Watch loses GPS signal & gives incorrect data on Distance and Route

AdityaV

During my last long run, my watch lost it's GPS signal at the 23 Km mark. Post that, the GPS tracking went awry with my distance after the run being displayed as 48 kms ( instead of it being 28, I had covered 5 kms more, after the GPS went off). Also after updating my run, I found the map was also different from the point in time where my watch lost signal, to the actual route I had covered.
I checked for a software update also ( On version 1.8.52), but I don't think anything newer is available.
Anyone who has faced a similar issue or has a resolution, please give a shout out!

tfarabaugh

It probably picked up a bad GPS data point, likely the point has an offset in its latitude and longitude. It does happen on occasion, but it is rare. Make sure you have an updated QuickGPS file on your watch by syncing every three days at a minimum and makes sure you have a GO before starting (it will take much longer to get a lock and be less stable if you try to do it while moving). It is advisable to get the Go and wait a few minutes to allow it to lock onto more satellites if possible (Go is the minimum number needed). I always go to the activity start screen as soon as I get out of my car and by the time I have sorted out my pack, tied my shoes, etc., it has had a few minutes to get a strong lock. I have never had a problem doing it this way. Losing it mid-run means it lost satellite coverage, were you under heavy tree cover or around large buildings? It will get it back but it will be worsened by moving so if you notice it loses signal (it will beep), pause for a moment to let it reacquire.

If it continues there may be a problem in your firmware image (though I doubt it) and a factory reset will clear the watch and reinstall a fresh image, which may solve the issue. If it does not I would suggest calling Customer Support and seeing what they can do. They are able to more deeply investigate and diagnose problems than we can here on the user forum. To do a factory reset, make sure the Connect software is running and dock the device to your computer. The Connect window will open; press the gear at the top right and select factory reset from the next screen. Follow the steps provided and when prompted to register or sign in to MySports, select sign in and use your existing account credentials. It is fairly straightforward and should take less than 5 minutes.

To get the number for Customer Support, go to tomtom.com/support, choose Contact at the bottom, select the service required and the product name and click Contact Customer Care and then Phone Us. It will give you the phone number for the country your account is registered under (this can be changed by clicking the flag icon in the bottom right corner of the screen).

I hope this helped answer your question. If so, please mark it as a solution so others can look for it if they have the same question.

scburdet

My wife and I both have Multisports, and this is becoming a more frequent problem. I do find the issue happens more "reliably" when there's trees or heavy cloud cover, but this is happening in places where this was never an issue before. I have a suspicion there is something going on with weak satellite signals, and I don't know what's happened to impair coverage

scburdet

and I don't seem to have a satellite issue in the same locations with my Garmin

AdityaV

@scburdt: I have thankfully not faced this issue after the last software patch update. Ar you still facing this issue?