GPX Versions 1.1 vs 1.2 for Garmin Visually Explained

[Carl Lee]

I can answer about 1.2 and Tread. 1.2 is an MRA invention which I used almost exclusively on my previous, non-XT Zumo and it's very good to easily keep your route the same as your track. Zumos recognise it and plot the routes but Tread doesn't. If you allow Trad to sync with a 1.2 route, it will almost certainly change it to follow its own settings/algorithms.
With any Zumo using a 1.2 route, you must turn off auto-recalculate - otherwise it will! You may well end up with a totally different route between your via points. Also, you will not be redirected back onto your route should you deviate from it.
The XT2 & 3 will accept 1.2 but only via cable transfer. If you have deleted Explore from Tread by resetting, you will not be able to transfer a route wirelessly other than via an SD card.
My answer to all these problems, and I realise others have not had the same success, is to use 1.1 (route, track POI) with plenty of shaping points to pin the Zumo/Tread calculated route to my track. Once I've planned my route on MRA, I export it into Tread to see if the route and track coincide. If not, I can add another shaping point where necessary and look again. Sounds a bit of a faff but it's really quite quick and easy once you've done it a few times.
With 1.1, you can leave auto-recalculate switched on and you will be redirected back to your route if you wander for any reason, including road closures but that's another subject.
I really like being able to plan on MRA when away and transfer to the Zumo so Tread is my preferred option. If in a hurry, just using an MRA track works well too.
A long way of saying Tread and 1.2 don't play together.

[Steve Jarrell]

@Will-Brooks YES, exactly!

If you don't turn on data synching when you first setup the X3 features 1 and 2 still work just fine. These features rely on the bluetooth connection with your phone, not the data synching link with Garmin Explore.

Don't establish a bluetooth connection manually between your phone and the X3. When you pair your Tread app with your X3 it will ask you if you want to establish the bluetooth connection. When you proceed the Tread app will pair your XT with your phone via bluetooth.

In your phone's bluetooth settings you will then see a connection to your X3 just as if you would have manually connected them without the Tread app, however since the Tread app initiated the connection it can send the verbal instructions from the X3 to whatever bluetooth headset that your phone is using, and it can enable your XT3 to get traffic and weather information as well.

I have a Cardo unit in my helmet connected to my iPhone directly. It is not directly connected to my XT3 and it works just as if it was. I was also pleasantly surprised during testing the if I use my Apple AirPods they work perfectly as well even though they're not paired with my XT3. The ONLY bluetooth connection to my XT from my phone is the one that the Tread app set up.

The bluetooth connection in the phone looks just like any other bluetooth connection, but since it was initiated by the Tread app somehow the app can reroute the XT3's voice output to the phone's connected headset, and also use the phones data for the XT3's weather and traffic. AWESOME FEATURES!

[Steve Jarrell]

@Lenny-O You are 100% correct.

[OkayJim]

@Carl-Lee
Hi, I have an XT2 and cannot figure out how to turn off auto-recalculate off? Can you let me know how to turn off auto-recalculate, please?

[Reinhard-32]

Have you read the manual page 47?
https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/GUID-7E13E879-D2C7-4B0C-9E63-CD693B2E7042/EN-US/zumo_XT2_OM_EN-US.pdf

[Steve Jarrell]

@OkayJim

As @reinhard-32 said, this is from page 47 of the XT2 manual. My XT3 is a lttle different, but this is from the .pdf manual downloaded from Garmin's site.

[OkayJim]

Thank you Steve. I did eventually figure this out. I thought there was a different setting used during import of files.

[Steve Jarrell]

@OkayJim You're very welcome. I'm glad that you figured it out!

[Papasmurf2]

So, with a Zumo 595, if I export as 1.2, do I import as a track ??

[Steve Jarrell]

@Papasmurf2 No. Import it as a route if you want your 595 to create a route from it. You can import both the route and the track if you wish.

The 1.2 .gpx format embeds the track information in the route information of the file. This embedded track information within the route forces the Garmin to create the route exactly like you intended when it imports the 1.2 .gpx file.

The track itself is also included in a separate section of the .gpx file so you can import the track as well as the route.

In other words, the 1.2 .gpx files contains two copies of the track. One is embedded within the route information section, and another copy is in a separate track section. When you use the "Save As" feature from within MRA you'll see that the file contains the route (with embedded track information), the track itself and the POI information.

To illustrate this, I created a VERY simple route with just the starting point, one shaping point and the finish point. You can view my route here in MRA.

Here's a copy of that simple route saved as a 1.2 .gpx file. You can download it and then view it with any text editor. I also created a .pdf file to clearly show the various sections that you can view here from the .gpx file.

You'll see in my example .pdf file that the green section is the Header, the yellow section is the actual route with the embedded track which forces the Garmin to follow the exact path that you intended, and the blue section is the actual track that can also be imported.

I hope this helps!