How to transfer waypoints to SD card on XT

[rbentnail]

Yup! Just do everything from within Basecamp. In fact, there may not be any reason to use the card at all except for music.

I emphatically disagree with this! I use the SD card EXCLUSIVELY for routes. I NEVER transfer to the internal memory.
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For the computer ignorant, which I DEFINITELY consider myself, please disregard everything they are telling you! If you feel they are talking way over your head, then they are. They obviously are not helping you. I'm going to ask 1 question at a time and get you through this. You can do it!! If you'd like we can go to PM's so no one else can interrupt.

Now, I'm going to start at the very beginning, Base Camp file transfers for Dummies. First question- do you know how to "drag and drop" a file from one location to another? I'm talking about "click and hold the button, move and hover over a different folder, the release then button?" Do you know how to do this?

[lkraus]

I can just Select, Drag and Drop to User Data.

Or, I can Select, Export to somewhere on the computer, copy with File Explorer, delete the unneeded temporary computer file. (Might also need to rename, because "Selected Data from Salt Fork Loop.gpx" doesn't tell me what kind of data it is.)

I'm quite comfortable with File Explorer and even the Powershell command line, but no, I don't think I want to do that.

Even Select>right-click>Send To>Scroll down to User Data is easier than that.

An exported gpx on the card is invisible in Basecamp so I that can't tell just what is already on the card, and File Explorer can't tell me, either. The file has to be copied to the computer, and then imported into Basecamp to see what it contains, edited, then the revised version re-exported, re-copied...

I seldom want to do anything with the files on the SD card without a computer, and if I'm using the computer anyway, Basecamp makes that User Data much easier to manage because I can SEE exactly what it is on the map. I can then add/delete/modify any or all of the individual routes/tracks/waypoints directly on the card from within Basecamp.

Garmin could have used better, more Explorer-style, file/folder/list/track/route/waypoint management, but given the options that we have to work with, letting Basecamp put everything in the same "buckets" is by far the easier method.

[sussamb]

Lots of interesting discussions here but to answer the OP. BaseCamp is designed to send data either to the GPX folder on your device if you send data to it, or if you send data to the card it will create the correct folder, which is Garmin/GPX.

[rbentnail]

An exported gpx on the card is invisible in Basecamp so I that can't tell just what is already on the card, and File Explorer can't tell me, either. The file has to be copied to the computer, and then imported into Basecamp to see what it contains, edited, then the revised version re-exported, re-copied...

I'm confused bt this statement. I'm wondering why you can't see what routes on on the card using Base Camp. When I connect my device with card in place, I select User Memory and every route, point, etc. that I've put there is right there, just like in any other collection, list folder or list in the internal memory.

Perhaps the confusion is Exporting vs. Transferring. I rarely export anything. To me there's no need to export unless I want to save or share the file elsewhere. Exporting is NOT required to put the file on the SD card.

[lkraus]

I'm confused by this statement....

Sorry, I should have quoted the earlier post I was responding to:

I suggest exporting the route out of Basecamp, giving it a meaningful name, and then using a file explorer to copy it to the SD card. You don't need to export a list out of Basecamp, just the route, the waypoints it contains will come with it. That said, if you want to be able to import any of the waypoints so that they are in your Saved list without first importing the route then you will want to include the waypoints in your export.

Just wanted to explain why I find SD card management via Basecamp easier than exporting and using File Explorer.

[Peobody]

Just wanted to explain why I find SD card management via Basecamp easier than exporting and using File Explorer.

There is no doubt that it is a personal thing. I do a good bit of multi-day touring. Once I'm home I find it easiest to remove that trip from the card by deleting the folder that I put the route files into. This removes all routes, tracks, and waypoints. This is tedious from within Basecamp because there is no list structure. Deleting a route and track is easy but not the associated waypoints. Perhaps I don't know that trick.

[jfheath]

Yup! Just do everything from within Basecamp. In fact, there may not be any reason to use the card at all except for music.

...And you will find many example of me advocating the use of Internal Storage rather than the SD card.

But I have changed my mind. I'll explain why:

In internal storage, any tracks that are contained within the exported file are automatically imported and then the commands are deleted from the GPX file. It is impossible to import them again.

From BC, routes are transferred to temp.gpx, and can then be imported from there on the XT screen. However, if you then reconnect the USB cable and transfer more routes, the original temp.gpx file is erased and a new one is created. So those original routes / waypoints can not be re-imported either.

On the XT, if you make changes to the running route, it alters the imported version. There is no way to get back to the original - unless it is one of the last items transferred, in which case it may be obtainable from temp.gpx to re-import

If the SD card is used for storage, the XT does not touch the contents of the files or the files themselves.

Any data - tracks, routes, Favourites/Saved can be deleted fromt he XT screen and then reimported.

However:
Tracks need to be imported manually.
Waypoints are not imported automatically on transfer
It is possible to import some data twice - so you have two or more copies in your lists.

Favourites may not be found to import (in any location), unless there is at least one favourite in Internal Storage. If this happens, tap the map to create a point (any point) and save it. That puts a favourite into internal storage. Once that is there, try to import them again - they will magically appear.

I very rarely remove the SD card to use it for data storage. I connect the USB cable to the XT.
I have big fingers. Clumsy. Last time I removed an SD card was from my video recorder. Held it between thumb and finger while I did something else, and it dropped soemwhere benearth the fairing, but never fell to the ground. One day, I may be able to recover it. BUt it was an expensive loss. It was a very fast 256Gb card cabalble of storing about 4 days worth of front and rear camera recordings.

[lkraus]

There is no doubt that it is a personal thing. I do a good bit of multi-day touring. Once I'm home I find it easiest to remove that trip from the card by deleting the folder that I put the route files into. This removes all routes, tracks, and waypoints. This is tedious from within Basecamp because there is no list structure. Deleting a route and track is easy but not the associated waypoints. Perhaps I don't know that trick.

I break down my multi-day tours into single-day routes on the SDcard. I usually just delete ALL the User Data on the card when I get home. Not tedious at all! With rare exceptions, I already have all that info in my Basecamp database, where it came from. But it should not be terribly hard to deal with individual items on the card.

Here is my SDcard, with four days of routes from a past auto trip, and another local route in Ohio, with their associated tracks and waypoints.

bc.jpg (126.64 KiB) Viewed 2592 times

(I'm using the North American DEM map from the XT, sometimes a lack of detail makes things clearer.)

As you said, identifying a single route or track for deletion from the card is easy, just click on the name and it will be highlighted on the map. Or, click the route and the name will pop up.

It is a little harder to sort out which waypoints go with which route, but if I've deleted the route, the left over waypoints stand out alone (or along the track). Right-click on the symbol to delete the point. Here I've deleted the Day 3 route before removing two intermediate waypoints:

bc2.jpg (110.3 KiB) Viewed 2592 times

[twowheelstom]

Well I must say that all the comments and posts from you guys on this subject has been helping me greatly, thanks everyone. Here is what I've done after reading the many helpful posts.

I do think this below is Peobody's method and it worked for me. I realize there might be other methods but for a newbie like myself I have to keep things simple lol.

I started up my Basecamp and used the Export Menu feature to put a whole List on BC (with waypoints and a route combined) exported that List onto a new folder onto my computer hard drive, after that export file was created it was a single file with a gpx extension. Then I did a separate Export for a route that was within that List on Basecamp, after that export was done I ended with a file with a gdb extention. I ended up with 2 exported files from Basecamp to my computer hard drive, a gpx file and gdb file.

Then I connected the XT to the computer via USB, and using computers File Explorer, I created 2 folders under Garmin/GPX on the XT SD Card that matched folder names on my computer. Then I did a copy/paste of each of those 2 gpx and gdb files from computer to each matching folder on the XT SD Card.

Then unplugged XT from computer, and also ended Basecamp, and on the XT I searched around and found the Import feature for those 2 files but I only selected a couple waypoints from the gpx file on the Card to import into XT Internal memory, and for the gdb route file, I eventually found Trip Planner import feature and imported that 1 route from SD card to XT Internal memory.

I have found that it does matter if the waypoint file on the SD card has a gpx file extension and the route file on the SD card has gdb extension, but actually I don't actually know if it matters but I did pay attention to file extensions anyways by keeping waypoints and the route separate files. So after that I played in the XT with the GO TO feature and both the waypoints I imported into Saved section and that 1 route in Trip Planner does work fine. I still have much more to learn but I did learn a lot so far and made progress by reading and re-reading all the very helpful posts.

Now this newbie needs a nap to rest my brain lol

[Peobody]

To the group at large - What is a .gbd file? My route exports have always resulted in a .gpx file.

@twowheelstom, you likely will find that you only need to export the route (select the route > File > Export > Export Selection). Any waypoints in that route will be included in the resulting file. The only reason I can think of for exporting waypoints is if you want to import them into the XT independent of a route.