Garmin Foretrex 901 and the system

What functionality does the Xero provide to the 901? Is it just updating the current profile's mv? Saves you a couple seconds required to scroll the MV manually?
 
It's listed as a connectable sensor in the 901's connect menu. Perhaps future intention?
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Leica, Vector X, Sig(once they release this upcoming update), Bushnell....
Thank you, I'm leaning toward leica as I've heard they have a solid bluetooth connection with the foretrex. Also want to say thank you for your support of all of us competitors. I picked up the foretrex certificate at the dust devil duel, without the donations of companies like Applied Ballistics and Garmin new shooters like myself would have a harder time upgrading our gear. It was great of yall to bring your radar out there and set up so many shooters with custom drag models.
 
Thank you, I'm leaning toward leica as I've heard they have a solid bluetooth connection with the foretrex. Also want to say thank you for your support of all of us competitors. I picked up the foretrex certificate at the dust devil duel, without the donations of companies like Applied Ballistics and Garmin new shooters like myself would have a harder time upgrading our gear. It was great of yall to bring your radar out there and set up so many shooters with custom drag models.
Hopefully we crossed paths there! That was some wild weather!
 
Several questions. Will the Leica Geovid Pro’s send atmospherics, DOF, and the wind input from the binos to the 901 to populate a target card? Or do I have to enter wind separately into the 901? Also, what’s the advantage of running the 901 over the 701?

I love my Geovid Pros. The firing solutions have been spot on. I love that when connected to the Quantum App I can build a range/firing solutions card simply by ranging the course of fire. However it would be nice to eliminate my phone.
 
Several questions. Will the Leica Geovid Pro’s send atmospherics, DOF, and the wind input from the binos to the 901 to populate a target card? Or do I have to enter wind separately into the 901? Also, what’s the advantage of running the 901 over the 701?

I love my Geovid Pros. The firing solutions have been spot on. I love that when connected to the Quantum App I can build a range/firing solutions card simply by ranging the course of fire. However it would be nice to eliminate my phone.
The binos only send range, DOF and inclination. Wind and atmospherics are entered into the 901 manually or with a kestrel, but you can only have one AB device connected at a time.

The 901 is better than the 701 in many ways, like connecting them to your binos for one.
 
I really wish more than 1 AB device could be connected at once. It's my biggest annoyance with the entire system. BT has supported more than 1 connection for years.
 
The binos only send range, DOF and inclination. Wind and atmospherics are entered into the 901 manually or with a kestrel, but you can only have one AB device connected at a time.

The 901 is better than the 701 in many ways, like connecting them to your binos for one.
I believe you can connect both a Kestrel and LRF to the 901 at the same time. Because the Kestrel does not use the AB Comms it uses the Other slot. I would say at least give it a try to see if it works.
 
I really wish more than 1 AB device could be connected at once. It's my biggest annoyance with the entire system. BT has supported more than 1 connection for years.
Yeah, it would be nice to have 3 AB devices connected at the same time. The 901 can be connected to your phone and an AB device at the same time.

I can see where it would get confusing to do this as a kestrel can give the 901 range, DOF and inclination as well as binos.
I believe you can connect both a Kestrel and LRF to the 901 at the same time. Because the Kestrel does not use the AB Comms it uses the Other slot. I would say at least give it a try to see if it works.
Hmm. I'll definitely give it a try this evening.
 
Yeah, it would be nice to have 3 AB devices connected at the same time. The 901 can be connected to your phone and an AB device at the same time.

I can see where it would get confusing to do this as a kestrel can give the 901 range, DOF and inclination as well as binos.

Hmm. I'll definitely give it a try this evening.
So the 901 can get atmospherics from the Kestrel but not from a set of binos that have AB and onboard atmospherics? Can binos like the Geovid Pro just send a firing solution to the 901 to populate on its target card?
 
Yes, it pulls the atmospherics from a kestrel, but not the binos. connected binos will only send range, DOF and inclination, nothing more. They will also NOT send a firing solution, that comes from the profile on the 901. Same as if you had a kestrel connected straight to the binos.
 
I believe you can connect both a Kestrel and LRF to the 901 at the same time. Because the Kestrel does not use the AB Comms it uses the Other slot. I would say at least give it a try to see if it works.
Ok can confirm this works now. Must have been something new in the updates because I couldn't get this to work in the past.

Vector X binos connect under the Applied ballistics tab and kestrel connects under the "other" tab. Could only get the kestrel to connect while in PC/Mobile connection mode. I guess this is so it doesn't try to connect to the vectors at the same time? You must also remember to not have any kestrel app open if your phone is nearby.

I'll put some time behind all 3 synced up and report back.

Thanks Doc
 
I just spoke to Sig about this yesterday. This fix is in active development.
Hey Doc…… Any more conversation with sig or garmin about this “update”? I’ve called Garmin and Sig about this multiple times now. The problem lies with the fact that whomever I talk to; they never know anything about long range shooting and they can never grasp the point in dof being transferred between the 2 devices. Very hard to get in contact with the correct individuals that can actually make a difference in this. Should be a simple software update, yet I’ve been waiting for it over 8 months. Seems like the AB crew are the only ones that can get this message to the right individuals that can create the solution for this.
 
Hey Doc…… Any more conversation with sig or garmin about this “update”? I’ve called Garmin and Sig about this multiple times now. The problem lies with the fact that whomever I talk to; they never know anything about long range shooting and they can never grasp the point in dof being transferred between the 2 devices. Very hard to get in contact with the correct individuals that can actually make a difference in this. Should be a simple software update, yet I’ve been waiting for it over 8 months. Seems like the AB crew are the only ones that can get this message to the right individuals that can create the solution for this.
I have not been passed along any further information.
 
Yes!
Do you have a LRF and a kestrel connected at the same time to the 901? If so, there is a huge memory leak on the Garmin IMO. It is still there in the July 3rd FW update. When I have both devices connected to the 901 in the following way: Sig 10k Gen 2 connected to AB, Kestrel elite connected to other, ENV set to AUTO. If you let the 901 run a couple cycles in this configuration. The Garmin will stop responding and will reboot. Doesn't take very long when you ranging targets on the target card. Theory I have is a memory leak in the BT connections handling for two devices or could be in the 901s timer to pull data from the Kestrel when set to AUTO etc. The work around I have done is to connect the kestrel to other and get env updates. Disconnect from the Kestrel and connect to the Sig 10Ks. 901 functions perfectly when only connected to one device at a time no matter the settings.

If this isn't your case the FW may have some trash data... I would try a hard reset. Turn the unit off. Hold down the power, down, up at the same time. When you see the Garmin logo release just the power, When you hear the beep release just the down. Then release the last with the last beep.

Hope this helps.

Lastly! Please Garmin/Sig fix the DOF on the 10K Gen 2! I know Garmin has stated that anything on the AB API will be shown and used on the 901. The Sig 10Ks will send DOF to ABQ when in BDX-Internal Mode. The bug has to be in BDX-External Mode where maybe Sig is not send DOF to the AB API. This should be simple to see and fix in a unit test. I would love to debug and correct both these two big issues that drive me crazy and hold the 901 back from being elite!
 
Yes!
Do you have a LRF and a kestrel connected at the same time to the 901? If so, there is a huge memory leak on the Garmin IMO. It is still there in the July 3rd FW update. When I have both devices connected to the 901 in the following way: Sig 10k Gen 2 connected to AB, Kestrel elite connected to other, ENV set to AUTO. If you let the 901 run a couple cycles in this configuration. The Garmin will stop responding and will reboot. Doesn't take very long when you ranging targets on the target card. Theory I have is a memory leak in the BT connections handling for two devices or could be in the 901s timer to pull data from the Kestrel when set to AUTO etc. The work around I have done is to connect the kestrel to other and get env updates. Disconnect from the Kestrel and connect to the Sig 10Ks. 901 functions perfectly when only connected to one device at a time no matter the settings.

If this isn't your case the FW may have some trash data... I would try a hard reset. Turn the unit off. Hold down the power, down, up at the same time. When you see the Garmin logo release just the power, When you hear the beep release just the down. Then release the last with the last beep.

Hope this helps.

Lastly! Please Garmin/Sig fix the DOF on the 10K Gen 2! I know Garmin has stated that anything on the AB API will be shown and used on the 901. The Sig 10Ks will send DOF to ABQ when in BDX-Internal Mode. The bug has to be in BDX-External Mode where maybe Sig is not send DOF to the AB API. This should be simple to see and fix in a unit test. I would love to debug and correct both these two big issues that drive me crazy and hold the 901 back from being elite!
Have you tried updating your Sig with the BDX app?

Also have you tried updating the Foretrex with Garmin Express?
 
Yes sir!
Nothing has changed since I got both in Jan of 2025.

Garmin Software version 2.14 Host: 2.14(b32bf72)

Sig kil 10K gen 2
Firmware Version: 44.024
FPGA Version : 0

Really hope the Update you spoke about a month of two ago is about to be release and we will all be happy with DOF. I can live without a kestrel and LRF connected at the same time.
 
I only had my Fury AB connected and still randomly rebooted. I followed Garmin’s troubleshooting guide and still had the reboots. Instead of returning the 901 to the store and just getting a new one I’m sending it to Garmin for a warranty swap. I know it’s fine but they are sending me a recertified unit. Mine is literally an hour old. I wish it was new for new.
 
NRL-H is where I use the 901 as well. The target card feature and the update for true wind was what sold me. Rebooting was a huge concern for me until I figure out the Garmin was stable with just the one device connected. I hope the next one doesn't reboot random on you cause you will love it for NRL-H stages! In NRL-H I always seem to wipe off my arm board in the middle of a stage or get confused on what I wrote in a hurry etc. The 901 fixed all that for me and allowed me to focus on finding targets and building a strong shooting position.

Good luck on you new 901!

I really really hope Garmin and Sig keep polishing the 901 and the 10k gen 2. They could be an awesome combination if we can get DOF to be sent and used in our shooting solutions! Would love to know if DOF works with the Furry AB and 901. I can live with one device at a time but man I almost feel like DOF is a deal breaker for the investment I made in the Kilo 10k gen 2. Im holding on to hope that a FW patch will be released to address this issue. If it doesn't get patched IMO and what I tell others is there is no reason to get the 10k Gen2/ Furry AB you name them etc if you plan to use them with the 901. The 901 is only reading range data and inclination from the LRF/Bino. Whats the point in paying for the other bells when for example the 6Ks g2 will perform the same with the 901, weigh less and are less than 1/2 the investment price! You will also have to manually punch in all the env data on the 901. The 901 doesn't use the BINO sensors for the ENV information. At least not on the 10k gen 2. Maybe one day!
 
Just an update. I received my recertified 901 in today. Everything looked brand new. It arrived in a bubble wrap pouch. I updated to 2.14 and paired my Fury AB. So far so good. I’ve been lasering various things in the distance and have left the unit on for quite some time now. No reboots. I’m thinking my initial new unit was somehow faulty.
 
Anyone having issues with AB Quantum having different solutions compared to the sigs/garmin? I dont understand why but even uploading the profiles from ab quantum to sigs/901 i get a different solution on my sigs/901 vs what ab quantum tells me. I have verified multiple times that all environmentals are the same along with DOF, asmith, angle everything. AB quantum is .1-.2 different
 
Anyone having issues with AB Quantum having different solutions compared to the sigs/garmin? I dont understand why but even uploading the profiles from ab quantum to sigs/901 i get a different solution on my sigs/901 vs what ab quantum tells me. I have verified multiple times that all environmentals are the same along with DOF, asmith, angle everything. AB quantum is .1-.2 different
If they are different outputs, than something is different on the inputs. They run the exact same engines. Even if the difference is not visible on the output displays like a hidden decimal (75.12 degrees F on one device and 75.78 degrees F on another) compounded through multiple inputs.

If all inputs are the same, the outputs will be the same.
 
If they are different outputs, than something is different on the inputs. They run the exact same engines. Even if the difference is not visible on the output displays like a hidden decimal (75.12 degrees F on one device and 75.78 degrees F on another) compounded through multiple inputs.

If all inputs are the same, the outputs will be the same.
I will take some pictures
 
Sig released firmware update V.444 and it has corrected updating DOF with the 901! Tested from "home dashboard" and from the target card with quick edit. All is working as it should in DOF or North"True Wind".

Philsummers21, Check your wind values? I have seen mine .1 off when aerodynamic jump was on and I have a incorrect wind azimuth. You can quickly test this by going into AB on each device and turning off aerodynamic jump.
 
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Sig released firmware update V.444 and it has corrected updating DOF with the 901! Tested from "home dashboard" and from the target card with quick edit. All is working as it should in DOF or North"True Wind".

Philsummers21, Check your wind values? I have seen mine .1 off when aerodynamic jump was on and I have a incorrect wind azimuth. You can quickly test this by going into AB on each device and turning off aerodynamic jump.
about time,
 
Yes it should be. I had the same issues with my 5700x. A couple pages back you will find a set of steps on how to fix this issue. If I remember correctly this is because you paired it via the applied ballistic in the 901 instead of the other. I believe the steps were to have both devices on, in the 901 select the other and try to connect to the kestrel. While trying to connect remove the batteries from the kestrel. Then wait a couple seconds and put the batteries back in and power on the kestrel. The 901 will then find the kestrel and connect to it and this should resolve the issue.
 
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You cannot connect the 901 to 2 applied ballistic devices at the same time. You will have to switched between the AB binos and ab calypso. Not that big of a deal really for me as the 901 pulls env updates from the AB calypso on a 5 min poller. You can overrider this by turning env auto update from on to off. Be sure to know what windage mode you have set in your 901 because this will determine how you position the calypso. Let the calypso run then just switch in the 901 from the bino to the calypso and pull the fresh wind data. Then turn environment update back to off. Connect back to binos and perform normal operations. IMO the calypso just giving wind data is a bummer. I wish it was a full station like the kestrel. Also wish it had an internal compass so you could just set it and forget it. I know the calypso is using the AB api to communicate with the 901 but It would be slick if it connected to the other position like the kestrel leaving the AB device connection open for the binos. However, this does work for the kestrel and AB binos connected same time to the 901 but it is unstable and will crash. I have been working with Garmin support the last week trying to get them to take the log files to try and work out their memory leak.
 
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Also remember if you’re using AJ. This value is only calculated from wind 1 if I remember correctly. So if you don’t update wind 1 from the calypso then you will not be getting the best data. I shoot bracketed wind values and took me a while to figure this out.
 
Garmin tech support is rubbish. Kestrel confirmed that it is a known bug with the Garmin Foretrex 901. They were able to offer a workaround fix by doing a "soft reset" on the Kestrel 5700X. I confirmed that it did work for my setup. Here are the exact steps I did to get it to work:
  1. Turn both devices on
  2. Have the Kestrel set to Bluetooth in PC/Mobile mode
  3. On the Garmin, go into Connect screen and scroll down to "Other"
  4. Select "Search for new" and let the Garmin find the Kestrel, but don't select it yet
  5. Power off the Kestrel, pull the battery and hold down the power button for 30 sec, and then restart the Kestrel
  6. Once the Kestrel is back up, then switch to Garmin and select the 5700X that was detected in step #4
  7. Give it a few seconds, but it should now show "connected" under the "Other" setting
  8. Use page button to switch back to the Applied Ballistics screen on the Garmin
  9. Press enter button and scroll down to select "Environment"
  10. Change "auto update" setting to "on"
  11. Weather data from Kestrel should now immediately update to the Garmin
  12. Currently the update interval for weather data is fixed at 5 minutes, but I confirmed that you can trigger an instant update just by repeating step #9. Just going to the environment screen on the Garmin seems to grab new Kestrel data.

Good luck!!
I followed this three times but I still get the error on my garmin. I also upgraded the firmware to the latest for both.
 

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You might need to give Kestrel support a call 1-800-784-4221 or maybe Doc can chime in. I am just making an assumption that they are compatible because the Kestrel 5700x WEZ is just the Kestrel 5700x elite with extra software to toggle some unknowns to try and make a better shooting solution prediction. Good luck!
 
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