Used 'route' For First Time

[planewood]

Haven't bought any maps yet so I used Google to plan a route for a 50 mile trip. Saved the KML file from Google then cut-n-pasted the coordinate string into a new file then used Kedit to get one coordinate per record, then Corpscon6.exe to put Latitude first. Then used GPSBabel to make a GPX file of waypoints from that file. Then opened it with Mapsource, converted the waypoints to a Route and wrote the Route to the GPSr. Had to re-do it to get the waypoint names the same length (001, 002,....199). Surely there has to be some way better to do this!

 

Anyway, the little ol' 60cx told me every corner to turn and got me there and back correctly. Amazing!

 

But, 'miles-to-destination' was one of the Highway screen display items and it always told me just the opposite of what I expected. When going, it told me the mile from home, and when coming back, it told me the miles from the other end of the route. Haven't figured that one out yet. Like it was giving me 'miles from origination'. The MPH exactly matched what my car was reading.

 

(GpsBabel is not handling the KML files correctly) (known problem)

 

And, why can't MapSource order the points along the path instead of by Name????

[Tiki-X]

Haven't bought any maps yet so I used Google to plan a route for a 50 mile trip. Saved the KML file from Google then cut-n-pasted the coordinate string into a new file then used Kedit to get one coordinate per record, then Corpscon6.exe to put Latitude first. Then used GPSBabel to make a GPX file of waypoints from that file. Then opened it with Mapsource, converted the waypoints to a Route and wrote the Route to the GPSr. Had to re-do it to get the waypoint names the same length (001, 002,....199). Surely there has to be some way better to do this!

 

Anyway, the little ol' 60cx told me every corner to turn and got me there and back correctly. Amazing!

 

But, 'miles-to-destination' was one of the Highway screen display items and it always told me just the opposite of what I expected. When going, it told me the mile from home, and when coming back, it told me the miles from the other end of the route. Haven't figured that one out yet. Like it was giving me 'miles from origination'. The MPH exactly matched what my car was reading.

 

(GpsBabel is not handling the KML files correctly) (known problem)

 

And, why can't MapSource order the points along the path instead of by Name????

 

WOW that sounds really hard, there must be a better way. Although I do appreciate you listing how you did it I wouldn't mind trying it.

[Neo_Geo]

Get some maps and use MapSource!!! It'll save you about 95% of the work!

Edited April 4, 2006 by Neo_Geo

[+apersson850]

It's possible to invert the direction of the route in the unit.

[+Olar]

Get some maps and use MapSource!!! It'll save you about 95% of the work!

I was thinking 98% myself and usually conservative in my estimates.

[+DashHammer]

Outputting KML? Sounds like Google Earth. Try using these instructions: http://www.alancurry.com/gpsbabel/route3.php

 

After reading that, instead of issuing the ARC filter command:

 

gpsbabel -i google -f googleroute.txt -o arc -F googleroute.arc

 

Try using:

 

gpsbabel -r -i google -f googleroute.txt -o gpx -F googleroute.gpx

 

Note the -r in the command string. I haven't tried it but it should be able to build the gpx with route points. Then you need to fiddle with it to get better route point names. Or you could just shoot it to Mapsource and work with it there:

 

gpsbabel -r -i google -f googleroute.txt -o mapsource -F googleroute.mps

 

Anyway, if it works, then the route will be preserved so it doesn't have to be recreated.

 

Alan

[+darus67]

I played with these methods recently, myself. I was able to do everything in gpsbabel, including downloading the route to my Garmin. I had to use the 'simplify' filter to reduce the number of waypoints in the route, otherwise I quite quickly exceeded the memory capacity of my GPSr.

[planewood]

Outputting KML? Sounds like Google Earth. Try using these instructions: http://www.alancurry.com/gpsbabel/route3.php

 

After reading that, instead of issuing the ARC filter command:

 

gpsbabel -i google -f googleroute.txt -o arc -F googleroute.arc

 

Try using:

 

gpsbabel -r -i google -f googleroute.txt -o gpx -F googleroute.gpx

 

Note the -r in the command string. I haven't tried it but it should be able to build the gpx with route points. Then you need to fiddle with it to get better route point names. Or you could just shoot it to Mapsource and work with it there:

 

gpsbabel -r -i google -f googleroute.txt -o mapsource -F googleroute.mps

 

Anyway, if it works, then the route will be preserved so it doesn't have to be recreated.

 

Alan

 

Alan, I only use the GUI version of GPSBabel. The command line way is more than I want to deal with.

 

I wonder why Google had to re-invent the wheel? I think XML/GPX has all the flexibility they would have needed.

[+DashHammer]

I wonder why Google had to re-invent the wheel? I think XML/GPX has all the flexibility they would have needed.

KML was more than likely already developed when Google bought out Keyhole.

[+DashHammer]

Alan, I only use the GUI version of GPSBabel. The command line way is more than I want to deal with.

You can use the GUI also. At the very bottom of the page, http://www.alancurry.com/gpsbabel/route3.php, it tells how to save the googleroute.txt using File/Save As instead of using wget. Make sure and check the Routes check box circled in this picture:

 

Alan

[robertlipe]

I wonder why Google had to re-invent the wheel? I think XML/GPX has all the flexibility they would have needed.

KML was more than likely already developed when Google bought out Keyhole.

 

Alan is correct; the "K" in "KML" stands for "Keyhole",

 

KML 2.0 launched with Google Earth, but KML1 was indeed supported by the Keyhole-branded products. KML _is_ XML. There are definitely aspects of it that aren't very "XML-ish", but it's is XML. But there are things you can express in KML that would take so many extensions to GPX that it would be a rather contrived fit.

 

Yes, for tracks, routes, and waypoints your mysticism is warranted but by the time you express wacky things like camera angles and network refresh params it doesn't seem like such a stretch.

 

I'm interested in hearing about this known problem with GPSBabel's KML reader, too, since I don't particularly recognize it from that first post and if I don't know about it, it doesn't stand a great chance of getting fixed.

[planewood]

I wonder why Google had to re-invent the wheel? I think XML/GPX has all the flexibility they would have needed.

KML was more than likely already developed when Google bought out Keyhole.

 

Alan is correct; the "K" in "KML" stands for "Keyhole",

 

KML 2.0 launched with Google Earth, but KML1 was indeed supported by the Keyhole-branded products. KML _is_ XML. There are definitely aspects of it that aren't very "XML-ish", but it's is XML. But there are things you can express in KML that would take so many extensions to GPX that it would be a rather contrived fit.

 

Yes, for tracks, routes, and waypoints your mysticism is warranted but by the time you express wacky things like camera angles and network refresh params it doesn't seem like such a stretch.

 

I'm interested in hearing about this known problem with GPSBabel's KML reader, too, since I don't particularly recognize it from that first post and if I don't know about it, it doesn't stand a great chance of getting fixed.

 

Well, when I use Google to save a 'path' using File/Save as, I only get two format options, KML and KMZ. When I select Keyhole Markup Language as the input to GPSBabel and GPX as the output file, I only get 5 or 6 lines of header data in the thusly created GPX file. The author of GPSBabel acknowledged to me that those options were not working.

 

Are there other ways to save a path in Google?

 

Also, I change my above statement. Why did Keyhole have to build a new wheel!

[Neo_Geo]

Oh!!!! All of this technology stuff is so frustrating!!! Why can't everything be PERFECT???

 

I want everything to communicate with everything AND speak the same language! I want all devices to use the same computer interface! I want all computer programs to use the same file format - whether it's an image, music file, video, or editable text - I shouldn't have to worry about what format a file should use. I just want it to work. And I want there to be only ONE type of computer [i'M SHAKING MY MAPSOURCE CD IN ANGER!]. "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!"

 

One word: Innovation!