Track log handling

[+apersson850]

When you go out on a "new" trip, geocaching or whatever, how do you handle the track log? Do you generally erase the active track log, in order to start on a fresh one, or do you just let it continue on the log that was in the machine since last time?

 

Do you run the log in "stop recording when full" or in the "start reusing the oldest points when full" mode?

 

This is how one can do on for example the eTrex Vista. Other brands may have different settings, of course.

 

I'm curious about this, since the time zone bug associated with the Vista obviously doesn't show up unless the track log is full. If you people generally clear the log each day, you'll have to do a substantial trip to fill it up again, at least if you are using the Auto mode with Normal resolution.

 

Anders

[+brdad]

I have the yellow Etrex, the biggest difference is my tracks fill up a lot quicker - Approximately four hours of movement I am guessing on average, but it does vary.

 

Either way, I don't even bother with the tracking unless I am going somewhere new, like caching or an ATV trip. I'll clear the log, then go on my way. That way, if I want to get back to my original point, I can just to a trackback and it'll tell me every turn to make.

 

On an extended ATv ride, when the tracklog approaches 100%, I'll save the track, clear and start again. When I get home, I can load the tracks into my computer and see just where I've been and save them for another day. I have almost everywhere I've been with my GPS saved so over time it makes one big trail map!

 

Me and that dog are gonna take a walk in the woods, and only one of us is coming back...

[+GOT GPS?]

I aways save the tracklog to the computer, then I erase it. I never save the tracklog to a saved memory within the gps itself, because i loose some info doing so. I think it is best to avoid maxing out the tracklog memory, and saving to your computer often.

 

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My home page about GPS units and information

[+apersson850]

So far, 100% of the repliers (two out of two) erase their track logs ever so often. No wonder they thought that I was the only one to suffer from the time zone problem, when I contacted Garmin about it.

 

Anders

[jjv1969]

can anyone tell me how to download my tracks to the computer??

what software do I need to be able to do this??

any freeware??

[+RB_Nielsen]

We just returned from a great fly fishing trip to the West. I decided to diddle around with the track log, and so downloaded it from the GPSr to Mapsource. After fooling around with it for a while, I became fascinated with all the information that the GPSr recorded on the way back. The Mapsource program includes a built-in graphing capability that shows the track log's entire distance and elevation. I was quickly able to see that the road on I-80 between Laramie, WY and Lincoln NB is a steady incline (or decline depending upon the direction of travel) going from a high of over 8000 feet to a low of 1200. Cool stuff.

[+apersson850]

As is obvious from the post above, you can use the MapSource program, which you can buy, together with some maps over some area.

 

You can also use TrackMaker, for example, as well as several other more or less freeware alternatives.

 

Anders

[JDMC]

I download my active tracklog and erase it after a trip where I had it turned on. I set the track timing to every 5 seconds on my Garmin GPS 12Map. That way I know exactly how long it will last (I don't walk or drive very far).

[+apersson850]

For what it's worth, it still seems that most people do erase the track log rather frequently. Which could explain why not too many have experienced the same problem as I have with my Vista, where the time zone setting is confused when the track log is full.

 

It will be very interesting to see if the next firmware release for the Vista mentions anything about this bug.

 

Anders

[Couch_Potato]

I erase the tracklog regularly. I only use it when going into new areas or when I actually want a track of my trip, such as MTB rides.

 

I generally download the tracklog to the PC for whatever purposes I want. Occasionally I save the log on the etrex, but as mentioned it loses data making it less useful. For downloading tracks I use GPS Trackmaker. I display the tracks in GPStrackmaker and USAPhotomaps.

 

I'm not lost!

I just don't know where I am.

[+brdad]

I Can't see what the connection is between the track log being filled up and the time zone, but anything is possible. Guess you'd only know if you tried it for a while with a near empty track log.

I understand your looking at every possibility though, it drives me nuts when I can't figure something out!

 

Me and that dog are gonna take a walk in the woods, and only one of us is coming back...

[+apersson850]

I assume that when the log is full, and is wrapping around (I have it set to Wrap when full), it accidentially overwrites some part of the memory, thereby disturbing the stored time zone setting. Otherwise, I can't understand the connection either.

 

However, I work with machine design, and especially electric systems and software for these machines, so I'm used to debugging the most curious faults in machine control software. Maybe that's the reason for me begin rather good at figuring out how various peculiar bugs are related to other things you do with a machine, or in this case a GPSr.

 

Anders

[+Alan2]

I recently wrapped around on my track on a long trip I took. I wish I had set it for stopping at the end because the it was the first part of the trip that I wanted the real detail that you only get from the active log. Since I didn't have my laptop, there was no way to save the active log before the limit was reached. At least I had saved the active log before wrapping so I got a "rough" track of the first portion of the trip.

 

What's the problem, Anders, with time clock. I just checked my Vista and the time/date is correct? (the track mentioned above had been cleared a while now)

 

Alan

[+sbukosky]

I usually delete them but will sometimes use them to create my own maps. I was checking out a potential cache site with lots of ski trails but no park map. I started with a clear track log and walked all the trails. Wish I could have taken the motorcycle but yeah yeah, I know, if everbody did it... Anyway, I think downloaded them to Mapsource and printed them out to a scale close to what a park scale was, doubled them up and was able to trace out the trails on the park map. Even without doing that, I use the tracks to find a good distance off trail to look for a good spot to hide the cache without coming upon a trail too close beyond it and so on. When hunting, I clear the tracks and trip computer, I use an eMap, so I know how far I hiked.

 

Steve Bukosky N9BGH

Waukesha Wisconsin

[+sbukosky]

I usually delete them but will sometimes use them to create my own maps. I was checking out a potential cache site with lots of ski trails but no park map. I started with a clear track log and walked all the trails. Wish I could have taken the motorcycle but yeah yeah, I know, if everbody did it... Anyway, I think downloaded them to Mapsource and printed them out to a scale close to what a park scale was, doubled them up and was able to trace out the trails on the park map. Even without doing that, I use the tracks to find a good distance off trail to look for a good spot to hide the cache without coming upon a trail too close beyond it and so on. When hunting, I clear the tracks and trip computer, I use an eMap, so I know how far I hiked.

 

Steve Bukosky N9BGH

Waukesha Wisconsin

[+CharlieP]

When I first began using the GPS I would clear the track log from time to time, but then I had a couple of situations where having a previous track log would have been *really* useful. So now I never clear it, just let it wrap, and download the log now and then in case I need to review or reload an older track.

 

FWIW,

CharlieP

[+infosponge]

I have a Meridian. Before I start a trip, I usually save the current track log to the SD card in it's own file, then clear the track log.

When I get home I can pull the individual track logs off the card again and use them for mapping, etc. if I want.

The SD memory card is one of the absolute coolest things about the Meridians...

[+niskibum]

I had an interesting thing happen while on a trip to California. I was out cache hunting, and shortly after leaving the car my legend just shut off by itself. I figured the batteries where low, so I changed them, turned the unit back on and it worked for about 10 seconds and then turned off again. I sat at the car and tried everything from tightening the battery springs to hitting a bunch of different screens but nothing worked, it would turn on for 10 seconds and then turn itself off.

 

Needless to say I was not happy about having to stop the cache hunt, but I went back to the motel to work on it, and while sitting in my room, where there was no sat coverage at all, I turned it on and it stayed on! I started looking at the different screens and noticed that the track log was full. I had it on wraparound, but that didn't help, so I cleared the logs and went back outside and found three more caches. I have never had another problem with it but I periodically clear the logs now. I don't know if that was the problem for sure, but it is strange that the logs got full at the same time as the problem occured. I tend to think that every time I moved it tried to write some more to the log but couldn't so it just gave up and shut off. Wierd huh?

[+apersson850]

Well, Alan, the problem is that when the track log gets full (I'm using the dafault: Wrap when full, Auto, Normal), every now and then the time zone setting gets changed. This happens when I switch off or on GPS reception, or even when I enter Demo mode, if I ever do that.

 

This has nothing to do with my particular Vista. I tried backing up the log from mine, and downloaded that in another Vista. It was just as crazy immediately. It was even flickering the date between the correct date and 31-Dec-97.

 

When the time zone is changed, it's (almost) always set to Almaty, which is the first in the list of different settings. But Almaty has UTC + 6 hours, while Paris (the one I normally use) has UTC + 1 hour. Still, it says on the screen Almaty + 1 hour. But I also use the automatic DST setting on the Paris selection, and that doesn't work when this happens.

So, end result, the time is one hour wrong.

That's no big deal, since the remedy is simply to set it to DST:Yes. Or clear the log every so often. Then no effect can be seen on the time display. But this isn't the only problem.

Although I haven't seen 31-Dec-97 on my unit, it does get stored in the elevation profile. I can see that date there, but I didn't understand why, unitl I saw that date being displayed on my friends unit.

The elevation profile software can't handle profiles that goes back in time very well, so it creates a mess of the whole thing. Inverted profiles, no display at all, partly missing profiles and so on. This happens even if I set the time zone setting to Yes for DST, instead of auto. Clearing the log doesn't solve anything here, since the elevation profile is stored in the log. If I clear the log, there is nothing to see in the profile at all.

 

Now, Garmin's engineers got my backup file to chew on. I'll have to wait and see what they can figure out. Maybe they'll have something ready when the current beta release comes in its final form.

 

Anders

[platoon13r]

As mentioned in a previous post, I have discovered that the active track log will save a few additional fields of information (i.e. time). Whenever I want my unit (Garmin V) to save the time for each track, I will simply clear my log before a trip and turn it off just after.

 

Nonetheless, I have noticed the time saved for each track is off by one hour. I have checked the unit to ensure it displays the current/correct time and everything looks good. I called Garmin tech support and they are uncertain to an answer.

[platoon13r]

As mentioned in a previous post, I have discovered that the active track log will save a few additional fields of information (i.e. time). Whenever I want my unit (Garmin V) to save the time for each track, I will simply clear my log before a trip and turn it off just after.

 

Nonetheless, I have noticed the time saved for each track is off by one hour. I have checked the unit to ensure it displays the current/correct time and everything looks good. I called Garmin tech support and they are uncertain to an answer.

[+apersson850]

Another way to offset the time zone, is to download maps when the track log is already full. However, even if the time zone reverts to Almaty, it's always reset again when you cycle the power to the unit.

 

But I frequently use my unit indoors first, fixing a route, configuring the trip computer or whatever. Since having the GPS on inside is of little value, I turn it off while doing my things. Then I turn it on when I go out. And this time zone thing also comes when turning GPS on or off. No wonder it has been bugging me so often.

 

As far as I can remember, my Vista has the correct time in the track log, provided that the time zone setting hasn't been off, of course.

 

Anders