Mapping Trails, etc.

[+wrz0170]

I'm having a blast in working with my Garmin 60CSX and learning about POIs, Waypoints, tracks, etc. We have a nice park with trails practically outside our backyard.

 

I would like to "map" out those trails and be able to bring it up on Mapsource. I think I use the tracking feature for this. Would that be the proper procedure for this or the better question, how do I set it up to do this? Thanks!

[+Renegade Knight]

Clear the tracklog when you are at the head of your trail. Take the trail. At the end of the trail save the tracklog you have just created. You can then import the tracks into various map software including mapsource.

 

The GPS automatly creats a tracklog as you use it.

[+wrz0170]

Clear the tracklog when you are at the head of your trail. Take the trail. At the end of the trail save the tracklog you have just created. You can then import the tracks into various map software including mapsource.

 

The GPS automatly creats a tracklog as you use it.

 

Thank you kindly!

[+Red90]

You do not need to clear anything. Set up the GPS to log the tracks to the micro SD card and all future tracks will be saved there.

 

To make maps from the tracks, start here: http://www.malsingmaps.com/wiki/index.php/...y:Map_Authoring

[MaadDog]

I have always found that if I did NOT clear tracks, a big line would be drawn from wherever I left off last to my new starting point. I am NOT referring to SAVED tracks. So, I guess what you are saying is that if I changed to write tracks to the micro sd card there would be no need to clear tracks and it would NOT draw these lines??? I just don't like when the unit draws these long straight lines to connect a previous adventure to the start of my new one. That is why I have always cleared the previous track. I always save my tracks to Mapsource so there is not need to leave it on the GPS anyway.

 

Kevin

Edited January 22, 2007 by MaadDog

[strumble]

A track 'saved' by you in the unit has a limit of 500 points.

The track that is on the SD card can have 10,000 points.

 

The unit can record the tracks both on the unit and the SD card and all can be transferred to MapSource.

[+Red90]

I have always found that if I did NOT clear tracks, a big line would be drawn from wherever I left off last to my new starting point. I am NOT referring to SAVED tracks. So, I guess what you are saying is that if I changed to write tracks to the micro sd card there would be no need to clear tracks and it would NOT draw these lines??? I just don't like when the unit draws these long straight lines to connect a previous adventure to the start of my new one. That is why I have always cleared the previous track. I always save my tracks to Mapsource so there is not need to leave it on the GPS anyway.

 

Kevin

 

On an "X" models, it should not draw a straight line from an old track to a new one when the unit is restarted no matter what you do.

[+briansnat]

You do not need to clear anything. Set up the GPS to log the tracks to the micro SD card and all future tracks will be saved there.

 

To make maps from the tracks, start here: http://www.malsingmaps.com/wiki/index.php/...y:Map_Authoring

 

I like to clear tracks at the start so I don't get the track of me driving to the trailhead. I know I can cut it off and delete it in the mapping software, but I'd rather not have it there in the first place.

[MaadDog]

I have always found that if I did NOT clear tracks, a big line would be drawn from wherever I left off last to my new starting point. I am NOT referring to SAVED tracks. So, I guess what you are saying is that if I changed to write tracks to the micro sd card there would be no need to clear tracks and it would NOT draw these lines??? I just don't like when the unit draws these long straight lines to connect a previous adventure to the start of my new one. That is why I have always cleared the previous track. I always save my tracks to Mapsource so there is not need to leave it on the GPS anyway.

 

Kevin

 

On an "X" models, it should not draw a straight line from an old track to a new one when the unit is restarted no matter what you do.

 

I will have to check that out. .I do own both a GPSMap 60CS and a 60CSx. I know I experienced that line being drawn on my 60CS and just carried my habit of clearing tracks over to the 60CSx. I will also change my setup so I write to the SD card. After I am done with whatever I am doing, I generally turn off the satellites go home and down load my tracks to my computer. I do not turn the GPS off until I get home and finish downloading the tracks. Since I am not saving the track to the GPS and not turning the unit off until I download, I usually get around 1500 points. After I turn the GPS off, I have not looked to see how many point are in the track after I turn it back on. The track remains even if I do not save it.

 

Kevin

[Grasscatcher]

MaadDog,

I have mapped several thousand (not an exaggeration) miles of trails, and Renegade Knight's, and Briansnat's suggestions / instructions above are definitely the way to go.

 

With the new "x" models, also log the track to the card, because that way you have the best of "both" worlds. If a track is "saved" within the unit, then the "saved 'track" is reduced or simplified to 500 (on most newer units) trackpoints, AND time,elevation. and speed data stripped away to reduce file size.

 

What is logged to the card is the "active log"which can be up to 10,000 trackpoints.

 

Depending on the logging interval that you have your unit set on,and the length of the trail, unless the trail is VERY long and intricate , quite often the truncation / reduction to 500 tp is not visible when viewed on a map.

 

HOWEVER, IF THERE IS a visible reduction in quality, then use the file for that track from the memory card, it has ALL of the points and data.

 

When you "clear the track log" it only clears the internal (active tracklog) memory, NOT any saved tracks, NOR any tracks logged to the memory card. It will start a new GPX file on the card but not affect other tracks logged there.

 

In most cases , I believe you'll find that using the Saved file is perfectly acceptable.

[Hertzog]

It will start a new GPX file on the card but not affect other tracks logged there.

I don't think so, but I could be wrong; haven't looked at this closely recently. I think it will start a new active track within the GPX file, but everything logged on a given date (local time) will still be written to the same GPX file. The files are named by day: 20070122.gpx for today.

[+Red90]

That is correct. All tracklogs for each day are in a separate file. Individual logs during each day are stored within the files as separate tracks.

[+ergomaniac]

I've been working with tracks for a very long time and have compiled quite a collection. The "X" series track to card feature has been the best thing that has ever happened to those of us that are obsessed with tracks!! I never touch my active log and never create track files on the GPS. My saved tracks are all uploaded from my PC after I carefully weed them to 500 points in Mapsource from the data saved on the card. Mapsource track editing tools are great (before the editing tools were available I pieced them together in G7toWin... not fun!). Saving an active log to a file on the GPS can really screw up a track if it's a long winding trail. Taking the GPX file into Mapsource preserves the detail and you can use the "filter" tool in the track property page to control the weeding. I even cut tracks in two before weeding in order to preserve the track data (2 - 500 pt files instead of reducing a single track to 500 pts). The filter tool has an undo button so that you can do some trial and error when aiming for a 500 pt track file. Saving track files that are less than 500 pts doesn't save you anything on the GPS (you get 20 saved track files on the GPS regardless of size... up to 500 pts) so why not optimize the tracks!

[+wrz0170]

Clear the tracklog when you are at the head of your trail. Take the trail. At the end of the trail save the tracklog you have just created. You can then import the tracks into various map software including mapsource.

 

The GPS automatly creats a tracklog as you use it.

 

Great discussion!

 

How about a network of trails. Under Track Log, would I just reopen the saved track log and it will continue that file or is there a way to merge the files?

[Grasscatcher]

I mis-spoke earlier...Herzog & Red 90 are correct on the not creating a new GPX file when tracklog is cleared. A new track is created within the same(for that date) GPX file.