Explore app - courses, routes, tracks…

Daworp said:

Can you see all points, names and distance to points, or just first (and last) one?

Good question.  I hadn't tested out the latest features in Explore (typically use Plotaroute) to look at the waypoint/nav data fields.  So I setup a course with course points to test out our question.  I was disappointed to discover that the point names, time to next, distance to next don't work as I would have expected.

Data page setup:

Course with 5 points (begin=hike icon, wp2=2 icon, wp3=3 icon, wp4=4 icon, and finish="R" icon:

I started a Hike activity (from my watch, not Explore) and started Navigation of the course downloaded to the watch with Explore.  The entire hike, the Next Waypoint field showed the first point name.  The Time to Next and Distance to Next calculated my time and distance to the end of the course.

Makes sense, but I would think that it’s the other way around though… (just going by the words). But thanks  

Okay, so looking at the icons it seems to be the way you’re saying. 
I upgraded to 20.30 and now Courses and Tracks are being synced from Explore app, but not Routes though…. 

For me next waypoint just always showed the first waypoint and never changed whatever I did.

I tried all 3 options, course, route and track. On track just showed the path on map, the another two showed the waypoints on the map.

Well I can only sync Courses and Tracks… not Routes (Explore app terminology). On map I see no difference between Course and Track. Route however creates straight line between waypoints (like icon shows). In practice I don’t know the differences between the 3. And as I said, Routes aren’t being synced to watch….

Strange that routes are not synced. Was it the same on 19.20? Are the routes in the same collection as the Tracks? Are you sure the watch synced after you created the route? Are the names of the route and track different? (Garmin sometimes has problems when two items have the same name)

But maybe it is not such a big problem. I don't see anything a route can do that a course can't, so you might be okay just using courses instead . 

Well, it was the same on 19.x apart from not being able to sync Courses as well. Had to copy those as Tracks. On Explore on the web Courses are called Routes (or they are Routes? - again, what’s the difference?) and they will sync as Routes -or into Routes “folder” on the Explore app and then sync to Courses on watch. 
If I create a Route on Explore app (create Course and then copy as Route) it will not sync to watch, but it will sync to Explore on web. But can never be synced to watch, unless you convert to Track on Explore on web.
Anyways, it may not matter at all, I just hate not knowing the difference - and the inconsistencies. But hey, that’s Garmin… software amateurs. I hope they don’t lend out Outdoor division staff to their Aviation division  

Hawk said:

On Explore on the web Courses are called Routes (or they are Routes? - again, what’s the difference?)

Matthias offered the Garmin Support link: Routes & Tracks in the 1st response in this thread that describes the definitions that traditionally had pertained to the Handhelds (e.g. GPSMap).    I have experience with my GPSMap64 handheld and Garmin watches (Instinct & fenix) all of which sync with Explore.  My GPSMap can navigate both tracks and routes (as defined in the link above).  So I can only offer that the routes in Explore are legacy for older handhelds.  An updated Explore App help/user guide would certainly be helpful.

Dan.Boilermaker said:

The entire hike, the Next Waypoint field showed the first point name.  The Time to Next and Distance to Next calculated my time and distance to the end of the course.

After a while I decided to test Garmin Explore again. Explore seems to have fixed the bug on showing next waypoint. Next waypoints, distance to next waypoint (created as a part of course in Explore) and ETE are now displayed correctly in watch (fenix 6) during navigation. It´s still doesn´t seem possible to show turn-by-turn directions separatly from waypoints. For my needs Explore became usable and useful addition to Plot-A-Route. The weakest link at the moment are the maps. 

Daworp said:

It´s still doesn´t seem possible to show turn-by-turn directions separatly from waypoints.

I wouldn’t expect that to change any time soon. The FIT file format (and the TCX before that) use the same message type for turns and waypoints. It would be possible to introduce a new message for turns only to separate them, but at the risk of back compatibility issues for devices not supporting it. It’d be possible to make a watch show the next waypoint that isn’t just a turn with the current messages but I’m not holding my breath for that one either. Shame, it would be a really useful feature.