Sync routes/trips Explore to/from XT

[wahorn]

Paging @jfheath
I'm new to the XT and Explore but not to Garmin Zumo and Basecamp. I've been using both for years. As I am learning the functionality of the XT and Explore I can't figure out why Explore won't sync Trips (Routes) that were sent to my XT from Basecamp. It syncs tracks and waypoints fine. Also, if I download a gpx file from email on my phone with tracks and routes and send it to the Explore app on iphone when it syncs with the XT there are no routes, only tracks. I've figured out collections with the help of other posts by jfheath and his fine manual. Hey John, ST-Owner here.

Open to suggestions for Routes

Ashley in Florida

[jfheath]

I can't figure out why Explore won't sync Trips (Routes) that were sent to my XT from Basecamp. It syncs tracks and waypoints fine. Also, if I download a gpx file from email on my phone with tracks and routes and send it to the Explore app on iphone when it syncs with the XT there are no routes, only tracks. I've figured out collections with the help of other posts by jfheath and his fine manual. Hey John, ST-Owner here.

Hi Ashley

You've found where I hide when I am not on ST-Owners !

Yes - you are correct in what you see.

Two Experiments - both with Explore Activated on the XT.


1) Basecamp Route 04 Cairndow. Contained A route plotted to Tomintoul from Cairndow. A track of the route. A number of Waypoints created with the flag tool in BAsecamp, and which were used in the route as either shaping points or via points.
I created a single GPX file of track, route and waypoints, using BAsecamp's export facility.

Emailed this to my smartphone witht he GPX attached.
Opened the email and clicked on the gpx attachement.
It asked what I wanted to open it with. I had a number of options Drive was one, Explore was another. (I have explore installed on the smartphone.)

***

On this occasion I chose Drive.

Drive opened up and checked that I want to pass it to the Zumo XT. Yes I do.

On the XT, the screen reported that it had added tracks, then it had added a trip to trip planner, then it had added locations to saved locations.
(For those of us that like a bit of consistency in the use of terms. This means that it had added the waypoints to Favourites (in my case). Or it had added Waypoints to Saved. In XTs configured for USA speak.)


The Trip was available in Trip Planner, but not in Where To -> Explore (WTE to reduce typing). The route was identical to Basecamps.
The Track was available in tracks from the main screen and also in WTE->Tracks.
The Waypoints showed up in Favourites / Saved and also in WTE->Waypoints.

All good so far.


Experiment 2 - Another Route this time to Ullapool.

Same process as in experiment 1 - identical down to the ***

For this to work, you must have downloaded and installed the Garmin Explore App on your smartphone.

On this occasion, I sent the gpx file to my Explore App.
THe explore app opened up, and confirmed that it had received the gpx file.
Explore had created a group called Ullapool and put the Waypoints, track and route into it.
These eventually showed up on my PC based browser view of Explore.

The route showed on the App with the waypoints joined together with staright lines. Not a curvy route following roads.
The Waypoints showed up in WTE->Waypoints and in Where To->Favourites / Saved
The Track showed up in WTE->Tracks and in Tracks from the main screen. The track was identical.

On the XT screen, when the route was loaded it showed the original route but with no route points - just a start and finish. THis looks as though it has the same properties as when you use the XT to convert a track to a trip. But I think that it would have done this even if I hadn't sent a track.

------------------

It is worth noting that waypoints in Explore are not like Waypoints in Basecamp. In Basecamp Waypoints can be included as part of a route - when they behave as shaping points or Via Points. In Explore they are not part of a route. They are just points placed on a map, and they can be shown on the XT screen. But they are not an integral part of the route.

You do not get any route points for the XT to work with. You get a track or you get something that behaves like the Trip-Track (when XT converts a track to a 'trip'). These give you spoken instructions, and if you deviate, they will find the point on the original that is closest to you and help you to get back onto the magenta line. (Although this method has problems if the route is circular, has a cross over, or is a long thin oval). It works well if it is an A-B route.

Or the XT will help you to navigate track.

John

[wahorn]

John,

Sorry for the delayed response.

As is typical you have described this much better than I could have.

It sounds like Garmin Explore is not quite ready for prime time. Somedays I wonder if the Basecamp team, Zumo team and Explore team ever talk to each other.

I really like the idea of the collections in Explore but the deal with Routes is a deal breaker.

I did discover by accident that in the Explore app on the iPhone it is possible to convert Routes to Courses but it's time consuming.

One aspect of Explore I do like is the Collections feature where you can display all or some items of a collection on the map at all times. I haven't yet figured out how to do that with waypoints/favorites/saved without using Explore

I guess it's Drive or Basecamp direct to XT for now

Thanks Again John

Ashley

[jfheath]

One aspect of Explore I do like is the Collections feature where you can display all or some items of a collection on the map at all times. I haven't yet figured out how to do that with waypoints/favorites/saved without using Explore

Visibility is controlled purely by the collection. You make all of a collection visible. You can't make part of a collection visible.
But any item can belong to a number of different collections so that might be what you are seeing.

You can also share collections. I set up one called 'shared'. If I provide a link to that, any time I add stuff to that collection, it becomes visible to others. I've not tested out with another XT though.

Without explore:

You can turn off or on waypoints in 'up ahead places' - those are those large green rectangles with white icons that show up the waypoints. I find those are a pain and clutter up the screen far too much. I usually have these turned off, although they only show up if the scale of the map allows it - and there seems to be a bug which prevents previously imported waypoints from showing. I don't care. I don't like them.

The ability to show a track on the map is controlled on an individual track basis.

Waypoints that are part of the active route will show up as either blue discs or flags anyway depending on whether they are set as shaping points or Via Points. But you cannot distinguish between points that were first created as Waypoints and those that were not.