Changes

** '''Compass'''. A magnetic compass can help you orient yourself or the map. Without a magnetic compass you have to be moving for the GPS to give you a sense of direction.

* '''What's my cadence? '''[[Cadence]]''' '''is one of the most critical and often overlooked aspects of running. If you get your Cadence right, many other things naturally fall into place. Not only does the Epix get [[Cadence]] from a [[Footpod]], it will also get it from the Garmin Run Heart Rate monitor. There is also support for Cadence from the internal accelerometer, though I find that's not as accurate. The Cadence alerts are especially useful for keeping you on track.

=GPS Accuracy=

The [[GPS Accuracy]] for the Epix is poor at best; while it's not the worst I've seen, it's close to the bottom of the pile. Determining if it's acceptable for your running will depend on your usage.

* The Epix can give a reasonable estimate of how far you've run but the errors can add up. The amount of error depends on your route; in straight lines the Epix is okay, though even then it's worse than most other devices. However, on a twisty course it is out by around 0.75 mile on a 20 mile run. That's enough to mess up your marathon training. This translates to errors on your average pace.

* The Epix supports both GLONASS and WASS, but I have not gathered sufficient data to know if they will help accuracy (initial testing suggests not.)

If you want better [[GPS Accuracy]] than the Epix, then the [[Polar V800]] is by far the best I've tested, though the [[Suunto Ambit3]] is close and a better all-round running watch. For more details on GPS accuracy, see the section "GPS Accuracy Analysis" below.

=Downloading Maps=

This is the easiest way to download maps I've found so far.

* I select "Routable Bicycle" which seems to work well.

* Choose the location; in the US, select the state you want under "North America" drop down.

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|[[File:BridgeGarmin Epix.jpg|none|thumb|x300px| You can see the Epix sometimes does okay under the bridge and at other times struggles. It does particularly badly on the twisty section, cutting the corners. It does better, but still not great, with the sharp turn seen on the right side of the diagram. You can see the Epix occasionally having more significant problems, but most of the time the accuracy is merely poor. (This diagram has tracks color coded with green indicating good accuracy through to read indicating poor accuracy, and the lap markers as blue dots.)]]

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|[[File:AccuracyGarmin Epix.jpg|none|thumb|x300px| This close up section of a zigzag shows the problems the Epix has tracking the course. There is poor alignment between the tracks and the change in direction of the course, and the lap markers are widely spaced. (This diagram has tracks color coded with green indicating good accuracy through to read indicating poor accuracy, and the lap markers as blue dots.)]]

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|[[File:ZigZagGarmin Epix.jpg|none|thumb|x300px| Here the Epix does not display the typical GPS behavior of having the tracks that have the green lines shifted slightly down and to the left, blue up and to the right. The errors with the Epix seem more random and diffuse, thought the lap markers are offset, with the blue and green clustered separately. (This image has the tracks color-coded for direction, with green coming from the right, blue from the left.)]]

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=Comparison Table=

{{:Best Running Watch-table}}