GPX to Nav6 via iPhone

peej1977

peej1977

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Hi all,

Sorry if this has been covered before (I did search) but considering I work in IT and am usually pretty good at figuring stuff out I'm a little stumped.

I have 2 questions:

1. I read somewhere (and now can't find it) that if you import a GPX into the Nav6 it will navigate you along the route, but if you accidentally go off course, it won't recalculate back to get you on track again. Is this true? I'd be utterly dismayed if this was the case especially considering how new the Nav6 is and how expensive it is lol Coming from a TomTom Rider 400 I just assumed (perhaps wrongly) that this would simply work in a similar fashion? I use this all the time so kinda hoping it's wrong.

2. I can see that you can copy a GPX file to the Garmin via the PC, but I'm rarely using a PC and when abroad I have often downloaded a suggested GPX route and just imported it either to a MicroSD card using my phone then straight into the TomTom, or uploaded it through the browser into the TomTom site which has then automatically sync'd to the device, but I'm unable to find a similar way of doing this? I can see that you CAN do it using the BMW Connected app but I don't want to use the TFT for navigation, it's why I purchased the Nav6 (that and my TomTom was getting slower as it was 3 years old).

Thanks in advance.
 
Q.1 What you read somewhere is garbage.

Q. 2 You can get a route off say an iPad or a phone onto a Garmin device but it’s a bit of a tedious process. Easiest by far is to buy a cheap second hand laptop or similar for use abroad. Here’s an example of how: https://www.ukgser.com/forums/showt...ing-files-routes-from-an-iPad-to-a-GPS-device

Strikes me you’d have been better off flogging your three year old TomTom and buying another, as it does exactly what you want it to do. Quite why your three year old TomTom was running slow, only you will know.
 
Wapping said:
Quite why your three year old TomTom was running slow, only you will know.
Click to expand...

Devices get slower with time and software updates, it's a common thing with anything that has firmware updates. It's not unusable it's just not as snappy as it was when it was brand new, the same as my 7yo PC at home.

I have a RavPower Hub already so thats definitely an option, bit of a ballache but it's do-able. I'll just copy the GPX file from the iPhone/iPad via the Hub to the Garmin directly. Not as smooth as I'd like but at least it's better than having a laptop with me at all times.

As for point number 1, I'm glad to hear that, I cannot find any comment about that nor the original place I saw that mentioned so I'm glad it's not true.
 
Excellent.

Enjoy your Navigator VI; hopefully it will last longer than three years.
 
Answer to question one is quite simple.....in settings have route calculation set to auto. This will direct you back to the magenta line every time
 
If you do not want to be redirected back to your home made route then and there, for example if you purposely drive off route to go to Tesco or to see a view, set auto-recalculate to ‘Prompted’ or ‘Off’.

You’ll learn (mostly through experience, mixed with a liberal dollop of trial and error) how the route recalculation on the latest Garmin devices works.
 
Wapping said:
If you do not want to be redirected back to your home made route then and there, for example if you purposely drive off route to go to Tesco or to see a view, set auto-recalculate to ‘Prompted’ or ‘Off’.

You’ll learn (mostly through experience, mixed with a liberal dollop of trial and error) how the route recalculation on the latest Garmin devices works.
Click to expand...

Indeed I will, only had the chance to ride it 120 miles home from the dealer so far. I was just surprised to read that it wouldn't do recalculation if it was an imported track, only if it was a calculated route. It did seem like b*llocks at the time but haven't had a chance to try it out yet.

The TomTom has a ton of quirks that irritated me, but I suspect so will the Nav6, but, such is life when it comes to tech :)

Thanks for the help!
 
Your opening post said route. You are now talking about an imported track. It won’t recalculate a track.

Now, do you want to know about:

A. Tracks

B. Routes

PS It makes no difference if you rode 120 miles home or 10.
 
Wapping said:
Your opening post said route. You are now talking about an imported track. It won’t recalculate a track.

Now, do you want to know about:

A. Tracks

B. Routes

PS It makes no difference if you rode 120 miles home or 10.
Click to expand...

My initial post also said an imported GPX file. I have these that have been recorded via the TomTom and others generated from converting a Google Maps route into a GPX file. How this is handled by the device I don't know. If there is a difference in how these are handled by the Nav6 then I have no idea, hence the question. I have imported both onto my TomTom, chosen the imported file as my route and it's guided me and also navigated me back if I went off course.

I am no expert with GPX files or how devices handle them, hence the post but you're pendantry is a little off IMHO. I asked a question to get advice and from your initial response you've had a pedantic/sarcastic tone about you. Quite why you feel the need to behave so condescending is beyond me but hey ho.

If the Nav6 handles GPX files differently depending on how they have been derived then I thank you for your input and I shall use that information accordingly.

As for riding 120 mile or 10 miles, you're quite right, it technically makes no difference. Had I rode 10 miles home I would still not have had the opportunity to test out the thing I was asking about. I was simply "telling my story".
 
as above tracks and routes are handled differently, also depends on what the original route was created with or how it was created, with a route if you give it a start and end point only and send it to your device, depending on what software was used or more importantly how the software was told to make the route, (shortes quickest avoid this or avoid that, more way points) then when imported into your nav it may bare no resemblance to the original route you made because your nav may be set differently or have totally different routing algorithms to the software that plotted the route. best idea is to stick with the same software and work out how your nav handles the routes you create with it.
Mess about with it and see what works for you.
 
leedude03 said:
as above tracks and routes are handled differently, also depends on what the original route was created with or how it was created, with a route if you give it a start and end point only and send it to your device, depending on what software was used or more importantly how the software was told to make the route, (shortes quickest avoid this or avoid that, more way points) then when imported into your nav it may bare no resemblance to the original route you made because your nav may be set differently or have totally different routing algorithms to the software that plotted the route. best idea is to stick with the same software and work out how your nav handles the routes you create with it.
Mess about with it and see what works for you.
Click to expand...

Thanks Lee, I'll work out a route using my usual method and import it in and see how it behaves when I veer off course. I was always planning to mess around with it, I work in IT software development so I'm always tinkering. I just read something that didn't sound quite right at the time based on my experience of the TomTom (only Garmin product I've ever owned is my current Fenix watch) so wasn't sure if it was something Garmin related or just something I'd need to adjust my method to.
 
Your Garmin device will not recalculate a track. A track will always remain a track.

Your device will though recalculate a route, if you go off it and if you have set your device to allow route recalculation. Your device may also recalculate a route that you have created on your PC, if the preference settings between BaseCamp on your PC are fundamentally different to the preference settings on your Garmin device.

It probably sounds pedantic but it’s really important (as you’ll see if you spend some time on these pages) to be clear whether you are asking about a track or a route, simply as Garmin devices treat them both differently. The other thing to maybe appreciate is that a GPX file can hold and transfer routes and tracks simultaneously. We sometimes see things like “I sent a GPX file to my Garmin” with not a clue given as to what the GPX file held.

The Navigator VI is a really sophisticated device on some levels but incredibly thick on others. It is not quite as ‘Plug and play’ as some people think it is or think that it should be. Its trouble, if it has one, is that Garmin have listened to umpteen requests from people as to what they want a device to do. This has turned it from a very simple GPS device (capable of running some pretty intricate routes) into something bordering on a home infotainment system. At the same time as pandering to bods’ desires to be entertained as they ride and whilst catering for people who want to create their own sophisticated routes, they have also pandered to other bods’ requests to provide a device that will tell them how to get from A to B but avoiding all motorways and only taking twisty or hilly roads, with no more effort involved than inserting point A and point B. All from one expensive box of widgets, called a Navigator VI.

In short, it’s turned into a monster, brilliantly capable on one hand and all but unhelpfully confusing on the other. That might explain why you read (as you probably may well have done) that the device will not bring you back onto a route. There are pages of stuff just like that on UKGSer, which we try to make sense of, sometimes with very little help from the person who asked the question. Thus finding out if you were talking about routes or tracks, really is quite important or we’ll be heading off on a tangent before we have even started.

There are lots of very good threads in the GPS section of UKGSer on:

A. How to use BaseCamp to create routes. Lots of people seem find it clunky. Some I think have read (or been told by their mate’s mate) that it’s clunky so believe it’s clunky, no matter what. However Lee and I (to name but two) do not find it clunky. If you can get it to work for you, great. My advice would be, use it if you can. But, if you come from a TomTom you are maybe more comfortable with using Google maps to create routes, which is fine too.

There’s a complete sub-section on third party route creation software: https://www.ukgser.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/550-BaseCamp-Software

MotoGoLoco used to be a firm favourite but that has dropped severely down the rankings. MyRoute seems to be the preference these days.

B. The importance of understanding preference settings on your home computer and on your Garmin device and on the importance of making them the same on both. I turn most of mine off, simply as I am used to creating my own routes so can decide for myself whether I will want to take a motorway between two points or not, rather than let a dumb device decide for me.

C. The qualities of ‘way points’ versus ‘shaping points’ and how these might (and do) interact with routes and - more importantly - route recalculation.

D. How route recalculation does and sometimes doesn’t work.

E. The risks involved in blindly accepting a route from a third party (including from third party software, like MyRoute) without checking it first.

F. Lots more besides.

Enjoy your device. Ask your questions; you won’t be the first and certainly won’t be the last...... and I really don’t care if you work in IT software development (whatever that is) or are an insurance clerk (like me) or a butcher, a baker or a candlestick maker..... we’ll help you, I promise. Have a look through some of the threads and posts, not just in the Navigator VI section, you’ll maybe pick up some useful tips.
 
Wapping said:
Your Garmin device will not recalculate a track. A track will always remain a track.

Your device will though recalculate a route, if you go off it and if you have set your device to allow route recalculation. Your device may also recalculate a route that you have created on your PC, if the preference settings between BaseCamp on your PC are fundamentally different to the preference settings on your Garmin device.

It probably sounds pedantic but it’s really important (as you’ll see if you spend some time on these pages) to be clear whether you are asking about a track or a route, simply as Garmin devices treat them both differently. The other thing to maybe appreciate is that a GPX file can hold and transfer routes and tracks simultaneously. We sometimes see things like “I sent a GPX file to my Garmin” with not a clue given as to what the GPX file held.

The Navigator VI is a really sophisticated device on some levels but incredibly thick on others. It is not quite as ‘Plug and play’ as some people think it is or think that it should be. Its trouble, if it has one, is that Garmin have listened to umpteen requests from people as to what they want a device to do. This has turned it from a very simple GPS device (capable of running some pretty intricate routes) into something bordering on a home infotainment system. At the same time as pandering to bods’ desires to be entertained as they ride and whilst catering for people who want to create their own sophisticated routes, they have also pandered to other bods’ requests to provide a device that will tell them how to get from A to B but avoiding all motorways and only taking twisty or hilly roads, with no more effort involved than inserting point A and point B. All from one expensive box of widgets, called a Navigator VI.

In short, it’s turned into a monster, brilliantly capable on one hand and all but unhelpfully confusing on the other. That might explain why you read (as you probably may well have done) that the device will not bring you back onto a route. There are pages of stuff just like that on UKGSer, which we try to make sense of, sometimes with very little help from the person who asked the question. Thus finding out if you were talking about routes or tracks, really is quite important or we’ll be heading off on a tangent before we have even started.

There are lots of very good threads in the GPS section of UKGSer on:

A. How to use BaseCamp to create routes. Lots of people seem find it clunky. Some I think have read (or been told by their mate’s mate) that it’s clunky so believe it’s clunky, no matter what. However Lee and I (to name but two) do not find it clunky. If you can get it to work for you, great. My advice would be, use it if you can. But, if you come from a TomTom you are maybe more comfortable with using Google maps to create routes, which is fine too.

There’s a complete sub-section on third party route creation software: https://www.ukgser.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/550-BaseCamp-Software

MotoGoLoco used to be a firm favourite but that has dropped severely down the rankings. MyRoute seems to be the preference these days.

B. The importance of understanding preference settings on your home computer and on your Garmin device and on the importance of making them the same on both. I turn most of mine off, simply as I am used to creating my own routes so can decide for myself whether I will want to take a motorway between two points or not, rather than let a dumb device decide for me.

C. The qualities of ‘way points’ versus ‘shaping points’ and how these might (and do) interact with routes and - more importantly - route recalculation.

D. How route recalculation does and sometimes doesn’t work.

E. The risks involved in blindly accepting a route from a third party (including from third party software, like MyRoute) without checking it first.

F. Lots more besides.

Enjoy your device. Ask your questions; you won’t be the first and certainly won’t be the last...... and I really don’t care if you work in IT software development (whatever that is) or are an insurance clerk (like me) or a butcher, a baker or a candlestick maker..... we’ll help you, I promise. Have a look through some of the threads and posts, not just in the Navigator VI section, you’ll maybe pick up some useful tips.
Click to expand...

I am well aware of the need to be specific/clear, the industry I work in means I have to be extremely specific. However, until you mentioned it (and I've now Googled it), I didn't know that GPX files could be a track or a route. Hence not being clear, I simply didn't know.

Anyhoo, thats alot of info, so many thanks! I have heard that BaseCamp is blah blah blah, I did take a look at it a while back and while it didn't seem intuitive it didn't seem as bad as some seem to make out.

Luckily due to the weather I've got time to experiment, I previously had some issues with taking a Google Maps "route" and then converting it to a GPX file, as it had "holes" in the route which the TomTom reacted VERY badly too. I learned that lesson the hard way.

I'll play around with it and see what works for me, thanks again for the help!
 
Wapping said:
You might find this thread of help: https://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php/455445-Some-good-BaseCamp-tutorial-videos

This one, too: https://www.ukgser.com/forums/showt...av-V-590-The-latest-generation-Garmin-devices

You can then move on to skipping. Waypoints, that is.
Click to expand...

Thanks Wapping!

That'll give me some bedtime reading for sure! I'll give BaseCamp a proper go over the weekend. I have the RavPower FileHub and it was pretty straight forward to take a GPX file from my phone/SD card and get it onto the Garmin so when I'm out and about I've got that covered.

iOS13 now supports connection of USB devices directly so I may even be able to direct connect but I'll worry about that at a later date.
 
peejay1977 said:
I am well aware of the need to be specific/clear, the industry I work in means I have to be extremely specific. However, until you mentioned it (and I've now Googled it), I didn't know that GPX files could be a track or a route. Hence not being clear, I simply didn't know.

Anyhoo, thats alot of info, so many thanks! I have heard that BaseCamp is blah blah blah, I did take a look at it a while back and while it didn't seem intuitive it didn't seem as bad as some seem to make out.

Luckily due to the weather I've got time to experiment, I previously had some issues with taking a Google Maps "route" and then converting it to a GPX file, as it had "holes" in the route which the TomTom reacted VERY badly too. I learned that lesson the hard way.

I'll play around with it and see what works for me, thanks again for the help!
Click to expand...

Base camp, some people love or hate, map source most prefer it to base camp, in all honesty both work well with garmin devices, why? its what the software was designed to work with.

When looking at a route or a track as just a file they seem to be exactly the same after all they do have the same file extension (.gpx) confusing i know, but they are very different, i tend to look at a track, say one that i download from somewhere on the net as a fixed track from point A to point B, one that will not be altered if i convert it to a route in basecamp or mapsource it will remain faithfull to the track, on the other hand with a route that you may download from the net or even create yourself this may or may not stay faithfull to the original dependant on many factors, what software made it, what software you are using to view it all the settings of said software will also have a bearing on it and also how many way points are on said route to try and keep it true.
 
leedude03 said:
Base camp, some people love or hate, map source most prefer it to base camp, in all honesty both work well with garmin devices, why? its what the software was designed to work with.

When looking at a route or a track as just a file they seem to be exactly the same after all they do have the same file extension (.gpx) confusing i know, but they are very different, i tend to look at a track, say one that i download from somewhere on the net as a fixed track from point A to point B, one that will not be altered if i convert it to a route in basecamp or mapsource it will remain faithfull to the track, on the other hand with a route that you may download from the net or even create yourself this may or may not stay faithfull to the original dependant on many factors, what software made it, what software you are using to view it all the settings of said software will also have a bearing on it and also how many way points are on said route to try and keep it true.
Click to expand...

Thanks Lee, I've never really delved too much into the makeup of the GPX files, generally they've tended to be a route I've mapped out in Google My Maps, which I have then exported as a KML file, converted to a GPX using www.gpsvisualizer.com and then imported into the TomTom MyDrive website (or the device via an SD card).

I've probably been lucky that this has never caused the TomTom to do anything overly weird, or maybe part of my process accidentally got the file into a state where it was suitable, I guess I'll have to experiment and find out what works best for the Garmin and be mindful of waypoints etc.

I can see why some people hate BaseCamp, it's not the most overly intuitive design, that said I've seen worse and I'd rather take the time to get the routes sorted out properly, especially as there may be times where I want to veer off, and be sure that I can recalculate back on target. It's undoubtedly worth spending the time tinkering and getting the process right rather than end up being navigated back in the opposite direction.

I'll be looking through Wapping's threads and also what you've said above :)
 
peejay1977 said:
Thanks Lee, I've never really delved too much into the makeup of the GPX files, generally they've tended to be a route I've mapped out in Google My Maps, which I have then exported as a KML file, converted to a GPX using www.gpsvisualizer.com and then imported into the TomTom MyDrive website (or the device via an SD card).

I've probably been lucky that this has never caused the TomTom to do anything overly weird, or maybe part of my process accidentally got the file into a state where it was suitable, I guess I'll have to experiment and find out what works best for the Garmin and be mindful of waypoints etc.

I can see why some people hate BaseCamp, it's not the most overly intuitive design, that said I've seen worse and I'd rather take the time to get the routes sorted out properly, especially as there may be times where I want to veer off, and be sure that I can recalculate back on target. It's undoubtedly worth spending the time tinkering and getting the process right rather than end up being navigated back in the opposite direction.

I'll be looking through Wapping's threads and also what you've said above :)
Click to expand...

the more hoops you make your route jump through the more likely it is to go all fubar, if you can get used to one using one piece of software or find one that suits your use then stick with that, you say you are using gps visuliser to convert google routes to kml and then to gpx, again many stages for it to go wrong, also i was under the impression that gps visuliser no longer worked unless you had an api key (i may be wrong on that having not used it for a good while) anyway many things for you to think about and try out.
 
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