Everything one needs to know about tracks and routes

[+flash packers]

Now that we're slowing down our outdoor activity I wanted to use the downtime to learn more about using my GPS. Hoping someone out there can provide a knowledge dump concerning this particular topic.

 

We are using a 60CX and have recorded and saved a few tracks while out geocaching. The relationship between what gets recorded internally on the unit and what gets recorded on the SD card is a mystery to me. Also the various active logs that get generated from just one day in the field hiking and recording finds. Why isn't it just one active log for the entire trip. How do others use and manage tracks. Are they eventually turned into routes????

 

Also what I notice happening is the current (newest) saved track will be connected to the previously saved track when viewed in either the GPS or Mapsource.???? Why does this happen???? What can I do to prevent this????

 

It would be nice if someone could provide a primer just about tracks and routes on the 60 units. Thanks!!

[eaparks]

Now that we're slowing down our outdoor activity I wanted to use the downtime to learn more about using my GPS. Hoping someone out there can provide a knowledge dump concerning this particular topic.

 

We are using a 60CX and have recorded and saved a few tracks while out geocaching. The relationship between what gets recorded internally on the unit and what gets recorded on the SD card is a mystery to me. Also the various active logs that get generated from just one day in the field hiking and recording finds. Why isn't it just one active log for the entire trip. How do others use and manage tracks. Are they eventually turned into routes????

 

Also what I notice happening is the current (newest) saved track will be connected to the previously saved track when viewed in either the GPS or Mapsource.???? Why does this happen???? What can I do to prevent this????

 

It would be nice if someone could provide a primer just about tracks and routes on the 60 units. Thanks!!

[eaparks]

Now that we're slowing down our outdoor activity I wanted to use the downtime to learn more about using my GPS. Hoping someone out there can provide a knowledge dump concerning this particular topic.

 

We are using a 60CX and have recorded and saved a few tracks while out geocaching. The relationship between what gets recorded internally on the unit and what gets recorded on the SD card is a mystery to me. Also the various active logs that get generated from just one day in the field hiking and recording finds. Why isn't it just one active log for the entire trip. How do others use and manage tracks. Are they eventually turned into routes????

 

Also what I notice happening is the current (newest) saved track will be connected to the previously saved track when viewed in either the GPS or Mapsource.???? Why does this happen???? What can I do to prevent this????

 

It would be nice if someone could provide a primer just about tracks and routes on the 60 units. Thanks!!

 

Oops, hit the Add Reply when I meant to hit Reply, sorry about the double post. When you record a track, give your track a name, and save the track; then Clear the Track Log this will get rid of your track points but you will still keep your saved track and your tracks won't be connected to each other on your GPSr or on the computer, but you will need to be sure to clear the track log at the end of each seperate track and turn the track log off if the new track has a different starting point and remember to turn it back on when ready to track again. This way you can see all of your tracks individually on your GPSr and they are not connected to each other.

[+flash packers]

Thanks for the response.

I understand what your saying. Makes sense. I currently have two saved tracks in the GPS and they are connected together as well as when downloaded and viewed in Mapsource. Is there anyway I can separate the two in mapsourece and then upload back to the GPS. I'd hate to loss the tracking. Also any thoughts on how these tracks differ from the same ones saved on the SD card. These seem to automatically get a file name based on the date of occurrance. What does one do with those files???? Sorry for all the questions but nothing I read is clearing all this up for me and it's not very intuitive. Does it make sense to save a track as a route? Is that something that is done by some folks? I like the idea of tracking each time we go out geocaching because then we can see what we found and what's left to go back for plus it makes it easier IMO to more efficiently hike to them later on.

[+Prime Suspect]

Note that when you save your active track, it tosses out some information to save space. For example, the time stamps and altitude readings aren't stored. Some people synchronize their digital camera's clock to their GPS clock, and can then use their track data (with some software) to pinpoint where each photo was taken. If the time stamps are missing, that can't be done.

[rws]

You can spit the two joined tracks and erase the connecting link between them using the Track Editing Tools in Mapsource.

 

Run the attached video in Windows Media Player and watch how it is done.

 

The video shows two tracks that have been joined with a straight connecting line. Click on the Track Divide tool to select it...click on the second track and then on the beginning of second track...this will split the track. Now grab the Pointer tool and click the first track to make it active...grab the Eraser tool and click on the endpoint...this will erase the errant connecting link. Rename the tracks if desired and Save.

 

The tracks will now be displayed seperatly in Mapsource and your GPSr.

 

Download Video

Edited December 12, 2006 by rws

[bkrownd]

One bizarre thing about MapSource is that you can delete or cut-and-paste points around within a track, but it doesn't let you edit the coordinates or other data of any of the track points.

[+flash packers]

Thanks everyone for the info so far.

The video really helped to bring it home. I was able to slit the two tracks up

and they look fine now.

I'd still like to find out about the tracks that get written to the card option.

Why would one use this, what is the benefit, etc. I'm aware of the feature of making the GPS look like a drive to the PC and seeing the files contained on the GPS card.

What's the relationship between tracks and routes and does it make sense to turn the former into the latter.

Again if that's doable what would be the benefit.

[+mtbikernate]

Consider a track to be like a series of points, connected together, that show where you have traveled. It's good for keeping track of mileage, elevation gain/loss, and by recalling this type of information, you can follow your path exactly on future visits. Very good for backcountry use.

 

Think of a route as navigating by driving on roads. Each point in the route indicates a turn. If you use a route when navigating in the backcountry, it leaves a lot to the imagination, because you cannot often just walk in a straight line between two places without encountering obstacles. You can use a route to record a path to travel, but if you were to follow one, you could have to do some free form navigation and evaluate the terrain for the easiest path. The route would also not give you actual travel distances between the two points, although if you were driving on roads, it would be pretty close (unless you live in a place like Pittsburgh, where there is no such thing as a straight road).

 

The whole reason for allowing you to save this stuff onto the microsd chip is that you are not limited to the number of tracks or routes that can be saved on the receiver's onboard memory.

[bkrownd]

The 500 point limit for tracks is another annoyance. If you have a longer track, you have to either edit it down to 500 points or break it up into seperate 500 point tracks, eating into your limit of 20 saved tracks of any size. Longer tracks can be recorded to the microSD card, but the unit can't use tracks saved on the card. Crumbs.

[+flash packers]

Consider a track to be like a series of points, connected together, that show where you have traveled. It's good for keeping track of mileage, elevation gain/loss, and by recalling this type of information, you can follow your path exactly on future visits. Very good for backcountry use.

 

Think of a route as navigating by driving on roads. Each point in the route indicates a turn. If you use a route when navigating in the backcountry, it leaves a lot to the imagination, because you cannot often just walk in a straight line between two places without encountering obstacles. You can use a route to record a path to travel, but if you were to follow one, you could have to do some free form navigation and evaluate the terrain for the easiest path. The route would also not give you actual travel distances between the two points, although if you were driving on roads, it would be pretty close (unless you live in a place like Pittsburgh, where there is no such thing as a straight road).

 

The whole reason for allowing you to save this stuff onto the microsd chip is that you are not limited to the number of tracks or routes that can be saved on the receiver's onboard memory.

 

MTBIKERNATE - Thank you for that explanation. it really helps me to understand the differences and the right way to use each.

Edited December 14, 2006 by njhikers

[+flash packers]

The 500 point limit for tracks is another annoyance. If you have a longer track, you have to either edit it down to 500 points or break it up into seperate 500 point tracks, eating into your limit of 20 saved tracks of any size. Longer tracks can be recorded to the microSD card, but the unit can't use tracks saved on the card. Crumbs.

 

BKROWND - Thanks for your input. Understand the trackpoint limitation now. So if the unit can't use tracks saved on the card what does one do with them. Do you somehow get them into mapsource to view by saving them on your PC??

[bkrownd]

BKROWND - Thanks for your input. Understand the trackpoint limitation now. So if the unit can't use tracks saved on the card what does one do with them. Do you somehow get them into mapsource to view by saving them on your PC??

 

Tracks saved to the microSD card can be downloaded to the computer via the USB Mass Storage Device driver, and are only limited in size by the amount of available memory on the card. I haven't tried it yet, myself, but I was reading about it in the manual because I have a 2500 point track that I downloaded from a website, and I spent most of yesterday afternoon with MapSource editing it down to a smaller size and cutting it up into chunks that would load onto my 60CSx.

Edited December 14, 2006 by bkrownd

[rws]

BKROWND - Thanks for your input. Understand the trackpoint limitation now. So if the unit can't use tracks saved on the card what does one do with them. Do you somehow get them into mapsource to view by saving them on your PC??

 

Tracks saved to the microSD card can be downloaded to the computer via the USB Mass Storage Device driver, and are only limited in size by the amount of available memory on the card. I haven't tried it yet, myself, but I was reading about it in the manual because I have a 2500 point track that I downloaded from a website, and I spent most of yesterday afternoon with MapSource editing it down to a smaller size and cutting it up into chunks that would load onto my 60CSx.

 

Rename the 2500 point track to ACTIVE LOG and it will upload to your GPSr intact with all 2500 points.