Garmin duplicates activities between watch and cycle computer

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Dadam

Senior Member
Location
SW Leeds
I've had a Garmin watch (Vivoactive 3) for 3 years which I've used to record my rides
In Black Friday I bought an Edge 530 cycle computer. I wasn't intending to use it to record but the profiles you use to display data on a ride assume you'll be recording and when you're moving they nag you to start the activity. So, unsurprisingly it ends up with 2 simultaneous activities in Garmin Connect, and hence in Strava. The one from the watch has the HR data, and that's the one I want to keep.

Clearly I can choose not to save the ride from the 530, or delete if it's saved but it's a pain, and with deleting there's always the risk of deleting the wrong one! It would be better if I could just use the 530 to record because it seems more accurate on data like the elevation, and it could grab the HR data from the watch. Garmin Connect on my phone is aware of both devices so this should be possible. I naively assumed the Garmin software would just sort it out itself.

Anybody solved this issue?
 

Milkfloat

An Peanut
Location
Midlands
Don't record the activity on the watch - just use HR broadcast from the watch to the 530.
 

Psamathe

Active Member
I don't know about Garmin watches or HR sensors but one nice thing about setting my Garmin to "Start" on the GPS unit is the trip functions on the display (av. speed, duration, ascent/descent, etc.) - effectively "cycle computer" functions plus a bit. I don't do Strava segments of anything. But when "Stopping" the ride you do get the option to discard.

Ian
 

Milkfloat

An Peanut
Location
Midlands
OP
OP
D

Dadam

Senior Member
Location
SW Leeds

Broadcasting Heart Rate to Garmin Devices​

You can broadcast your heart rate data from your vívoactive® 3 device and view it on paired Garmin® devices. For example, you can broadcast your heart rate data to an Edge® device while cycling, or to a VIRB® action camera during an activity.
NOTE: Broadcasting heart rate data decreases battery life.
  1. Hold the touchscreen.
  2. Select Settings > Sensors & Accessories > Heart Rate.
  3. Select an option:
    • Select Broadcast In Activity to broadcast heart rate data during timed activities (Starting an Activity).
    • Select Broadcast to start broadcasting heart rate data now.
  4. Pair your vívoactive 3 device with your Garmin ANT‍+® compatible device.
    NOTE: The pairing instructions differ for each Garmin compatible device. See your owner's manual.


Thanks. Looks like the broadcast is either on all the time with loads of warnings that it will deplete battery life, or during activity. If it can detect an activity has started on the 530 then great. Otherwise meh as the battery life now is about 2/3 what it was when new.

I'll give it a go
 

si_c

Guru
Location
Wirral
Thanks. Looks like the broadcast is either on all the time with loads of warnings that it will deplete battery life, or during activity. If it can detect an activity has started on the 530 then great. Otherwise meh as the battery life now is about 2/3 what it was when new.

I'll give it a go

I have the Forerunner 35 as a fitness tracker, there is an option to turn on/off HR broadcasting which I use when I am using the bike computer. Most of the time I use an HR strap though as they are more comfortable, in terms of accuracy, the watch responds slower than an HR strap to changes in HR and doesn't have the granularity, but as I only use it indicatively I'm not too worried if the average is a couple of BPM off over a ride.
 
OP
OP
D

Dadam

Senior Member
Location
SW Leeds
Thanks. Looks like the broadcast is either on all the time with loads of warnings that it will deplete battery life, or during activity. If it can detect an activity has started on the 530 then great. Otherwise meh as the battery life now is about 2/3 what it was when new.

I'll give it a go

To close the loop on this I added the watch to the 530 as a sensor and have done a few rides with it broadcasting. I have to go into the menu. Long press on the watch face --> Settings --> Sensors and Accessories --> Heart Rate --> Broadcast --> tap to get rid of battery warning -- > tap on green tick

Then again to turn it off after the ride. But it works really well and recording rides on the watch was a faff too as it often took a few mins to get a GPS fix and after the ride making sure it saved could be hit and miss, sometimes accidentally not saving the data so losing it. It's much easier with the broadcast. I can turn it on in the house before I get the bike out and off after it's put away and saving the ride on the 530 is a couple of presses while putting the bike away.
 

T4tomo

Guru
Do you really feel a need to record and keep for prosperity your heart rate data for every ride anyway?

Its useful to have an idea as you ride if pacing a long effort or big climb (although you can tell how you feel in any event) but I suggest bags of stored historical data has little use.

I'd save you watch battery by not broad casting it, and glance at it occasionally if you think your going too far into the red.
 
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