Garmin/Mapsource Transfer problem

[markgoodrich]

I made a route to Torrey one one computer, successfully loaded it into my Garmin device. Have another computer I'll take on the trip. Have loaded both Mapsource 6.13.7 and the laterst version on the new computer. When I transfer the route FROM the device to the new computer, the route is there, but is essentially a series of straight lines between via points. I've confirmed that I'm using City Navigator as the base map set.

 

I'm sure it's operator error; what am I doing wrong? The route is correct in the device, following all the roads chosen.

 

As always, TIA.

[Matts_12GS]

did you recalculate the route on the new computer? It sounds like it is not using the autorouting features and is just showing the "connect the dots" part of the route.

[johnlt]

Make sure you are using the same map set and do a recalc.

[hopz]

I'm gonna bet you imported the route on the first transfer to the Garmin device, but you did not actually run it (load the route to the screen).

 

The Device does not actually calculate the route until you call it up. THEN it calculates. In fact you may end up with a slightly different route than the one you carefully planned because the device may have slightly different calculating rules. That is why I always look at a route after I move it from Mapsource to the unit- just to be sure.

 

In fact the first time I updated my maps after a new map was issued, all the old routes were just straight lines.

 

Try starting the route and see what happens.

 

+1 on the recalc.

[smiller]

The Device does not actually calculate the route until you call it up. THEN it calculates. In fact you may end up with a slightly different route than the one you carefully planned because the device may have slightly different calculating rules.

The route is calculated before it is sent to the unit and is recalculated by the unit only if you have the unit set for automatic recalculation. If you prefer to have the route exactly as it appeared in Mapsource and not worry about whether the unit may calculate it a bit differently just turn off automatic recalculation in the unit. (However if you change or modify anything while enroute then the unit will recalculate, of course.)

 

This is true if, as noted in previous posts, the map databases used by Mapsource and the GPS unit are identical (i.e. the same year versions of City Navigator)... that is a mandatory condition for transferring routes made on the computer to the unit if you want it to display properly.

 

Mark, one thing to check on the new computer if you have verified that both it and the GPS are using the same version of City Navigator... in Mapsource under Preferences -> Routing there is a setting to select either 'Use Auto-Routing' or 'Use Direct Route.' You might want to check that this is set correctly.

[markgoodrich]

Thanks, all, I had no idea I had to recalculate the route. All is well now.

[marcopolo]

In future you might find it easier to move routes from one computer to another by just copying them onto a thumb drive and using that to move them, rather than using the GPS in an intermediary step. I'm assuming both computers are physically near one another. The other thing I do from time to time is simply attach the GPS route file(e), or folder, to an e-mail and send it to myself. You then just open the file, or folder, on the second computer and save it/them there. There's really no need to use the GPS in the transfer process. And as you already know, to work properly on the GPS, the PCs and GPS have to have the same mapset loaded.

[markgoodrich]

Good ideas, Mark. I don't have a thumb drive, which is why I was using the device itself. emailing is a good idea.

 

I've been sitting at the computer for the last half hour trying to figure out how to convert the route to a google map format so i can email it to my daughter; I can download the gpsbabel software, convert from gdb to gpx or to kml (google earth), but not to google maps. I can't seem to figure out how to email the google earth "route." What's the simple solution to this? After reading about the unfortunate outcome of the Lolo pass thread, I figure it might be useful for someone to have my exact route.

 

 

[DavidEBSmith]

Try going to maps.google.com, click on "My Maps" (you need a Google account or a Gmail login), click on "Create New Map", then "Import" and select the KML file you want to import.

 

 

To email it, you have to save it in My Maps, then it gives you links to Send and Link.

 

 

The trick to get a route out of Google Maps: save it in My Maps. Find the link "View in Google Earth". Right click on the link and copy the link location. Go to a new browser window and paste the link in the address bar. In the address you'll find the text &output=nl&. Change this to &output=kml& and hit enter, and save the file to your computer. This creates a KML file that you can actually do something with.

 

Also, there are some conversion utilities at http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/ that might help.

[markgoodrich]

Perfect, thanks, David, did the trick. Long way to get there, but worked.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

[markgoodrich]

Perfect, thanks, David, did the trick. Long way to get there, but worked.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

 

Er, well, it sort of worked. The route is broken down into several sections in Google Maps. I can't open a map showing the entire route; have to move from one "map" to another...there are about nine different "maps" (scroll to the bottom), but they don't seem to be completely sequential. I'll see if I can add the link here:

 

http://tinyurl.com/njwwky

 

 

 

 

[DavidEBSmith]

Wow, that's messed up. Google Maps does have problems at some number of points, at when you reach that number, it gets hopelessly fouled up.

 

This is one I had to do in 3 pieces: http://tinyurl.com/kkqudz

 

This is one I was able to do in one piece: http://tinyurl.com/lhhqnn

 

What you might want to do is use the points you uploaded and just create a new route in Google Maps. If you go into My Maps, Edit mode, a drawing tool appears with a squiggly line. If you lick on the arrow on the right of the tool, one of the drop-down options is "Draw a line along roads". You can click the start and end points, then click then end point again. Then you can add intermediate points by clicking on the route, which puts a waypoint on the new route, and dragging and dropping it on one of your existing waypoints.

 

Also if you right click on the new route, it gives you the option Add a point, which allows you to add a waypoint. Another option is to turn on or off Snap to roads, which switches between auto-routing and point-to-point routing.

 

This is one I was able to put together that way: http://tinyurl.com/mb4h54

[DavidEBSmith]

Mmmm kay, now I understand what's going on. When you import a route from MapSource, it's importing every little turn in the road essentially as a waypoint in Google Maps. That overloads Google Maps and it tries to break it into lots of short segments. So here's a couple ways that might work:

 

1. Delete the route lines in Google Maps and make your own route using the line tool. I did that here: http://tinyurl.com/l4gzv5. It's something of a pain, as Google Maps won't let you click on the waypoints to create the line - you have to create the line, then drag the vertices of the line onto the waypoints. And, the alignment of the line and the waypoints changes as you zoom in and out, so you have to zoom way in to get the line to align with the points.

 

2. In MapSource, turn off auto-recalculation, then add and delete a waypoint, so you get a point-to-point straight-line route in MapSource. Export that to GPX, convert that to KML, import that into Google Maps, right-click on the line and turn on Snap to roads.

 

If you want to edit the route I did in #1, I turned on the Collaborate feature, but I don't see that it worked. If you save it to My Maps, it doesn't seem to want to let you edit it. So you would need to save it in My Maps (it goes to Maps Created by Others), save that to KML using the trick of changing in the URL "=nl" to "=kml", then create a new map and import that.

 

Simple.

[markgoodrich]

David, I give up, that's all too much trouble. Thanks for figuring it out, but the heck with it. Be a lot easier to go buy a couple of paper maps, spend two minutes with a highlighter, and then mail it to my daughter.

[hopz]

Mark... did you go to zumoforums.com and read the two top threads on this forum?

 

http://www.zumoforums.com/index.php?board=36.0

 

Maybe I will see you in Torrey - if there is a computer I might be able to break the code for you.

[SSchuckman]

The easiest way to overcome the "My Maps" limit in Google Maps is to place the KML file on another server and just use Google Maps to display it. I have used this method to display tracks with several hundred points. When zoomed out, not all points are displayed, but as you zoom in, more points are displayed. Here is a simple example:

 

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=http://www.schuckman.com/misc/MapSource.kml