etrex 30 navigate by route and track concurrently

[321up]

I've just discovered that I can display a track and follow a route at the same time on our etrex 30.  I'd created a 1000 point track, converted it to a 50 point route and copied both to the etrex 30.  From the 'track manager' select the track and 'Show on Map'.  Then go to 'Where to?' 'Routes' and select the route to follow.  What I get is the route displayed with a wide violet line with the track displayed with a narrower red line so both are still visible when they coincide.  This way it gives turn buy turn navigation, and because you can also see the track on the map you can avoid it leading you astray when the auto routing does something stupid.  This should be particularly useful at night when you want the backlight to switch on automatically at relevant junctions.

Also under 'setup' 'routing' 'avoidance setup' I set 'unpaved roads' to 'avoid'.

[Kim]

Yes, this approach gives the best of both worlds for Audax.

[notlobgp14]

That sounds good.  What maps did you download?

[Fab Foodie]

Yes, this approach gives the best of both worlds for Audax.

Hi Kim, dumb question time.
I use my Etrex 20 by connecting to Ridewithgps and downloading a track that I've created.  My Etrex has Topo map.  I then follow the purple line of righteousness.
If I follow somebody else I set it on the speedo and download the file later.
Apart form a few short hikes and a bit of Geocaching (for which the i-phone is much better)that's all I know how to do.

How do you create the 1000 point track mentioned in the OP and convert to a 50 point route?
Sorry to ask, not good with electrickerytecknologee and poorly written manuals thereof.
Cheers
FF

[Kim]

I don't think you can use auto-routing with the Topo maps - they don't contain any routing data.  You need City Navigator or Openstreetmap for that.

Routes are best created using Mapsource or Basecamp, as it can refer to the map for defining routepoints (rather than having to create waypoints for the purpose).

Not sure about converting tracks to routes - I tend to make my routes from scratch in order to have better control over where the auto-routing takes me - the best strategy being to make routepoints in the middle of stretches of road you want to use, where filtering a track down to small numbers of points will tend to put them at the junctions.

[321up]

Yes, this approach gives the best of both worlds for Audax.

How do you create the 1000 point track mentioned in the OP and convert to a 50 point route?

gpxeditor for gpx track creation and save as gpx track, bikehike to downsample to 1000 points and save as gpx track, bikehike to downsample to 50 points and save as gpx route.  You could get better results creating the gpx route manually if you know how and can spare the time.

For cycling I'm using the maps preinstalled on the etrex 30.  The etrex 30 auto routing occasionally (once in 200km yesterday) throws a major strop (insists in directing the wrong way at every opportunity) which can be fixed by stopping and restarting the navigation.  The other issue is that it does not always (several times in 200km) prompt at junctions (i.e. a turning could be missed in the dark).  I'm still using the firmware as supplied.  Would different maps/firmware improve reliability?

We also use Viewranger with an XTE alarm set to alert us if we go off route.  This is 100% reliable (provided the batteries don't run flat and it can be heard).

[SIKEARNS]

I've just discovered that I can display a track and follow a route at the same time on our etrex 30.  I'd created a 1000 point track, converted it to a 50 point route and copied both to the etrex 30.  From the 'track manager' select the track and 'Show on Map'.  Then go to 'Where to?' 'Routes' and select the route to follow.  What I get is the route displayed with a wide violet line with the track displayed with a narrower red line so both are still visible when they coincide.  This way it gives turn buy turn navigation, and because you can also see the track on the map you can avoid it leading you astray when the auto routing does something stupid.  This should be particularly useful at night when you want the backlight to switch on automatically at relevant junctions.

Also under 'setup' 'routing' 'avoidance setup' I set 'unpaved roads' to 'avoid'.

Hi

I've tried this on my Etrex 30 but I doesnt seem to work -am I missing a setting ??:

1)From the 'track manager' select the track and 'Show on Map'  Shows the track.
2)Then go to 'Where to?' 'Routes', here it says I'm 'Currently navigating to [track name]' & suggests I 'Find Another' or 'Stop Navigation'  If I choose the former it looses the track and it shows only the route I've selected.  If I choose the latter I'm presented with just the map(no track or route)  N.b I use 'Off Road' for guidance method for the route

[simonp]

You need to go to the track's properties and select 'always display' on map or something similar.

I've been working this way on Etrex devices for years. It does give you the best of both worlds and it's a lot more effective for navigation this way than my edge 1000.

[frankly frankie]

Set the Track to 'Show on map' but also set it to a nice bright colour - on the E30 I find cyan is the most visible, or blue.  (NB the recorded tracklog is cyan by default, so if you opt to colour your Track cyan, then you could set 'current track' to something else, magenta maybe.

'Where to' and navigate your Route (off- or follow road, whichever you prefer) and, although the initial preview doesn't display the Track, you'll find when you're at a sensible close zoom you'll be able to see both.  The Route meanwhile gives you prompts and bleeps.  You can have several Tracks visible, different colours maybe, so you can set up choices for yourself in advance.  The Track lines are rather fine, and easily lost in the road rendering, especially on the new E30x/20x with the higher-rez screen, which just makes all lines a bit thinner.

However note also, assuming your Route includes several Waypoints - that on the E30 you don't need to navigate the Route to see 'Next Waypoint' and 'Distance to next'.  You can 'where to' and navigate your Track (giving a wiggly thick magenta line) and the Waypoints will still be picked up.  This is my preferred method on this model.  You can have other Tracks visible as well when you do this.  You don't get bleeps and prompts this way however - you only get those when navigating a Route.

In the E30 I find the Track 'show on map' settings aren't very sticky - any kind of undignified power down - battery dead, or hitting a big bump - will often reset all the Tracks to 'hidden on map' which is the default on modern Garmins.

[kearnss]

Thanks for the advice,  I'll try it out in the next few days.

Just to be clear,  if I select a track and then go to 'Where to?' 'Routes', where it says I'm 'Currently navigating to [track name]' & suggests I 'Find Another' or 'Stop Navigation' .....that's expected behaviour?

Regards

[simonp]

Yes. That's the normal behaviour.

[kearnss]

Thanks again.......