10, and 30s power smoothing.
– Changed average pace information for pool swim. Rests are no longer included in the average pace calculation.
– Multiple changes made to pool swim which help reduce chance of missed lengths. Changes made to also reduce chance of extra lengths.
– Added page to allow user to view/select ANT+ sensor ID they want to connect with

Of course, that’s barely even a portion of the entire list.  But since I’ve been using the update for a bit of time before today, I figured I’d share what a few of the new fields look like.  First up, is the addition of the TrainingPeaks metrics.  These fields include TSS (Training Stress Score), NP (Normalized Power), IF (Intensity Factor), and kJ (Kilojoules, though not really exclusive to TP).  Additionally, you get left/right balance for the small number of power meters that support it.

You can add these data fields just like any other data fields (to cycling):

IMG_1894IMG_1895

You can go for the quadfecta and all them all to one page:

IMG_1892

In many cases, I don’t have a power meter any longer (the SRAM RED 2012 Quarq went back) that supports left/right power – so I can’t test that.

I was able to validate the 3/10/30-second power smoothing, which is in my opinion critical to using any device for power meter pacing.

Also of note is that the unit now shows exact details of the power meter it’s connected to.  Though, there’s not really any handy table to decode this (Idea for Garmin: Publish a super-simple page/table on your site that allows us to decode this, stick it in the support section somwhere…anywhere).

IMG_1915

Looking at the elevation calibration and corrections – I figured the Escape from Alcatraz bike and run courses yesterday would be a good test (they are constant up and down).  Both elevation maps on both appeared odd in TrainingPeaks.  The run was flat-out missing elevation data. And the bike seemed to be bit odd.  First, is the original elevation information:

image

And then the corrected information:

image

Keep in mind the unit has a barometric altimeter, so in general it should be more accurate than a typical GPS altimeter.  But, depending on how accurate that initial altimeter fix is, that can affect the unit’s overall accuracy.  It’s plausible that water from the (openwater) swim somehow messed with the altimeter…but that’s sorta the point of a triathlon swimming watch.

Speaking of odd, I can’t quite get multi-sport workouts to import into Garmin Connect, though they do go into TrainingPeaks just fine.  Single-sport workouts import just fine.  This is also in the pile of items I sent over for feedback on.

One notable ‘nice touch’ feature that’s been added is the inclusion of specifying ANT+ sensor ID’s, similar to what the Edge 800 allows.  Slowly, the entire industry (beyond just Garmin) is now enabling this on devices.  This is huge for pairing in situations where you may be near others with ANT+ equipment.  Now only if I can get other companies to actually add the sensor ID to the back of their units (i.e. HR straps).  Quarq has done this with their newest power meters, but that’s about it.  This functionality applicable to all supported ANT+ device accessories (power meters, footpods, speed/cadence sensors, etc…).

IMG_1896

I used the new update with multisport mode last weekend and noticed no issues with the watch during the event.  I did notice one oddity with the swim map afterwards, where it re-drew a portion of the course as a direct line:

GarminSwim

I’ve reached out to Garmin, but haven’t got a concrete answer on why it’s occurring.  Thus, it’s entirely possible that all my issues stem from really just a single bad multi-sport file.  But it was a race, and that’s when things like this count.

And finally, for those that may be suffering with the shut-off problems where the unit shuts off when mounted to aerobars in certain configurations, those are rumored to be fixed.  I haven’t seen this problem since I largely don’t ride with the unit on my aerobars – so if you are a frequent flier of that particular issue, I’d love to hear your feedback if this is truly fixed.  And, in general – I’d love to hear feedback from you after you’ve updated.

You can grab the update here:

In total, here’s the full list of changes being implemented:

– Fixed several problems causing shutdowns during biking and running activities.
– Corrected several instantaneous pace calculation issues.
– Major modifications and additions to Bike Power functionality:
1. Improved support for power based workouts.
2. Added new power metrics (Training Stress Score (TSS), Intensity Factor (IF), Normalized Power (NP), kJ).
3. Automatically modify power zones when functional threshold power (FTP) changes.
4. Improvements to power sensor calibration process.
5. Added support for left right power balance.
6. Added support for 3, 10, and 30s power smoothing.
– Improved accuracy of distance calculations for pool swim.
– Rest times are no longer included in the average pace calculation for pool swim.
– Distance alerts for pool swim will now occur during the last length before completing the configured distance.
– Swim distance alert will now reset after pressing lap button.
– Corrected issues displaying history for open water swims.
– Improved calorie calculations during swim mode.
– Corrected issue with barometer calibration improving initial elevation readings.
– Corrected issue where sudden changes in the elevation could be observed on the watch.
– Fixed problem with auto-scroll that could potentially cause a device malfunction.
– Added ability for the user to enter ANT+ IDs for all sensor types.
– Added sensor details page for all ANT+ sensors.
– Prevented HR alerts from occurring when user was in the correct zone.
– Improved accuracy of battery charge information.
– Improved foreign language translations.

Enjoy!

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59 Comments

  1. I’m going on a 45″ bike ride and it has shut off at least 4 times before on my road handlebars, so I’ll let you know

  2. I’ve had similar frustrations with ANT+ pairing, where knowing ID numbers could have helped.

    I went to a spinning class with a MOTOACTV and wanted to record the workout. As it turned out, the spin bikes there all had ANT+ transmitters that provided power and cadence. Together with my heart strap, that would pretty much give a complete description of an indoor cycling workout.

    Except, since there were so many identical bikes/transmitters close by, the issue becomes pairing with the right one. The MOTOACTV helps here — like the now-updated Garmin watches, it shows a list of sensors it finds of a requested type (in this case power) complete with identifying numbers. But, I could not find corresponding numbers written anywhere on the actual bikes.

    It took five minutes of frustrating trial and error, pairing, pedaling and unpairing, before I found the right bike.

    I showed two staff members the problem, suggesting that if they prominently showed the numbers somewhere on the bikes it would fix the issue. I’m not sure if anything will come of that.

    Am I missing something here? I saw a previous post where you said something about being able to just touch a watch to the computer on one of these spin bikes to initiate pairing, but my MOTOACTV didn’t seem to support any such thing as that.

  3. Anonymous

    Anyone know why the 910/310 don’t support the display of %FTP like the Edge products do? I find %FTP much more useful than the instantaneous (or the sliding window averages) value. I’d much rather have that data field than zones as currently implemented.

  4. Well, my 910 refused several times to update from 2.40 to 2.50. Updating from 2.30 to 2.40 worked fine.

  5. Fingers crossed it will fix my stratosphere problem link to quadrathon.blogspot.com

  6. Excellent news re the shut off when mounted on the bike. I was experiencing this a couple of times on each long ride. I’ll try it out a few times before I’m confident to trust it with a race though – i’ve being wearing on my wrist more recently.

    Matt

  7. Mine won’t update using Ant Agent either. Tried twice and just stays at 2.40.

    Working as well as the Edge 500 upgrade where I had to hard reset it to allow me to use Garmin Connect. So I lost all the settings.

    It should be easier than this.

  8. Same here. Won’t update past 2.40.

  9. This comment has been removed by the author.

  10. link to buy.garmin.com

    Using the above website did work for me. Now running 2.50

    Good luck…

  11. Anonymous

    I have been burned before by software updates (not Garmin…but from Apple). So I’m leaving well enough alone. I have not had any issues with my 910xt crashing (yet). As suggested I use GPSies for loading routes which appears to help.

    Also, I used my 910xt for a triathlon in multi-sport mode last weekend and it worked great. The issues Ray appears to have had in multi-sport mode at Alcatraz after the update scare me. I’m leaving well enough alone!

  12. I can’t get it to update using Communicator Plugin nor ANT Agent. Anyone have success with a different route?

  13. Mike T

    This is good to hear. Mine has shut down mid-ride several times recently when attached to the aerobars. Pretty frustrating. Hope they have fixed it.

    Also interested to see how the swim lap sensitivity issue has been improved. I still get the odd extra length sometimes despite being careful to avoid them.

  14. I finally got it to work using Firefox, but not Chrome or Explorer.

  15. Glad to hear about the updates, and glad I haven’t had any of the shut off problems described here. My biggest gripe has been the instantaneous pace for running which is all over the shop. I’ve been running with lap pace just to have some semblance of sensical data. Any one else out there have this problem? Know if this update actually addresses it?

  16. Anonymous

    I’ve had issues with instanteous running pace erratically changing as well. No issues on the bike, and have never had this issue with any of the other 5 Garmin watches I’ve owned.
    Altimeter readings are completely useless, as well. Always off by thousands of feet. GPS data more accurate.
    Garmin Connect won’t upload 80% of the time on Chrome or IE. Ant Agent won’t activate unless I change USB ports 2-3 times.
    Been a loyal user for 10 years. Some serious issues recently, Garmin.

  17. I was losing patience with this watch after replacing once already and still experiencing the shutdown issue.

    Really hope the update works.

    Raced my first IM a week ago and the watch shut down 5 times during the ride. Not ideal.

    Will let you know if this update fixes the issue for me.

  18. Daniel

    I took me 2 times before the update works …. I had the switching off problem quite often on the same ride … so tomorrow if it’s nice I’ll give it a try

    For the anonymous guy having problem with ant agent needing to change the usb port 2-3 before it activate. If you have multiple user logged in on your PC ant will load multiple time and it will have a hard time picking up the good process. Disable it for other users … I had the same problem before figuring that out

  19. Doug

    Ok, you’ll have to tell me how you got your 910xt to grab satellite reception for Alcatraz! I started mine 2-3 minutes before jumping off the boat while standing INSIDE the boat. I only had a few seconds in open air on the deck before hitting the water but figured it would catch up during the swim.

    Low and behold, I just downloaded my file and it recorded only 100′ or so… You got it, the track while I was running out of the water to t1! It missed the whole rest of the swim! The reset of the multisport segments worked perfectly.

    Any suggestions for the future?

  20. ZeroZed

    One of the previously reported problems with the 910XT was that it would turn itself off while running a “course” (much like it would do whilst mounted on bike bars). I experienced that problem previously and can attest that not only does it still remain in the 2.50 version, there is other funky stuff going on with courses now too–i.e. now the course maps will randomly just disappear for a few seconds and then show back up.

    After waiting patiently for 3.5 months for Garmin to release an update, I am done with the product. I’m convinced it has serious hardware/design flaws that preclude the unit from ever functioning as advertised (or even as previous generations did). If Garmin can’t fix the unit shutting itself off after 3.5 months, then you’d have to be a moron to believe there isn’t a serious issue impeding such a fix.

    Ray, on a personal note, I really wish you’d be a bit more critical on your blog regarding Garmin. You let them use you to leak info when they kept postponing the release (due to hardware issues with a vendor), and you seem to be a beta firmware tester for them. I read your blog because I generally trust your opinions, but it sure seems you’re cozy with Garmin. They deserve a lot more criticism about this device than you’re giving them.

  21. Hi ZeroZed-

    Thanks for the feedback, specifically on this:

    “You let them use you to leak info when they kept postponing the release (due to hardware issues with a vendor), and you seem to be a beta firmware tester for them.”

    Out of curiosity (and I’m being serious), would you rather me not post updates on them? Or not test the firmware and provide feedback?

    I get flooded with folks asking about status updates every day on Garmin items, and if Garmin isn’t going to provide them directly – why wouldn’t you at least want something indirectly? If you go back over the past 6 months, I’ve taken a swipe at the lack of firmware updates from Garmin on the FR910XT nearly every time I mention it.

    In reading my post above, I’m actually pretty critical that in reality, a ton of things aren’t working for me in this firmware. But, by the same token – there’s certainly a lot of things that did work.

    Perhaps it’s that in general, I prefer to do most of ‘my work’ behind the scenes trying to influence companies into doing stuff that everyone wants. I find that prodding tends to work better than flogging. Flogging only works once, then it ceases to work. Prodding eventually gets me (and you) what I want.

    Just my two cents.

  22. Daniel

    Did my 2x10km TT on the road where there is a lot of high vibration and watch shut off 3 times with 2.40 (no shut off on my wrist). NO shut off this morning so that’s the good news but the shut off when beginning to transfer ( when it vibrates ) happened again … maybe that one is another problem but I’ll begin to trust it more on my quick release kit. I have to try on my road bike but I don’t take it often.

  23. ZeroZed

    Ray,
    Since you asked me to expound on my comment I shall. Please don’t take it too personally; I offer it as constructive feedback solely because I enjoy your blog.

    It is my considered opinion that there can be a fine line between blogging, journalism, and PR work for a company. Bloggers are often folks who don’t want to adhere to the professional standards that journalism traditionally requires, but still perceive themselves as objective and independent-minded and not PR tools for the companies they report on. On the other hand, businesses would very much like to influence what is written/reported and therefore supply with the lazier bloggers and journalists with print-ready copy that is often passed on word-for-word in lieu of real reporting.

    Of course companies also attempt to control and compromise journalists and bloggers with other tools such as giving them free products, flying them to various events, etc. I am not alleging that occurs with you, merely noting that it is an old method to influence and compromise a particular writer’s coverage. And then there are having writers sign non-disclosure agreements which subsequently puts them in a very precarious legal situation if the company alleges it has been broken; bloggers are even more out of their league here since they probably lack the financial and legal resources of traditional media.

    But let me be more specific regarding your coverage of this Garmin product. Since you received a 910XT before their actual release, I can only assume they supplied you with a pre-production sample that may or may not have contained the final hardware. Your early reporting was very positive and most certainly sold quite a few 910XTs for Garmin. Then Garmin encountered some major problems with the 910XT’s product launch–pushing it back months and missing the lucrative holiday season. Throughout this, they steadfastly refused to provide any updates whatsoever…but then they leaked some info to you, and you alone. They didn’t tell customers who had already paid them, nor did they issue a PR release, nor did they post an update on their own blog, nor would they respond via Twitter, nor did they post something in their own forums…they allowed you to have an “exclusive” and pass on the information. There are a number of problems with you doing this, in my opinion. How did you know what they were telling you was true? If you took no steps to independently verify it, what is the difference between that and a blogger who merely reprints a PR release from a company? I submit to you that Garmin wasn’t being nice to you and giving you an exclusive; they darn well knew that if they gave an official statement on the subject they might face legal repercussions from either businesses that had pre-ordered or in a class action lawsuit possibly brought in the future for other problems. Didn’t it occur to you at the time to wonder WHY Garmin was avoiding making a public statement? (continued in next post)

  24. ZeroZed

    It is fairly clear at this point that the 910XT suffers from some type of hardware and/or design flaw and that Garmin probably discovered this in the first batch they received. Units do not merely shut themselves off during routine activities because of firmware issues; given the 3.5 months it has taken since the last firmware update it is reasonable to conclude that if it were fixable via firmware, it would be fixed. There are myriad of other indications that the hardware may not be up to all the tasks; slow screen redraws on course maps, altimeter still being bonked after the most recent firmware, etc. Garmin has chosen to deal with their customers questions and problems the same way they did before the launch—remain 100% silent. It is shocking that their own forums are full of users with BIG issues, but Garmin steadfastly refuses to give any information.

    Perhaps you can make a convincing case that having a “special” relationship with Garmin gives you critical access to their products and what they’re working on (I would debate this). However, ultimately you have a consumer audience who depend heavily on your honesty and objectivity. And this is where I feel things can get sketchy with bloggers, and more specifically, where your relationship with Garmin has already become highly questionable. You have benefited from having the earliest access to the flagship Forerunner model, but was it the exact same as the unit that shipped? Your coverage of the product never noted any of the significant issues widely and repeatedly reported on Garmin’s own forums; some might see this as evidence of too cozy a relationship, the use of a “golden-sample” review unit, lazy or incomplete testing, or outright collusion. You haven’t seen the need to write a blog entry regarding all the problems users have had with the unit; in fact, it now appears you were beta testing Garmin’s 2.50 firmware for them?! Although I enjoy your blog, and get the feeling you’re a very nice guy personally—I’m left wondering whether I can really trust what you write at this point. Although I have long enjoyed your blog and feel that you are probably a very nice guy personally, this relationship you have with Garmin—one which you’re heavily wired into the company, one where you hype product releases, act as their PR agent when they encounter production problems, one where you choose not to report on major performance issues for months, one where you beta test their firmware—well that has me questioning the trustworthiness of what you write.

  25. ZeroZed

    Ray,
    Since you asked me to expound on my comment I shall. Please don’t take it too personally; I offer it as constructive feedback solely because I enjoy your blog.

    It is my considered opinion that there can be a fine line between blogging, journalism, and PR work for a company. Bloggers are often folks who don’t want to adhere to the professional standards that journalism traditionally requires, but still perceive themselves as objective and independent-minded and not PR tools for the companies they report on. On the other hand, businesses would very much like to influence what is written/reported and therefore supply with the lazier bloggers and journalists with print-ready copy that is often passed on word-for-word in lieu of real reporting.

    Of course companies also attempt to control and compromise journalists and bloggers with other tools such as giving them free products, flying them to various events, etc. I am not alleging that occurs with you, merely noting that it is an old method to influence and compromise a particular writer’s coverage. And then there are having writers sign non-disclosure agreements which subsequently puts them in a very precarious legal situation if the company alleges it has been broken; bloggers are even more out of their league here since they probably lack the financial and legal resources of traditional media.

    But let me be more specific regarding your coverage of this Garmin product. Since you received a 910XT before their actual release, I can only assume they supplied you with a pre-production sample that may or may not have contained the final hardware. Your early reporting was very positive and most certainly sold quite a few 910XTs for Garmin. Then Garmin encountered some major problems with the 910XT’s product launch–pushing it back months and missing the lucrative holiday season. Throughout this, they steadfastly refused to provide any updates whatsoever…but then they leaked some info to you, and you alone. They didn’t tell customers who had already paid them, nor did they issue a PR release, nor did they post an update on their own blog, nor would they respond via Twitter, nor did they post something in their own forums…they allowed you to have an “exclusive” and pass on the information. There are a number of problems with you doing this, in my opinion. How did you know what they were telling you was true? If you took no steps to independently verify it, what is the difference between that and a blogger who merely reprints a PR release from a company? I submit to you that Garmin wasn’t being nice to you and giving you an exclusive; they darn well knew that if they gave an official statement on the subject they might face legal repercussions from either businesses that had pre-ordered or in a class action lawsuit possibly brought in the future for other problems. Didn’t it occur to you at the time to wonder WHY Garmin was avoiding making a public statement?

  26. I am a long time garmin watch user and am aware of Garmins flaws (the vector situation the one i am currently most upset about) but I feel like throwing in my two cents on the 910. I us it every day and have found it to be just as reliable as the 310. I havent had any of the problems others are describing.

  27. I think Ray walks that line between establishing a relationship with companies for early and detailed reviews of products, as well as hints of things to come, without playing the consumer advocate so hard such that they shut him off.

    I feel I benefit enormously and encourage him to hold course.

  28. I recently bought the 910 and still own a MotoACTV. I bought these after reading Ray’s reviews and readers’ comments thereafter.

    Without the likes of Ray most consumers would be lost in a world where these choices are based on nothing more than what the manufacturers tell you and I.

    Ray’s objectivity is best seen in how his blog is funded; you make purchases from his site and he gets rewarded, nothing like manufacturer’s paying him to plug their goods, infact we do!

    I also believe more is done behind the scenes; you influence by working with people – everyone succeeds.

    My 50 cents :-)

  29. Well done. Looking forward to the update. I’m having the same problem with multisport files not uploading to Connect as well. This occurred for both my race files the past two weekend, interestingly this didn’t occur for both Xterra races I did in May. The difference equipment-wise is that I do not have a power meter on my MTB. Anyway, I opened a case on sunday after my race but have not heard back from Garmin.

  30. I have the same issue with multisport as you do. My files from the past two weekends racing did not upload to connect but uploaded to training peaks. However, my two xterras completed in may, did upload. The difference equipment wise (aside from the obvious) is that the MTB does not have a power meter. Anyway, i opened a case with Garmin. Nice review, appreciate the update.

  31. My 2 cents.

    I purchased the 910 to upgrade from the 310 and swimmote (sold the two used and purchased the 910) I was both surprised and disappointed with the swimming performance in the pool.

    However, as of yesterday, the firmware upgrade has fixed the basic errors and now the unit is good for swimming (at least for myself, 10X250m with rests in the pool yesterday and everything went well)

    As for the comments around the special treatment Ray gets from Garmin, he has never hided it, his comments around Garmin products have pros and cons that are real and complete. If one reads this blog on a weekly basis, all of the above is clear. Reviews of this quality are hard (if not impossible) to find elsewhere, so I can live with whatever priviledge (and its influence) Ray might have.

    Having said that, I wish other companies would “treat” Ray as well as Garmin does, so that we can all have more and better info for our geeksports.

    I say yes to Rayleaks.

    Have fun, isn’t it all about it?

  32. Anonymous

    There is a bug with the new firmware. In new activities when watching the laps directly on the device the pace is always the same for all laps 00:15 min/km.

    link to forums.garmin.com

  33. Except random instantaneous pace on the run I was quite happy with v. 2.4.

    Today after first ride where I did laps and then viewed them I found that each lap has the same average speed 236 k/h. Not 23.6, but “236”. The same senseless average speed for each lap. Then in GC it was correct, but I want to view correct values on the go.

    So I ask: Is there a way how to downgrade back to v. 2.4?

  34. I still have many of the problems with the 910xt, and I am seriously considering returning it, and getting either the 310xt or the something non-garmin. Don’t really need the swim metrics.

    Current run cadence does not work. It seems to show the higheste cadence for the last 10 seconds or something like that. Not current cadence. It has dropouts on 8 out of 10 runs, always worked flawlessly with the 305. Not useable for cadence training.

    Current pace jumps up and down. Never fixed. 2.40 tried, but failed. 2.50 does not fix either.

    Built-in altimeter is way worse than the Garmin Connect corected graph (my old eTrex Vista was great with barometic altimeter).

    Other people are having other issues, but the above ones are ones that annoys me avery single time I go for a run.

    And now that I can not see average pace in the history, new bug introduced by 2.50, old ones not solved, I feel like I need another, or at least have it replaced so I get a new 6 months right to demand fixes or refund.

  35. Can anyone else confirm that the new update did not fix the run pace issue? I bought this watch to to replace my 405 becuase I wanted to capture swim data, but for $400 if it can’t give me the run data I need while I am working out it is going back.

  36. Hi Rainmaker, great review and insights! Here is my question: Was this instantaneous pace deviations issue really fixed with current firmware update 2.50? Any experience or test results from your side or anybody else in that forum? Thanks a lot in advance!
    Cheers Martin

  37. Hello,

    Are they planning to add a “simple watch” mode like on the 610, or is it still not going to happen ?

  38. Anonymous

    Martin – instant pace is better. But not as good as the 310.

    Something new I’ve seen with 2.50 – the watch shuts off about 10-15 min after I save a “workout.” I don’t recall this happening before. It is on a run.

    Anyone else?

  39. I have a new issue with this update… now my altimiter is whacked…

    link to youtube.com

    Now it starts at 65k then goes to 1k… then starts at 65k again.

    Support wont help… good times…

  40. I’m very disappointed with my purchase or the 910xt. I’ve been a loyal Garmin customer using the 305, 405, 610 and now the 910xt. I purchased this watch for the purpose of the longer battery life as I’m now getting into running Ultra’s and the 610’s batter just would not suffice. Well, the “pace” function is flat broken and other than distance it’s the only field I really care about in real time. Any word on when this will be fixed?

  41. Anonymous

    hi guys,

    has anyone come across any upgrade issues with the 910? I upgraded mine this evening, successfully downloaded it via the usb ANT Agent (according to the message on the screen) & after restarting it, all I get is a loud beep with a message that says “software missing” on it..

    how bummed am I? I’ve contacted Garmin support & just have to sit tight & wait, but has anyone got any ideas while I wait?

    Thanks,
    Mark

  42. Anonymous

    I’ve also had some trouble with my altitude readings being way, way off. It’ll read 22,000 some feet for the first 10 – 30 min of a workout and then drop down to close to sea level. Other than that massive correction, the line stays almost flat. The only advice I could find on fixing this would involve me having a known accurate elevation.
    Seems to be a problem with the barometer. I’m not sure why the watch doesn’t correct this using GPS which is what it’s supposed to do.

  43. Have you tested the accuracy of total ascent? It seems that my 910 measurement is 20% higher compared to Suunto and Polar measurement! Can this be fixed with altitude calibration? I understand that calibration is setting the absolute height level but is it fixing the altitude difference measurement as well?

  44. Jason Chan

    Dear All, i had notice the latest comment is by November 2012, can i know how is the 910TX latest updates, is there any firmware after 2.5? is those auto shut down still unsolved? coz i’m planing to buy one and i don’t wish to regret.

  45. Dave

    I read Anonymous’ post from 08/12/2012 and am having the same problem. Ever since I upgraded to 3.0 I have been getting lots of crazy info and drops in altitude and GPS data. Last weekend it calculated I had biked from Amsterdam to the equator and back in three hours. I called Garmin and they sent me directions for a hard re-boot and system re-load, but the problem seems to persist. I also re-calculated my known starting point which is exactly at sea level NAP. It also has not been calculating swim laps correctly in the pool.

    Any suggestions or send it back to Garmin?

  46. Ettery

    Any rumours about an updated version of the 910XT yet? It is 2 years old. I’d really like to buy one, but I want them to add a bluetooth link like the 510.

  47. Brian G

    Got my 910xt on 4/22, did a workout on 4/23….Uploaded it and all was well. I went ahead and went to Garmin Connect and updated the Firmsware from 2.7 to 3.0. Now I can not upload any workouts of any kind. I have load, reload, soft and hard rebooted the watch. The ANT Agent will NOT recognize the watch in any way and the watch is set for pairing. I am on a mac so is there a trick I am not aware of for the ANT Agent to recognize the watch, or do I effectively have a $400 paperweight ??? Any help will be greatly appreciated as I have not found anything in forums or in online articles. Thanks !!

    • Re-enable pairing mode on the FR910XT in the system settings, which will tell it to go back into dating mode.

    • Brian G

      I have turned it off, on, turned it off then shut the watch down, turned pairing back on and still nothing..pairing shows as on but ANT Agent still will not find it…

  48. Brian G

    Oh, and I remember my FR60 use to trigger when I just tried to “transfer all” the activities. It would not normally pick this up but now I get a message “Transfer all activities set”. I have tried a few other things but nothing seems to pair the watch to the computer via the ANT Agent. Any other suggestion will be welcomed….I’ll be calling Customer Service to see if they can possibly troubleshoot this (have a race next weekend and would love to use it then). Thanks again !!

    • The other thing to try, as odd as it sounds, is trying a different USB ports. I’ve occasionally seen that trip it over for reasons unclear. Also, rebooting the watch a few times (as you’ve done), often helps. Also, it sounds like on the ANT Agent software you have pairing mode enabled as well. Wish I had better suggestions, it’s generally just a round-robin combination of those that eventually kicks it over.

  49. Kevin M

    Have had my 910 just under 2 years (1 year out of warranty unfortunately). The concept was great. Execution not so much. Never had too much trouble with shut downs etc. I got used to the fact that instant pace on the run was useless. Even didn’t mind the altimeter being less than accurate. I learned the hard way never to update firmware unless I was having a serious specific issue I couldn’t live with at the time, since Garmin’s firmware often introduces new bugs (such as the one that had my splits all wrong, running 0:24 min/mi and biking at 147mph, or the one that placed my OWS off the coast of Africa, etc. etc). But now my watch is dead. Started missing alerts and having weird vibration issues. A few weeks later the altimeter went to 65K ft and stayed there (like someone else above). Updated to 3.0. Then it decided to stop charging. All contacts and barometer holes cleaned. Soft and master resets tried on multiple occasions. Could sometimes get it charged up to 10% but turning it on would send it into a terminal reboot cycle until it died. I now received a refurbished unit that I had to pay for since I am out of warranty and the old one is on its way for “repair”. We’ll see what happens with the “new” unit which they only warranty for 90 days. I have a feeling I may have a Suunto Ambit2 in my future, any major issues with that other than what you initially reported? Also suddenly there are a lot of people posting on other forums reporting strange vibration issues… many saying their units are 2 years old. I wonder if there is a batch of 910’s on their way out.

  50. bruvio

    I just tried the workouts and it was amazing. i did a fartlek but I see 20 steps it’s the maximum. Does anybody know where can I find Garmin ready workouts? I train mostly for half-marathons, marathons (3h) and olympic triathlons.

  51. claire jeffrey

    Hi

    Is there anyway of syncing FR910XT with the garmin app ? So that it uploads wireless/bluetooth to your phone and you can review your data there?

    Thanks