Downloading .gpx files to Edge Explore

[Wowbagger]

I recently bought an Edge Explore and it's making me very sweary trying to load a track from my hard disc to it. I've tried what I used to do with my Oregon: simply plug in a .usb cable and copy it. but I've not managed this with the edge. I don't know where it stores such files.

I've also tried with Garmin Connect but I can't find a way to transfer stuff onto the device. It all seems to want you to send data the other way.

Does anyone know how to do this, please?

PS I've found nothing whatever to help me with this online.

[Feanor]

Dump it in the /Garmin/newfiles directory.

It will get picked up when you unplug from the pc and the device reboots. It will get converted to .fit format and stored in the courses directory.  The original gpx will then be deleted from newfiles.

[jiberjaber]

As above but in a bit more detail:
https://ridewithgps.com/help/garmin-edge-touring

You can also, if you have accounts with them, Strava, Ride With GPS, Komoot etc with the ConnectIQ apps and a bluetooth link to your smart phone running Garmin Connect but I suspect the GPX to newfiles folder is what you are after
The drawback with the above account based route planners is that you can not install/download a new route whilst an existing route/ activity is being recorded and need to stop and save/discard in order to then download the route... which is a bit of a PIA!

[Wowbagger]

Thanks. I'll try those, but one of the other issues I have is the way my Mac failed to recognise the device as a drive more often than not. I'm trying using the USB cable but it just turns the damned thing on instead of treating it as an external drive.

[lissotriton]

If you want to use Garmin Connect, look for the option to for Courses. And import your GPX as a new course.
Then can send it to the device. It should transfer the next time you sync (either with the app on your phone, or Garmin Express on a computer).

[Wowbagger]

If you want to use Garmin Connect, look for the option to for Courses. And import your GPX as a new course.
Then can send it to the device. It should transfer the next time you sync (either with the app on your phone, or Garmin Express on a computer).

I can't find an option to import. Under "Create Course", it only allows me to draw a new course or let the machine navigate for me. I've already generated the track using bikehike but I can't find a way of making that work.

I tried Feanor's method but I must be doing something wrong. It created a file in there with the suffix .textClipping, but that was only 705 bytes and my track is 137kb. Edit: this seems to be a feature of copying files in Macs. I've never come across it before. I didn't understand the explanation of what was happening. Sorry to be dense.

[citoyen]

My preferred method is to send files to the Explore wirelessly from my phone, via the Garmin Connect app. If you have the Garmin Express app installed on your desktop, you can also transfer to the device via USB from Garmin Connect in your web browser.

If you're using bikehike to create the route, best bet might be to import the gpx file into Garmin Connect.

[citoyen]

I tried Feanor's method but I must be doing something wrong. It created a file in there with the suffix .textClipping, but that was only 705 bytes and my track is 137kb. Edit: this seems to be a feature of copying files in Macs. I've never come across it before. I didn't understand the explanation of what was happening. Sorry to be dense.

That sounds very odd to me. I just tried as a quick experiment creating and downloading a route from bikehike. It saved it to my desktop as a .gpx file, which I then copied to the NewFiles folder on the device, connected by USB. Open the device and there it is in my Saved Courses.

[Wowbagger]

That was a ballsup by me. I didn't realise that I'd not selected the file icon but just the text of its filename. That's down to the intense frustration of trying for several hours to do something simple with my new Garmin that was trivially easy with my old Oregon. There seems to be an issue with the Mac recognising the Garmin as an external drive when you plug the USB cable into a USB hub, rather than directly into the computer. My computer is old and has very few USB ports. In the end, I unplugged my backup disk from the computer and plugged the Garmin in there. When I dried dragging the file at the second attempt, it worked and I now have tomorrow's track on the Garmin ready to go.

But for some totally inexplicable reason, Airdrop isn't working properly either. My computer can see that my iphone is there, but the file just isn't being copied that way.

[nuttycyclist]

I see the issue as being the reference to you using a mac.

I see the solution as being to consult a Dez.

[robgul]

It's probably worth checking that your Edge has the latest Garmin s/w and maps - download and install Garmin Express on your computer and then connect the Edge - Express will probably check itself for any updates ad then you can "add device" - it will then check your Edge and install any new stuff.   

[About 18 months ago (??) Garmin's software and mapping upgrade needed a microSD card >4Gb to be installed as the software and mapping was bigger than the internal storage - you may need to do that too - the Garmin Express s/w is pretty obvious]

... after that just copy the .gpx into NewFiles folder and reboot the Edge, as mentioned up-thread.   AND I have to say that a .gpx "track" (which becomes Garmin's .fit) is a better format to upload than a "route"

[L CC]

Does the Explore not have Bluetooth or WiFi?
I can't remember the last time I used a cable. It's so 20th century.

Plan the route on RWGPS, fire up the connect IQ RWGPS app, Bob is your mother's brother.

Also works if you plan routes on Strava.

[citoyen]

Does the Explore not have Bluetooth or WiFi?
I can't remember the last time I used a cable. It's so 20th century.

It does. I send courses to mine through the air from my phone.

Wires schmires.

[neilrj]

Email your (or any) gpx to yourself, airdrop whatever, and with Garmin Connect on the phone the gpx will open it and display details and map, tell it what type of route it is road/mtb/whatever and then using the 3 dots/slashes 'send to device', garmin connect will prepare it for transfer to the Explore when they next synchronise.
Sometimes I have to rename the import from 'transfer date' to whatever, and note that renaming on a phone is easier than on GPS, I can't actually remember which GPX source has that drawback.

Cycle.travel linked to your garmin account allows 'send to garmin connect' and is an unbeatable combination.
I'm poor (and like to meddle...) so this is using W10 and android.

[Feanor]

Copying a file from one directory to another is a pretty fraught business, for sure.

I think you have missed the obvious workflow of downloading the GPX, sending it as a fax to your own e-mail, then using OCR on the fax image.
Then, using the text-to-speech app, convert it to a wav which can be imported to a speech-recognition app over bluetooth.
The resulting file can then be sent to a file-sharing cloud site, and downloaded directly into the Garmin app on your phone, and then synced to the device.