InReach Sync Direction from Explorer+ to Map on inreach.garmin.com?

Alternatively, has anyone found a way to access the InReach device through the file explorer in Windows (a different driver?), or a way to access the device directly through Basecamp. I believe that if I could get access to the directory structure, I might be able to pull the data from the device (depending on how it's stored), and re-import that into the inreach.garmin.com map. Any ideas?

The forum ate my previous reply when it crashed. In general, sync is from the web site to the device. The only exception is logged track data, which is sync-d from device to web site. Waypoints marked on the device (as opposed to created on the web site) are transferred to the web site. But the primary mechanism is OTA via Iridium at the time the waypoint is marked. I don't know for sure that waypoints are not also sync-d, but I doubt it.

I have never been in a situation where there is data on the device that is not on the web site. I don't know if sync will remove it from the device. It's certainly possible.

To your second question:

The only software that talks to the device is the Sync program. This is still a DeLorme device under the hood. No Basecamp connectivity at all. When the device is mounted as a removable USB "disk", it uses the standard drivers. AFAIK, this only occurs during sync, under the control of the sync program - and even then, only while transferring maps.

If you have not done so, you might try pairing the device with a phone running the Earthmate app. Hopefully, routes that exist only on the device will show up in the app. The app has no direct export capability. But it's possible that you might find something in the phone's file system. The app is available for both Android and iOS. For Android, you can browse the file system directly. On an iOS device that is not jail-broken, you'll likely have to see what the app exposes in iTunes.

One tip: Do not log into your account from the Earthmate app. This will prevent OTA sync from web to phone to device.

Really though, if there's a lot of data on the device and it's your only copy, I'd call Garmin support to see if they can help.

Thanks. I spoke with Garmin support and here is what they told me.

I'm sorry you are having issues and I'm happy to help. Sync should always be additive for all kinds of data. So if you sync your device, it will bring in anything that is not currently in the site. In order to permanently remove an item you would have to first delete it from the handheld then delete it from the website without syncing in between.

I agree it is not always clear what syncronization will do, depending on the system. However inReach Sync is designed primarily to capture data from the handheld into the website. There should not be a single 'master' as you mentioned.

I hope this helps. If you have further questions or issues, please let us know.

Thank you for choosing Garmin

Mick
Product Support - Outdoor Team

Unfortunately, they were wrong... As I had feared, I lost everything from my device. So, if nothing else, I want others to beware of this situation. Also, if you are an avid user, trust your instincts and realize you probably know more the than the support staff.

Mick

This is horrible. Your information was 100% wrong. In your response, you indicated:

"Sync should always be additive for all kinds of data, and it would bring in anything that is not currently in the site. In order to permanently remove an item, you would have to first delete it from the handheld, then delete it from the website, without syncing in between."

Since you are a support professional for Garmin, I chose to trust your information. I sync’d my device to the website and rather than bringing my data to the site, it erased everything from the device, just as I had feared. I have now lost all of my routes and all of my waypoints from both the website and my Explorer+ device. I can’t tell you how much time and effort went into those routes…

To rectify the situation, I am hoping that Garmin keeps backups of their customer data so that it can be recovered in the event of catastrophic problems. If so I can provide the date range from which it should be recovered.

Please advise on next steps.

One final post on this... Just to give everyone a sense for how Garmin Product Support works, after my exchange above, Garmin completely stopped responding. Nothing like the "run and hide" defense when it comes to steering your customer wrong. Unbelievable...

I was actually hoping they would suggest other ways to get the information off the device - rather than suggesting that you sync again with no backup. You can try opening a new call about retrieving the data from their site backups - but I wouldn't hold out much hope for that.

Unfortunately, this is a peer to peer forum. Occasionally, Garmin folks will comment. But usually not. So what you say here generally does not make it back to Garmin.