Tablet/Garmin route navigation question

[gregmacc]

Hi all ... first post here.
Can anyone help with a technical problem? My wife and I are about to do a 3 month tour of Germany and France. As a navigation aid to using regional Michelin maps we want to use our Garmin Edge 810. We want to take our Galaxy Tab S2 for general computing and entertainment (nice and light and compact). Presently I can produce GPX files on the "Ride with GPS" website and download them to the tablet. However I am unable to transfer the file from the tablet to the Garmin. I have a micro USB to USB (OTG) adaptor cable to connect the 2 devices and by all accounts the Tab S2 is OTG compatible. I've experimented with various Android apps but so far have had no luck ... any ideas?

[RickH]

You should only need the tablet's file manager. An alternative to whatever is on your Samsung is FX File Explorer (I started using it when I took a dislike to the one bundled with with a Sony phone - you couldn't uninstall it but it kept nagging you to pay to upgrade, so I installed FX & disabled the other).

I seem to recall that some versions of Android require you to give permission to access each USB device somewhere in settings (but don't remember having to do so on Oreo, which I'm currently using) . Once that hurdle is overcome, if necessary, you should get the USB trident in your notification bar at the top of the screen. Opening your file manager should give you an extra entry (possibly with an obscure serial number as a name) that will let you access the internal memory of your garmin (but not any memory card if you have one). Just copy & paste your file into the "New Files" folder inside the "Garmin" folder & your Garmin will translate it & move it to the right folder when it is next switched on.

I usually save files as TCX (if that is an option) as I've personally found that works best for me. TCXs end up listed in courses on my 1000. Other file format may end up elsewhere.

Hope that is of some help.

[gregmacc]

Thanks RickH ...
When I plug the Garmin into the Tab S2 and launch the "My Files" app the Garmin gives a chirp and immediately powers up ... It definitely doesn't show up anywhere in the "My Files" page though ... I tried FX and still no luck with that either ...

[gregmacc]

There is no provision in Settings that I can see to apply "Permissions" for USB devices ...

[jacksonz]

I don't know your devices but I have used OTG to connect a range of phones/tablets to a Garmin Etrex20. My experience is that OTG implementation is very hit and miss across devices. Garmin likewise has some USB issues. Recently I performed a firmware upgrade on the Garmin said to improve USB connectivity but it made things worse!

Try plugging in a standard USB flash drive and seeing if it is recognised. It should appear under Settings/Storage although you should receive a notification if the device was mounted. Maybe check your OTG cable, I've had a defective one.

Well sometimes it just won't work.....

If you can write to a flash drive then there is a workaround. If your Garmin has an microSD card remove it and use a microUSB card reader/writer plugged into the OTG to transfer the GPX directly. For example:https://www.ebay.com/itm/Micro-USB-USB-2-0-OTG-Adapter-Converter-SD-T-Flash-Memory-Card-Reader-Writer/172171653287?hash=item28163af0a7:m:mJ3Wd4NzrrRmI2pD8ay4ILg

[gregmacc]

Thanks jacksonz ... I'm at work at the moment but will try your suggestions tomorrow ...

[JohnI]

Could you upload the route to Garmin Connect and then sync using Bluetooth? That works for me on an Android phone and an Edge 25, but I have no idea about your specific devices.

[Cunobelin]

The more expensive (810) can link with a Smartphone, and if the Tablet runs similar software that can be managed as well.

The available functions are limited, but transferring rides is possible

[RickH]

Garmin Connect may be an alternative way.

You can import routes, created elsewhere, as courses using the Web version. The android app doesn't have that option (unless they've added it recently).

Then you can use the Garmin Connect Mobile app to transfer the route to the 810 via Bluetooth, as previously mentioned.

[Cunobelin]

... or you could just mount the Tablet?

[Tigerbiten]

I'm not that technical ......
On my Garmin 30, once I've worked out roughly where I'm going off a map/atlas.
I just plug various roads/junctions into it and let it join the points together.
It normally take me a couple of attempts to get it to pick the right roads due to the route planning software.
But I soon got used to it quirks .......

[TrevA]

Could you upload the route to Garmin Connect and then sync using Bluetooth? That works for me on an Android phone and an Edge 25, but I have no idea about your specific devices.

Yes, works for me using my iPad and Garmin 810 using Bluetooth.

[Psamathe]

... or you could just mount the Tablet?
.....

Having research them a bit (from the documentation provided, not having one) I'm gradually coming to that opinion. Most seem to try and keep you within their server systems and at best make importing "external" routes something of a fiddle (requiring you to log-on to their servers, etc). also that most seem primarily targeted at training rather than touring.

So my current thoughts are to stick with a smartphone where I have massive choice of software, sensible import/export from/to wherever I want, etc.

But my thoughts are based on reading the device manuals not from having tried on used one - which is naturally limited but the only means available to me.

Ian

[JohnI]

Garmin Connect may be an alternative way.

You can import routes, created elsewhere, as courses using the Web version. The android app doesn't have that option (unless they've added it recently).

Then you can use the Garmin Connect Mobile app to transfer the route to the 810 via Bluetooth, as previously mentioned.

Yes, I normally plan routes using a desktop/laptop, and I've used various different websites for creating the route and storing it in the required file format (which can be the confusing bit). Once I've imported it using the Garmin Connect website it will appear in the Connect app on my phone and then I can send it to a synced device. It is possible to use the Garmin Connect website in a web browser on a phone/tablet as well for route planning and importing, but that might be a bit more fiddly.

Alternatively I sometimes use the Strava app or just Google maps on my phone for navigation because I'm too stingy to buy a dedicated GPS device that shows maps etc. I find the problem with my phone is that the battery drains quickly if I have mobile data turned on and especially if I disable the screen saver. So my current solution is a Garmin Edge 25 which is fine for most normal cycling and basic navigation, but maps on my phone if I'm more likely to get lost.

[gregmacc]

Many thanks to everybody who responded on this forum and a couple of others for the ideas and suggestions ... the crisis has been averted. Turns out my USB OTG cable was the problem. Today I purchased one of these, plugged it in and bingo ... life is good.
https://www.jaycar.com.au/usb2-0-otg-fe ... g/p/WC7725
I've also been able to win the battle with the somewhat clunky Bluetooth functionality of the Garmin 810. I'm now able to sync routes to the Garmin that I've created and downloaded from Garmin Connect. And, if for some reason both of those options are not viable, the micro SD card from the 810 can be transferred, and written directly to when inserted into the tablet's SD card drawer. That's an option that would quickly become tedious but its reassuring to know it's there in the worst-case scenario.