Author Topic: Gpsies or bikehike? (Read 3945 times)

stormtrooper · « **on:** 10 February, 2014, 06:58:11 am »

New to using handheld GPS, had a problem with downloading gpx from bikehike to garmin etrex 20 is one of the above better than other? Many thanks.

Auntie Helen · « **Reply #1 on:** 10 February, 2014, 07:32:58 am »

They tend to have slightly diffent purposes (for me, anyway).

GPSies is great for sharing your routes or finding a route somewhere you are visiting.

bikehike has a clean, easy interface which is super easy and quick to use to plan yourown route and download it (I use tracks, GPX, which work perfectly on my Oregon)

frankly frankie · « **Reply #2 on:** 10 February, 2014, 09:34:00 am »

Quote from: stormtrooper on 10 February, 2014, 06:58:11 am

had a problem with downloading gpx

For a direct connection between web planner and GPS, you may need to install one or both of the following, both downloadable free from the Garmin website.
a) Garmin USB driver
b) Garmin Communicator (browser plug-in)

Otherwise, you can download the GPX as a file, and put it on the GPS or mSD card, using normal file management. (Put it in the \Gpx\ directory.) You don't need either of the above for that.

If using BikeHike, I suggest don't download as a 'Route' - their Routes are basically broken, use one of the other options.

stormtrooper · « **Reply #3 on:** 10 February, 2014, 11:32:54 am »

Think I've got the Garmin plug in driver for when I use my Garmin 500. When I downloaded the gpx from bikehike to etrex 20 the screen froze. The route was from Chepstow castle (Gospel pass Audax) and I'm currently in Neath, wasn't sure if I'd put too many waypoints or downloaded it as a route or it's because I was nowhere near the start. Any thoughts? Thanks for replies.

frankly frankie · « **Reply #4 on:** 10 February, 2014, 03:53:19 pm »

Really, you'd expect the GPS to throw an error message if the file it's receiving has too many points.
Nonetheless, I suspect that was the problem here. Basically it's BikeHike that is the real problem - the combination of 'follow road' mode (which is on by default) and then opting for a Route GPX, invariably leads to a file no GPS can use**.
Unfortunate because BikeHike is very good in most other respects - it is just that one lethal (but rather self-selecting) combination.

** basically what BikeHike is doing is giving you a Track but with the GPX tags re-written so that it is seen as a Route. That is simply not good enough. It could at the very least put a points count in the download panel so you have fair warning of what you're getting.
BikeRouteToaster (may it soon be revived) solved this problem quite simply by not offering Routes at all.

stormtrooper · « **Reply #5 on:** 10 February, 2014, 05:03:57 pm »

It's all sorted now I switched etrex on left it outside for 5 minutes whilst making coffee and it's good to go. No patience last night scrolled around track all looks right. I'll take route sheet just incase thanks for reply.

Glover Fan · « **Reply #6 on:** 10 February, 2014, 08:54:15 pm »

I use ridewithgps with a lot of success, worth a try?

stormtrooper · « **Reply #7 on:** 10 February, 2014, 09:14:33 pm »

Do you have to pay subscription for that?

Ningishzidda · « **Reply #8 on:** 11 February, 2014, 07:40:37 am »

Neither.
Tyre to Travel.

I only use BikeHike when I want to see an estimation of the route profile.

Reg.T · « **Reply #9 on:** 11 February, 2014, 05:03:07 pm »

Quote from: frankly frankie on 10 February, 2014, 03:53:19 pm

Unfortunate because BikeHike is very good in most other respects - it is just that one lethal (but rather self-selecting) combination.

** basically what BikeHike is doing is giving you a Track but with the GPX tags re-written so that it is seen as a Route. That is simply not good enough. It could at the very least put a points count in the download panel so you have fair warning of what you're getting.
BikeRouteToaster (may it soon be revived) solved this problem quite simply by not offering Routes at all.

It's not perfect, but it is very simple to see how many points there are before you download - and to reduce to your chosen limit if necessary - with a click on the Options link.

stormtrooper · « **Reply #10 on:** 11 February, 2014, 08:17:37 pm »

Thanks Reg I'll keep an eye.

Ian H · « **Reply #11 on:** 11 February, 2014, 08:28:48 pm »

I've had success with loading a track and some waypoints. Say no to routing and the proximity alarm sounds for each waypoint. Useful on audax events for controls.

fhills · « **Reply #12 on:** 11 February, 2014, 08:29:43 pm »

Quote from: frankly frankie on 10 February, 2014, 09:34:00 am

If using BikeHike, I suggest don't download as a 'Route' - their Routes are basically broken, use one of the other options.

To clarify Frankie are you saying that it's perfectly usable if you, for instance, download the gpx as a track and then use Basecamp to covert it to a route?

i haven't really used BikeHike before but have just used it to suggest a route - all looks well within Bcamp but I haven't been out to try it in the street

stormtrooper · « **Reply #13 on:** 11 February, 2014, 08:31:12 pm »

I've set the alarm on the etrex for before and on waypoint. Thanks Ian.

frankly frankie · « **Reply #14 on:** 12 February, 2014, 10:09:02 am »

Quote from: fhills on 11 February, 2014, 08:29:43 pm

To clarify Frankie are you saying that it's perfectly usable if you, for instance, download the gpx as a track and then use Basecamp to covert it to a route?

I'm not familiar with Basecamp sorry. Hopefully it's clever enough to not export a file a Garmin GPS can't use.

Garmin's older software Mapsource is not that clever. The GPS may throw an error message on receiving the data, but it's a bit too polite about it and easily overlooked.

(Ahem - Jeeves-like cough)

L CC · « **Reply #15 on:** 12 February, 2014, 10:40:51 am »

Quote from: stormtrooper on 10 February, 2014, 09:14:33 pm

Do you have to pay subscription for that?

No. There are premium features but I've never felt a lack of them. That may change when they roll out the Android App- I'm part of the beta test and it is pretty good.
From the website you can export as route or track or tcx. I download the track and then filter points with mapsource before using mapsource to transfer to the unit. Fancier GPS devices can receive routes/tracks/courses direct from the website.
I do (almost) all my route planning on RWGPS, occasionally looking at bikehike/ streetmap for OS mapping clarifications. My issues are with googlemaps, not with RWGPS.

stu1102 · « **Reply #16 on:** 12 February, 2014, 10:58:38 am »

http://www.javawa.nl/rtwtool_en.html

I use the above from the blurb;

JaVaWa RTWtool (the successor of MacGPX) is a program that allows various conversions of routes, tracks and waypoints. There are options to 'unflag' routes, convert routes to tracks and vice versa, convert a collection of waypoints to a track or direct route.

Routes and tracks can be filtered to limit the number of points per route/track, and they can be split if they exceed a specified length. Tracks can be joined together.

Tracks and waypoints can be enriched with elevation data, and tracklogs can be cleaned up.

Route points accidentally put off road can be corrected automatically

frankly frankie · « **Reply #17 on:** 12 February, 2014, 02:03:18 pm »

Some very interesting tools and utilities on that site, and obviously well up to date.

stormtrooper · « **Reply #18 on:** 12 February, 2014, 05:43:41 pm »

So much info I'll have to start doing some local routes local to try each online route/track sites out. Thanks all.

stu1102 · « **Reply #19 on:** 12 February, 2014, 08:30:35 pm »

Quote from: stormtrooper on 12 February, 2014, 05:43:41 pm

So much info I'll have to start doing some local routes local to try each online route/track sites out. Thanks all.

im a complete neophyte with all this but this my workflow

Put intended route into

http://cycle.travel/map

Import 'route'- 'track' into Tyre to Travel to check against Google Maps

http://www.tyretotravel.com/

Check route/track in Basecamp

http://www.garmin.com/en-GB/shop/downloads/basecamp

perform any conversions route to track or track to route with :

http://www.javawa.nl/

Basecamp has OS 150 loaded and http://www.openfietsmap.nl/downloads/europe

Im sure the gurus (frankly Frankie, kim, Ningishzidda et al---thanks so much guys) will comment accordingly and to be honest I wish they would as im learning ( well that's my delusion) a lot here

stormtrooper · « **Reply #20 on:** 12 February, 2014, 08:43:10 pm »

Thanks Stu looks mint.

L CC · « **Reply #21 on:** 13 February, 2014, 09:05:52 am »

Four separate programs to put a route/track into your device?
You must be retired?

Ningishzidda · « **Reply #22 on:** 13 February, 2014, 10:35:38 am »

You can start with Tyre toTravel.
Affix start and finish points of a section of Audax. This creates two Waypoints. The programme will suggest a route.
Drag and drop route to roads the routesheet takes until the Tyre toTravel route agrees with the routesheet. Each drag and drop will create a Waypoint.

When happy, save the Tyre toTravel Route as a Garmin Global Positioning eXchange file.

Auntie Helen · « **Reply #23 on:** 14 February, 2014, 10:27:21 am »

I guess this must be down to the different Garmin devices (I use Oregon) but my workflow is this:

1. Upload route into Bikehike or plot it in Bikehike as necessary
2. Download it to my desktop and drag onto Garmin (or with the old Garmin Edge it was download it directly onto my Garmin using Communicator Plugin from Bikehike).

I can't see why things have to be sent through Basecamp or whatever!

L CC · « **Reply #24 on:** 14 February, 2014, 10:37:33 am »

Longer tracks, innit.
AH, what's the longest you've put into your garmin? For your long tours, they're multi-day so you're probably not wanting even 200k in one hit? I'd guess your Oregon doesn't have the piddling 500 trackpoints limit my elderly Legend HCx has, either.
I can't transfer direct from websites/files to the device because it's too old/too fussy/I'm too thick, and I need to downsample the trackpoints.
It always astounds me how un-user-friendly all the garmin devices are- for what I want to do with them.