I can still remember the paths from memory, but there is an increasing
number, and then there are the new paths I have not been on myself
yet. So, have you done this yourself, and what GPS and software would
you recommend towards...
1) Saving all the paths under Google Earth to a GPS.
2) Use that GPS to verify that you are on course (of one of your many
paths), or be able to find you way back to the closest one after
wandering off. Having local road maps would be a definite plus.
What I already have if it can be used:
Google Earth (with all my favorite by bike paths, see project in
the other discussion)
GPS Dump (software to download/upload to a GPS)
Garmin Nuvi 660 (road navigation GPS)
Garmin Nuvi 680 (road navigation GPS)
Planning routes (series of line segment to follow) is best done on a
PC (instead of a GPS) and Google Earth is free to use, so that
definitely is my starting point. Google Earth has detailed satellite
images, making it easy to actually see the paths, so planning is
almost fun. Maybe one day GPS units will show bike paths, but you will
still want to be able to customize your route. If you mostly use your
bike to commute (you already know your main routes) then this project
if of low interest to you. This project is intended for those who ride
their bikes in "explorer mode"
I'm not familiar with the nuvi but my old original Tomtom is totally hackable (linux operating system). I have previously posted software recommendations for garmin's bike and run units. The best is zonefivesoftware.com sporttracks. That software can import and export and has many plugins available for all kinds of things including routes from gps logs (see apply routes plugin). You could even create your own plugins if you're so inclined. I wouldn't get married and limit myself to google earth. Unless it can work on an iphone and blackberry. I've experimented with iPhone tracking software but it has serious limitations because the phone must stay on (screen and all).
Best, Joe (mobile)
On Sep 2, 2008, at 4:09 PM, Jerome Daoust <EyesToThe...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I can still remember the paths from memory, but there is an increasing > number, and then there are the new paths I have not been on myself > yet. So, have you done this yourself, and what GPS and software would > you recommend towards... > 1) Saving all the paths under Google Earth to a GPS. > 2) Use that GPS to verify that you are on course (of one of your many > paths), or be able to find you way back to the closest one after > wandering off. Having local road maps would be a definite plus.
> What I already have if it can be used: > Google Earth (with all my favorite by bike paths, see project in > the other discussion) > GPS Dump (software to download/upload to a GPS) > Garmin Nuvi 660 (road navigation GPS) > Garmin Nuvi 680 (road navigation GPS)
> Planning routes (series of line segment to follow) is best done on a > PC (instead of a GPS) and Google Earth is free to use, so that > definitely is my starting point. Google Earth has detailed satellite > images, making it easy to actually see the paths, so planning is > almost fun. Maybe one day GPS units will show bike paths, but you will > still want to be able to customize your route. If you mostly use your > bike to commute (you already know your main routes) then this project > if of low interest to you. This project is intended for those who ride > their bikes in "explorer mode"
Jerome,
The optional iPAQ rx5915 Windows Mobile device, included at the $750
price with the optilink software includes pre installed GPS mapping
software. You can also buy and install tomtom software (or whatever
flavor of mapping software you prefer) on the windows device. I doubt
that the optilink software creates a gps log but I'm sure there is
software available for windows Mobile that will do it.
Note also that if you have a Windows Mobile based cell phone you could
save about 350 bucks and get the Optilink software for $400 and
install it on your phone. You'll probably want to get a handlebar
mount for it.
Best,
Joe
On Sep 2, 4:09 pm, Jerome Daoust <EyesToThe...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I can still remember the paths from memory, but there is an increasing
> number, and then there are the new paths I have not been on myself
> yet. So, have you done this yourself, and what GPS and software would
> you recommend towards...
> 1) Saving all the paths under Google Earth to a GPS.
> 2) Use that GPS to verify that you are on course (of one of your many
> paths), or be able to find you way back to the closest one after
> wandering off. Having local road maps would be a definite plus.
> What I already have if it can be used:
> Google Earth (with all my favorite by bike paths, see project in
> the other discussion)
> GPS Dump (software to download/upload to a GPS)
> Garmin Nuvi 660 (road navigation GPS)
> Garmin Nuvi 680 (road navigation GPS)
> Planning routes (series of line segment to follow) is best done on a
> PC (instead of a GPS) and Google Earth is free to use, so that
> definitely is my starting point. Google Earth has detailed satellite
> images, making it easy to actually see the paths, so planning is
> almost fun. Maybe one day GPS units will show bike paths, but you will
> still want to be able to customize your route. If you mostly use your
> bike to commute (you already know your main routes) then this project
> if of low interest to you. This project is intended for those who ride
> their bikes in "explorer mode"
I emailed Frank and Craig at Optibike to know how this can be done
through their products, and will post back my findings when they
respond.
I also contacted Garmin and I'm still corresponding with someone there
who said I cannot create routes for either the Garmin 660 or 680 that
I already own.
> Jerome,
> The optional iPAQ rx5915 Windows Mobile device, included at the $750
> price with the optilink software includes pre installed GPS mapping
> software. You can also buy and install tomtom software (or whatever
> flavor of mapping software you prefer) on the windows device. I doubt
> that the optilink software creates a gps log but I'm sure there is
> software available for windows Mobile that will do it.
> Note also that if you have a Windows Mobile based cell phone you could
> save about 350 bucks and get the Optilink software for $400 and
> install it on your phone. You'll probably want to get a handlebar
> mount for it.
> Best,
> Joe
Hi Jerome. Planning ahead with google maps sounds like a very good idea, I must start doing that!
Anyway, I have the Garmin Edge 705 and I'm almost 100% sure you can import routes into that one. Haven't tried it myself yet, but I'll have a go this weekend.
On the move, I chose the map view, which displays the route layered on your map and notifies when a waypoint is approaching ("north-west on 1", "west on 2" etc). You can also navigate using a list of the next upcoming 4 waypoints or a compass. On each of these views I believe you can select what to display, for instance distance and time to next waypoint (or other elements not specific to navigation such as elevation, speed, heart rate).
Can't compare to other devices as this one is the first I've had, but I have read that for pure navigation there are better ones. The 705 however is very good for training purposes.
Let me know if there are something specific you'd like me to test.
That file didn't work too well. http://frank.kinlan.co.uk/?page_id=920 says there is a 100 waypoint limit, and some of your routes have way more than that. Also your file ends kinda abruptly, no </trk> closing tag for instance.
Another difference is that you have "trk" and "trkpt", while I have "rte" and "rtept". Do you know the difference between a track and a route?
> That file didn't work too well. http://frank.kinlan.co.uk/?page_id=920 > says there is a 100 waypoint limit, and some of your routes have way > more than that.
That page converts from gpx (or directly from google earth) into Garmin Training center-format, importing worked well and no 100 waypoint limit. I will have to testdrive to see what differences there are.
On the displayed map (attached image) it seems to have connected all my path with extra segments. I tried editing it using their interface and it seems you can delete or add points, but not "break" a path. So it seems like it expects to receive a single path (series of trackpoints connected to form a single track). Bummer, almost there.
This is what I can't try on my side... 7) Using the Garmin Communicator plugin, send the paths to your GPS. 8) On your GPS do you get all the paths, or only the ones for a given Google Maps "page"?
* First one navigating to the start of the course * The second one just after the start (the triangle just in front of me is my virtual training partner, pretty cool!) * Third one showing both a "ride" with waypoints and a "course".
It will alert you if you leave the course, but you won't get the frequent beeps when you approach a waypoint which is fine since you would have to mark a waypoint every time a road changed direction. Actually, looking at my third picture, it might be able to do both navigation with waypoints and drawing a more detailed course at the same time.
> On the displayed map (attached image) it seems to have connected all my path > with extra segments. > I tried editing it using their interface and it seems you can delete or add > points, but not "break" a path. > So it seems like it expects to receive a single path (series of trackpoints > connected to form a single track). > Bummer, almost there.
Take a look at your .kml file with notepad (or a better one like notepad++), it's pretty easy to edit your file so you just have a single path in each.
I took a look at the KML file with Wordpad, and there lots of stuff in
there.
I don't want to make a single path of all my multiple disconnected
path, I want to keep them as separate multiple paths.
The problem is that GPSies connected them (probably from ends to
starts of disconnected paths), which is not what I want.
Thanks for working with me, much appreciated Tor,
Jerome
On Sep 9, 4:09 pm, "Tor Atle Lunde" <toratle...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > On the displayed map (attached image) it seems to have connected all my path
> > with extra segments.
> > I tried editing it using their interface and it seems you can delete or add
> > points, but not "break" a path.
> > So it seems like it expects to receive a single path (series of trackpoints
> > connected to form a single track).
> > Bummer, almost there.
> Take a look at your .kml file with notepad (or a better one like
> notepad++), it's pretty easy to edit your file so you just have a
> single path in each.
Separate multiple paths, hmm, you lost me there :)
If you transfer your paths one by one to the Garmin, what would you like to do that you can't? A path is a stretch of road, from A to B, could be a round trip but doesn't have to be - yes? Is your concern that you would sometimes have to change to a different "course" in the middle of a trip?
Under Google Earth I created all the bike paths I know of, they are
not connected to each other, but they may intersect.
It is just a series of individual paths (sometimes broken down further
in parts).
Each one of those paths (a Google Earth term which can be understood
as a track) is a series of coordinates that are connected by line
segments.
So there should not be an attempts to connect the end of one path to
the start of another, and this is what I saw in GPSies.
So I don't expect the GPS unit to guide me along one of the paths, but
simply to visually confirm my position is near one of the multiple
path that was imported into it (from the GPX file that contains
multiple paths, or tracks)
> Separate multiple paths, hmm, you lost me there :)
> If you transfer your paths one by one to the Garmin, what would you
> like to do that you can't? A path is a stretch of road, from A to B,
> could be a round trip but doesn't have to be - yes? Is your concern
> that you would sometimes have to change to a different "course" in the
> middle of a trip?
Tor wrote:
> Let me know if there are something specific you'd like me to test.
Yes, a test with MapSource (You said you had it):
1) Import my GPX file:
http://www.expandingknowledge.com/tmp/GoogleEarthPaths_to_GPS/USA_CA.gpx I know this should work because a co-worker is into motocross and has
it at work and we sucessfully imported it. I could see all the paths
in there as a series of points.
2) Export those points (or ideally the segments between the points) to
your Edge 705.
3) Take a picture of how your Edge 705 displays the paths, and confirm
that the paths (series of points constituting separate paths/tracks)
are not assembled in a single path/route/track by creating additional
segments from the end of one path/track to the start of another which
are not meant to be connected.
There is a video tutorial for the TakItWithMe approach: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4VrVqfUNNA&fmt=18 We see at the end of that video that we can create a route between waypoints and transfer that to a GPS.
Here is where I need your help: To copy the created GPX file (step 9 above) to your Garmin GPS unit under directory /garmin/gpx Please report (a picture would be great) what you can see on your GPS, in particular if all path (tracks/routes) are not connected between them from the end of one to the start of another (undesirable). The only goal is to verify that the GPS will display our position and the multiple line segments representing our routes, so we can visually verify if we are close to one of them.
I will do some testing this evening, I am 9 hours lagging you so am at work now (clearly remember this as I was in San Fransisco this spring).
In the mean time - when you transfer tracks to the 705, either one by one or a collection in one file, the end result is the same I think. You get a list of tracks to choose from, and you can only follow/display one at a time. It sounds like you want them all to be displayed at once. I don't know for sure so will check up on this.
