Using a GPS? Using other people's courses?

[tlinford]

Hi,

I have recent got a Garmin GPS Touring.. I git if for plotting my own routes and exploring.. I have connected it up to Garmin's own Web system. I am intrigued by the way I can see and download other people's routes…

I would like to get a GPS course for the Four Abbeys Cycle route, in the Scottish Borders.. It is not already on Garmin's system.. and I am wondering if it is elsewhere?

Is is possible to goto other GPS systems to get courses, to download to my device? If so which ones would people recommend?

Thanks...

[borderer]

Hi,

There are two gps courses for the Borders 4 Abbeys on here...

http://ridewithgps.com/

[tlinford]

Hi,

There are two gps courses for the Borders 4 Abbeys on here...

http://ridewithgps.com/

Thanks I tried exporting to gpx and then upload it into Garmin, failed… Did the same with a tax course; still failed..

shame

I have a feeling the the Garmin Edge Touring is too new for this system? Maybe they'll update it soon?

[binsted]

Export it to your laptop first and then plug in Garmin, you can then drag it across.

From memory Garmin suggest .tcx files

[Ayesha]

I might be totally wrong but,,,

Go on BikeHike Course Creator and plot out the route.

Save it as a .TCX

Copy it to Basecamp and then upload it to the unit.

Worth a try.

[tlinford]

Thanks folks…

I found ridewithgps, a bit odd. I was able to export the course to files, but these refused to upload to my device.. I don't know that if I paid the $10 subscription if this would have resolved the situation, with the promised upload direct to Garmin. I was unwilling to gamble 10bucks!

I have had a busy day, so I just spent a few minutes looking again at the 'Garmin Connect' system… I found a 4 Abbeys Route, on the Garmon Connect which I have just sent to my device and it seems to work! However, bizarrely, I could not find this route searching for a 4 Abbeys course in the search field within the 'connect' system itself… I found it using Google! which pointed me back into Garmin Connect!

I will test this route out soon!

Cheers..

[tlinford]

I might be totally wrong but,,,

Go on BikeHike Course Creator and plot out the route.

Save it as a .TCX

Copy it to Basecamp and then upload it to the unit.

Worth a try.

Thanks, Garmin Connect has a course creator as well.. although the process is quite laborious, and open to making errors…

I was thinking that since these routes are well used that I might be able to use one that someone else had either created or ridden and put in the public domain…

I did find a 4 Abbeys course in Garmin Connect last night.. I was not able to find it by using the search field within their system, but found it using Google, which then directed me back into Garmin Connect..!

I was able to send this course to my Garmin device, although I am yet to try it out….

I enjoy technology (in fact I worked in computer science for nearly 20 years, before going to study theology at University), but think it should be easy to use…

thanks,

P.S. I have bookmarked BikeHike and look at it more closely later, to see how it compares.

[CJ]

Iv'e got a Garmin Edge Touring and was similarly perplexed initially. If all else fails, the one thing that works on this device for all kinds of files, GPX track or TCX course, or Garmin FIT... is to save them somewhere on your PC, hook up the GPS, which will be recognised as like another storage device, open it in file manager and copy the file across into the device's folder called: NEW FILES. Then, when you start it up, it has a shufty in that folder and converts any new files it finds into the format it likes best (FIT - whatever that means!) and moves them into it's own special keeping place, called COURSES.

None of this will you find in the documentation, printed (such as it is) or pdf (hidden inside the device itself, search for OM-EN.pdf - presumably).

[tlinford]

Iv'e got a Garmin Edge Touring and was similarly perplexed initially. If all else fails, the one thing that works on this device for all kinds of files, GPX track or TCX course, or Garmin FIT... is to save them somewhere on your PC, hook up the GPS, which will be recognised as like another storage device, open it in file manager and copy the file across into the device's folder called: NEW FILES. Then, when you start it up, it has a shufty in that folder and converts any new files it finds into the format it likes best (FIT - whatever that means!) and moves them into it's own special keeping place, called COURSES.

None of this will you find in the documentation, printed (such as it is) or pdf (hidden inside the device itself, search for OM-EN.pdf - presumably).

Chris,

Thank you very much. This is the solution exactly.. I had not realised that there was documentation on the device itself! I had found information about the Garmin 810 and followed those; I had saved the files to my desktop but the information online, told me to put them into a folder called GPS; that obviously had not worked.. nothing appeared in COURSES..

I just did what you said and put then into the NEW FILES folder, and it worked first time… Thank you again….
a FIT file, is associated to Fitness training, https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/garmin- ... 96700?mt=8,


On reflection, I think FIT is script file which includes general training data; Garmin do GPS devices for running, hiking and swimming.. There is a newwave of wearable technology beginning; a FIT file is a standard, which I suspect, includes more data that the other GPS filetypes?

Cheers,