Just got my new Explorer+ and have set up my account with contacts including myself. I'm testing the Mapshare feature and start tracking, choose to invite a contact, it goes to the contacts page. I choose only myself both email and sms and the checkmarks appear next to only those two contacts. I can't seem to figure out which button I next press to actually send the Mapshare invite message. If I press the check mark button, I then choose the first option to send and my first "preset" message is sent to all contacts so that can't be right. So I guess the bottom line is: after there are check marks next to my sms and email contacts, what do I do next to actually send the mapshare invite message only to the checkmarked contacts?
I know it's counter-intuitive - but quit (X) out of the contact selection list (after making your selections). This puts you back on the message page with the listed contacts in the To: box. If you want to change the message itself, use the rocker to move to the message and edit it in the normal fashion. Then highlight the Send Message button at the bottom and press the check mark button.
Note - the above assumes that you got to the message screen by choosing to share when you start tracking. The same mechanism applies if you choose to send a new message manually (for example Main screen > Messages > New Message). It sounds like you might be accidentally wandering into quick text messages (not preset, which is a different thing). For example, you might have accidentally highlighted the lightning bolt icon on the right side of the message screen. That allows you to pick among quick text messages as the message text. But that would not change the recipient list - only the message text.
It's pretty hard to accidentally send a true preset message, which has a pre-defined recipient list. Not sure how you'd have gotten there, if that's actually what happened.
One other note. MapShare itself can be a recipient. You can do this by selecting MapShare from the recipient list, or via the M icon on the top part of the message screen. This sends the message "to" the MapShare page - so it shows up there for people who go to that page. Unless you select other recipients, the MapShare page is the ONLY place that message will be delivered.
If the above explanation doesn't get you where you need to be, please post button by button steps so we can follow along.
Thank you, Tom. That does the trick for the invites. Lets say I start this process with tracking off. So I launch the tracking icon with a check button press. Then I choose "Share" and press the check. I again press the check to confirm I want to share. Then I choose myself as a contact by scrolling and pressing the check button. Now I have a check mark next to my name. I then press the X button and then press the check button to "SEND MESSAGE". Now I'm at a message screen that shows what message was sent. I see no options at this point to actually initiate tracking? So I press the home button twice and am at the home screen. But when I look at the tracking icon, there is no black check mark indicating it is tracking. Should I have started this entire process with tracking already on or am I missing an option to initiate tracking after the invite is sent? Is there a one-step process to both invite and initiate tracking?
I have 10-minute SEND intervals and selected 30-second log intervals. On my little expedition, I started tracking at my house. Then walked long enough to SEND a total of 4 times. The result on the online map is no tracking line for the first 10 minutes, a straight line tracking line for the second 10 minutes and another straight line for the third 10 minutes. Within each 10-minute SEND, there should be 20 each, 30-second tracking log points, right? Why is the map tracking line straight? Displayed over a Aerial map it looks like I walked thru many neighbors homes and yards. Is this as good as it gets? I have 5 current Garmin devices so am somewhat familiar with their software. But this will be a bit disappointing if the LOG points don't determine the tracking line.
I'm a little embarrassed at having to ask so many questions because I know garmin devices (edge 1000 and then 1030 using LiveTrack) fairly well and am a very computer savvy person.
You might try that which I do as it could help you in familiarization.
For short walks around home, I set Log to 30 sec or 1 min and set Send to OFF. Upon return, I connect inReach to phone wit Earthmate app and then Sync the Earthmate to my account site via home WiFi and then check its Map page for the track.
Note that the same Sync can be done with USB cable and the inReach Sync app on a PC.
At the point where you see the message thread, press X. This backs you out to the tracking screen and starts tracking. On the tracking screen, you'll see that tracking is started and that you have the option to stop it.
In general, making big jumps with two clicks to the "home" (Menu) button is a bad idea if you're half-way through doing something. If there is no obviously useful path with check mark, X is the option you want.
Tracking intervals can be confusing at first. The send interval controls "sent points". The are transmitted via the Iridium network (like messages). They will show up on the Map tab of your inreach.garmin.com account and on the MapShare page (if enabled) in more or less real time. Yes, they will be connected by straight lines. The logging interval controls "logged points". These are not transmitted via satellite. The are stored only on the device itself. I believe they do show up on the map screen on the device, but that's it. In order to get them to show up on the web sites, you must sync the device.
You can sync in two ways. You can do a wired sync. Plug the device into your computer via USB, go the Sync tab on your inreach.garmin.com account, and do the sync. This is exactly the same process you used to get your contacts, messages, etc. onto the device.
Alternatively, you can sync via the Earthmate app on your cell phone. This requires that the inReach device be paired with the phone via Bluetooth. The initial pairing works best if performed via the Bluetooth setup on the phone, not from inside the Earthmate app. You also need to be sure that the app is logged into your inreach.garmin.com account.
Once you have done the sync, the tracks on the web maps will sort themselves out. Sent points will be slightly larger circles, logged points slightly smaller. The track line will connect all of them in sequence.
I have occasionally seen situations where the web site thinks that the sent points and the logged points are two different tracks. Never have been able to figure out what causes it. If it happens to you, the best thing to do is to "hide" the track for sent points only. You can do that by clicking the track in the left sidebar, the click the eyeball icon for that track.
Thank you both for the replies. My expectations were a bit too high for tracking points and line on the online map that invitees will see based on what the Garmin 1030 does with LiveTrack. Essentially, I want my wife to be able to see where I'm at while on back-country bicycle rides so it will do this just not as fine in detail as I had expected. She can always send a ping if she wants to know in real-time. And it gives me the SOS function if I really hurt myself. Based on what I had read before purchase, I had figured that the 1030 would be the better navigation device of the two and the InReach is the emergency device. And thanks for the tip to use the "X" key when it's not obvious where to go from "here".
Don't know anything about the Edge 1030 specifically. But in general, the various Garmin "live" connectivity options require pairing with a phone and cell reception. (Some of the device to nearby device communication apparently does not.) If you have cell reception, you can use the Earthmate app to get the same effect on your MapShare page.
Yes, the 1030 pairs with a cell for LiveTracking and it works very well. In fact, when I leave cell coverage, the tracking on the live map halts and then when I return to to cell coverage, all of the missing track points (basically a line that perfectly overlays a streetmap) will be displayed so all of the actual route is displayed and it continues on until I stop the ride. With an off-road bicycle, I'll be riding in many areas without any cell coverage, hence the purchase of the InReach.
Although I've not tested it extensively, I think you'll find that the inReach paired with the Earthmate app behaves similarly with respect to the MapShare map. You should, however, be aware that the inReach sends the logged points to the app in blocks which hold a fixed number of track points. Blocks are sent as they fill up, or when you stop tracking. The net result is that the logged points on MapShare almost always lag real time by at least a bit, even with cell coverage. If you stop moving without ending tracking, the device pauses logging (because you are not moving). So your apparent stopped position also lags. The longer the interval between logged points, the slower the blocks fill and the more apparent the lag becomes.
