Create GPX files from Garmin's Mapsource
By: Abel Lin The previous article outlined how to collect tracks and waypoints with Garmin's Foretrex GPS unit. Here I'll briefly outline how to turn that data into a GPX file that can be loaded into SMR. As with the previous article, I'll be using the following: 1. A Foretrex 101 GPS unit (~$130 US), 2. The Garmin MapSource CD for Windows (~$24 US), and 3. The Foretrex Serial PC interface cable (~$20 US) First connect your GPS unit to the cable. At least with my unit you have to seat the cable pretty firmly. The cable is a serial connection, so the good news is that you don't need any drivers. The bad news is that some laptops (especially smaller ones) don't usually come with serial ports, so you'll need to find a PC that has a serial port. Yes, I said "PC", unfortunately at this time most Garmin software doesn't support Macs. Note: The Foretrex is a bit simplistic with regard to its PC connection, many Garmin units have since made the leap to USB and/or removable memory cards. After you click on the "Receive from Device" button you will see the following window pop up. You should see your device listed in the menu, as you can see, I'm using a ForeTrex.
After you click on the Receive button, your data will download into Mapsource. With the Foretrex this will happen at an alarming rate of 9600 baud! Fortunately the data isn't that big, so the transfer usually dosen't last too long. Depending on where you were when you last closed Mapsource, you may not actually see anything. To find your track, right click the track listing and select "Show Selected Track on Map". The map will then center itself on the selected track.
Here's a screenshot of the Borrego Springs ride downloaded from SMR with the restaurant/food layer. As you can see the track is highlighted yellow and the waypoints are labeled with unique names. At this point you can edit the waypoints and tracks. You'll want to be thorough with this editing because Garmin dumps EVERYTHING from the unit. So if you've saved locations extraneous to your ride or if you've forgotten to erase previous data, it will also be included. To delete a waypoint or track, just right click the track or waypoint and select delete.
After you've edited your ride, the last step is to save the file in GPX format. To do so, select "Save As" from the File menu and select "GPS eXchange Format (*.gpx).
That's it! Your track is now ready to be uploaded to SMR! Other Resources: Published: Feb 6, 2007 Leave Comments |
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