I thought I would post this for anyone else who has experienced a problem with a GoPro camera (in my case a Hero4 Silver) that interferes with the GPS signal on your Garmin Edge when mounted directly below it (eg, K-Edge and BarFly mounts) and in recording mode.
When I downloaded a ride this weekend, I found that I had no GPS signal for the first 3/4. I had no idea why I got the last 1/4 (when I stopped to change the GoPro battery), but decided to troubleshoot what was going on (thankfully, I had data for my entire ride from my PT). I found a post on the GoPro forums with people experiencing similar problems. With a Hero4, Hero3, and Garmin VIRB at my disposal, I tried to find the culprit and a solution. Please note that problem occurs when the GoPro is recording.
Here's my trial-and-error troubleshooting:
GoPro Hero3 Black
I had this for years and never experienced any lost satellite signals (as far as I can remember). When I mounted the Hero3 to the K-Edge with the camera recording, the GPS accuracy on my Edge 810 dropped from about 30 ft to 39 ft, but it doesn't lose satellite lock. When used with my Edge 820, the GPS accuracy was 10 ft and didn't change. GPS accuracy didn't change for either Edge when the camera was not recoding.
GoPro Hero4 Silver
I just got this and have experienced satellite loss a times when recording. On my Edge 810, the minute I started recording I'll got satellite loss fairly quickly and could see the GPS accuracy get worse on screen. The same went my Edge 820, but it took longer (don't know if GLONASS had anything to do with it). When the camera is not recording, I get a little loss of GPS accuracy but not much.
Garmin VIRB
This unit has a built-in GPS. I've never experienced any loss of satellite signals when it's recording. When mounted below either Edge, the satellite accuracy is the same no matter whether it's recording or not.
Solution (sort of)!!!
I mounted my Hero4 Silver on my K-Edge mount using an extension that I got from somewhere in my collection of GoPro adapters. I had no loss of signal with my Garmin Edge 820. The signal accuracy on my Edge 810 went from 19 ft (not recording) to 29 ft (recording), but maintained it's lock (on a cloudy day). I have yet to put this to a long ride test, but will post results when I do.
As you can see by the photo, it's not the most elegant solution. However, it does provide a similar point-of-view to mounting the camera directly to the K-Edge mount. My hunch is that the Hero4 has some sort of shielding problem that allows for interference with GPS signals. You can find the post of the problem here on the GoPro forums:
https://community.gopro.com/t5/Cameras/My-GoPro-Hero4-Silver-interferes-and-severely-degrades-the-GPS/td-p/5222/highlight/false
"Most of my heroes don't appear on no stamps"
Blog = http://extrememomentum.com|Photos = http://wheelgoodphotos.com
When I downloaded a ride this weekend, I found that I had no GPS signal for the first 3/4. I had no idea why I got the last 1/4 (when I stopped to change the GoPro battery), but decided to troubleshoot what was going on (thankfully, I had data for my entire ride from my PT). I found a post on the GoPro forums with people experiencing similar problems. With a Hero4, Hero3, and Garmin VIRB at my disposal, I tried to find the culprit and a solution. Please note that problem occurs when the GoPro is recording.
Here's my trial-and-error troubleshooting:
GoPro Hero3 Black
I had this for years and never experienced any lost satellite signals (as far as I can remember). When I mounted the Hero3 to the K-Edge with the camera recording, the GPS accuracy on my Edge 810 dropped from about 30 ft to 39 ft, but it doesn't lose satellite lock. When used with my Edge 820, the GPS accuracy was 10 ft and didn't change. GPS accuracy didn't change for either Edge when the camera was not recoding.
GoPro Hero4 Silver
I just got this and have experienced satellite loss a times when recording. On my Edge 810, the minute I started recording I'll got satellite loss fairly quickly and could see the GPS accuracy get worse on screen. The same went my Edge 820, but it took longer (don't know if GLONASS had anything to do with it). When the camera is not recording, I get a little loss of GPS accuracy but not much.
Garmin VIRB
This unit has a built-in GPS. I've never experienced any loss of satellite signals when it's recording. When mounted below either Edge, the satellite accuracy is the same no matter whether it's recording or not.
Solution (sort of)!!!
I mounted my Hero4 Silver on my K-Edge mount using an extension that I got from somewhere in my collection of GoPro adapters. I had no loss of signal with my Garmin Edge 820. The signal accuracy on my Edge 810 went from 19 ft (not recording) to 29 ft (recording), but maintained it's lock (on a cloudy day). I have yet to put this to a long ride test, but will post results when I do.
As you can see by the photo, it's not the most elegant solution. However, it does provide a similar point-of-view to mounting the camera directly to the K-Edge mount. My hunch is that the Hero4 has some sort of shielding problem that allows for interference with GPS signals. You can find the post of the problem here on the GoPro forums:
https://community.gopro.com/t5/Cameras/My-GoPro-Hero4-Silver-interferes-and-severely-degrades-the-GPS/td-p/5222/highlight/false
"Most of my heroes don't appear on no stamps"
Blog = http://extrememomentum.com|Photos = http://wheelgoodphotos.com
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