Google Maps and GPS Visualizer for .gpx generation.

[kbasa]

I'll admit it. I can't figure Basecamp out. I work with software for a living, but Basecamp is something I don't grok well. As a result, I've had a couple GPSs laying on my desk, unused. It was just too much hassle. I just used Waze or Maps or something on my phone.

I have the BMW Connected App and really dig it, so I was curious about how to build routes easily. And opening Basecamp and looking at it just wasn't gonna happen.

My friend Rob visited in April. Rob's a former IBR rider and sailor, so navigation is a thing he knows inside out. When he was here, he shared with me his method for making new .gpx files.

You're going to need a couple things and we're going to use a couple websites. I use Apple products, so I'm going to use AirDrop to move files around. If you use other operating systems, I presume you know how to move files from one device to another.

First up, you're going to need a few things:

• A google account. If you have a gmail account, you're set.
• A map you've created in Google Maps. Use the web page, not the app. You're going to copy the URL and a browser makes this way easier.
• A Google API Key. This is a code you're going to get from google that will let the next product read your map
• The GPS Visualizer converter page
• Some kinda thing that reads and shows you a .gpx GPS, BMW Connected Ride, whatevs

Step 1: Get your API Key

Start at this page: https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/embed/get-api-key

You're going to need to have a google account already so you can get signed in. Follow the steps outlined on the page and you'll get a long "key". Copy it and store it in a text file in case you lose it.

Step 2: Head over to www.googlemaps.com and make yourself a route.

It's an easy way to create a route, just use the little dialog box to build it, then save it, then copy the url. I've made a route from Elko, NV to Durango, CO and I used drag and drop to change the route Google proposed. Just click on the route and drag it to the road you'd prefer to use. Using the dialog box in the upper left, you can add additional stops or reorder them.

When you've got it where you'd like it, click the blue Copy Link button. Make sure you see a confirmation. Sometimes I have to click it twice.

Step 3: Head over to GPS Visualizer at: https://www.gpsvisualizer.com/convert_input?convert_format=gpx

I had to muck around with some of the settings, but this seems to work well enough that I've quit experimenting.

• Paste your link to your route in the smaller box where it says "Or provide the URL of a file on the web". That's you.
• Next, paste your Google API key into the box below.
• Don't hit that Convert button yet. We've got a couple more things to set.

Hit the "show advanced options" bar and you'll get this. Set yours up like this.

Step 4: Convert your file, transfer and import

Ok. All set? Hit that convert button now and you'll get to wait a few seconds until you're presented with a download. When it's done, you'll get redirected to this page where you can download your file. I use Apple devices, so I do this on my Mac and just airdrop the file over to my iPhone. From there, I open BMW Connected Ride and import it. You might have to fish around on your phone to find the gpx, but once you do, it should import readily into BMW CR.

Ride well, ride often. I hope this helps someone else that isn't willing to deal with Basecamp create routes and import them into the devices they like. I suppose you could use Basecamp to load this to your GPS, but I'll leave that to someone else for now.

 

[61996]

Basecamp is easier.

Joe

 

[Mellow]

Yeah, I'm in software as well... I loved mapsource... too bad that's not still around.. hated basecamp but have learned, for the most part, how to use it enough to get things done and now I like it. I played with tread and hate that UI...

 

[omega man]

Very nice tutorial Dave.
Hopefully some of the members will enjoy your efforts.
OM

 

[lee]

I've made a route from Elko, NV to Durango, CO and I used drag and drop to change the route Google proposed.

Did you make sure you ended up with the same route on the GPS?

 

[mjfink420]

Basecamp has a ridiculously steep learning curve. Once you get over that (admittedly, it took me days of fighting with it to get there), it's pretty darn good and putting a route together. One thing that still drives me nuts; sometimes a route will be perfect in Basecamp but, when transferred to the Nav6, do some routing that's different and not what you want. The solution, if you really want a specific route, create a track and show the track on the map (you won't get turn by turn, but you can see if the Garmin is taking you off the route you want and just ignore it).

I will say, this is all SO much harder than it needs to be. It's approaching trivial what we're trying to do, build a route, follow that route. It's mind boggling that it's so hard.

For simple stuff/quick rides, I just use Google maps, it's good enough. For more complex routing, where I really want to go on a specific road, Nav 6 w/Basecamp is still the champ. But while I do now (finally) know Basecamp well enough to do pretty much whatever I need, it's WAY harder than it needs to be, we completely agree on that point!

 

[jandhumphreyme]

Awesome explanation, thank you so much for your effort putting this together, very clear and concise, worked first time. ADMIN's, let's make this a permanent post so folks can find this for reference.

 

[kbasa]

Did you make sure you ended up with the same route on the GPS?

I did. I've used this a whole bunch of times. If you're sharing with someone else, it allows you both to work on the route before you convert it.

 

[r0ckrat]

Someone somewhere, may have been here or on ADVRider, suggested gpx.studio, which seems to work pretty easy as well. But also has some quirkiness being it originated in country/language with a little bit different sentence structure from English...

 

[kbasa]

I'm happy some folks found it helpful.

 

[kickstandsup]

Another 2 cents...

I started looking for a Garmin alternative in late 2018 when I got ready to ship a bike to Europe and store it there. I had a Nav 5, IIRC, and Garmin wanted $100 for the Europe map...seems their "lifetime maps" only apply to the location where the satnav was purchased. And that 100 bucks included ZERO updates...so if you want an updated map every year, you shell out another hundred...no thanks.

I don't like using my phone for navigation...lots of discussion on that topic...but that's where I come down. I don't want my primary solution in an emergency bolted to the bike that probably just went down the road. And, IMO, they are not robust enough for continued, reliable, use.

That led me to TomTom, their Rider 550 device, and using their MyDrive portal for route planning.

Plan.TomTom.com

TomTom Route Planner

plan.tomtom.com

I thought I went to heaven compared to all the BS associated with planning a route on a Garmin. See kbasa's post...nothing has changed, just better workarounds have been discovered.

Personally, I want to plan complicated, tertiary road routes, on my laptop, sipping a beverage of choice, have them load into the device wirelessly, then have the device faithfully follow those routes.

Since I went to the TomTom, that process has been working flawlessly (almost) for six years. In fact, I'm writing this from the Dolomites because I'm on my annual extended European ride.

I will note that MyDrive will output, directly, a gpx file...no need to convert google maps to a gpx file for the Garmin to read.

And MyDrive is as easy to use as google maps, IMO...intuitive, drag and drop, lots of other info on hotels, food, etc, and you don't have any limitation on waypoints. IIRC, google limits you to something like 10, but it has been a long time since I've tried that.

All that said, it appears TomTom has abandoned the hardware side of things...the Rider 550 is discontinued, and they now have a GoRide phone app, similar to their Go driving phone app.

I'll be using my Rider until it, hopefully, never dies. Then, I'll probably be forced to go to a Garmin, but will hopefully be able to use the MyDrive gpx file that I can make and get it on the Garmin device. Maybe one of you will try that out and report back...

Ciao!

 

[riderr1150gsadv]

Tx for the Google tutorial. I find it a bit more complex then needed but that is just me..

With Basecamp and a Garmin Navigator make sure your maps match. Whatever version you have on your PC needs to be on your Garmin device as well. It makes transferring waypoints and routes etc easier.. It isn't life or death as the Garmin Nav will recalculate the route but I have found some minor deviations from time to time. Also when planning a route in Basecamp zoom all the way in to mark a waypoint specially if there are a lot intersections around. This to avoid any confusion as to your route..
I also like the fact that Google doesn't know where I am going... It is a great tool to get an overview but to me Basecamp is just fine. YMMV

Edit: I use Basecamp on a Mac if that makes any difference...

 

[kbasa]

Tx for the Google tutorial. I find it a bit more complex then needed but that is just me..

With Basecamp and a Garmin Navigator make sure your maps match. Whatever version you have on your PC needs to be on your Garmin device as well. It makes transferring waypoints and routes etc easier.. It isn't life or death as the Garmin Nav will recalculate the route but I have found some minor deviations from time to time. Also when planning a route in Basecamp zoom all the way in to mark a waypoint specially if there are a lot intersections around. This to avoid any confusion as to your route..
I also like the fact that Google doesn't know where I am going... It is a great tool to get an overview but to me Basecamp is just fine. YMMV

Edit: I use Basecamp on a Mac if that makes any difference...

Thanks! Once you have the API key set up, it's kind of a no brainer to make a gpx from a route you've built in Google.

For me, building a bunch of waypoints in Basecamp is about as much fun as being poked in the eye. My favorite part of the Google map interface is an ability to let Google build a route, then reroute by dragging the route to a road I'd prefer. Didn't have to add a waypoint or anything. I think that's why I like it.

But hey, if folks have a method they like, they should keep on keeping on. For folks like me that prefer not to use Basecamp, I hope it lets them start making .gpx files easily.

 

[ed_jorgensen]

Thanks for the info on GPS Visualizer. I gave it a quick test and it works great. You can also build routes using Google’s My Maps and export as a KML. I have 30+ routes saved in My Maps. Dump the KML into GPS Visualizer or whatever converter you can find. I happen to use FURKOT. I download the GPX as a track and let my Garmin XT convert it to a route.

 

[fcm1]

I'll admit it. I can't figure Basecamp out. I work with software for a living, but Basecamp is something I don't grok well. As a result, I've had a couple GPSs laying on my desk, unused. It was just too much hassle. I just used Waze or Maps or something on my phone.

I have the BMW Connected App and really dig it, so I was curious about how to build routes easily. And opening Basecamp and looking at it just wasn't gonna happen.

My friend Rob visited in April. Rob's a former IBR rider and sailor, so navigation is a thing he knows inside out. When he was here, he shared with me his method for making new .gpx files.

You're going to need a couple things and we're going to use a couple websites. I use Apple products, so I'm going to use AirDrop to move files around. If you use other operating systems, I presume you know how to move files from one device to another.

First up, you're going to need a few things:

• A google account. If you have a gmail account, you're set.
• A map you've created in Google Maps. Use the web page, not the app. You're going to copy the URL and a browser makes this way easier.
• A Google API Key. This is a code you're going to get from google that will let the next product read your map
• The GPS Visualizer converter page
• Some kinda thing that reads and shows you a .gpx GPS, BMW Connected Ride, whatevs

Step 1: Get your API Key

Start at this page: https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/embed/get-api-key

You're going to need to have a google account already so you can get signed in. Follow the steps outlined on the page and you'll get a long "key". Copy it and store it in a text file in case you lose it.

Step 2: Head over to www.googlemaps.com and make yourself a route.

It's an easy way to create a route, just use the little dialog box to build it, then save it, then copy the url. I've made a route from Elko, NV to Durango, CO and I used drag and drop to change the route Google proposed. Just click on the route and drag it to the road you'd prefer to use. Using the dialog box in the upper left, you can add additional stops or reorder them.

When you've got it where you'd like it, click the blue Copy Link button. Make sure you see a confirmation. Sometimes I have to click it twice.

View attachment 98195


Step 3: Head over to GPS Visualizer at: https://www.gpsvisualizer.com/convert_input?convert_format=gpx

I had to muck around with some of the settings, but this seems to work well enough that I've quit experimenting.

• Paste your link to your route in the smaller box where it says "Or provide the URL of a file on the web". That's you.
• Next, paste your Google API key into the box below.
• Don't hit that Convert button yet. We've got a couple more things to set.

View attachment 98196

Hit the "show advanced options" bar and you'll get this. Set yours up like this.

View attachment 98197

Step 4: Convert your file, transfer and import

Ok. All set? Hit that convert button now and you'll get to wait a few seconds until you're presented with a download. When it's done, you'll get redirected to this page where you can download your file. I use Apple devices, so I do this on my Mac and just airdrop the file over to my iPhone. From there, I open BMW Connected Ride and import it. You might have to fish around on your phone to find the gpx, but once you do, it should import readily into BMW CR.

View attachment 98198

Ride well, ride often. I hope this helps someone else that isn't willing to deal with Basecamp create routes and import them into the devices they like. I suppose you could use Basecamp to load this to your GPS, but I'll leave that to someone else for now.

I am a software engineer and very new to all these map/NAV things. My 2 cents.
I do not use a GPS. I use an app on my smartphone that can read and generate .GPX files. All I need to do is 2 things; to not let my app “optimize” the route. And to ensure the smartphone has power to go. My subscription is unlimited data. Now, if I am away from 5G network, the quality would diminish considerable. Does a NAV works when a phone lost Cellular reception or, in this case are both “dead”?

 

[rhbike]

I am a software engineer and very new to all these map/NAV things. My 2 cents.
I do not use a GPS. I use an app on my smartphone that can read and generate .GPX files. All I need to do is 2 things; to not let my app “optimize” the route. And to ensure the smartphone has power to go. My subscription is unlimited data. Now, if I am away from 5G network, the quality would diminish considerable. Does a NAV works when a phone lost Cellular reception or, in this case are both “dead”?

That is the whole point of a dedicated GPS such as the Garmin NAV[n], XT, XT2 etc. All they need is to get a satellite signal for GPS coordinates and they just work. I frequently ride in the Carolina mountains where I can be riding for hours at a time without cell signal. I can be in the middle of nowhere with no cell signal and choose a route or destination on the Nav system, and it will get me out with no fuss or muss. Google maps has some limited map caching so long as you select your destination and it calculates the route while you have cell or wifi signal. If you venture off track too far, or need routing while out of cell/wifi, your phone is useless.

Also, try defining a complex route with Google Maps. When in the car or in town and I just want the most efficient route between two point, Google Maps is hard to beat. But when I'm building routes for the motorbike, I'm choosing very specific routes for their fun factor and want non-announcing waypoints (shaping points) to ensure my route remains intact without having to convert the route to a track.

And dedicated Nav systems are also designed to take temp extremes, harsh weather, vibration, and be seen in far brighter light than virtually all cell phones can tolerate. I used to ride with my cell phone on a bar mount to use for simple A to B navigation in town and I used to have problems seeing it, and it would power off or freeze in extreme temps, and I destroyed the image stabilizer in the camera. My cell phone rides in a jacket pocket now.

 

[kbasa]

I am a software engineer and very new to all these map/NAV things. My 2 cents.
I do not use a GPS. I use an app on my smartphone that can read and generate .GPX files. All I need to do is 2 things; to not let my app “optimize” the route. And to ensure the smartphone has power to go. My subscription is unlimited data. Now, if I am away from 5G network, the quality would diminish considerable. Does a NAV works when a phone lost Cellular reception or, in this case are both “dead”?

Your phone doesn't use the satellites that your nav unit would. It triangulates location based on cell tower triangulation. Some include inertial sensors that can detect movement, but they're not entirely accurate, either.

For remote locations, you want a GPS. For less remote locations, a phone may work perfectly well. The advantage I tried to bring to this post vs. just "take me here" like most phone navigation does was to allow use of tools that can read a gpx on your phone, but might have less terrific routing abilities.

I've had good luck with the BMW Connected Ride app, so my intention was to find a better way to create routes than basecamp, but will still load into my Connected Ride App, which works great.

 

[kickstandsup]

As I've mentioned before, I hate Garmin, and won't bolt my primary safety device (aka phone) to the bike. I've been very happy using TomTom's Rider 550 and their terrific, easy to use, syncs with the Rider via wifi, route planner. plan.tomtom.com

That said, if I was starting over today, I'd probably use a Chigee along with TomTom's GO navigation app.

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The Chigee mirrors your phone, so presumably any CarPlay or AA app works, and the GO app is compatible with both. I've been using the GO app on my AA in the car, and it works perfectly. Build a complex, tertiary road route in the TT planner on your laptop, it immediately syncs with the GO app on the phone, just like it syncs with their Rider satnav.

AND, the GO app downloads the map to your phone, so it seems to work in remote areas even without cell service. It does this automatically. Nominal charge of about $25/year.

AND, if I had a newer BMW with the satnav cradle and wonder wheel, the Chigee would be a no brainer. Cheaper, easier, plug and play.

AND the GO app follows the route you build exactly, which is what I want.

 

[bernieecht]

My BMW Connected App on my old iPhone 7 works great, even if I loose cell tower coverage.
The maps are downloaded to the internal hard drive on the iPhone.
I run both the BMW/Garmin Navigator 6 (2nd Generation) and the BMW Connected App. And in the hilly mountains and valleys of NC, SW-VA and WV I have no problem having the BMW Connected stay connected and on the planned the route. Sometimes the Nav 6 GPS looses its satellite signal and starts wandering of the route by some distance, before it finds another signal, while the old iPhone 7 stays connected to whatever signal it uses and continues showing the route on the actual road.

 

[rhbike]

Your phone doesn't use the satellites that your nav unit would. It triangulates location based on cell tower triangulation. Some include inertial sensors that can detect movement, but they're not entirely accurate, either.

I believe most phones, certainly all premium phones, do use GPS satellites for location which is augmented by cell towers for greater accuracy when the phone signal. That said, IMHO, it still doesn’t make a cell phone appropriate for primary navigation duties when one is traveling through areas with spotty or no cell service, in weather/temp extremes, or when dealing with complex routes.