Why is Trip Info on Explorer so different than Track on Map page on website?

Boy am I having a hard time figuring out how to use my new Explorer. Maybe I expect things that can't be done?

So I did a hike today. I wanted to get stats (mileage, elevation gained, time) on this hike so using the Tracking icon on the device I began my hike. When I got done I stopped the tracking then looked on the Trip Info screen. The data there was weird. The Trip Time and the distance were accurate, but the max speed was something ridiculous like 9.5 mph. (I went 8 miles in 4:43). Now I'm looking at the Map page on the Explore website. I thought I would see my track there but I'm not seeing it, though the general location of today's hike is showing on the map. Shouldn't it show a track line? Also on the Map page Track, it shows the same Trip Time, but it only shows 4.8 miles. Neither the device, nor the Map page Track data show how many feet I climbed. Shouldn't it do that?

I tried looking in the manual for answers to these question. I've been an IT professional for more than 20 years and I've worked with tons of documentation, plus written my own. I find the Garmin manuals to be worthless.

0 twolpert over 3 years ago

So, max speed was probably influenced by a multi-path excursion. The unit uses range data from multiple satellites. In some cases, especially near bluffs or in “urban canyons”, signals sometimes reflect off of nearby surfaces. The unit sees the original signal and the reflection. It does it’s best to determine which is real and use that one. However, if it switches back and forth between the real one and the reflection, the computed position changes suddenly. This results in what looks like a very fast move from one place to another.

These days, failure to see the track on the web site is almost always due to confusion over collections. You must make sure that the device has an assigned active collection. And that the active collection is visible on the web site. Also, make sure that the user is visible. If necessary, toggle the +/- symbol next to the blue triangular symbol that shows your last known position on the map.

The discrepancy in distance is because (until you sync via the paired mobile app), the web site only knows about the “sent” points - the ones that were transmitted via satellite. These are recorded at much wider intervals than the “logged” points. The logged points only reach the web site when you sync. At that point, the two tracks will be merged on the site and the stats will match.