Leica Geovid Pro Technical Resource

[BjornF16]

IIRC it was all automatic. I’ll calibrate tomorrow and check

 

[BjornF16]

@HuntQuietly

Calibrated today with no issues.

The pages do NOT auto step to next page.

Have to manually “start” the process.

On the first step (tilting 45° then back to level), it says to “continue the process until calibration is complete”. What this mean is to continue the process of tilt, hold for 3”, level, hold for 3”, etc UNTIL your app goes from “calibrating” to “next” (i.e. calibration complete).

Select “next” to start the Figure 8 process. Continue the Figure 8’s until app goes from “calibrating” to “complete”, then select “complete”.

If you are stuck on “calibrating” on the tilt process, then I suspect you are not continuing the tilts until it has seen enough tilts.

Stated another way, you are going from Step 1 to Step 4 on the tilting page and stopping. You need to go back to step 1 and repeat until you see “Next” on the app.

Hope this helps.

 

[HuntQuietly]

Thanks. Appreciate the detailed response.

That is (mostly) consistent with my experience but is completely NOT consistent with the way the little video describes it to work.

Did you notice the button at the bottom change to “calibrating” while you were doing the tilting and figure 8 movements?

For what it’s worth that’s also not how the Leica rep explained/expected it to work either.

Have you used the binos for Direction of Fire (DOF) with your Kestrel or have you tested out the Leica Pro Track feature and find it to be even remotely accurate?

I’ve tried to calibrate it multiple times and it NEVER works in terms of the dof being right or the pro track showing up where it’s supposed to. Closest I could get was 15-20 degrees off

I’m growing more convinced that the compass on my unit is off significantly and since I’m trying to leverage it for a prairie dog hunt while paired with a kestrel elite it kind of defeats the purpose.

I’ve read through this thread and it sounds like SOME people got it to work as expected but still wondering if anyone has successfully used the dof/pro track feature enough to have confidence with it.

 

[BjornF16]

Did you notice the button at the bottom change to “calibrating” while you were doing the tilting and figure 8 movements?

Have you used the binos for Direction of Fire (DOF) with your Kestrel or have you tested out the Leica Pro Track feature and find it to be even remotely accurate?

I’ve tried to calibrate it multiple times and it NEVER works in terms of the dof being right or the pro track showing up where it’s supposed to. Closest I could get was 15-20 degrees off

I’m growing more convinced that the compass on my unit is off significantly and since I’m trying to leverage it for a prairie dog hunt while paired with a kestrel elite it kind of defeats the purpose.

yes, I noticed (and referenced) the button going to “calibrating”, then later “next” during the tilt phase.

DoF works for me as well as Pro Track.

Question: when you calibrate, are you near any metallic structures or have any metal on your person?

 

[HuntQuietly]

Right, sorry missed that.

No, I've tried it as far away from any metal/magnetic items as I can without being completely naked in a corn field (but the thought crossed my mind)

I've had it occasionally stay on "calibrating" for several cycles of the tilt-game and then switch to next and I've had it also waffle back and forth between "calibrating" and "complete calibration" endlessly also during the figure-8 game. None of it seems to work but I do see that sometimes the pro track is mostly in the right direction and the next time it's a half mile in the wrong direction. The range always appears spot on - its the compass heading thats off always.

Does yours ask you to calibrate virtually every time you hit the pro track button? Mine does. Very, very, rarely does it not tell me I have to calibrate when I hit the pro track button.

Earlier in the thread someone reported that also but found it was fixed at some point so.....not with mine apparently.

 

[HuntQuietly]

Edit: The earlier note was that the app asked you to calibrate every time you open that app (that appears fixed) but mine still asks to calibrate every time I try to use pro track.

 

[BjornF16]

I’ll try later this week to see if it asks me to calibrate in order to use Pro Track

 

[BjornF16]

Follow up:

Yesterday evening, I went outside to take a Remote Marker (Basemap) with Geovid Pro after having calibrated yesterday initiated via the Leica Ballistics app. Immediately informed me I needed to calibrate (again). So I calibrated. Took two more Remote Marker's which look accurate.

I then let the Geovids "go to sleep". I reattempted a Remote Marker (initiated through Leica Ballistic App) and got the request to calibrate again. I selected "Skip" and took two more Remote Markers which both looked accurate.

Today, I opened the BaseMap app first and selected Tools > Remote Marker and immediately took the Mark. Azimuth and range looked correct.

I then closed the BaseMap app and opened Leica Ballistics App and selected Leica Pro Track and once again immediately got the need to calibrate message.

Looks like maybe the issue is with the Leica Ballistics app and not the binoculars.

 

[HuntQuietly]

Bjorn,

What model binos are you running? Do you have the 8x32 or 10x42?

I’m starting to gain the perspective that the 10x42 are super new (and potentially have a few glitches to work through).

It seems illogical that a magnification change wouldn’t work just as good as previous models but I’m starting to wonder.

 

[BjornF16]

Bjorn,

What model binos are you running? Do you have the 8x32 or 10x42?

I’m starting to gain the perspective that the 10x42 are super new (and potentially have a few glitches to work through).

It seems illogical that a magnification change wouldn’t work just as good as previous models but I’m starting to wonder.

I have the 8x32

 

[HuntQuietly]

Thanks. I've been able to engage the right people to troubleshoot and help so hopefully I will find some answers soon. Appreciate your insight.

I'm still getting completely random directions with 3 out of 4 readings and then one that seems pretty spot on.
basemap doesn't work (yet) with the 10x42 models so I have been using google maps. Apparently Basemap is going to be releasing a new version of the app that will play with the 10x42.

But I've had a number of results that are randomly good and bad. And some downright awful so its clearly very off.

 

[BjornF16]

Thanks. I've been able to engage the right people to troubleshoot and help so hopefully I will find some answers soon. Appreciate your insight.

I'm still getting completely random directions with 3 out of 4 readings and then one that seems pretty spot on.
basemap doesn't work (yet) with the 10x42 models so I have been using google maps. Apparently Basemap is going to be releasing a new version of the app that will play with the 10x42.

But I've had a number of results that are randomly good and bad. And some downright awful so its clearly very off.

Any update on your troubleshooting?

 

[HuntQuietly]

Hey all,

Sorry for the lack of updates on this one. I've been frustrated as well. I did however get in contact with representatives from a variety of companies - Leica, AB, Kestrel and BaseMap GPS and shared my findings (and frustrations).

Those discussion did result in SOME improvements.

Its a long sordid tale - but at the end of the day - my Geovid Pro 10x42 were exhibiting some truly random readings in terms of the compass and Direction of Fire (DoF) measurements sent to other devices (Kestrel, Google Maps, Basemaps, etc) when compared to both a "manual" compass (Silva Orienteering Compass) and when compared to the basic iPhone electronic compass app that's endemic to the ios platform.

The margin for error on the geovid compass should be around +/- 5 degrees and I was seeing randomly like 25-80 degrees errors so it was WAAAAY off.

I was seeing the same - very frustrating - results as what Jaahn describes above. I was getting random and truly wrong pin drops on the pro tracker using google maps and basemaps.

There was no amount of calibrating that would make any meaningful difference or improvement. I also agree that the video that walks you through the calibration is useless, isn't actually representative of what happens and frankly doesn't appear to do anything at all. Lecia was smart to turn comments off on that one because it would be embarrassing.

Fast forward to today and I've learned some things.

1. I learned that the compass heading is sent from the binos to the other devices (kestrel, phone, etc) as the LAST step in the process - and if you get quick with putting the binos down or pointing them in another direction its possible that it will pick up that direction vs where you were pointing to get a range and direction. The solution there is just to keep the binos pointed in the direction of your target for an extra heartbeat or two to make sure it gets it right. I've tested it, its a thing and it is possible that you zap a target and the instant you get a reading or even while waiting for the reading you point them in a different direction it changes the compass heading. So, I just make it a point to hold it a second longer when I know my compass heading is important (i. e. when paired w a Kestrel or using pro track)
2. I know this was mentioned previously but keeping the binos away from metal and magnetic stuff is definitely a thing and will alter the results so you have to make sure about that.
3. Leica did release both a firmware update for the binos and an app update (Leica Ballistics App) recently. And that made SOME improvements for me. The compass headings were still off oftentimes - but when they are wrong - they seem to be off by a fairly consistent amount (around -15-20 degrees). This was consistent more so with goggle maps and basemap - however the Kestrel DoF seemed to be spot on. So that led me to wonder if there isn't some type of difference in the way these devices use magnetic declination or TrueNorth vs Mag North, etc. I gave them that feedback but haven't heard back. As part of the App and Firmware update - they DID fix a bug with the interface between a Kestrel Elite and the binos regarding the readings given from Kestrel to the bino display. I won't go into detail there unless someone has questions or has encountered it also (I reported it initially I think).
4. Regarding calibration - I was instructed to do a different method of calibration to see if it made meaningful changes to my readings and frankly - it didn't. I think the calibration at this point is a bunch of hooey but I will tell you that when I randomly waved my binos around in a loose figure 8 before taking readings I did see improvements anecdotally. I was totally looking like an idiot waving them around but I did find that to make a difference. Obviously not a solution for any big game hunting or whatever. My use case was long range p dog hunting so it wasn't that big of a deal. In short, this is still a hot mess and I agree with Jaahn that its disappointing that Lecia put out an entire video that's useless and is still running w it. It leaves me wondering if - when I get bad readings - if that's a function of calibration issues or something else. It's impossible to tell from a user perspective.
5. At the end of the day, the pro track feature is, in fact, useless at this point. The DoF Kestrel interface seems to be MUCH better now and the other errors are consistent which gives me hope that they can ultimately figure it out.

I will be waiting until this stuff gets solved for before I jump in with another pair for my wife (she's running 3200.coms) but (thankfully) the pro track feature isn't THAT important to us although it does seem like something that could be useful and its pretty crappy that it legit doesn't work at all really.

 

[parshal]

I'm a little confused by the above.You mention Kestrel. Are you connected to the Kestrel to get DOF?

I've had similar issues with this but I use only the Leica with no connections to anything other than the phone.

 

[BjornF16]

@HuntQuietly did Leica say there is a difference between the 8x32 and 10x42 behaviors?

I don't see the issues y'all have experienced...

 

[HuntQuietly]

Yes, the Leica's can pair with a Kestrel Elite/X and the binos provide range and DoF parameters and the Kestrel will provide solutions back to the Binos (or a Kestrel HUD) for both holdover and wind correction.

Obviously, if the direction of fire data is wrong (i.e. if the binos say you are pointing towards 3 o'clock when in fact you are pointing towards 6 oclock - then your wind corrections relative to what the Kestrel is reading will be off.

Its the same problem, just manifesting in a dfferent device in a different way. But for whatever reason the kestrel SEEMS to get a better reading from the Binos than the pro tracker/remote marker/google maps capability.

Its possible that its a fluke and they are all off by the same amount - it just seemed better with limited testing.

 

[HuntQuietly]

@HuntQuietly did Leica say there is a difference between the 8x32 and 10x42 behaviors?

I don't see the issues y'all have experienced...

They kind of danced around it a bit. I know that there is SOME differences because things like BaseMap had to make changes in order for their app to talk to the 10x42s when the 10x32s worked fine.

Out of curiosity Bjorn, what is the magnetic declination at your location? (I'm still hanging on to this idea that its relevant).

 

[BjornF16]

They kind of danced around it a bit. I know that there is SOME differences because things like BaseMap had to make changes in order for their app to talk to the 10x42s when the 10x32s worked fine.

Out of curiosity Bjorn, what is the magnetic declination at your location? (I'm still hanging on to this idea that its relevant).

3 degrees

 

[HuntQuietly]

3 degrees

Hmm. That is within the +\- error rate so I truly wonder if that has something to do with it.

My declination here is -18 degrees so clearly a LOT different.

 

[BjornF16]

Hmm. That is within the +\- error rate so I truly wonder if that has something to do with it.

My declination here is -18 degrees so clearly a LOT different.

I will say last year I hunted NW Montana, 13 degrees magvar, and didn't notice an issue