Data loss synching with Explore

[KTM-Don]

I've just completed transferring saved places from my Nuvi to my new Zumo Xt using Express app on Win10 desktop via USB. I edited the entries on the Zumo, and added 'category' information; restaurants, hospital, sports venues. Everything looked great.

I then connected to the Garmin Express website. The Zumo synched through my cell phone using the Drive app. Seemed pretty cool.

However, the 'category' info that I entered has been stripped out from the Zumo. There is no longer a way to add an existing or new category. It appears that the 'category' concept has been replaced by Explore website with 'Collection'.

I decided to embrace the 'Collection' paradigm, and used the Explore website to add 'collection' info to my waypoints, local restaurants, hotels in various states, etc. When I synched, all address info had been stripped from the waypoints, which can be seen in /where to / saved or in where to / explore / collections. The 'collection' info does persist, but at the cost of all the extended data. None of the info transferred with Explore is reflected in the file /internal storage / GPX / Current.gpx. That file contains only header and schema information, no visible waypoints. Consistent with reboot on the hardware after deleting the file current.gpx.

Garmin support did open a support ticket, but I was basically told that 'categories' were not supported in Explore. I've spend the better part of a day trying to clean up old 'saved' places from the Nuvi, about 200 waypoints. Explore will do it wirelessly, but appears to step on all my address data!

So, if I want to preserve address and category data associated with my old locations it appears that I have to use a USB cable and avoid using Explore at all.

If anyone has experience with this please let me know what you've learned. It seems to me that the data paradigm in the hardware GPS (categories, address support) is on a collision course with Explore. This makes the web / wireless synch of dubious value!

[KTM-Don]

OK, partially true. Categories added to saved places in the Zumo XT WILL be removed when the XT is synched with Explore, and the UI in the XT no longer has the option of adding a category.

I believe the address loss I reported was due to exporting data from Explore to a file, and loading that file into the XT.

I was able to easily load files to the XT with my Android tablet and Google Drive. The workflow was to edit the files on the PC, using various GPX editors or Notepad++ for raw file edit. There is a plug-in for Notepad++ to display formatted XML, made a big difference. I saved the file to Google Drive.

On the tablet (samsung tab s6 lite), I used explorer to open the file from Google Drive, which will give the option of opening using Garmin Drive. When Drive opens, you have the option to send to the Zumo XT. A few iterations of editing the gpx file, clearing saved places on the XT, then transferring the file using the tablet got me many years of saved places into my XT, nicely formatted and cleaned up. One of the goals was to gain some understanding of how the XT manages waypoints in general.

[rbentnail]

Threads like this are mind boggling to me. My 595 better not die anytime soon. I can't see myself with an XT, no way I can follow some of these threads let alone actually make the damn thing work! Hat's off to you guys!!

[colirv]

The XT rocks. I've never seen the need for Garmin Explore.

[KTM-Don]

I'm coming around to that opinion regarding Explore. I've disabled it on the Zumo. I'll be off the bike for a bit, due to a broken arm from a motocross incident. So I'm learning about routes, tracks, the MyRoute-app and synching to the Zumo XT.

[jfheath]

Explore has some uses, but I find it difficult to see any great benefit for the way that I use it.

However, once it has been set up, it is very easy (ish) to disable it and very esay to re-instate it.

The location of favourites / saved points on the XT is somewhere as yet unknown to me. Once you disable Garmin Explore, the category information should come back.

You can edit the category for a saved location / favourite once it has been saved in the Zumo. But you can also allocate your own catgories to any Waypoint / Favourite / Saved Point in Basecamp. And each Waypoint can belong to a number of categories.

When these are transferred to the XT from Basecamp by USB cable, Where To -> Favourites reveals a list headed with "All Favourites" which gives access to the usual list, but underneath is a list of all of the category names that you have used, any one of which will open up a list of all of your favourites that were assigned to the selected category.

Enable Explore, and the Category list is no longer available in Where To->Favourites. Disable it, and your category detals can be found again.

MRA - At last they are making improvements to make the route work with the Zumos with the trip planner app - so that it can have routes that include shaping points and via points. I have yet to work out how it reproduces Garmin's use of waypoints as favourites. And the map will always be different from the one used in the XT, so I think that it will always need to recalculate the route.

Basecamp isn't perfect, but it does a pretty good, complete job.

[KTM-Don]

All sounds correct, jfheath, and is consistent with my testing.

I've used Basecamp a bit, I got past some of the initial learning curve by watching the New England Riders tutorial.
But I'm looking for cable-free route download to the Zumo, and a mobile (tablet) app that I could use on the road. I'm also trying to understand the locations of saved data, but I realize that much of it is hidden, and thus protected from user manipulation. I appreciate your comments, I'll go back and take a further look at the handling of waypoints and data for the Zumo in Basecamp. I'm still learning the terminology and how it all fits together. Viewing the raw common.gpx file was helpful; seeing the formats for the extensions that support address, categories, etc. I did confirm that common.gpx is re-created (output only) by the Zumo from internal (invisible to the user) storage.

With MyRoute, I've been using the 'Here' map option, which they state is the mapping used in the Zumo. It requires Gold status, but for better or worse, their marketing efforts succeeded in getting me to sign up as a lifetime member.

BTW, I noticed 'West Yorkshire' as your location. I have fond memories of the area from a motorcycle trip many years ago, back in the mid '80's. I hope to return someday, I was enchanted with the back roads, pubs, B&B's and friendly folks all along the way. The locals were amazed that I traveled from the US and chose to visit the small towns. I also learned about after-hours drinking customs in some of the pubs.

Cheers!