Convert Streets and Trips file to track before recalculating?

[tombarrington]

A friend who plans one of our annual trips is a staunch MS Streets and Trips user (2013 version!). He loads these into an older Garmin Drive navigator for his bike. I end up converting his exports through GPS Babel and then importing into Basecamp for a sanity check and to use in my own Zumo XT. As such, I often find that Basecamp calculates a slightly different route which I then have to inspect turn-by-turn to make sure we match. I was wondering if there is a way to import his files into Basecamp such that they exactly match what he created so that I could create a track and plan an identical route from that. Or, could I create a track outside of Basecamp that could then be imported? It's not a show stopper but there have been a few times when I've had to turn us around because we missed a turn.

[jfheath]

If MS Streets and Trips can produce a track, that will never change. Routes will nearly always change how they get from point A to point B.

Ask any three people how to get to somewhere, there''s a pretty god chance you will get different answers.

[Peobody]

As such, I often find that Basecamp calculates a slightly different route which I then have to inspect turn-by-turn to make sure we match

How do you view the route he sent so that you can compare it to what he sent. Actually, that's not important because I'm thinking that if you can view his route, and are competent with Basecamp, then creating a route in Basecamp that matches his may be easier than a bunch of hoop-jumping to try to get his into your XT.

[tombarrington]

Thanks @jfheath. I don't see any way MS S&T can produce a track. As soon as I import his file it recalculates according to my motorcycle profile and I can't tell if it changed from his original S&T route without a turn-by-turn comparison.

[tombarrington]

How do you view the route he sent so that you can compare it to what he sent. Actually, that's not important because I'm thinking that if you can view his route, and are competent with Basecamp, then creating a route in Basecamp that matches his may be easier than a bunch of hoop-jumping to try to get his into your XT.

Typically, I've toggled back and forth between S&T and Basecamp screens to make sure we're in sync. More recently I've just imported his GPX file (I've had to run it through GPS Babel or else I get an error), cleaned up/delete a bunch of misplaced shaping points, and confirmed some of his routing choices. It would be so much easier to get the track and and build a Basecamp route from that.

[Peobody]

Typically, I've toggled back and forth between S&T and Basecamp

I know how this experience. I often use Google Maps to produce my route and then toggle back and forth duplicating it in Basecamp.

[jfheath]

Is the route a gpx file ? If so, can you post an example - I'll see if anything can be done !

It night be sending just the route points - in which case we're on a loser, but if it is sending a plot of the route itself, I'm sure I can do something with that. Whatever, we will know what we are dealing with.

[tombarrington]

Here's the process I follow. Please feel free to shoot holes in it.

I receive a GPX file that was converted by MS S&T from its native .est format. Basecamp is unable to open this file.

alamosa to vernal export from S&T.gpx

(1.51 KiB) Downloaded 101 times

I found a program called GPS Babel to convert/correct the gpx file to a Garmin .gdb format which is importable by Basecamp.

alamosa to vernal conversion by Babel.gdb

(1.41 KiB) Downloaded 113 times

The resulting import is a route using the same points used to create the original S&T route. Unfortunately, to see this as a route requires recalculating by Basecamp so I'm unable to tell if it changed unless I compare it to the same route displayed in the S&T program. I will typically use this as the basis of my Zumo's GPX file by eliminating/moving/adding shaping points consistent with the practices recommended by this forum.

In summary, I think you are correct: it is just sending route points, so depending on avoidances and the map Basecamp's version of the route could be different.