Gpsbabel And Delorme

[+Gold Star]

I thought I could use GPSBabel to load waypoints received from Pocket Queries (.gpx) into my Delorem Street Atlas program. I'm not sure what format to choose, because GPSBabel shows multiple formats for Delorme, none of which I can seem to import into Delorme Street Atlas. Any Help?

 

Thanks

[+sledgehampster]

To import into Street Atlas 2004 Handheld I use the following

Output file: C:\Delorme Docs\Mobile Maps\Wpts Transfer\XMapHHWptsSend.txt

Format: DelormeXMap HH Native.WPT

Click process.

Hot Sync PDA and viola! Waypoints in SA 2004 HH.

 

Don't know if regular SA is same or not.

[+Prime Suspect]

Tried to test this numerous times, but GPSbabel continuously craps out while reading the GPX file, with the error GPX: XML parse error at 37753: reference to invalid character number. So I can't say if it generates a file that's useable in Street Atlas or not. The text seems to indicate that it's for the handheld version. Hard to say, since the program can't seem to handle the GPX data well enough to generate a file.

 

However, I do know that Utopia will allow you export GPX and/or LOC data in a file that can be imported by either the older Street Atlas programs (through v9), and the newer Street Atlas 2003/2004. You can select exactly which caches are exported, and fully customize the map label to include the waypoint ID, cache name, owner, date placed, type of cache, size of cache container, terrain and/or difficulty ratings, etc.

 

"Don't mess with a geocacher. We know all the best places to hide a body."

[+bajalou]

Thanks

 

I downloaded Utopia and ran it but couldnt find how to make the files for the Street Atlas 2003 or 2004, only the TXT files for older versions. Can you give me a clue wher I went wrong?

Thanks Lou

[kg4mrv]

The only way i got it to work was to load the waypoints to the gps, and then load them from the gps to street atlas.

[robertlipe]

Tried to test this numerous times, but GPSbabel continuously craps out while reading the GPX file, with the error GPX: XML parse error at 37753: reference to invalid character number. So I can't say if it generates a file

Email 'contact@geocaching.com' about your pocket query and ask them why they're STILL generating illegal GPX files? Every time I see this (and I get it about a dozen times a week) it's invalid XML that won't validate.

 

I'm seriously considering inserting an error handling with a 'cut and paste this to contact@geocaching.com' message.

[robertlipe]

I thought I could use GPSBabel to load waypoints received from Pocket Queries (.gpx) into my Delorem Street Atlas program. I'm not sure what format to choose, because GPSBabel shows multiple formats for Delorme,

GPSBabel works fine with Street Atlas. http://gpsbabel.sourceforge.net/readme.html shows that 'csv' is the correct form for SA9 Deluxe and SA 2003. XMapHH is for the Topo strains. If you have more specific questions, please follow up on the gpsbabel-misc mailing list.

 

I personally have SA9Dlx and SA2003, so I'm confident that works...

[+Prime Suspect]

Thanks

 

I downloaded Utopia and ran it but couldnt find how to make the files for the Street Atlas 2003 or 2004,  only the TXT files for older versions.  Can you give me a clue wher I went wrong?

Thanks  Lou

In the file export dialog, you can select if you want the file for the older SA (v 9.0 or earlier) or for SA2003/2004. If it's for the latter, save the file in the DeLorme Docs/Draw folder (you don't have to, but it saves a step). It will have a .txt extension. In Street Atlas, just click on the Draw tab and click the File... button. Then click the Import... button. Select your file, and it's done.

 

The icon used will be whatever you have set as the default icon symbol at the time the import is performed.

 

Each import will create a new draw layer, so you can do multiple imports, and selectively activate just the ones you need.

 

I've added a FAQ section to the help text, and included this info in it. It will be available in the next incremental build.

 

"Don't mess with a geocacher. We know all the best places to hide a body."

[+bajalou]

Thanks

 

Tried that and works GREAT. Nice to print SA map of a area to kind of orient oneself to start caching when there are several around a town.

 

Great job on Utopia

 

Lou

[+Maeglin]

Email 'contact@geocaching.com' about your pocket query and ask them why they're STILL generating illegal GPX files?  Every time I see this (and I get it about a dozen times a week) it's invalid XML that won't validate.

That was a pain in my backside as well, but I just added code to CMConvert to filter invalid characters out of the input XML, and that seems to have pretty much eliminated the problem, in my case anyway. You might want to check the source for that (near the end of parser.cpp) and see what I'm doing.

 

Ideally, we should be able to get the guys at Groundspeak to fix the Pocket Query system but, as long as it's taking for the complaints to sink in over there, I just opted to reduce the support requests that I was getting

[+Prime Suspect]

Thanks

 

Tried that and works GREAT. Nice to print SA map of a area to kind of orient oneself to start caching when there are several around a town.

 

Great job on Utopia

 

Lou

There was a local tech expo here a few months back, and the organizers asked our geocaching group if we would like to participate. For the event, I used Street Atlas's multi-panel map printing function to print out a huge map showing every physical geocache in the entire Dallas/Ft Worth area. Pretty cool.

[+ziggy2000]

I have been using Utopia to FLAWLESSLY export GPX files to Street Atlas 2003/2004 - and then use the routing function to set up a geocaching trip with a few right clicks. I have only recently begun to appreciate the links to USGS photo imagery... AMAZING...

[robertlipe]

I just added code to CMConvert to filter invalid characters out of the input XML, and that seems to have pretty much eliminated the problem, in my case anyway. 

I don't know if this thread inspired him, but Warm Fuzzies-Fuzzy just contributed the same idea to GPSBabel. It will now eat the broken XML that this site is content to generate since a year of problem reports is getting us nowhere. I'm so tired of dealing with this in GPSBabel that I'll probably spin another release in the next couple of days just to lighten the load on MY mailbox.

 

So much for standards

Street Atlas's multi-panel map printing function to print out a huge map

Delorme's 3x3 page maps are indeed very cool, but a pain to make. When I plan major out-of-town attacks, I build up a set of them so I can zoom out further than I can on the GPS itself (without the screen turning black) to get a sense of direction on which way to work.

[+parkrrrr]

I don't know if this thread inspired him, but Warm Fuzzies-Fuzzy just contributed the same idea to GPSBabel.

I have it on good authority that this thread was the straw that broke the camel's back. He'd been thinking about it for some time, though. (That's why he had all those files to test the fix with...)

[+Prime Suspect]

I have been using Utopia to FLAWLESSLY export GPX files to Street Atlas 2003/2004 - and then use the routing function to set up a geocaching trip with a few right clicks.  I have only recently begun to appreciate the links to USGS photo imagery... AMAZING...

Glad you like it. There's more neat stuff comin'.

[+Darwinkle]

Did I miss something here?

Does Utopia display the caches offline as Watcher does or do you have to be online to view the cache pages?

 

Darwinkle

[+RobAGD]

I have been spinning my GPX files before sending to babel to get rid of the invalid characters, just use the standard templet, and let it kill my 2mb gps down to something 60-100k Then Run babel on it for xmap and import it as a draw file in SA2003.

 

Ill hav eto get a newer version of babel it looks like. Thanks Fuzzy and Robert

 

-Robert

 

ps - I do like your program Robert even if you think I am a hater

[+Prime Suspect]

Did I miss something here?

Does Utopia display the caches offline as Watcher does or do you have to be online to view the cache pages?

 

Darwinkle

That's coming in the next release.

[+George501949]

Just downloaded Utopia, and was able to get the map pins on the Delorme Street Atlas 2004. Now my question is is there a way to get the G number, the name, and the difficulty level on those map pins all at one time. I do this with Microsoft Streets and Trips, but would use Delorme's Topo if I could do this in one move.

[robertlipe]

GPSbabel continuously craps out while reading the GPX file, with the error GPX: XML parse error at 37753: reference to invalid character number.

 

The freshly-released GPSBabel 1.2.1 is immune to the control characters in GPX log problem.

 

Since this has been the number one reported "problem" in GPSBabel for nearly a year, I'm pleased to release a version of GPSBabel that - like Spinner, Watcher, and many other programs that have to deal with geocaching.com pocket queries - now includes a disgusting hack to "fix" the broken pocket queries. (I"m even more pleased that Warm Fuzzies - Fuzzy did the work and not me. :-) It's invisible to the users; this problem should just Go Away from your view.

 

http://gpsbabel.sourceforge.net

[+Prime Suspect]

Just downloaded Utopia, and was able to get the map pins on the Delorme Street Atlas 2004. Now my question is is there a way to get the G number, the name, and the difficulty level on those map pins all at one time. I do this with Microsoft Streets and Trips, but would use Delorme's Topo if I could do this in one move.

I don't have DeLorme TOPO, so I can't check this, but for Street Atlas you can format the label just about any way you want. It will probably work for TOPO as well.

 

In Utopia, from the Options menu, open the Export Options dialog and click on the Street Atlas tab.

 

The Label Text input field lets you format the label. Click inside the box to set focus to it, and press F1 to bring up the help display. This will list all the replacement codes. They all begin and end with a percent sign. Anything entered that's not a replacement code will be treated as a constant value.

 

Here's the format string I use:

 

%w%-%n% [%t%-%z% %dr%/%tr%]

 

This gives the waypoint ID, the name of the cache, the type of cache, the size of the container, and the difficulty and terrain rating. Here's a sample of the output:

 

GCH7X9-Out of Reach! [Mult-Micr 1.5/1]

[+George501949]

Thanks, I changed the sting, and that added the G number, the name, and the rating, now if I could get it to do all 500 of my waypoints at one time I would use it. I do thank you for your help. It does work in Delormes Topo also.

Edited December 5, 2003 by George501949

[+Prime Suspect]

Thanks, I changed the sting, and that added the G number, the name, and the rating, now if I could get it to do all 500 of my waypoints at one time I would use it.

If they're all in GPX files, it will. I've displayed over 650 waypoints in SA2003 before, with no problem. There's no extra work. I just opened 2 GPX files into Utopia (it handled the data merge and filtered out duplicates), then exported the file that I then opened in SA2003. It took less than a minute.

[+George501949]

Having played with Utopia some more, I did it. I think I'm going to like this a lot. Thanks for the help. In both Topo and SA2004

Edited December 6, 2003 by George501949

[+George501949]

Ok, I like Utopia a lot, I just did all my GPX files in one shot. 1699 Geocaches at one time, BAM.

[+Prime Suspect]

Ok, I like Utopia a lot, I just did all my GPX files in one shot. 1699 Geocaches at one time, BAM.

Cool. I should have a new beta build available sometime this week. You can get to the beta builds from the main page. There's also a mailing list you can join to get announcements of updates.

Edited December 6, 2003 by Prime Suspect