Explorer and Waypoints

I'm posting this question for a friend who is interested in buying a new Explorer. I have the previous version of SE (before Garmin bought the company) so he asked me but I don't have an answer. And for the record, I did check the new Explorer manual but couldn't find the answer. Here's hoping someone on this forum can help.

What he wants to know is if he can add a waypoint to the Explorer while he's hiking. The example he used was adding a waypoint at the trailhead, one at lunch, one at the turn around, and any others that might be of interest when he repeats a hike. He wants to do it while hiking.

In the manual I found how to add waypoints before a hike and then downloading them to the device but that's really not what he wants to do.

Can it be done and if so how do you do it. Thanks in advance.

0 CowboySlim over 7 years ago

I'll check it out with my inReach Explorer and get back tomorrow.

0 Richard_S. over 7 years ago

I'll check it out with my inReach Explorer and get back tomorrow.

Thank you.

0 HL649 over 7 years ago

Yes he can. He can add a new waypoint at anytime during the hike. When the waypoint is added on the inReach it will be synced to the website wirelessly so anyone following on his mapshare page will also see the waypoint. I have done this numerous times to mark good campsites, bad river crossings, etc so I can reference that info later after the trip.

0 twolpert over 7 years ago

This function is available on the Explorer+ as well as the first generation Explorer. You can do it two ways. One of them is even documented :D

From the Main Screen > Waypoints > New Waypoint. This marks a waypoint at your current location and uploads it to the servers. If you enable the function on MapShare, those watching at home will also be able to see it. It will then appear on the Waypoints tab of the map page on your account. This one is documented in the online Explorer+ manual. I believe this one is limited to marking your current location, although you can edit the coordinates afterwards.

If the Explorer+ is like the Explorer, there will also be a backhanded way of doing this from the Map page on the device. I don't actually remember the details on the Explorer. And could not find documentation for the Explorer+. This one would allow you to mark a waypoint at your current location OR at an arbitrary location to which you first pan the map. This is more useful in general because you can enter a waypoint for a mapped "target" location like a stream crossing or road intersection. Once marked, the waypoint behaves as above as far as uploading to the server.

0 Richard_S. over 7 years ago

Thanks all for your help. I'll pass these messages along. I don't know why I didn't see that information in the manual but it always helps to have a different set of eyes looking at a problem.

Much appreciated.

0 CowboySlim over 7 years ago

With the first generation, I suggest first going to the Map page and ensure that the current location icon, arrowhead, is green. That indicates your location is GPS active. Then back out of that and go to the Waypoints page to create the waypoint based on current location. I assume similar would be true for the Explorer+ version.

0 Richard_S. over 7 years ago

With the first generation, I suggest first going to the Map page and ensure that the current location icon, arrowhead, is green. That indicates your location is GPS active. Then back out of that and go to the Waypoints page to create the waypoint based on current location. I assume similar would be true for the Explorer+ version.

Got it. What you're advising is that he makes sure he's locked on to the satellites before trying to create a waypoint. That makes sense based on what others (see above) have said about the waypoints being sent to the Garmin server. If you're not connected to the satellites you can't be transmitting data.

0 twolpert over 7 years ago

Two separate issues here with two separate sets of satellites. CS is talking about the GPS satellites - and making sure you have a good fix before marking the waypoint. If you don't have a fix, your waypoint coordinates will be complete junk. If you have a poor fix, they will be inaccurate. And no making up for it later.

That's separate from the ability to send the waypoint to the Garmin servers for sharing. Like text message and sent trackpoints, that functionality depends on the Iridium satellite network. Completely separate thing. If you don't happen to have good Iridium coverage when you mark the waypoint, the inReach will remember that it should send it and do it later, when coverage is good.

IIRC, to mark a waypoint directly from the map on the original Explorer, you have to push the check mark button when viewing the map. The next step somehow involves the 4-way rocker. I think there's a little hint icon on the screen once you press enter. There may also be one last press of the check mark. I can't remember...

0 Richard_S. over 7 years ago

Tom, I got it. My friend will need GPS coverage to get an accurate waypoint but if the Iridium satellites are not accessible at the time the inReach Explorer will store the information and send it when it can.