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Settings that Improve the Distance and Speed Accuracy of the Descent Mk2 Series

There are many factors that contribute to incorrect speed and distance on an outdoor watch. Some are outside of your control, such as GPS Drift and environmental factors. However, there are several changes you can make to the settings of your watch that can improve the data captured during an activity.

Recording Methods

Many of Garmin's outdoor watches offer the ability to change the recording method, with a choice between Smart Recording, Every Second, or UltraTrac.1 This setting refers to the interval at which GPS data is recorded during an activity.

Smart Recording

Smart Recording saves GPS points when changes in direction, speed, heart rate or elevation are detected. Smart Recording is the default setting of Garmin's watches for the balance it achieves in detail and battery consumption.

Every Second

Every Second recording will record a GPS point once per a second, regardless of direction, speed, heart rate or elevation. Every Second recording will produce highly detailed tracks of your activities. A more detailed track will lead to more accurate speed and distance data.
If you are looking for the most accurate speed and distance, we recommend using Every Second recording.

Example: Smart Recording Versus Every Second

The upper track represents Smart Recording while the lower track represents Every Second recording. You can see that Every Second recording creates a more smooth track line, and picks up small changes that Smart Recording does not.
GPS Track Comparison


Changing Recording Methods

Changing Recording Method Settings

  1. Press and hold Up/Menu to access the Main Menu
  2. Scroll to Settings and select System
  3. Select Data Recording
  4. Select Every Second


3D Speed and 3D Distance

The 3D Speed and 3D Distance features change the way outdoor watches read speed and distance by taking into account elevation changes when calculating distance and speed.

  • 3D Speed – Calculates speed using both the elevation change and horizontal movement over ground.
  • 3D Distance – Calculates the distance traveled using both elevation change and horizontal movement over ground.

Enabling 3D Speed and 3D Distance improves speed and distance accuracy when doing activities with moderate to high elevation changes.

Enabling 3D Speed and 3D Distance

  1. Press and hold Up/Menu to access the Main Menu
  2. Scroll to Settings and select Activities & Apps
  3. Select a specific activity type, such as Run
  4. Select (Activity Name) Settings
  5. Toggle on 3D Speed and/or 3D Distance

Once these features are enabled, the watch will calculate speed and distance using 3D Speed and 3D Distance.


1 UltraTrac™ mode records data once per a minute. This can help with battery life, but it does not improve distance or speed accuracy. For information on UltraTrac mode, see - Setting a Garmin Outdoor Watch to UltraTrac Mode for Longer Battery Life

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