Altimeter calibration

[LostNotStuck-Yet]

Why can my iPhone be dead on but my Jeep in the same location can be off by 100+ feet? Can't really have a much better unobstructed view of the sky than when sitting on Folly beach at essentially sea level.

Your phone has access to more data.
Your phone has better software.
Your phone has more computing power.
Your phone is magic…. well pretty much.

GPS position accuracy is improved using differential correction. Jeep probably doesn’t have access to the data needed to make those corrections.

Cell towers have accurate location data. Cell towers are also much nearer to you (reducing error).
Also Apple has hundreds… probably thousands more software engineers to figure this stuff out.
Your iPhone probably has a ton more processing power than Jeeps do. Probably enough power to determine the difference between ellipsoid height (mentioned above by @RicRecon) and orthometric heights (which correspond closely to mean sea level.)

Jeep should only report elevation to the nearest 100’ since that’s more representative of the accuracy. Or don’t report it at all. I’d rather see Jeep spend more money on stopping corrosion (and tuning up their dealer service standards) and less on determining position… Apple and Google have already solved that problem and nearly everyone carries a phone.

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[RicRecon]

Always thought GPS-based altitude was not as accurate as lat/long. Da Google says it can be within +/- 75 feet. Garmin says theirs is only accurate to +/- 400 feet! I think what you get out of the Jeep system is as good as it's going to get.

Typically elevation data is less accurate than horizontal positions regardless of the GPS equipment.

 

[RicRecon]

Why can my iPhone be dead on but my Jeep in the same location can be off by 100+ feet? Can't really have a much better unobstructed view of the sky than when sitting on Folly beach at essentially sea level.

Simple answer is that your iPhone (depending on the model) has much more advanced GPS chip set than the one in the Jeep. May even triangulate in combination with cell tower signals to dial the position fix in.

 

[24WillysJLU]

I have the same issue on my '24 Willys. I'm bringing it in for service next week & was going to bring this up to them.

 

[Deleted User 38384]

As a Wrangler owner with a 5-in screen... You don't need to know the altitude down to the 10th in accuracy to effectively prepare for driving where you are. Altitude in the thousands, now that's a different story.

Really, what's 100 ft difference, other than a little bit of OCD?

 

[24WillysJLU]

When you're paying 55K plus for a vehicle some people expect better

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