Follow Course is depending on course / waypoint /tbt/turn-by-turn notification in course file. Use map, the watch generates tbt like a car GPS between the the GPS points in file based on the map. If you for instance have a map where a path is not connected to a street, the watch will redirect another way, even if you have drawn it that way in you route program or on your route site.
Use follow course if you have a specific route you would like to follow. Use use map if you would like your watch to guide you between specific points on map. You are then very depending on that the map you are using have the roads/paths connected as you think.
If you would like to have tbt when using follow course, draw your route in Garmin Connect Web or import existing course file and it will auto generate tbt when exporting to watch. It always work for me.
Unfortunately you get no control of where you get the tbt. If you would like more control, you can use plotaroute with new export function or gpsies with tools to generate files.
If you use plotaroute/gpsies to create the course - do you copy it directly to the watch? Or do you upload it to Garmin Connect, and then sync the course to the watch?
I've created a lot of courses in GC, and have been disappointed that there is no control over where to put the tbt points. I'll definitely give plotaroute a try and see how it does...
When plotaroute now have a fit export, I do it all in the mobile together with ConnectIQ app gimporter started in watch. Just save as a fit in mobile. Click at the downloaded file and chose gimporter and you have the file in watch.
Because gpsies fit files are useless in 5x, you need to download tcx instead and then use McBadger tool or FitFileRepairTool PC app to covert it to fit. Then copy it to New files folder on watch.
I've no problem with tbt in those two way of doing it now with 8.54. Couple of weeks ago loaded a 'clean' gpx wo tbt from dynamic.watch and gpsies via Garmin Connect Android app and got auto generated tbt and it worked for me that also back then. Need to test if that is ok now with v8.54.
I'm happy to report that I have waypoint alerts working on my F5X. (When doing 'follow course' navigation.) I wouldn't really call them turn-by-turn alerts, since it doesn't actually show any text in the alert. Just a forward arrow. But I do get a countdown (in feet I think) as I approach each waypoint, which is better than what I had before. If I look at the map screen, the waypoints are shown, along with any text that I entered when I created the course in plotaroute.com.
What I did was: 1) Create the route in plotaroute.com 2) Removed all auto-generated directions 3) Added my own directions for each turn or aid station on the route. 4) Downloaded the route in FIT format. Set course point limit to 50 (for F5X) and turned off turn warnings (since I assume that just creates more waypoints in the file). 5) Plugged my F5X into the computer using the USB cable 6) Copied the FIT file to the Garmin\NewFiles folder 7) 'Safely removed' the F5X from Windows, unplugged the USB cable 8) Started "run" activity, went into menu and started the course
I had also tried downloading the course in GPX format, and did not get the waypoint alerts - even though the waypoints show up if I open the course on the F5X. Very weird. I can only assume that the F5X does some conversion of the GPX file when importing it, which causes the alerts not to happen. Since FIT file is the 'native' format, I assume that no conversion takes place.
I'm going to experiment with how the directions/waypoints are configured in plotaroute to see if I can get any information about them to show up in the alert. If I add the "next waypoint" data field, I do see the name of the waypoint there.
Thanks for the tip on exporting to FIT format! :-D
Yes, the problem is in Garmin Connect when it creates the route and send it to the watch. Not a problem in the watch to interpret the course points in a correctly created file.
With gimporter connectiq app, you can do point 4-7 all mobile.
Install gimporter widget in watch. Install gpx/fit-exporter app in mobile. Download your route as a fit file in mobile. Tap to open the the downloaded file. Mobile give you the option to chose exporter app. Do that. Open gimporter widget in watch and push start for download to watch.
I'd love if I could get it to navigate a course for biking and announce the turns via the phone - same as it does for other things like HR, Average speed etc! Would make following forest routes far easier than trying to look at the watch when I hit points with different turns.
Well, how nice of you to share with us how you get TBT working again. But can we please get back to the original question: how do I turn the damn function OFF? Ever ran a race with lots of turns and twists going uphill? The only thing the watch will do is vibrate and show arrows in all kind of directions, everything else about the watch gets completely useless. I have no understanding for Garmin at all, this issue has been addressed a couple of times in different forums. It can't be rocket science, and it's so annoying. Does anyone from Garmin follow these posts?!?! If anyone would know if Garmin is recognizing this, please let us know. The workaround by copying the gpx files directly into the watch's sub-directories is just that - a WORKAROUND! Thx.
If you create your route in Garmin Connect and send the route from there, it will auto generate tbt when sending to watch. Because you can't turn it off, you always get tbt notifications.
To not get any tbt, you need to use other sites to create your route. For instance https://dynamic.watch/ is a much better site to use. I wouldn't call it a work-around. Its really easy to use to create routes in your mobile and to send them to watch. You need to have your watch configured to 'follow course'. 'Use map' always give you tbt.
Of course I agree that it would also be great if garmin could handle it.
