XXLHardrock

I picked up a very inexpensive and barely used eTrex 30x recently and after buying a very pricy Apple USB3 Camera to Lightning adapter, have successfully transferred GPX files to it from my iPhone.

I haven’t found much on line about doing this, except for one thread on the AdvRider forum.

I was put off the eTrex a few years ago because I couldn’t run it off my iPhone. But now I can. Anyone else done this?


On a related subject....I’ve loaded a few permanents from my local rando club and the routes run within a few blocks of my house. Will the eTrex routing navigate me correctly if I join the route midway? ( the weather is such that I can’t test it out myself currently)

Tourist in MSN

I am not familiar with the Etrex, I use a Garmin 64.

When I load a track (not a route) into it from a GPX file, it plots a purple track on the map screen. I can zoom in and out and see where to turn to stay on that purple line. The brevets I have done, on average I miss one turn each time, When I look at the map and I no longer see that my position is on the purple line, then I know it is time to turn around because I missed a turn. Where roads are close together, such as in a community, I sometimes have to zoom in to a very small area to make sure I take the correct turn. Out in rural areas I have the map zoomed out to cover much larger area.

I can also load a route into it, but I prefer to use the track. Route give me a beep each time I approach a point on the route.

I only transfer files to and from my GPS from my laptop, I do not try to use my phone for that purpose.

kingston 

I used an etrex20x for many years as my main brevet navigation before I got a bolt last season, and I still carry it as a back-up now that our club uses e-proof-of-passage. The etrex doesn't navigate you. It just shows a line on the map, so you can start and finish wherever you want or not follow the line at all. The etrex doesn't care, but it won't tell you when to turn so you may miss a few if you're not paying attention.

I also use a computer to transfer files to the etrex. The only reason I can think of to use a phone is if you didn't have a computer, which I do, so I have never considered using a phone. You may also need a computer to update the maps with OSM. I use OpenMapChest and have no idea whether or not there is a bittorrent client for an iphone.

fishboat

Take a look at this:

https://ridewithgps.com/help/garmin-etrex

I use an etrex20, seems to work fine..couple times I've needed it.

I also use a laptop or desktop to create and manage maps/files.. I don't like doing real work on a phone..

XXLHardrock

I’m a long haul trucker and I can do everything related to my business and personal life with my iPhone, so being able to run the eTrex as well is really handy. Either the road bike or MTB comes along on every trip and I find myself riding in completely unfamiliar areas at times. RWGPS helps a great deal.

mibike

I have both. For a track they work the same. For a route if you want to take time to set it up the 64 is a lot better. I wouldn't use an etrex for a route.

Tourist in MSN

When I put a route together, I do it in Mapsource, a discontinued (vintage) Garmin program that runs on my Windows computer. Then transfer that to my Garmin. I do not try to create a route in my Garmin 64.

I assume that the way I do it, using either the Garmin Etrex or the Garmin 64 would be about the same process once it is created and loaded.

mibike

Yes as long as you are using a track it's the same for both.

I use RideWithGPS to create it I can then send it to the Etrex or 64 as a gpx track file or to my Garmin Edge Explore as a fit file. It can also use a tcx file or a gpx track file. I find RWGPS easier to use than the Garmin programs. Also a lot of the organized rides and brevets supply links to RWGPS files.

I have used gpx route files in the 64. I like the way they navigates better than with a track file. It gives me things like distance to the next turn. To do that you need to use Garmin Basecamp also a discontinued program or Mapsource. Basecamp or Mapsource need to have the same map with the same revision date as the map on the 64. You then need to set the 64 not to auto recalculate the route. This won't work with an Etrex as there is no way to turn off auto recalculate.