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H1 Navigation Prompts

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I recently purchased a H1 and before powering on the unit I updated firmware to the latest 12.08 version.

I had a route that I had built using komoot and I had simply exported this and then imported this onto Garmin Connect to get it onto the device. I started the course on my H1 with Routing switched off as it's my understanding that if I turn this on then the device will try and navigate me around areas where there is no visible paths on the map and since I was planning to walk through some woodland I didn't want the device to do this.

I also didn't want the annoying sat nav women voice talking constantly because I had a fairly good idea where I was going. I headed out and when I reached a turn I would here a tone on the h1 and also a system message would appear which showed the message Approaching Point. I navigated through the route and sometimes if I was unsure about a turn after hearing the tone I would check the map and I was happy with this way of navigating.

On the final leg of the trip I started to find the alert message fairly annoying as it would basically bring up a pop-up which you had to click OK to to get rid off quickly and it would block the screen if you were looking at the map so I was looking through the settings to see how you could turn this off. I remember ending up in the proximity settings and I toggled this off and then continued on my route to then hear a tone. With no visible turn I looked at the device to see a message that I was off course.

I had missed a turn because there was no notification tone so reset the proximity settings and walked back to the course, I got a message that I was on course and heard the tone. Started walking again but this time kept the device out as I could see a 90 degree turn coming up in a few minutes. Got to the turn and there was no notifications, no tones, nothing. I stopped navigating and reloaded the course, started walking again and waited for another turn and again no notification.

I looked through all of the settings and I couldn't find anything related as to why the navigation tones had stopped working and I spent a number of hours trying to figure this out and even resorted to using AI but that was an annoying experience because it kept providing me with instructions for the GPSMAP 67 even though I asked it not to do this. Anyway decided to reach out to Garmin support.

I get the impression that the support guys are aware that this device is fairly crap as the solution offered pretty much straight away was to reset the device. I did this but opted to not connect it to my phone or wifi as I figured that these kinds of devices most likely store setting files in the cloud. I copied my route over via USB and tested again and everything was back to normal and I could hear the navigation tones when coming up to a turn.

Figured the issue was resolved and waited for a day to try and get my local settings file to become the primary file and not get overwritten by whatever was stored in the cloud. Connected my phone again as I want to be able to get routes onto the device without having to plug it in and started my route again and from the start the navigation tones were not working.

Clearly the settings stored in the cloud had taken priority and had overwritten the settings on the device. I did ask Garmin support about this and I was told that when I was adding the device using garmin explore I would be given a prompt about if I wanted to restore the settings or not. This turned out not to be true so I am guessing the support guy just didn't want to help the latest idiot to buy one of these devices and told me some BS to get rid of me. I went through all of the settings again and I couldn't see what the problem is or any difference to what the settings were before.

One observation I have found while using the device which I think is fairly poor is why there seems to be a settings menu and then if you press the magnifier at the bottom right then then allows you to access the same settings but then with additional extra settings listed. Why not just have everything in one place? it's fairly confusing I kind of found it by accident because in here you can find a setting for turn warnings which I have turned on but in the settings you enter just by clicking settings on the main menu this option does not appear. The navigation settings should also be included under the main settings menu also rather than hidden away.

Another observation is why the device allows you to walk about 250-300 meters off course before notifying you that you're off course. Surely a more sensible figure would be around 50 meters and there should be a setting for this also in the options so you can configure how soon you will be notified, maybe there is but it's just hidden away under some random menu that I haven't discovered yet.

My final observation is that the odometer does not work on my device, it's been stuck at 6.24 miles even though I have walked about 55 miles this week and that's after the reset. I think there are two fields for this one which reads zero and another one which is trip odometer and that's stuck at 6.24 miles. I ain't to bothered about this as I don't care about stats anyway but it's just something I noticed as I didn't bother reconfiguring the dashboard after resetting as I figured I would most likely end up resetting the device again anyway so it was there by default.

If I go to my route and enable routing I see the calculating thing and then the annoying sat nav women starts talking. I have also noticed that in my courses list I will see that some have been duplicated I assume this is because when I have enabled routing the route as been modified to stick to known paths or maybe it's just adding extra information into the file so it knows where the turns are.

Either way I would much rather have 100% confidence that the route I am following is the one I created and not one that a computer has decided to take me around because it's considered a popular route based on heat maps or whatever and additionally I would love to have my annoying system message pop ups back because I really can't stand the sat nav women's voice.

I am using the talkytoaster maps which are routable, sorry Garmin but your base & premium maps are rubbish in the UK. The same issue applies no matter which map is used.

I have tried unregistering the device from my account and waiting a day in hopes that the local settings will overwrite those stored in the cloud.
I have tried toggling off sync with garmin explore before pairing with my phone but this still resulted in my settings being overwritten and I could only see that waypoints and courses were not transferred.
I have sound on, I hear tone when I am 250+ meters off course!
Under Turn warnings I have early turn warning: Time alert & Final Turn Warning: Distance Alert.
I have Course Transitions set to AUTO i did try manual but I think the setting just controls the compass.
Nav. Prompts is turned on under Sounds & Vibration
On Garmin Connect I have made sure that when importing a route I have selected Hike and I have made sure that Turn Notifications are turned on.
I have tried creating a route using Hiiker, same issue.
I have tried creating a route using garmin explore, same issue.
I have tried creating a route using basecamp, same issue.

Does anyone know how I can get these turn tones back or how I can overwrite the settings stored in the cloud with those from a device that has been reset?

Thanks

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  • +2

     It looks like you've been working with our traditional support team via email to get this situation investigated. Please continue to work with that team towards a resolution. 

  • 0 in reply to Garmin - MR

    I am thinking about putting together a video showing all the various different ways the device fails. As a device that sole purpose is to act as a navigational aid, the H1 so far for me has been a complete failure and I am extremely disappointed that I have basically paid you guys to become a beta tester for your product. So far after nearly 2 weeks of use I haven't been able to complete a single hike where the device has worked correctly. I think it's bad also that there is a inreach version of this device which someone one day might rely on but won't be-able to use it because of some random bug.

    I have given up trying to get the tones back without routing switched on so instead I have started enabling routing and making sure re-routing is turned off. Today I did a 13 mile hike and I was listening to what it was saying which was things along of the lines of "turn left in 3 quarters of a mile" if I was in a car this would be useful but I am walking so that takes a while to actually walk 3 quarters of a mile and then when I got to the turn --nothing-- just silence.

    Then I got to many turns where the navigation prompt just did not work even though it was a 90 degree turn on a routable path.

    For about 6 miles it would just go between giving me navigational prompts and then nothing, complete random I couldn't detect any pattern to it. I just know it would miss more than it would notify me about. But then I got into some woodland and it was just system tone every few seconds, no voice just making the system tone noise. I looked at the navigation guidance text and it just says "follow footpath" even though I knew many turns were coming up and again no notifications just random tones when walking on straight sections.

    I then had to take a detour due to a tree that had fallen down and this is where it went really wrong as it seem to get stuck and distance to next point started increasing even though I had rejoined the route again.

    I then stopped navigating and reloaded the course and then it was just directing me to the start of the route again even though I was already on the course only 9 miles in.

    I brought this device because I wanted something reliable and something I could use with gloves but it seems extremely unreliable and I just don't understand how a device which is nearly a year on from release is in this state. I am thinking of just going back to my phone because even though its a pain to use in the rain and the battery drains fairly a quickly at least it works and I can rely on it.

    I will have a think where would be best to do this video, I will just make a basically square and see if the device can even manage that, I doubt it can because its crap.