15) TripManager and Explore

Personally I have never used Explore together with the XT, except for some basic testing. Since I wanted to know how Explore works together with TripManager I connected my XT to Explore and tested the basics.

The results were actually quite qood. Although the normal Explore quirks still remain.

· All Explore functionality keeps working.

· Automatic syncing is appealing. Especially using 3rd party tools like Kurviger or MRA.

· Using collections you can/must select which tracks to show on the map.

· Additionally using TripManager you can:

· Send trips directly, from a GPX. By passing the need to ‘Convert a Track to a Trip’. The trips are not synced back to Explore.

· These will not get synced to the Explore Website. Not desirable, because the Sync keeps trying.

· The limit seems to apply to the Points in a GPX, not to the limit of individual tracks.

· Sometimes, with large tracks, the sync seems to stall.

1.If you have GPX with only a track. Way points optional.

· Import the track/way points in the Explore Website.

· On the XT ‘Convert the track to a trip’

· Use Send to, only Check tracks/way points.

· On the XT ‘Convert the track to a trip’.

· The track/way points will be synced to Explore, the Trips not.

1.If you have GPX with a route. Tracks/way points optional.

· Create a track from the route, using BaseCamp, or have MRA create a track.

· Import the track/way points in the Explore Website.

· On the XT ‘Convert the track to a trip’.

· Use Send to, Check Trips. Optionally tracks/way points.

· The trip will be available on the XT, no import needed, fixed for RUT.

· The track/way points will be synced to Explore, the Trips not.

Some very disappointing things when using Explore.

· There is a hard limit of 10000 track points. More will not sync.

· The tracklogs lose the time, only the coordinates are kept.

· When you connect/disconnect to/from Explore be prepared that you lose your waypoints, tracks etc. Back them up before trying.

· Support for routes is so minimal, that you could say it is not available at all.

· In the Explore website you only see straight lines.

· When synced to the Zumo, all Via/Shaping points are lost.

To break the connection with Explore this is the method I used.

· Uninstall the Garmin Drive App. (I have an Android)

· On the XT Reset the Explore DB, by opening the Hidden developer menu.

· Hold the (almost) Circle on top for approx. 10 secs.

· Select ‘Developer Tests and Tools’

· Scroll down to ‘Reset Explore Database’ and click that.

· Hold the power button until the device asks you to ‘Turn off the Device’ and click ‘Off’

· After rebooting the XT, Install the Garmin Drive App again. But DON’T enable Garmin Explore.