Transferring GPX-files to the XT including Tracks and Waypoints with distinguished Symbols

[Maxim]

I. COPYING a GPX file from a PC via USB (including Tracks & Waypoints)
Copy GPX-file to
"This PC\zūmo XT\Internal Storage\GPX"

1. Apps > Tracks (UI GETS VERY VERY SLOW/LAGGY)
   • Tracks visible, Explore sync needed-symbol
2. Under Where to? > Explore >
   1. All
      • Tracks not listed (which are visible under Apps > Tracks)
      • Waypoints listed (only, not the Tracks), icon settings gone (all marked as a Flag) Explore sync needed-symbols
   2. Waypoints
      • Waypoints , icon settings gone (all marked as a Flag) Explore sync needed-
   3. Tracks
      • Tracks not listed
   4. Routes (not tested)
   5. Activities (not sure what that is - next task on my list, when I am bored)
   6. Collections
      • No (new) Collections added/listed
   7. Unorganised
      • Tracks not listed (which are visible under Apps > Tracks)
      • Waypoints listed (only, not the Tracks), icon settings gone (all marked as a Flag), Explore sync needed-symbols
3. Under Where to? > Personalise > Favourites
   • All Waypoints show up, Explore sync needed-symbols
4. View Map > Collections > Unorganised - checked/on
   • Tracks not visible (you can only select them from Apps > Tracks each at a time, to make the selected one visible only)
   • Waypoints visible, icon settings gone (all marked as a Flag)

Btw., if you delete the GPX-file (but nothing throug the device, BEFORE syncing to Explore Web), the Waypoints stay on your device, the tracks disappear (from Apps > Tracks).


AFTER syncing with Garmin Eplore Web

1. Tracks finally appear under
   1. Where To? > Explore > ALL
   2. Where To? > Explore > Explore
   3. Where To? > Explore > Unorganised
   4. On the map (if View Map > Collections > Unorganised - checked/on)
2. Apps > Tracks UI gets responsive (fast) again
3. Explore sync needed-symbols disappear
4. YOU HAVE TO REFRESH your Explore Web-page to see the new data
5. In Garmin Explore, everything is just as unorganised and each waypoint as it is on your XT...
6. You can create and organise your Tracks and Waypoints to your liking and change the Icons of your Waypoints, each and all manually since it all got lost... That can't be it.

Your Explore App will sync along with Explore Web.

If you delete the GPX-file (but nothing throug the device, AFTER syncing to Explore Web), the Waypoints and Tracks stay on your device.

After you delete all Waypoints and all Tracks on your XT (before or after syncing with Explore Web), the GPX-file is still there
This PC\zūmo XT\Internal Storage\GPX
but only a couple of KB in size - no clue why, since I am not sure where the Data is actually stored on the device, but not in the GPX-file itself.

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II. IMPORTING from SD-card:
copy GPX-file to
"This PC\zūmo XT\Memory Card\Garmin\GPX"
(Create that folder structure on your SD-card if not existent yet - it will be created by your XT, if you export Tracks, Waypoints or Routes, but not until then)
You can Import Waypoints under

• Where To? > Explore > Waypoints - then the wrench symbol top left > Import
• After importing all Waypoints are merely marked as a Flag

You can Import Tracks ONLY under (no clue why, since export and deleting is also availeable under Where To? > Explore > Tracks... well, I guess not even Garmin knows )

• Apps > Tracks - then the wrench symbol top left > Import

So information gets lost, inconvinient...

If you delete Tracks and Waypoints from your XT on XT itself, the GPX-file on your SD card will be untouched. (And no according GPX file will be created on your internal storage. Not sure where the Data is actually stored on the device.)

(If you export Tracks or Waypoints to your SD-card, the file is created in the described folder structure "This PC\zūmo XT\Memory Card\Garmin\GPX")
And I had a couple of other bugs, e.g. waypoints not showing up under waypoints but under favourites and so on... but I cant recreate those in a reasonable time. This all took me many many hours already.)

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III. IMPORTING GPX to Garmin Explore Web and syncing to the XT:

• Some can't be imported, though they can be copied and used on the XT via USB, sent to XT via Drive, and imported into Basecamp. (Seems to be merely a bug in explore, since the data is readable on the XT and in Basecamp without any issues.)
• Tracks appear
• All Waypoint icons all reset to flags
• Waypoints / Tracks have to be put into Collectons (named/created) manualy (either on import or later)
• Obviously a sync is needed to your XT

Still no good, since information gets lost again...

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IV. SENDING GPX-files from your phone with Garmin Drive (share with GD):

• Tracks are visible under Apps > Tracks and Where To? > Explore > Tracks / All / Uncategorised
• Waypoints visible accordingly everywhere (but icons still Flags only)

So information gets lost once again...

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BEST SOLUTION:

V. SENDING GPX from your phone to Garmin Explore App (share with GE App):

• The Waypoint Icons show up correctly distinguished as saved - finally
• The App creates a Collection, named as the GPX-file

Wow, I can feel some excitement. Now we only have to transfer this to the XT...
However, if you share it in the Explore App with the Drive App, all informaion gets erased again, just as sharing directly through Drive. Right? Of course.

SYNC IT THIS WAY TO EXPLORE:

Luckily, if you turn on your internet connection on your phone and open Explore Web, but also make sure you got Bluetooth on, the Explore App will sync with Explore Web directly through the internet and then Explore Web with your XT through drive vie bluetooth... (yes, you indeed need the XT, a phone and a pc/laptop, an active internet connection and bluetooth. Best to do this all in a tent with as little power and data consumption as possible and also great for lightweight travellers. Very very well thought through, don't you agree? Well, at least we only need the XT software, 2 apps and one website . Hopefully we can leave out basecamp of the equation. Let's see!)
So now we got the icons right and everything automatically sorted in a distinguished Collection. That was easy peasy and best documented on gamrin's homepage

The only problem that sometimes occures, is that the Tracks show up in the Tracks-list on the left side menu of the Explore Web, but are not marked/outlined on the map itself. Check, if the eye symbol next to the category and anywhere else, where it might influence the visibility of any actual track, is not crossed out by default. You might think it's a bug, but actually that's just part of the DIY-game Garmins developers made for you as an additional value, to make life a bit more exciting in these boring times Ah, and don't forget to refresh the homepage. Syncing might happen in the background without you noticing at all.

If you are still having trouble seeing tracks on the map despite they appear in the list, try converting them into routes and then back to tracks again. It helped me a couple of times...

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Feel free to add anything you like or might know...

Hope this helps to take off the edge of frustration, when you handle GPX-files you download or get from friends.

[jfheath]

Welcome to the forum @Maxim .

You have been busy ! Thank you for the information.

You may find some of the missing information here app.php/ZXT-P55

Although I have not described the same detailed analysis as you have provided.

[Maxim]

Thanks, great information source. Very helpful opposed to the alleged support/documentation given by Garmin in any shape or form

I am still not clear about how to solve the following seemingly simple task:
If I have some tracks (1 to X) I want to connect for a longer Route (which I can save then) - meaning going from HOME to the first/nearest point of Track 1, then following Track 1 arriving to it's endpoint, then navigating to the starting or closest point of Trip 2, then arriving at the endpoint of Trip 2 and navigating on to the first or nearest point of Trip 3, and so on till Trip X an then home

Hope you get the idea and can give me some helpful information to how to achive this best on the device or elsewhere.

Thanks

[Peobody]

Do you know about the "Join the Selected Routes" function in BaseCamp? You select multiple routes then right-click > Join the Selected Routes. You are prompted for the destination list for the new route. You are also prompted for whether you want to delete the original routes. If you answer "No" to the delete originals prompt you end up with a copy of the originals along with the new one in the list. I have only used this function once at which time I chose the "No" options so I really don't know what happens when you select "Yes" to delete the originals. I can't imagine that the actual originals get deleted but someone else will have to confirm that.

[jfheath]

If you join 4 routes, and answer 'yes' to delete originals, you have just one long route.
If you say no, you have 5 routes. The 4 originals, and the long joined route.


You can also use Basecamp to join tracks. If you do this with active log segments which have gaps in them, it joins the together in the correct order using the time and date info, and bridges the gaps with straight lines. With fragmented active logs the gaps are quite short, so the straight lines are very short and not noticeable.

[Peobody]

If you join 4 routes, and answer 'yes' to delete originals, you have just one long route.
If you say no, you have 5 routes. The 4 originals, and the long joined route.

Unclear to me... The prompt is something to the effect of "Do you want to delete the originals". The originals are of course the 4 routes selected to join. Will it actually delete them if you answer 'Yes'' or will it simply not make copies of them in the same list as the new joined route?

[sussamb]

Theoretically it should delete them although I think when I last tried it didn't. Personally I wouldn't choose that option anyway until I was certain they were no longer needed.

[jfheath]

It deletes them. edit - they are no longer in the folder or list that they were in.

This logical - it has 'mended' the broke bits - But I always keep them !

[Peobody]

It seems illogical that answering 'Yes' to the 'Delete originals' question would delete the originals but that answering 'No' place copies of them in the destination list along with the joined route. I did a test and found that answering 'Yes' did not delete the originals. For my test I found two routes in which ones ending point was close to the others starting point. I copied them to a new list, selected them both, then joined the routes. I answered 'Yes" to the 'Delete originals' prompt but the original routes remained.

IMPORTANT: My joined route was not saved between BaseCamp instances. I retested with the same result. On my third test I renamed the joined route before closing BaseCamp. That worked to maintain the joined route between BaseCamp sessions.

So, confirmation is needed on the following two BaseCamp anomalies:
1. Answering 'Yes' to the 'Delete originals' question associated with joining routes does not delete anything.
2. A newly created joined route is not saved if you shut down BaseCamp without performing any other action on it.

[sussamb]

Which is why I don't use the delete option