Recording Controls Output Format, "FIT and GPX"

My ORIGINAL problem was in understanding it. Now that I understand it, it is no more convenient than "FIT" only.

If you set to "FIT" only -- and convert to GPX and then delete the FIT file, it is the same effort as if you set to "FIT and GPX".

If you set to "FIT and GPX" -- you have to move Archived Track to Favorite Track and then delete the FIT file.

The feature is not useful as it provides no benefit above that provided by setting output to FIT and then converting.

That's a simple fact.

You have made it abundantly clear that not only do you not understand, you do not want to understand when others try to help you.

Why do you continue to repeat this?

not correct

it provides benefit for me and many other users. It makes just sure, that at least gpx files will remain somewhere in case I loose the fit file.

If it is not useful for you, then it is useful for others. And this is the reason it is there.

I do not understand why you keep endless thread on this, as it is clear that you are the only one who sees some problem here.

If you can lose the FIT file, then you can lose the GPX file. 

If you have some emotional attachment to using "FIT and GPX", that's fine.

But logically, there is no benefit to it.

Like2Hike said:

If you have some emotional attachment to using "FIT and GPX", that's fine.

But logically, there is no benefit to it.

There are very good reasons for both.

FIT files have an extensive architecture, hundreds of fields focused on sport metrics and sensors. But proprietary to Garmin and binary. Fundamentally social "look at me" data. Details of FIT file architecture here: developer.garmin.com/.../

GPX are industry standard ascii text exchange files. I have a number of mapping applications and a formatting editor that support them for transfer, and the software can simply lift these out of the 66i device folder directly.

There is no benefit whatsoever in doing extra work to manually extract FIT files and try to convert them with additional apps. I do use GPSUtility to sometimes convert FIT data from my 5X plus it but it's a lot of messing around.

Like2Hike said:

Recorded FIT data looks like recorded GPX data. If you like FIT data, choose FIT output. If you like GPX data, choose FIT output and convert to GPX.  Or, choose FIT and GPX output, and move the GPX file from Archive Tracks to Favorites.

FIT and GPX output is redundant. You can get FIT and GPX files, without it.

Wrong, FIT & GPX is not redundant. Not everyone is superficially playing with a single device, funnily enough there are actually other people out here who may have a different use case for such functionality.

As above converting Activity to GPX requires an an extra manual step either on the device, or copying and messing around with additional software for the fit. In a structured workflow with multiple devices the software knows where to look and can easily lift standard gpx that were automatically saved to a known location without the additional manual messing around & error. So there is a definite benefit to some users in auto saving gpx.

Secondly, the files are not the same. "Looks like"? Have you actually looked into them?

The 66i FIT files do have data fields that don't make into the .gpx. For starters a quick analysis of one fit here and I can see already data fields for at least the device type, serial number, software version, sport type that are not going into the gpx.

And there are differences between the gpx files themselves.The gpx automatically saved to the archive are different to those manually converted from activity to track. For example a quick comparison here shows manual conversions to gpx don't include fields for moving time, stopped time, max speed, and average ascent rate that are included in the archive versions of the gpx.

And further, the recorded elevations are not the same between my manually converted gpx and those automatically saved in the archive. The offset is not huge (sub metre) and may not be an issue to you but the rest of us are entitled to consistency and particularly when compiling data from multiple devices.

On top of all the above there are also issues with the manual conversion. When I manually convert activity to track, the file may be named the same date, and that date is also written in the file header but the included data is actually lifted from the previous saved and dated activity file.

And that leads on to the final point, you are not considering future consistency. Fit is a Garmin proprietary protocol which is dynamic and could and probably will change. So simply deciding something else is "redundant" and putting all your eggs in the converting activity or fit basket could come even further unstuck at the next software update.

You can check all the details & facts yourself, and probably should before making further claims. I've seen enough to know what can and can't be trusted. 

I don't see the differences you describe. I was comparing "Recorded Activities" to "Saved Tracks". They appear the same on my device. 

There is an extra manual step to convert Activities to Tracks, but there is an extra manual step to move Archived Tracks to Favorite Tracks.

If some of the measured sensory information is different between GPX files themselves, that would seem to be more of a flaw, than a benefit.

And that leads on to your final point, that I'm not considering future consistency. I am. The next software update could do anything. I'm not putting all my eggs in the converting activity basket. "FIT" output is redundant to "FIT and GPX" output, as "FIT and GPX" output is redundant to "FIT". I am not preferring one over the other. When I asked Garmin about the redundancy they explained, but the explanation was wrong.

And that's the point, you don't see the differences because you aren't really looking. What "appears" to you on the surface is not really what's happening underneath. You won't see anything on the device, you need to pull apart and inspect the files on your laptop. You didn't answer the question, have you actually tried that? Otherwise you could just accept it.

You keep mentioning extra steps in moving archive tracks to favorites, I don't do that so I'm not sure what the point is? With FIT & GPX set I don't have to move anything, period. The software finds it. That's all I'm doing, the setting is not redundant. Either way Garmin is giving you FIT, their way forward. And I'm happy I because I have an option to retrieve a good version of the gpx I need that's compatible with my applications.

As above it appears you are only looking at your device - and what you are doing on it - oblivious to and not understanding what others may be doing and still deciding on their behalf something is redundant for them.  If you said those functions were of no value to you personally that would be reasonable. Suggest letting others make their own value judgement on what's useful to them because only they know. Listening and learning isn't such a bad thing. 

This is a consumer outdoor recreation device. If you are using it for something other than that, then that's something fairly unique you're doing. I have no reason to inspect the files on my laptop, because I use the device for recreation as marketed.

From your point of view (I guess), the FIT is redundant. It is to me too.