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Feature Request: Downloading Routes/gpx files during activity

Le_paulo
over 4 years ago

This has been a long bug-bear of mine for all the Garmin Edge devices I've owned. I just upgraded to the 830 this weekend and was looking forward to seeing this issue finally put to rest, but no!

I love Dynamic Watch app which sits under the IQ apps and we still can't run IQ apps once an activity has started after all these years. But I'm not fussy - I'd be happy to be able to load a new online route any which way without having to cancel the current activity. I know I can stop, download and start a new activity and then join the fit files at home but that's a very clunky solution.

I noticed that Trailforks is now integrated into the front-end of the device and can load cloud-based routes on the fly - is it simply a matter of integrating Garmin Connect or Strava or Dynamic Watch or... (basically I'll take any option) via firmware update? If so, please Garmin - please add this feature for all of us who use our Edges out in the wild. As long as I can import a gpx file on-the-fly, I'll be a very happy camper.

Other than that, the 830 is pretty schmick!

  • 0 over 4 years ago

    I implemented a Widget for that use case that is able to be executed when an activity is running to update navigation data (waypoints/locations, courses, segments) from a gpx file, google maps or OSMand+.

    IQ Map Receiver Widget (Waypoints and Tracks)

     www.google.com/url

    The companion app is running on Android.

  • 0 over 4 years ago

    Also try the GRouteLoader Widget. It can download from multiple sources directly via your GCM on your phone ie RideWithGPS, Garmin Connect & SendPoints. It can also interact with the GExporter Android app to load courses already on your phone

    GRouteLoader

    GExporter

  • 0 over 4 years ago in reply to schlupp73

    Thanks for this suggestion - unfortunately, I have iPhone only.

  • 0 over 4 years ago in reply to hotdogpartysausage

    Thanks  - I've installed this one and will test it over the next few weeks.

  • 0 over 4 years ago

    Maybe I don't understand, but this is what I normally do - I download gpx file on a phone, open it in GCM app, click on send to Device, select Edge 830, then sync it and voila - it's there to choose, even when I already run an activity.

  • 0 over 4 years ago in reply to Petucky

    True this will work. However if your course is a tcx & contains course points you loose them on import. Also sometimes I've known GCM to change the course on import.

    More importantly however you can't import a course etc from GCM whilst running an activity. With the widgets above you can import a course, poi, waypoint etc whilst running an activity. Also if the course etc is already on your phone you can do it without internet connectivity

    As a example; say you were on a ride and looking for a cafe. You could search for one in google maps, share it with IQMapReceiver, which creates a fit file containing the location. 

    Then you can use the IQMapReceiver or widget on the edge to import the location fit file & use the edge to navigate to the cafe. All without stopping the timer. I've used it loads of times & works really well.

    It can also be imported using the GRouteLoader widget, though is a little more complicated, but does work very well too

  • 0 over 4 years ago in reply to hotdogpartysausage

    OK, I've tried the various widgets. Unfortunately, it's not so simple for iOS users: I need to

    1. Create and download GPX onto phone

    2. Upload gpx to Garmin Connect (while praying that GC works).

    3. Go into route on GC app and edit route to make sure it's public and find the route number (using share as - SMS)

    4. Go back to device, punch in route number into IQMapReceiver widget and download gpx onto the Edge (if the devs are reading this - I'm sure there's a good reason for the quirky number scroller but a keypad for typing the numbers would be great!)

    5. Go to courses, find course and load it.

    6. Ride.

    I also can't just quicklly send a location from my iPhone to the Edge as Android users probably can although that would be awesome.

    So it's a bit of a fudge but I'll take it for now. Thanks for the great suggestions everyone!

  • +1 over 4 years ago

    Le_paulo, we (https://dynamic.watch that is) have an unreleased beta widget version of routeCourse available for Premium users, so please contact us at [email protected] if you would like to try it.  This lets you change your route mid-ride, and the downloaded route is just like a normal routeCourse-downloaded route, supporting all the normal dynamicWatch import sources and file types (including TCX).

  • 0 over 4 years ago in reply to mappicus

    I can validate this works perfectly Ok hand

  • 0 over 4 years ago in reply to mappicus

    Wow! I was one of your first paid subscribers years ago and became a lifetime subscriber this year so this is great news! Will be in touch. Slight smile