Inadequate manual (or a bug) for Heading Settings (Garmin rep please confirm)

Hello fellow sport enthusiasts :)

I have a real trouble using Instinct for the purpose it was created - outdoorsy sports. I am a trail runner who sometimes go off-trails - I chart my course using web Connect and then follow it during runs.

I don't understand the first thing about the navigation -  what does the arrow actually point at. Trust me when I say that I put lots of effort into figuring it out and I still do not.

  1. I see NO change in arrow behaviour when I change Heading Settings from course to bearing. Does anyone does notice a difference? Maybe there is a bug in the software?
  2. Does the arrow point at the very destination/finish of the course or just some nearest waypoint? I feel like it is the waypoint (and not even marked waypoints but just some point on the course) but sometimes it's so much off that I don't know. Also manual seems to say it is the end destination, so I'm confused.
  3. Course and bearing values seem to work opposite to what manual says when I compare it with actual readings from the map (I compare with bearing taken with an offline map).

Can anyone help me figure it out? Maybe some Garmin rep, please? And maybe an update to manual would be useful - more people would be able to take advantage.

  • Sorry.  As far as I know, no complete, definite answer has been presented here, on this forum. The manual is terribly vague, and I never saw a battery of tests clearing up the matter sufficiently. I often though of doing some systematic testing myself to satisfy my curiosity, but never got to do it. What I think I know is limited, and possibly wrong. In any case, there are a few threads on this forum concerning course/bearing navigation that you might want to consult. Best of luck.