How to transfer waypoints to SD card on XT

[twowheelstom]

Exactly why I use the SD card exclusively- deleting and reimporting when I want.

another benefit of Exporting and Copy/Paste to the Card is file folder naming organization, and removing those waypoints and routes from XT Internal Storage will help to keep the Favourites Saved section less filled up, and also the Trip Planner Saved Routes to a minimum, I mean less routes in there that I no longer want to see. and using computer File Explorer to organize all the waypoint and route files by Folder names, much easier to identify items than to see many routes on the Basecamp > Memory Card > User list, because looking at routes on the User list in Basecamp will show routes that might not even have an connection to a Trip I'm doing

[lkraus]

Just as an a exercise, I once did put all of my Basecamp database on the SDcard.
It's been a while but I think I had to do a bit at a time or Basecamp choked on all the data if I did it in one swell foop.

20,526 waypoints (mostly POI), 400 routes, 301 tracks, 30.9 MB. (would easily fit in the nearly 8GB free in internal memory.)

Viewed three routes a time in landscape mode, five at time in portrait, no way to search or sort or SEE the contents before importing, it was useless.
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another benefit of Exporting and Copy/Paste to the Card is file folder naming organization, and removing those waypoints and routes from XT Internal Storage will help to keep the Favourites Saved section less filled up, and also the Trip Planner Saved Routes to a minimum, I mean less routes in there that I no longer want to see. and using computer File Explorer to organize all the waypoint and route files by Folder names, much easier to identify items than to see many routes on the Basecamp > Memory Card > User list, because looking at routes on the User list in Basecamp will show routes that might not even have an connection to a Trip I'm doing

My feeling is that the less data on the XT, the easier it is to use, and routes/tracks/waypoints unrelated to the trip I'm on have no business being on the SDcard at all (or Internal Memory), so they do not appear as User Data in Basecamp. The original routes and tracks are already tucked away in the appropriate lists, list folders, and sub folders in the Basecamp database. Old data is erased from Trip Planner and Tracks very soon after completion. Active logs are transferred as tracks (often combined) to the associated list if I want to keep them, and Travel History is cleared. Old and excess waypoints in Favorites/Saved is not as much of an annoyance, as I seldom use that feature. I do clear it occasionally, keeping only a few that points that see regular use. "Recents" usually meets my needs for simple take-me-there-now routing to get back to lodging, etc., and any more complicated routing is done in Basecamp.

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Good organization using Basecamp lists and list folders keeps waypoints together with their associated routes and trips, so I nearly always know why I have them. If one should go astray, I can just double-click it, which shows me exactly where it is on the map and its properties. The References tab will tell me which lists and routes contain the waypoint. Clicking those names will take me to the associated list or "Open" the route.

[Peobody]

I think the key here is to think of the XT and Basecamp as separate entities. From that reference point, the XT never needs to be connected to Basecamp. Planning is done in Basecamp using all of its organizational tools. The results are exported for manual transfer to the SD card on the XT which has no organizational tools. The use of appropriately named files and folders in a suitable folder structure is the organizational tool for managing that data. That said, the thought of putting all routes that I have in Basecamp onto the card is crazy to me. I only put what I expect to use in the near future on the card.

@twowheelstom, keep in mind that when a map update comes along, the XT is going to recalculate the imported routes, which may result in changes. Deleting and then re-importing from the card won't help because the .gpx files on the card contain a reference to the map version they were created with. That map discrepancy will trigger a calculation on import, likely resulting in the same change. For my peace of mind following a map update I install the map to the PC, recalc routes in Basecamp, fix any that were changed, clean out the XT (imported routes and the ones on the card), selectively re-populate the card, import the routes. This is my attempt at doing everything I can to get the XT to keep me on my route (eg: prevent it from calculating or recalculating). It is also the reason why I keep my XT lean, both the number of routes in Trip Planner and the number on the card. I expect this process is going to start a lively debate which I look forward to. The process requires a requires a lot of work. I haven't figured out an alternative though because I haven't yet figured out how to create every route in a way that will prevent any of them from being changed by a recalc.

BTW, I strongly suggest importing every route you put on the card. You can then delete from Trip Planner but you want to make sure every route will import. It is an uneasy feeling to be starting day four of a ten day trip only to find that its route won't import (the dreaded "Cannot calculate route" message). Yup, been there, done that, got the t-shirt.

[twowheelstom]

I spent the last couple hours on Basecamp, and organizing new Folder names on the computer, then in Basecamp selection routes and waypoints in organized groupings, then using the Export Selection to send to those Folders. I learned how to press the CTRL key and use mouse clicks to select certain waypoints for Export, someone mentioned it and I tried it and it works, thanks to whoever mentioned it. you guys are great and very knowledgeable.

[jfheath]

Thank you for re-iterating this little snippet.

I use stuff like this all of the time without thinking about it and forget that they get buried in the heap of historic posts. So it is useful to have them mentioned and hi-lighted.

Yes - it's a widows feature - but the program has to make use of it. Not all programs do.

CTRL click allows selection of individual items of a list.
Select one item, SHIFT click a later or earlier item - that selects both items and all items in between.

Useful for setting all route points to shaping / via for example, or asking for the selected routes to be recalculated.

You may (or may not) have spotted the filters at the bottom of the lower left hand Window. Allows just routes, just tracks, just waypoints to be shown.

Unfortunately, selecting all routes and asking to convert them all to tracks does not seem to be available!

[twowheelstom]

thanks jfheath,