Legend HCx - What's my line?

[spokenword]

I've had the HCx for a few weeks now ready for my Lejog in 5 weeks time, and have had rather a steep learning curve!
When I'm following a track I've noticed there is a dotted line on the compass page passing almost horizontally through the middle of the circle. Sometimes its above or below the middle and it's inclination from the horizontal does vary a bit, but I can't correlate these variables with either my heading or inclination.
The other thing that I'm not too sure on is the pointer when following a track. Does it just point at the next waymark "as the crow flies", rather than anything more sophisticated like following the road? ( I'm currently using tracks I've produced on bikehike and OSM on the device)
Can anyone throught some light on this please?
Thanks

[plum]

Don't know about the first bit I've never used the big pointer, don't see the use of it when there's a nice clear track to follow.

As for the second, if you are using tracks [do you mean routes? Doesn't mater the procedure is the same for both] and selecting the off-road method, which seems to be the most useful, then the pointer aims directly at the next waypoint/trackpoint/whateverpoint.

If you're using the follow road method I believe the pointer follows the road contours [so it should almost always be pointing straight ahead, except when you are maybe in the middle of a bend for example].

[PloddinPedro]

I've never really thought about this - plum could be right, but I've always felt that the arrow simply indicated the current direction of my travel. I have a Map 60, but I guess it's the same as the Legend.

Of course, most of the time, my direction of travel is towards the next trackpoint (I almost invariably use Tracks) anyway, so I couldn't tell the difference. If I arrive at say, a sharp right turn in my Track, I am usually around the turn fractionally before the arrow swings around - it usually lags a few seconds. Also, as I think about it, if I use the unit with neither Track nor Route active, the arrow exhibits the same behaviour. As it has no track/way/route points to consider, I assume I must be correct to believe it simply points in my direction of travel.

I know that occasionally, the little arrow goes all screwy and progresses sideways or even backwards, along the path I'm travelling - I've just put it down to "computer glitch"

[frankly frankie]

Doesn't mater the procedure is the same for both] and selecting the off-road method, which seems to be the most useful, then the pointer aims directly at the next waypoint/trackpoint/whateverpoint.

I think this may depend on whether you've opted for 'Heading' or 'Bearing' in the setup.  There's a subtle difference (which is lost on me TBH).

If you're using the follow road method I believe the pointer follows the road contours [so it should almost always be pointing straight ahead

What would be the point of that?
Not saying it isn't so - but if you have a pointer, and it always points straight ahead - er ... I've got a nose that does that ...

[plum]

Doesn't mater the procedure is the same for both] and selecting the off-road method, which seems to be the most useful, then the pointer aims directly at the next waypoint/trackpoint/whateverpoint.

I think this may depend on whether you've opted for 'Heading' or 'Bearing' in the setup.  There's a subtle difference (which is lost on me TBH).

Looking at the instruction book the horizontal line mentioned in the OP looks like the bit from the course pointer, which us wrong for what the OP needs, he wants to change to the bearing pointer.

If you're using the follow road method I believe the pointer follows the road contours [so it should almost always be pointing straight ahead

What would be the point of that?
Not saying it isn't so - but if you have a pointer, and it always points straight ahead - er ... I've got a nose that does that ...

It doesn't always point straight ahead. I can't imagine why but you seem to have randomly truncated my sentence at the point where I explicitly mention that to be the case.

[David Frank]

Can't help with the dotted line. The big arrow always points to the next waypoint.  If you're following a track which is a series of waypoints close together and if you're riding along a road, it will generally point in the direction you're going.
I have a Legend HCx and used it on a recent circular Audax.  I plotted the route on bikehike by hand clicking around the course, not using the "follow road" option, putting a waypoint at each change of direction - eg turn left, fork right, straight on at crossroads etc. Labelled each waypoint accordingly, then uploaded to GPS.
 As I was riding along, the big arrow was pointing towards the next waypoint, which could have been 100m away, or 5km away - it doesn't matter.  The big arrow, (which, important for me, I can see without my specs) always pointed to the next change of direction, and the GPS gave an audible bleep as I approached the waypoint.  It worked really well.  I am terrible at navigating, with the Etrex I got round the course and hardly got lost at all!
Try it on a walking course around the block. The Etrex is not intuitive - if I had used the instructions only I would never have learned how to use it.  This forum, and excellent tips from others exp. Frankly Franky are the way to go.