Transferring GPS files to other friends

Ok, I admit, brand new Basecamp and Nav VI user here...

I watched all of the videos by Moto Tim, and thankfully, am over my fear of the program, and was able to build 5 daily routes for our group to follow.

What I need to do, and frankly, I am out of research time, as I cannot devote today to it, is transfer my files to a user with a Garmin Zumo 550 and to a user with a NAV VI.

What is the easiest, or best way to do this? I can e-mail them to them today, and have them load from Basecamp, which should be simple. Neither of them have done more than load the program. They know less than I do. I am sure I can explain the transfer process.

I read that you can bluetooth the files, but didn't get much detail.

I think there is a way to just e-mail them from my computer to theirs, but I could not quite locate anything that looked like the right kind of file to send, either on my PC or NAV VI. I ran out of time looking for file structure...

I would normally get to researching, but we leave tomorrow, have to work a full day today, and one guy needs to get his bike from the dealer who has had it too long...

The joys of travel in Covidtimes.

Help!

While in Basecamp, export the selection(file), this will be a *.gpx file, to a thumb drive or to your hard drive. If you do multiple routes it will be easier to do them one at a time. You can email the *.gpx file to a friend. To get the file on a Garmin, attach the Garmin to the computer with a usb Garmin cable and save the file to a gpx folder. The folder can be in the main storage or on an added sd card. Hope this helps.

millsaps2 said:

While in Basecamp, export the selection(file), this will be a *.gpx file, to a thumb drive or to your hard drive. If you do multiple routes it will be easier to do them one at a time. You can email the *.gpx file to a friend. To get the file on a Garmin, attach the Garmin to the computer with a usb Garmin cable and save the file to a gpx folder. The folder can be in the main storage or on an added sd card. Hope this helps.

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So then the next step would be for them to just import the GPX "route" into Base Camp, then push to his Garmin?

I can e-mail them.

Given your scenario I would export the routes (.GPX) to a folder on your computer. You can do this in Basecamp. You would then Email your friends and attach the .GPX file(s) to the Email. They then Export the file to their computer and import into Basecamp and then to their GPS. There are other ways of doing this more directly, but as you describe you need a low-tech/familiar, and immediate way to do this.

azgman said:

Given your scenario I would export the routes (.GPX) to a folder on your computer. You can do this in Basecamp. You would then Email your friends and attach the .GPX file(s) to the Email. They then Export the file to their computer and import into Basecamp and then to their GPS. There are other ways of doing this more directly, but as you describe you need a low-tech/familiar, and immediate way to do this.

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Thank you, this sounds perfect for us. I am the willing Tech leader of the group... I will try the bluetooth method with one of the guys when we finally meet up. If that doesn't work, I am less concerned. I need to make sure my wingman has the right stuff, his can worry about him! hahaha...

jstrube said:

So then the next step would be for them to just import the GPX "route" into Base Camp, then push to his Garmin?

I can e-mail them.

Click to expand...

You can go directly from the saved gpx file on the computer to the Garmin, no need to go thru Basecamp.

millsaps2 said:

You can go directly from the saved gpx file on the computer to the Garmin, no need to go thru Basecamp.

Click to expand...

However, I believe you do have to have Garmin Express loaded on your computer to do this.

No need for Express (or Basecamp). Just copy the .gpx to the GPS with your file manager.

powwow said:

However, I believe you do have to have Garmin Express loaded on your computer to do this.

Click to expand...

No need for Garmin Express to transfer gpx files.
Express is only used to update you gps software or maps.

The Nav will appear in your file browser as another attached drive. You can copy the file to the device.

Transfering the gpx files with Bluetooth won't work with the older zumo 550. It works fine between Nav V and Nav VI and also recent zumos.

Garmin Basecamp, Zumos, and Navigators all use a way of "thinking" that is not obvious to any human I've ever met, so the chances you've gotten the routes to do what exactly what you want on the first try are not great. Not trying to be discouraging, but Garmin has been cursed in many languages.

If you select the wrong point to begin navigating, or go off-route, the Nav will recalculate the route, and in doing so can ignore most or all of your original road selections. If it's not too late, in Basecamp Open each route and use the "Create Track" button to make a Track identical to the route, and include both the Track and Route in the exported .gpx. On the Nav, load the route as usual in Trip Planner and then use the Tracks app to load the track, selecting the option to show it on the map and also assigning a color that will contrast with the magenta route line (black works for me). On the map the black track line will be seen in the center of the magenta route, and it will not change if the Nav recalculates the route. This way, if the routing goes awry, you can follow the black track instead of the magenta route. You will not get directions, but you can still keep an eye on the Nav to follow the black line. At some point you may get the route to move back on the original path. Routes can be recalculated by the Nav, but tracks never are.


It's clear you are out of time but when you get back...

Register over at ST-Owners.com(free), and download Zumo Trip Planner & Basecamp - What Goes Wrong and Why. This excellent guide explains how the routes and tracks you build are used by the Nav. It really should have been part of the standard documentation from Garmin. It also has links to some very good YouTube videos illustrating the route building methods in the guide. These are "hidden" videos that you will not find with a YouTube search. The author, John Heath, has had trouble with the guide being distributed without giving him credit, and he also makes revisions occasionally, so he asks that it not be posted elsewhere.
After two years of experimenting, searching YouTube, scouring forums and websites, I was building routes that worked about 70% of the time, with no idea why the rest were failing. There were lots of day rides that were cut short when I got tired of U-turns and recalculated routes that missed the "good" roads. John's guide made it clear where I was going wrong and made it easy to build reliable, flexible routes.

Remember to report back after your trip!

lkraus said:

No need for Express (or Basecamp). Just copy the .gpx to the GPS with your file manager.

Click to expand...

Come to think of it, I believe you can also just plug the Garmin into your computer, then drag the .gpx file into it.

powwow said:

Come to think of it, I believe you can also just plug the Garmin into your computer, then drag the .gpx file into it.

Click to expand...

Thanks Everybody! this is my last check in. I think we got it!

I was thinking this method would work, but last night, I could not find the file location to drop them into. I will look at this when I have a more relaxed frame of mind. My new computer arrived 2 weeks late due to FedEx, so I had no real way of managing these. I really had to rush this, and feel pretty good about the result.

I am also in better shape than my buddy, who picked his bike up today from the dealer... I had mine serviced 3 weeks ago! ahh, last minute details. Mine surround final packing of the bike.

Thank you everyone for the help!

I was able to transfer the files via Bluetooth to one buddy, and over e-mail to the others with older units. I did struggle with rerouting issues, I think I did it wrong 5 times, but eventually got on track. Not even sure how. This was the start of the trip, where it wanted to route me a different way.

We had 1 great 7/8 of a day riding, then had to head back home. My buddy put his bike in a ditch, and totaled it. H is fine, bike is gone. I ended up renting a U-Haul to get my bike home, as he had a pretty badly swollen knee from his flight over the handlebars.




now he is trying to figure out when to get a replacement. Never a dull moment!

Good to hear that he is OK. A beautiful R1150RT was sacrificed however!

azgman said:

Good to hear that he is OK. A beautiful R1150RT was sacrificed however!

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I'm trying to help him find a 17-18 RT now!