MapSource unable to save GPX

[+Red90]

From the same Mapsource window, you can only have one file open at a time, so the first file closes when you open the next.

[gadzuk]

From the same Mapsource window, you can only have one file open at a time, so the first file closes when you open the next.

Sorry for the confusion, I didn't mean open simultaneously. Open one after the other (one at a time).

 

It's the act of opening a GDB and then a GPX that "prepares" MapSource to run without error.

 

However Red, you've never seen the problem have you?

[gadzuk]

Slightly simplified procedure, you don't need to load a GDB first. Just the GPX.

 

•Start MapSource (regardless of which map loaded)

•File / open any GPX file (I think this is what makes it work)

•import track from GPS unit or GDB file and manipulate if necessary

•File / save as GPX works ok

[+bgrffdave]

Thanks for that simplified procedure... it works for me. That is somewhat easier when doing a bunch of editing than manual conversions of gdb to gpx. I too have had the Mapsource crash when trying to save to gpx since upgrading to 6.15.6. I sent them an error report on the website and got this for a response:

 

Thank you for contacting Garmin Cartography. This is a known issue and should be fixed in a future MapSource update. I apologize for the hassles.

Please let me know if you have any other questions and thank you for your interest in Garmin.

 

Regards,

Nathan

[+2IC]

Glad I found this thread as I am having the same problem, on a PC with vista -home installed I can not save to GPX files or convert a GBD file to GPS as in both cases mapsource crashes. Version 6.15.6 of mapsource.

 

However I have no problems on a Windows XP machine with the same version of mapsource.

 

Can anyone else confirm if they are having this issue on Vista and not XP ?

I am using XP and I can not get it to save as a GPX no matter what I try. I even tried making a simple one waypoint map in map source and it would not save that as a GPX.

[gadzuk]

I am using XP and I can not get it to save as a GPX no matter what I try. I even tried making a simple one waypoint map in map source and it would not save that as a GPX.

Have you tried loading an existing GPX file into MapSource, and then doing a File / New and then creating the waypoint and saving?

[wahoowad]

I am using XP and I can not get it to save as a GPX no matter what I try. I even tried making a simple one waypoint map in map source and it would not save that as a GPX.

Have you tried loading an existing GPX file into MapSource, and then doing a File / New and then creating the waypoint and saving?

 

I was having the 'save gpx' problem but the process of first opening an existing gpx file has cured it.

 

Thanks

[IdahoCliff]

Slightly simplified procedure, you don't need to load a GDB first. Just the GPX.

 

•Start MapSource (regardless of which map loaded)

•File / open any GPX file (I think this is what makes it work)

•import track from GPS unit or GDB file and manipulate if necessary

•File / save as GPX works ok

I've also been frustrated. I have Win XP SP3 w/ MapSource 6.15.6. Previously with another version (6.13.7, I think) I'd be able to save GPX files. After installing 6.15.6 I was unable to save GPX files from MapSource. My solution was to save as a GDB and convert the file with ExpertGps or GpsBabel and then I was able to edit it in MapSource.

 

I tried some of the hints in this thread and SOMETIMES the option to Click on "View > Switch To Product No Map" worked and allowed me to save a GPX file. But that option didn't seem to allways work.

 

However when I 1st opened a GPX file as gadzuk advises (above), I found that it worked consistantly. I was able to save a GDB file and then a GPX file or I was able to save a GPX file right away.

 

Thanks for the hints.

/s/ Cliff

[Hud3]

I've been having this frustrating problem as well. Just bought a Garmin GPSMap 76Csx a month ago, so I'm a noob at all this and just found this thread.

 

I can report that Gadzuk's solution works with Vista Home Premium SP1 running MapSource 6.15.6. Gadzuk is obviously a genius! Thanks!

 

HH

Nevis, West Indies

[soistheman]

Hi I have the same problem. However I find out what was causing the crash for my case. When I save gdb or gpx, I usually name "[Trail] some name.gdb (or gpx)". When save as gpx with this name it always crashes. However when I save as "some name.gpx" it saves fine. I think characters such as "[" or "]" is causing the problem.

 

By the way my environment is:

* Vista Home Premium 64 SP2

* MapSource 6.15.6

* eTrex Legend HCx (Soft Ver. 3.10 / GPS SW Ver. 2.90)

Edited October 8, 2009 by soistheman

[soistheman]

Hi I have the same problem. However I find out what was causing the crash for my case. When I save gdb or gpx, I usually name "[Trail] some name.gdb (or gpx)". When save as gpx with this name it always crashes. However when I save as "some name.gpx" it saves fine. I think characters such as "[" or "]" is causing the problem.

 

By the way my environment is:

* Vista Home Premium 64 SP2

* MapSource 6.15.6

* eTrex Legend HCx (Soft Ver. 3.10 / GPS SW Ver. 2.90)

 

Sorry, this isn't the cause. some other files I have still can't be saved as gpx.

[hielo]

I would just like to add . . .

I see that some respondents claim their Mapsource has never crashed when saving to gpx. Well . . . My PC at work runs win7 with the latest Mapsource update and ALWAYS crashes when saving to gpx. Yet, my home PC running on the same Win7 and same update version of Mapsource NEVER crashes when saving to gpx. It’s like ... oooOOOooo ... a mystery. Actually it is VERY annoying! I have tried everything like uninstalling and re-installing Mapsource, also carefully following troubleshooting instructions sent by email from Gramin to no avail. I use gpx to create shp files, so I am forced to do the "save as" to gpx at home.

[+BigFurryMonster]

On 8/13/2009 at 4:14 AM, gadzuk said:

Have you tried loading an existing GPX file into MapSource, and then doing a File / New and then creating the waypoint and saving?

 

13 years later and I come across this problem, and this forum post, for the first time. The fix in the quote does work for me. Everything else fails.
Weird, as last week, everything still worked just fine. I did no software upgrade since.

 

Did anyone find a better fix than this?
I am running Mapsource 6.16.3.

 

Edited February 22 by BigFurryMonster

[robertlipe]

Sorry (not sorry) for the tough love, but Mapsource hasn't been updated in 15 years. They're clearly not going to fix this. You should get obsolete software out of your life and find a replacement. I'd suggest getting your data out of a crash-prone, unmaintained software, and just leaving it behind. (Honestly, IIRC, Mapsource had been discontinued and brought back a couple of times by even 2010.) Basecamp was at least updated in 2023 and can read and write .mps and .gdb files that may have your data.

It looks like they probably have some kind of resource management issue, like using a thing after thing the OS they're done with the thing so it can be used elsewhere (i.e. eathing out of the garbage can and being surprised when you get sick :-) )  or using more things than they asked the OS (thus clobbering neighboring things) for or they're using an uninitialized value of a thing which happens to be one value unless you take some other path first and leave droppings that are seen by the next path through the code.

There are nerd names for all of these things, but I'm just trying to explain the engineering on _why_ some of these "random" things work like they do...