Converting a Track into a Route on a Garmin

[Buckaroo Banzai]

I could not find any information in searching of the Forums for software that can convert a track into a route. Are there any waypoint management programs capable of doing the conversion? If there are, how to they handle the waypoint limits and does anyone have first hand experience with this conversion?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

BB

 

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[This message was edited by Buckaroo Banzai on April 06, 2002 at 04:18 PM.]

[+northmill]

have you checked easy GPS? It does it pretty well, and I was able to transfer the routes by just holding wires from a serial cable onto the contacts on the back of my etrex

[Buckaroo Banzai]

Thanks, but EasyGPS only does the transfer of waypoints and route but not the conversion of a track to a route.

 

BB

 

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[This message was edited by Buckaroo Banzai on April 06, 2002 at 04:19 PM.]

[jfitzpat]

I think your best bet is going to be to plot your track on something like Mr. Coxs free USAPhotoMaps, or one of the commercial programs. Then take coordinates from the map and create a route.

 

A track has gobs of coordinate pairs, but routes are pretty limited in terms of segments. Intelligently reducing down to 10 or 20 is a little tough for software.

 

Also, plotting the route on a USGS NAPP image, then taking near coordinates will let you 'correct' a little. Tracks can vary a bit from the actual route because of accuracy and reception.

 

Good Luck,

-jjf

[Buckaroo Banzai]

jfitzpat,

 

I’m looking to take existing Tracks that I have uploaded into Mapsource and Delorme’s Topo and convert them into routes that I can edited The background on this is over last 3 months Team Banzai has been trail mapping in a local state forest, we now have over 200 miles of trails in the form of tracks. I want to take these tracks convert them into routes so that they can be edited to create trail maps including only the parts of the trail that are rideable. I also want to the same with 50 or so tracks made while doing Road cycling and are somewhat long being in the 50 to 100 mile range. So a quick click and convert is the only way I see of doing this in my lifetime.

 

I have active, and saved tacks for each ride. I have made some great maps from the active tracks. But now I want to edit and splice them together resulting routes GPS and mapping software independent.

 

Thanks for your quick reply!

 

BB

 

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[This message was edited by Buckaroo Banzai on April 06, 2002 at 04:19 PM.]

[PatrickM]

The National Geographic Topo CD series allows you to download tracks from a Garmin then covert them to GPS routes. Which you can then upload to the GPSR.

 

Here's the link

 

http://maps.nationalgeographic.com/topo/

[Buckaroo Banzai]

PatrickM,

 

Thanks! U da man!

 

Team Banzai and the Princeton Freewheelers thank you!

 

Off to ebay I go.....

 

BB

 

edited to remove large pic file

 

[This message was edited by Buckaroo Banzai on April 06, 2002 at 04:19 PM.]

[Buckaroo Banzai]

Could not find the National Geographic Topo CD covering my area on Ebay, and since I have Garmin Topo and DeLorme's Topo 2 and 3. I have a new question:

 

Is National Geographic's Topo that much better that DeLorme's TOPO USA to justified spending the $100 Buckaroos to buy the Map data just to get this feature; or since I'm only wanting to convert Tracks into Routes are there any other Utilities in the Shareware/freeware realm that can do this?

 

BB

 

...and in our reminiscence, one ghost of mine -- trying to forget the failures, being forgotten after being victorious, and the many sacrifices and trials of plying my trade thousands of miles from home -- was laid to rest. - Bob Roll

 

[This message was edited by Buckaroo Banzai on April 06, 2002 at 06:57 PM.]

[+gnbrotz]

ExpertGPS will allow you to create and edit a path and CHOOSE whether it's designated as a route or a track. Download a track, edit it if necessary and convert it to a route. There is a two week free trial of this software. Check out www.topografix.com

 

Greg

N 39°54.705'

W 77°33.137'

[+mrcpu]

Look for GPS Trackmaker, a freeware program. I think it will do that. Also check out gpsutil

 

Rob

Mobile Cache Command

[Buckaroo Banzai]

I had installed Expert GPS back in October and never used it. When I went to use it, a dialog box came up saying the 14 day trail was over.

 

Ok, no problem I'll just uninstall and download it again. First problem, no un-install feature (strange for a eval copy) OK then, go to add/remove programs and uninstall it from there. Its not listed. Ok, delete the files and folders, go into the registry and remove all references to it then download a new copy.

 

Next problem came up after installing the new copy. I ran it and it still tells me that the 14 day trail is over and that I need to register it in order to continue using it.

 

I have emailed TopoGrafix last night for help. but in the mean time, does anyone know any way around this? I would like to start to do these conversions ASAP.

 

BTW I’m not trying to bootleg the software just trying to see if it does the track to route conversion cleanly if so then I’ll buy it.

 

Thanks again for the advice!

 

BB

 

...and in our reminiscence, one ghost of mine -- trying to forget the failures, being forgotten after being victorious, and the many sacrifices and trials of plying my trade thousands of miles from home -- was laid to rest. - Bob Roll, Great American Cyclist.

[+gnbrotz]

I had the same problem. Dan said there was no way, even for him to reset this for me. They do however have a 100% satisfaction guarantee on their products.

 

I've got nothing but good things to say about their support. Very helpful and prompt!

 

Greg

N 39°54.705'

W 77°33.137'

[Balimbras]

I dunno, maybe I'm simple, but the few times I've done this I simply uploaded (downloaded?) the track from my vista into Mapsource, then traced it using the route tool. Made it easy to select more appropriate waypoints than the track contained.

 

Unless of course you don't have a Mapsource CD, in which case I guess the suggestion is moot.