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Garmin Explore and Google Maps GPS Don't Match Up

9491717
over 1 year ago

Having a weird issue, entering some Google Maps GPS coordinates into Garmin Explore Map gives wrong results. 

For example: Enter the following into Google Maps: 39.401089 -122.426720 or Or 39°24'03.9"N 122°25'36.2"W take your choice. 

Enter that into Explore.

Look at the map.

Not even close. The Garmin Explore result is way up North. 

Any idea why this might be happening?  Note, cutting and pasting the GPS for the Eiffel Tower worked. But here: nope. 

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  • 0 over 1 year ago

    Here are some examples

    Google GPS

    Same thing entered into Garmin Explore (20km North)

  • +1 over 1 year ago

     Hello, you would want to change the coordinate system on explore.garmin.com to match the coordinate system that google maps is using. If they do not match then they will be off from each other. Changing Map Unit Settings and Position Format on the Garmin Explore Website

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to Garmin-Leslie

    I appreciate the quick response. Yes, I did try that. I also confirmed that both the thing I was tracking, Google Maps and Garmin Explore were all using WGS84 and the result was off for any of the selected units entered (tried decimal, degree minutes seconds et al). Thanks so much, any guidance would be appreciate. 

  • 0 over 1 year ago

    Garmin-Leslie et al, I've confirmed this is a bug: I reproduced in both the Garmin Explore website and the Garmin Explore iOS app (latest version).  The coordinate system is WGS84 everywhere.  It seems that Garmin Explore doesn't properly parse the lat/lon decimal representation (that's the only thing I tried).  Google Maps, CalTopo, and Gaia all properly parse 39.401089 -122.426720 and find the correct location.

    Garmin, however, parses to a different, very wrong location.  It's as if Garmin parses the location expecting a different coordinate system and then mis-converts it to WGS84, but I can't tell for sure.  In any case, the actual waypoint lat/lon set on the Garmin map is very different than what was entered.  If you then manually override the waypoint lat & lon, the location is moved to the correct WGS84 position.  I've attached a screenshot showing a red waypoint where Garmin set the original search location (note the wrong coordinates!) and a blue waypoint where I manually edited the resulting lat/lon to exactly what I gave in the search box.

    Note the search entry at top right and wrong lat/lon result on the red waypoint.  And again, remember that the search result is equally wrong on the iOS Explore app...this is not just a website bug.

    Garmin Explore lat/lon parse bug

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to Garmin-Leslie

    Please see my reply and screenshot: User coordinate system choice is not the issue.  Garmin coordinates parsing & conversion is simply broken - and dangerously so, and seems to have been broken for months.  Just try this:  set your account units to Decimal Degrees (WGS84).  Search for 39.401089, -122.426720.  Garmin actually finds 39.598280, -122.302390.  Reproducing this problem can't be simpler.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to Psyches

    It has been broken for a long time. And I am really puzzled why Garmin - as a navigation company at heart - is not able to get this to work. Such a trivial yet important thing!

  • 0 over 1 year ago

    I have created a case to have this looked into. I will update as I find out more information. 

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to Garmin-Leslie

    Thank you Leslie. For reference, this the post from 8 months ago describing the same issue:

    forums.garmin.com/.../1637115

  • +1 over 1 year ago

     

    We are sorry searching waypoint coordinates on Explore website map are not displaying in the correct location. The search bar uses an external search engine (HERE) to find points of interest and does not directly pull up standalone coordinates that are not associated with a point of interest. When you enter the coordinates, it is searching for the nearest point of interest to that location. We are sorry for any confusion.

    To mark a waypoint at a specific location, we recommend using the waypoint tool instead of the search bar. The waypoint tool allows you to enter exact coordinates and the location will be marked correctly.

    Creating and Editing Waypoints, Routes, Tracks, and Activities on the Garmin Explore Website

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to Garmin-Leslie

    Thanks for the explanation.  I think it's an unfortunate decision for a primarily backcountry tool, especially when Google, Apple, Gaia, & CalTopo do the expected simplest thing and just go to the given geo-address.  Garmin has pulled a "Microsoft Word" trick: added something very fancy that broke basic expected behavior, and only at the cost of an added huge external subsystem.