More GPX - please follow the link for a fuller exploration. (the following is the 1st couple of paragraphs of the linked article GPSBabel is highly recommended, for anyone wanting to get in deep with their GPS.įurther Reading. It can even convert Autoroute files, and some other problematic formats like Tracklogs and Fugawi. That was pretty complicated by Windows standards but it got a lot done, and this program can solve a lot of otherwise knotty problems. You can name the Track as well if you want, at this point.
Select Transform and Routes -> Tracks, select Simplify and Limit to 500 Points. Note: now revised, Bikely now formats as a Track Next to What? tick Routes (Bikely GPX is formatted as a Route). On the output side, select the tickbox for version and set it to v2.
(Or, again, you can output direct to your GPS.)īrowse to your input file, and browse to the same file again on the output side but change its name to do a Save As.
Now you can select an Input format of GPX XML and an Output format of - well, Garmin Mapsource gdb. Just unzip everything and then run GPSBabelGUI.
But it is much geekier.įortunately for Windows users, the zip download includes GPSBabelGUI.exe and this is a clunky but usable graphical interface to what is basically a command-driven program. GPSBabel is a one-stop shop for all this, and will also do the other job, above. It needs to be converted from Route to Track, and maybe it needs to be downsampled. Most Garmins will only allow a max of 250 points in a Route, or 500 in a Track. This means these axamples are now out of date, but I've left them as a general modus operandi for similar problems.Įxample: a Route built in Bikely using 'follow roads' is downloaded as a GPX, but has too many Waypoints. Note: a fairly recent revision to Bikely means that downloads will now open in Mapsource, directly. Or, just open the file and transfer it to your GPS direct from EasyGPS.
The simplest solution is to download and install EasyGPS.
Several free or inexpensive utilities can be found on the web to help with these difficulties - however I must say straight away that they all tend to geekiness compared even with standard desktop mapping software (and that can be bad enough!).įor example, a GPX file downloaded from Bikely will not open in Mapsource or you don't even have Mapsource.
Mapsource seems to be especially intolerant of GPX files from other sources. In practice, it is quite common for a program to be unable to open a GPX from another source, or, it opens but appears to be altered in some way, or appears as a Route when you were hoping for a Track, etc. However you should avoid editing a GPX in this way if at all possible - look, but don't touch would be a good motto here - and if you do alter it, use a Save As to preserve the original, just in case. gpx extension.Īs a sidenote - from the above you can see that any GPX file can in fact be opened and inspected (or even edited) using a Text Editor such as Notepad - or even, with care, in MS Word! In particular, most options for downloading route information from online mapping services such as Google Maps, give you a GPX file, or sometimes just a wodge of text that can be saved in a text editor with the. Most map and GPS-related programs have an option to output, export or Save As GPX, and most likewise have an option to import or Open GPX files. If you try to push the boundaries of your GPS usage, you soon come across the GPX file format. GPX is the universal interchange format for map programs and GPS devices.