Could someone with a Garmin GPS please do an experiment for me?

[Mouse]

I was wondering if anyone out there with a Garmin GPS (but not an SP3 as that's what I have) could perform an experiment for me please. The models I'm most interested in are the Quest and the 2610, I think.

Here's what I'd like you to do:

1 - transfer a track log from GPS to MapSource (or load a track log from disc).

2 - clear the GPS's track log memory

3 - rename the track log in MapSource - it will be called "ACTIVE LOG" possibly with a number after it. Rename it to something like "test".

4 - transfer the track log to the GPS unit.

What I'm interested in is - does the GPS unit accept track logs that are not called "ACTIVE LOG" (or "ACTIVE LOG 001" etc)? The unit may report "Data transfer complete" but has it actually stored the track? You can check by going to the track page in the options menu, and seeing how much track memory is used - a track with 100 points should use about 5% of the memory.

The Streetpilot 3 doesn't accept these logs - I'm pondering swapping to a unit that does, because I have a problem with uploading tracks to the GPS that I can't see any other way of solving.

Thanks in advance

 

[Gecko]

Why not just rename the track on the GPS unit ? If you then clear the track log memory the saved track (with it's new name ) is still there for you.
I have done this on a GPSV and 60C and swapped track from PC to unit and back again.
Once it's saved on the unit you can send it to the PC - play around with it - clean it up and save it back to the unit now problem.

Now get lost Doh! .....you seem to be lost anyway

 

[Mouse]

The SP3 can't rename or save tracks, as far as I know.

The problem I have, is that I have many tracks saved on my PC (eventually there could be 100s). These tracks are all saved on the PC with meaningful names, rather than "ACTIVE LOG 004". I want to be able to easily transfer an arbitrary selection of tracks to the GPS.

I think that the units you meantion, the GPS V and 60C, can quite possibly handle trakcs with arbitrary names, unlike the Streetpilot. I'm looking for confirmation that maybe a Quest can do this, so if necessary I can sell my SP3 and buy something else.

 

[BurnieM]

Neither the SPIII or SP2610 has any saved tracks.
They have only the active tracklog

 

[swebb]

Neither the SPIII or SP2610 has any saved tracks.
They have only the active tracklog

I'm a relative newbie to my Quest, but i believe it's the same as quoted, only holds an active track log, (which may consist of a number of individual tracks) but the file as you see on the GPS is only listed as an Active Track log. When the tracks are uploaded to a pc, it draws all tracks out for you.

I'm sure somebody with more Quest knowledge will be able to advise if you can save with a track name and then download back to the Quest.

Alternatively, could you not create a route from the track once uploaded to the PC, and then send it back to the Quest/GPS as a route rather than as a track?

HTH

Stu

 

[Mouse]

Originally posted by swebb
Alternatively, could you not create a route from the track once uploaded to the PC, and then send it back to the Quest/GPS as a route rather than as a track?

The tracks I am dealing with are records of "off road" routes that I want to save - I could convert these to routes but as they don't follow roads that MapSource knows about, I'd have to use a number of waypoints for each one.

I think using tracks for this purpose is preferable, because most GPS units can store more track points than they can waypoints, and also the display is less cluttered with a track log, than with many waypoints all over the screen.

Thanks for all the info and ideas so far

I'm sure I read somewhere that the Quest can save track logs, also it has a 10,000 track point memory rather than 2000 on the streetpilot models. I'd be really grateful if someone could try transferring a track log with a non standard name to a Quest

If not, I'm going to have to have another think!

 

[adamski49]

Mouse

I think the answer is no. Renamed a track, transferred it back, it said 'data transferred' but was still showing 0% in the track log.

I may be stupid but I couldn't see an option to follow a track within the menus anyway, maybe I should RTFM?

Adam

 

[Mouse]

I think the answer is no. Renamed a track, transferred it back, it said 'data transferred' but was still showing 0% in the track log.

Thanks for that - looks like I need to rethink my options. Shame really, I was hoping for an excuse to buy a new Quest

I may be stupid but I couldn't see an option to follow a track within the menus anyway, maybe I should RTFM?

I don't think you can route along a track, but the track log is plotted on the screen as a dotted line, that's enough information to find and follow a road that's not in MapSource.

 

[iandoctor]

Mouse,

I've been looking at saving and restoring 'Tracks' on the Quest; it can be done but with a bit of messing around.

If you dowload a serious of tracks to your PC, it will automatically be saved to a new file, 'save as' this file to your preferred name, if you now delete the tracks from the Quest, they can be reinstalled from your PC, HOWEVER, the individual tracks within the file cannot be renamed, they must remain in the format 'ACTIVE LOG' 'ACTIVE LOG 001' etc.

The problem arises when you want to combine two individual files (of tracks) onto the Quest, because there will be a duplication of 'ACTIVE LOG' references. i.e. 'ACTICE LOG 001' etc.

Though I haven't tried yet, it may be possible to renumber the individual 'ACTIVE LOG's.

Hope this helps.

Ian

 

[Mouse]

Thanks for the suggestion Ian.

You're right in that it's the name of the track that matters not the name of the file it's stored in. I have an added complication in that the software I will be using to manage my library of tracks is not MapSource, it's something called Fugawi.

It certainly seems as though my SP3 will accept a track with any name starting with "ACTIVE LOG", so it should be OK to renumber the tracks in the situation you describe. In fact I don't think the SP3 minds if all the tracks you send to it have the same name, certainly when I sent the same track log several times, the memory used went up each time, suggesting it's happy enough to store several ACTIVE LOG 001s. I doubt MapSource would let those tracks coexist in the same file though.

Anyway this is all getting a bit complicated

I think I shall end up writing my own bit of software to process my track files prior to uploading them to the GPS.

 

[Eddy802]

The whole track side of Garmin has been bugging me recently.

I've discovered that you can combine tracks on the pc and send them back to the 2610. So one PC file could have a single ACTIVE LOG 001 which was infact the points of several other tracks. Like a Favourites?!

Doubt this helps becuase of the level of manipulation required.

To answer your question the 2610 "appears" to be receiving tracks with none ACTIVE LOG type names but nothing shows on screen or in the % full.

 

[Garfieldus]

I had the same problems about a year ago. Got rid of the SPIII and replaced it with a 276C. The 276C will do what you want and more.

 

[Mouse]

Yes, it looks like the 276C is rather good. Unfortunately it's also a lot more expensive, and the price does't include maps, memory card, power cable etc. Time to start saving up I guess