Author Topic: track mode on tcx/edge series  (Read 1553 times)

Euan Uzami

track mode on tcx/edge series
« on: 08 September, 2014, 09:09:03 pm »
Been trying to help some people to get their Garmin not to send them off course, or tell them they're off course when they're not.
My standard answer is use a track not a route, and don't let it calculate, just follow the line on the map.
But then I discover that their edge units (e.g. mainly 705s, possibly some 500s) take TCX rather than GPX, and they don't use either a track or a route, but a "course". Is a course more analogous to a track or a route?
They often don't want to delve into technical details, like I do, they want it to "just work", which is fair enough I suppose.
What's some simple steps to get a 705 working in "follow the line" i.e. track mode, rather than calculate route mode?
It would be nice if I could say "here you go, there's your line - keep an eye on your unit and follow that" but I can't cos what works on my etrex doesn't on their edges.

Feanor

  • It's mostly downhill from here.
Re: track mode on tcx/edge series
« Reply #1 on: 08 September, 2014, 10:40:34 pm »
GPX, TCX, etc are simply containers.
Like Zip, RAR, 7Z.

It's what is contained within them that is relevant.

StuAff

  • Folding not boring
Re: track mode on tcx/edge series
« Reply #2 on: 08 September, 2014, 10:43:27 pm »
705 owner here....TCXs and GPXs both work on them, in track and route form. I usually use GPX tracks for my own ride mapping. Not what some mapping sites advise, but it works for me, even with 200km+ rides, so I stick with it. The 705 saves its ride history as TCXs.
Courses are a different kettle of fish altogether, more intended for training etc (the virtual partner function works with this format). Though just to be confusing, you can load a track or route and then follow it as a course as well. Following one is akin to reriding a previous ride. It's not really designed for navigation- you can put course points in (giving the same directions you get with a track or route), but only 100 per file. Without course points it will beep and give you a message if you go off course but nothing else.

frankly frankie

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Re: track mode on tcx/edge series
« Reply #3 on: 09 September, 2014, 05:02:31 pm »
Is a course more analogous to a track or a route?

If you view a TCX as text you'll see that it has a lot in common with a Track.
But the other complication is that the capabilities of new GPS models keep evolving - so that an Edge 800/810 can take a GPX Track and yet give a very Route-like experience (or so it would seem from reading the help files on RideWithGPS - not an Edge user myself).

It is possible to just show a Track as a coloured line on an Edge - just works, like on an Etrex - but it's a bit counter-intuitive because the Edge user feels compelled to press the 'Start' (or Go?) button - once this is done all bets are off.  I've never seen an Edge 800 owner who is prepared to let it operate in such a dumb mode.

Also with modern Garmins, Track 'Show on Map' is OFF by default - on the old Etrexes, it's ON by default.  If you don't take this into account, you can explain things till you're blue in the face but you won't get anywhere.  ;)
when you're dead you're done, so let the good times roll

wilkyboy

  • "nick" by any other name
    • 16-inch wheels
Re: track mode on tcx/edge series
« Reply #4 on: 09 September, 2014, 10:55:19 pm »
I read somewhere that the trick to getting an Edge to NOT re-route your carefully tracked course (ahem) is to DISABLE the GPS, THEN load the track (TCX from RideWithGPS in my case) and THEN re-enable the GPS. 

I haven't tried this, but it seems there's a firmware misfeature where if you tell your 800 to NOT reroute, it ignores that flag and tries to reroute anyway; however, it only tries this once when you load the track, so disabling GPS kills it dead (which in theory is another misfeature, since it shouldn't need GPS to recalculate a route, only to find out where you are along it).

YMMV, but worth a try:  I will be trying this on my next ride, because I am getting annoyed with my 800 deciding that my carefully plotted RWGPS track isn't the way it would like me to go and sending me off in odd directions.  Hence I always ride with a paper routesheet as well.
Lockdown lethargy. RRTY: wot's that? Can't remember if I'm on #8 or #9 ...

frankly frankie

  • I kid you not
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Re: track mode on tcx/edge series
« Reply #5 on: 10 September, 2014, 11:59:40 am »
Have you tried using it without pressing the 'Start' button?  You can still set the Course to a colour and show it on the map.  This might disable some of the cleverness, I dunno.
when you're dead you're done, so let the good times roll

Euan Uzami

Re: track mode on tcx/edge series
« Reply #6 on: 10 September, 2014, 01:27:17 pm »
Yes, they've been pressing "start" on the "course".
I'm just wondering what the equivalent option to "show on map" is. (And "set colour".)

frankly frankie

  • I kid you not
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Re: track mode on tcx/edge series
« Reply #7 on: 10 September, 2014, 04:10:22 pm »
I seem to recall (when briefly 'helping' someone with an 800) the same options being available, in the Course properties.  (Any Track uploaded to an 800 gets converted to a Course internally.)
when you're dead you're done, so let the good times roll

Feanor

  • It's mostly downhill from here.
Re: track mode on tcx/edge series
« Reply #8 on: 10 September, 2014, 10:25:11 pm »
On the Edge 800, I use both tracks and routes together.

I have the track set to 'Always Display: On", and in lime green.
I then navigate the Route I have created in mapsource, which should overlay the track.

Note that once Tracks and Routes have been sent to the Edge unit, they all appear as Courses.
To differentiate them, I call them things like "Trk: Nutter400" and "Rte: Nutter400".

To make the track Always Display:
Menu > Courses > Click on your Track ( eg Trk: Nutter400 )
Wait for it to display.
Spanner icon > Map Display > Always Display = On.
Set the colour to something like lime green if you want it to be visible in both day and night modes.
I have Turn Guidance OFF and Virtual Partner OFF too.
( The turn guidance will come from the Route which I will navigate. )

Back up to the list of courses.
The Trk will now show a map icon and a lime green line.

Now simply navigate the route.

I've never had the unit disregard my setting Recalculate=off.
( Menu > Spanner > System > Routing > Recalculate = OFF. )