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520 and ANT+ FE-C indoor trainer

Former Member over 8 years ago

here are my situation

Right now i have Elite Qubo digital trainer but only ANT+, with this set up trainer can not communicate with 520, Zwift and similar application. Trainer is controlled by small unit on the handlebar ( wireless comunication unit-trainer )
I have possibility to upgrade firmware on trainer and after that trainer will be ANT+ and FE-C ( but NOT B+ ), in this case trainer can communicate with 520. Unfortunately i will loose wireless control unit for classic use.
So I will loose classic control unit but without possibility to try 520-trainer before upgrade.
There is lot information about this on Garmin web site but few infos are missing to myself.

here are c/p
Select Follow a Course to follow a saved course (Courses).
Select Follow an Activity to follow a saved ride (Going for a Ride).
Select Follow a Workout to follow a power-based workout downloaded from your Garmin Connect

account (Workouts).

and there is manually possibility to setting resistance or target power via 520

my question is
can I adjust for example trainer resistance during one workout or saved course....

0 teissonj over 8 years ago

I am not quite sure that upgrade your HT to ANT FE-C will overcome your 'old' ANT+ communication between your Home trainer and the monitor. As Tacx HT, Elite HT uses a proprietary ANT+ scheme (encoding). Normally this ANT+ protocol should remain in any case? or if it is overcame by the ANT FE-C upgrade, at least with a factory reset you should be able to have your monitor or resistance brake Firmware back to original.

However once upgraded to ANT FE-C it gives some new capabilities to the HT : generally the first one is to be recognized as home trainer from the EDGE 520; the second to broadcast power, speed, etc has given by the HT under the ANT FE-C: but it does not mean that your able to fully control the resistance of the HT from the EDGE 520. It depends of level of implementation of command control above the ANT FE-C protocol in the monitor (Command control that you will find on Trainerroad, Zwift, Kinomap, etc.. applications).

0 Former Member over 8 years ago

Elite claim that after upgrade to ANT+ FE-C old control unit will stop working.
I am scared to upgrade right now because I do not have this days something like ANT+ smartphone or smartphone/tablet with ANT+ adapter. Right now 520 is only ANT+ "control unit" so I am looking for possibility to use HT like ordinary HT.
I will email them and ask about possible downgrade once when update is done.

0 kjj1978 over 8 years ago

You can change the resistance level or target power from within an activity, I'm not sure if you can from a pre-defined workout, or if you are following a course. I will try this out later and report back, I would be very surprised if you couldn't.

0 Former Member over 8 years ago

can you please try another one option

can you control HT without workout, activity.... just use 520 as control unit for HT

i also speak with ELITE, it is not possible do downgrade HT

0 kjj1978 over 8 years ago

You have to be in an activity, you don't have to be recording it. For example, when you select the indoor trainer option from the training menu, you are presented with the 5 options you listed in your original post. Now I only use set target power or set resistance, and when you choose one of these options it asks you to select an activity profile. For this I select Indoor as this disables GPS by default and has all the screens I have customised for the turbo trainer. At this point you can use the menu key to change the resistance level or target power as you wish, you don't have to start recording and all data fields that don't require the activity to be recording will display on screen such as power and speed etc.

I don't think you will be losing any functionality that you currently have, I will however state that there are 10 resistance levels to select from, and these vary a lot from trainer to trainer.