.GPX or .TCX Files ?

[nelson]

Hi

I have used a .GPX file format but never a .TCX file. I use a Garmin 510.
I believe I will get turn by turn cue s using a .TCX file but I am concerned that the battery life will be compromised.

Can anyone confirm whether my concerns are justified ?

Thanks in advance.

[Aunt Maud]

The more you have going on, the shorter the battery life per charge.

[wajcgac]

www.ridewithgps.com seems to give the best cue sheets IMHO via TCX files.

[caerau]

Yeah it compromises battery lifetime.  I get up to 15 hrs on my Edge 800  - with tcx turn by turn that will drop to around 12 hrs.  With battery back up though - meh - who cares.

[alotronic]

Been using wilkyboys TCX files on the last couple of rides and they really do eat battery (not a big issue for me). He uses ridewithgps to make them. It was kinda amusing on flatlands to see 'Hotel 1km' or 'Cave 500m' on the way through Lincoln.

I will certainly be using TCX on PBP - will be marking all the shops and cafes on route. And the rumoured decathlon just after the turn - might need some clean shorts by then!

[Whitedown Man]

TCX man myself - I need the "turn-by-turns" after dark otherwise I don't see the turns coming up. I use a portable charger so the battery life isn't an issue.

[caerau]

The only downside for me to turn by turn is when there is a file with too many waypoints.


Being told repeatedly to go straight on  when  - well er yes, thanks GPS device, that's more than obvious - is quite annoying (beep, beep, beep, beep...).  I've taken to making sure I minimise waypoints for this reason.

[plod]

I use tcx though I don't use turn by turn just off course warning. I find the virtual partner on the map showing me how far in front of or behind full value pace I am very useful, helped a lot with reduced cognitive function this past weekend.

[bikey-mikey]

TCX

I make sure the controls, including INFOs, are marked on the map, and then on my 810 I get a screen showing all of the remaining controls, and their time and distance away.

(You have to specify an average speed when you save the TCX and I put 20 kph, and that is used to predict your arrival times.)

Having a countdown distance on your display to the next control can be very motivating, and as I have said elsewhere on this forum, finding an info in the dark is much easier with a countdown....

Battery life... Not an issue...

I can do a 200 and still have 35% battery life left, but as the Man of Steel says, you really need a top up battery, e.g. 7,000 MaH iep570 or similar from Technet......

[jochta]

I always use TCX on my Edge 510. Not got close to running out of battery on rides of up to 300km.

[Whitedown Man]

The only downside for me to turn by turn is when there is a file with too many waypoints.


Being told repeatedly to go straight on  when  - well er yes, thanks GPS device, that's more than obvious - is quite annoying (beep, beep, beep, beep...).  I've taken to making sure I minimise waypoints for this reason.

I create my own TCXs for each audax so I'm in control of waypoints. Also means I can mark where the controls are - especially useful for hard to find info controls when I'm (as usual) off the back of the field on my own - and helps familiarise me with the route in advance.

[Veloman]

And the rumoured decathlon just after the turn - might need some clean shorts by then!

No rumour.  Check the stage map given on the PBP site and simply zoom in to the maximum allowed and follow the route.  All you have to do is to synchronise your passing with the opening times which you can find out.  Loads of shops and places to visit!

http://www.paris-brest-paris.org/index2.php?lang=en&cat=randonnee&page=Etape8

http://www.decathlon.fr/fr/store?store_id=PS_29&rememberMe=off

You will also notice a Giant bike shop at 35 Rue de Torbian

[alotronic]

And the rumoured decathlon just after the turn - might need some clean shorts by then!

No rumour.  Check the stage map given on the PBP site and simply zoom in to the maximum allowed and follow the route.  All you have to do is to synchronise your passing with the opening times which you can find out.  Loads of shops and places to visit!

http://www.paris-brest-paris.org/index2.php?lang=en&cat=randonnee&page=Etape8

http://www.decathlon.fr/fr/store?store_id=PS_29&rememberMe=off

You will also notice a Giant bike shop at 35 Rue de Torbian

Cheers, you never know when you're going to need a whole new bike 

[wilkyboy]

How do you get specific reminders from a TCX file (I can't see how to add them in RideWithGPS)?

I have in the past uploaded waypoints for Infos, Controls, etc. to my Edge 800 from MapSource so they're marked, but unless I'm specifically looking out for them on the display, I wouldn't notice them.

(IMHO that was one of the advantages of using waypoint-by-waypoint navigation on the Etrex HCx - a control could be suitably labelled and would show up as such when it was the next thing you were riding towards.)

Add Cuepoints (Add to Cuesheet tool) to the route and export as TCX (doesn't do anything on GPX).  You'll get a beep and little banner message when you hit the cuepoint.  If your cuepoints are full from the auto-cuepoints that RWGPS creates, choose Clear All Cues and then add the ones you want.

I usually include dozens of cuepoints in each of my TCX files giving a 20km countdown to the next control, audax hotel locations on overnight rides, plus sometimes names of rivers and summits and lengths of climbs to make the long distances feel shorter.  It's not to everyone's tastes — if they don't like beeps, they can use the GPX instead.

[Frank9755]

Wilkyboy, it was on one of your TCX files (for the Hereward the Wake last year) that I first saw cuepoints put in to mark controls.  It was very helpful so I do it myself when I get time. 

How do you put them in?  I can do it on Bikehike but haven't got it to work with RidewithGPS.

[wilkyboy]

Wilkyboy, it was on one of your TCX files (for the Hereward the Wake last year) that I first saw cuepoints put in to mark controls.  It was very helpful so I do it myself when I get time. 

How do you put them in?  I can do it on Bikehike but haven't got it to work with RidewithGPS.

I do remember a couple of riders mention last year they would've ridden past the info controls if the TCX hadn't beeped at them 

Just as I posted above: In RWGPS click "Add To Cuesheet" and then click on the track where you'd like to add a cuepoint.  In the pop-up select a Type, which is the icon that will show, and give a 10-character (or less) name in the Notes box (the 800/810 only show the first 10 chars and no punctuation except space, - and _; I don't know about the 1000).  The description is used in RWGPS but ignored by Garmins.  Export as TCX.  That should do it for you.

(Note: if you want Cues as Waypoints in GPX then you need an RWGPS premium account, I think.)

[Frank9755]

Thanks, done that!

[Phil W]

How do you get specific reminders from a TCX file (I can't see how to add them in RideWithGPS)?

I have in the past uploaded waypoints for Infos, Controls, etc. to my Edge 800 from MapSource so they're marked, but unless I'm specifically looking out for them on the display, I wouldn't notice them.

(IMHO that was one of the advantages of using waypoint-by-waypoint navigation on the Etrex HCx - a control could be suitably labelled and would show up as such when it was the next thing you were riding towards.)

For waypoints just add a proximity alarm in a GPX and you'll get same effect as cue points in tcx

[jamesld8]

Looks like I`m on my own then using .gpx tracks     even with an Edge 705 I didn`t use .tcx as seemed take ages to load; using an Etrex I just like concept of seeing the pink route line to follow, but need get head around cuepoints stuff for POI

[marcusjb]

Always used tcx files and have always marked controls and infos in as course points.

Sure, battery life is less, but no problem for 200s and anything above, well, there's a battery pack.

I keep them shortish, usually 150-200km as longer takes forever to load up and, should things go wrong and you need to reload the file, it will sort itself out much more quickly.

[Frank9755]

I've always used TCX to - apart from when I experimented with GPX on the Willy Warmer this year and ended up in the middle of Newbury.   

Surprised to hear people saying they get reduced battery life. I've always got 17 hours with light at 5%. Always got me round 300s or 12-hour TTs.

That is with a 705.

[wilkyboy]

Always used tcx files and have always marked controls and infos in as course points.

Course points? I guess this is something in between a waypoint and the breadcrumb trail you get from a track.

Same as Cue Points on RWGPS, methinks, just different terminology.  Or else I'm also missing something ...

[Frank9755]

Yes, BikeHike has Coursepoints

[Hammerman]

Always used GPX myself, due to the fact that I didn't really know the difference between gpx and tcx
Thanks for the info, looks like I've got to go ride my bike now, for research you understand

[frankly frankie]

If you export a GPX Track from BikeHike, it converts Coursepoints to User (ie editable) Waypoints.  A Track with Waypoints can be made to work well on newer GPSs that don't support TCX, such as the E20/30.

Proximity alarms are something else I've tried to add to waypoints in the past and failed. Having the next waypoint description as a field on the HCx navigation screen was usually enough though.

You can add a proximity alarm to a (User) Waypoint within the HCx menus, by opening and editing the Waypoint properties.  Or you can do it more easily in desktop software.  Be careful with the distance units!  (Ie, metres not kms!)  You also have to enable proximity alarms generally, within the setup menus - ideally turning OFF the 'leaving waypoint' alarm.  There is a maximum of 10 proximity waypoints allowable (if you import more, they are just stored as normal Waypoints).

Personally I think they're far more trouble than they're worth - with the possible exception of marking Info controls.