Related
Options

navigation: incorrect course path when using "do course in reverse"

Laseroscar666
over 3 years ago

There is a bug in the navigation / courses feature in Fenix, that i have experienced with several different units.

If you make a course/route for navigation e.g. during you run and you choose "Do course in reverse" you path will not be entirely accurate. Instead the course will be straightened out between course points, potentially sending you through mountains, swamps, or buildings etc. The only workaround is to always choose the normal "Do Course" feature and follow the path backwards or to draw the course in the other direction and save a s a copy.

The entire course will not be wrong, but after a while it stops being accurate. The image below is showing km 25-30 in a 50k course: left is course as drawn in Garmin Connect, middle is how the course loads in normal mode (correct) and right side shows how course loads when using "Do Course in Reverse". I experienced this with several courses and it took a while to figure out in which exact context this problem occurs. NB the course is well within the limit of the maximum allowed course points.

This should be easy to bug fix?

  • 0 over 3 years ago

    Hi Laseroscar.

    I suffered the same problem this last weekend. I'm still learning the features Fenix 6 Pro offers, and I tried for the first time the navigation using a course. At first I started the course as it was loaded (I didn't know it was backwards by the way) and when I saw the indications sending me backwards I realized it was wrong.

    Then I selected the do course in reverse and apart from the behaviour you described (it took me time, checking later the track on Garmin Connect), what I noticed is that I lost the indications. Did you also experimented that?? For me I only saw the distance to the finish, but no more indications of distance until next turn or so....

    Maybe we would need to contact support directly.

    EDIT: I have emailed them describing the issue and pointing out to this thread. Hopefully we will have good news soon :-)

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to Vidda777

    Hi Vidda,

    thanks for you reply and helping pushing this to support. I also contacted them and sent them the link.

    bR Oscar

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to Vidda777

    It is quite expected that turn indicators don't work when doing a course in reverse. The way that works is that those turn indicators are actually waypoints (course points) inserted into the course by Garmin Connect at the time of uploading the course to the watch. As such, turn directions are direction specific and not reversible. I wonder if user defined waypoints would also not work when doing a course in reverse.

    Also see this thread:

     forums.garmin.com/.../do-course-in-reverse-navigation

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to silentvoyager

    Thanks !! I think I missed that thread, although I read other ones. Nah, seems the cause for this relies on the implementation Garmin did for navigating. For me, as an user and software developer, is a poor solution as only work in the "happy path" it was designed. But I also know that sometimes "is the only way" due to costs, legacy code, etc... At least there is a workaround :) that is a bit annoying for the user (have to double check the tracks you have and how you're going to run on it).

    Anyway, the main issue mention is more painful... Is more or less making the track unusable at certain points. I can say that, as I had to go back home in the middle of the route because I wasn't sure where to go (and I didn't want to do too much exploring). The track was straight during too much distance where it should have been precise.

    Maybe the cause of this ^^^ is related of how navigation draws the track using waypoints or so... But in this case I would really complain to Garmin. I think that issue is a major one as your track becomes unusable, is not that indications do not work.

    I still have no answer from Garmin. No idea if they usually reply to all support emails.

    Regards

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to Vidda777

    Any luck on getting a reply? I have my fenix 7 a few weeks and I noticed this behaviour yesterday. Track went completely unusable, sending me litterly through the fields and bushes.. instead of following the road that just was slightly bending off.

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to j3reun

    Hi! I raised it to Garmin and they escalated it to the technicians. I also informed it is the same on my F7X as on the F6 I used when reporting the issue. No news yet. 

  • 0 over 3 years ago

    Any plans to fix this? I create a route, pull it into my Garmin Connect on the web, and then sync to the watch. Following the route from point A to B is perfect. When I'm at B and I want to get back to A, I pick the route again and tell it to follow it in reverse. Then it renders as the photos above, completely useless. Thanks.

  • 0 over 3 years ago

    Hi Garmin,
    any update on this bug? It ruined my trip yesterday as I departed unaware how poor the course is when you want to make it backwards. Only at home I realized that it is due to the reversed direction as the course is drawn perfectly when done from start to end.

    Quatix 6 - Software Version 21.80 (f4a6ea9)

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to j3reun

    Can confirm this issue exists in Fenix 7 software too. I tried navigating a course in reverse while trail running, and honestly that was a horrible experience. That was almost worse than not navigating at all. 

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to silentvoyager

    Another Fenix 7 here, was totally confused when i did a cycle course in reverse,

    one can do it in a balloon i guess.

    It is a poor workaround but for now i duplicate the track in gamin connect and reverse it there, have to load 2 tracks instead of one to the watch...

    Its really a shame that this problem is being ignored for so long.