Uploading GPX files to Garmin Connect

[Cunobelin]

Garmin Connect must be the best example of how to have a range of devices that do everything the owner wants and then cripple them with a software programme that could have been written by a 5 year old

[steve1952]

Where did it store the uploaded file? i have just tried this and I cant find the uploaded file in connect?

Hi there
Not sure what "it" you're referring to... If you've managed the GPSIES conversion and this has successfully uploaded to garmin connect then this 'uploaded activity' should, I think, appear in your list of activities ( I, too, am away at the moment, so hope this helps!)
Cheers

[Paul Smith SRCC]

Where did it store the uploaded file? i have just tried this and I cant find the uploaded file in connect?

Hi there
Not sure what "it" you're referring to... If you've managed the GPSIES conversion and this has successfully uploaded to garmin connect then this 'uploaded activity' should, I think, appear in your list of activities ( I, too, am away at the moment, so hope this helps!)
Cheers

Yes it uploads as an 'Activity', which you then need to save as a course. It doesn't always work though, I had planned a route over the Thames on the Woolwich ferry, which was straight forward enough to plan on www.mapmyride.com and to be fair in Garmin Connect as well (it was the dual carriage way cycle lanes where I eventually gave up trying to plan the course in 'GC') but when I manually imported the GPX file from map my ride via the GPSIES conversion the route would whiz off into the North sea where I had crossed the Thames on the Ferry, the work around being uploading-importing the .GPX file direct in the new files folder via the F Drive, it uploaded the course just as created then.

I bought my 810 primarily to enjoy plotting, then following that plotted route and have that route backed up on my smart phone, which for me would be reassuring on a two week tour; the Edge touring had not been launched at that time. Sadly that means plotting a route on Garmin Connect, that repeatedly navigates the wrong way down one way streets and roundabouts, when I do finally get a route planned I normally lose turn by turn navigation after about 10 miles! The latter is less of an issue as I am happy to follow a highlighted route without TBT. At £479.99 including mapping I expected GC route planning and the 810 to be far far better than it is to be honest.

My personal choice of creating and uploading a course:
If it's quiet country side course with few roundabouts then I will still use Garmin Connect to create a course then sync that to the 810 via my smartphone app. If it's a more complex urban or longer route I use www.ridewithgps.com to create the route and add to the 810 via 'F Drive New folders', as that software navigates roundabouts and one streets correctly.The reason I chose www.ridewithgps.com is that I've found it the most user friendly, the course is intuitive to plan, then edit if needed, both during composition and when recalled at a later date. One handy feature I like is you can toggle between walking-cycling-driving when creating, so for you can switch to walking if you want to take the a shortcut over a footbridge for example.

If I want a back up for a few days tour on my smartphone I will always try and first create the course in GC, hoping that it will allow me to plot the route of my choice, if it will not then again I'll use www.ridewithgps.com then add to GC via www.gpsies.com convert page as described above, taking care that the course has synced as created, be warned it often doesn't, especially if you've planned a course that GC wouldn't allow in the first place. All a bit long winded and often so problematic that I give up! All this is simply because GC course creation is in short, poor!

None of this would be an issue if creating a course in GC worked as well as it should, the problem is that it shares routing with runners, it should be cycling specific.

[jiberjaber]

Some great ideas in this thread, thanks all, its helped me to get stuff on my Garmin 1000 without resorting to plotting the route 5 times in different places!

Presently I am using http://cycle.travel/ a lot, as I like its use of HGV data to select routing etc. I save that as a GPX track and then use GPSIES to spit it out as a proper GPX. I then load it in to Strava using their "Upload Activity" from a file option, and in doing so I also mark it as private.

From that I then export as a GPX (again!) which I then put in the new files area of my Garmin.

Why the Strava bit, well I have found it is the only way to get the elevation data into the GPX file, as I like to have an idea of what is coming up on the route.

It would be wonderful if we had something that did all this but also bolted together the "Cyclists Welcome" data (for coffee and food en route and then used something similar to http://www.weatherbagel.com/ to give weather on route also!

[riddon@sent.com]

Sorry I can't help more - it really is a useful feature as with an 810 (bluetooth) and the app you can alter a route on a phone and then update on the unit without needing a PC/laptop or USB cable - came in handy on tour last year.

Hi.
I am new to this forum. Just trying to work out how to do just what was mentioned in the quote. I have an 810. Any chance of detailed instructions?

Richard.

[Katman66]

Just following this three. I was able to do this successfully (via http://www.gpsies.com/convert.do) for one file - but I wanted to do this for 12. When I tried to follow the process for a 2nd file, it only added the information for this first file added. Any ideas?

[DrSaturn]

Just following this three. I was able to do this successfully (via http://www.gpsies.com/convert.do) for one file - but I wanted to do this for 12. When I tried to follow the process for a 2nd file, it only added the information for this first file added. Any ideas?

I found a way to make this work on my Mac. It's tedious, but it does the job. The problem is that convert.do creates GPS track files that all have the same start time for the track. Apparently, Garmin Connect uses this time tag to identify an activity, and it thinks that you've already loaded an activity with this start time, so it reverts to the first loaded file. On my machine, it says: This file has already been uploaded.

To get around this, you need to change the time of the start of the activity.

On my Mac, I double-clicked on the *.gps file created by covert.do, and it opened the file using Xcode. (If you don't have Xcode, you can probably edit the file using some other *.xml file editor). A few lines from the top, look for something like this:

<metadata>
<name>Newburyport_to_exeter_-_short</name>
<link href="http://www.gpsies.com/">
<text>Newburyport_to_exeter_-_short on GPSies.com</text>
</link>
<time>2017-06-03T14:43:47Z</time>
</metadata>
<trk>
<name>Newburyport_to_exeter_-_short on GPSies.com</name>
<trkseg>
<trkpt lat="42.80824000" lon="-70.8876700">
<ele>8.0000000</ele>
<time>2010-01-01T00:00:00Z</time>
</trkpt>
<trkpt lat="42.80815000" lon="-70.8873900">
<ele>8.1000000</ele>
<time>2010-01-01T00:00:08Z</time>
</trkpt>

Notice the line in red. The time is listed as Jan 1 2010 00:00:00, which I think is the same time used for all convert.do files. You need to change the time listed to one that you have not used previously for another activity. For example, change it to:

<time>2010-01-01T00:00:01Z</time>

Then save the edited file (under a new name, to be safe).

Then import the file into Garmin Connect: Go to Activities, click the + at upper right, Import Data, select the filename you just created, and it should say "Import Complete View Details"
Click on View Details

Your course should appear as a map. Go to the gear cog at upper right. Select "Save as Course"
It should open up in the Courses section of Garmin Connect. I found that I could edit the course, but I needed to click on the course to add several intermediate points near the area where I wanted to change the course, so that it would not modify the entire course from the starting point.

I hope this helps someone else on the planet!

Dr. Saturn
Wellesley, MA USA

[DrSaturn]

Upon further investigation, I found an easier way around this problem! Once you've successfully uploaded a single course file (one from convert.do), there is an associated Activity in your Garmin Connect activities list that is close to Jan 1, 2010, depending on your time zone. Delete this activity. Then, when you import another course file form convert.do (initially as an activity, and then saved as a course), there will not be an existing conflicting activity in your activities list, and you can repeat the process for any other files you like. Sorry that I did not notice this before!
Dr. Saturn