Re: Converting a track to a route? (Mapsource)

From: miso (miso_at_sushi.com)
Date: 06/03/04 

Date: 2 Jun 2004 20:45:50 -0700

That is an interesting tidbit on active track versus saved track that
I'll experiment with on my own emap.

Getting back to the original problem, I often just make a route by
hand in mapsource by looking at the track. I think the person who has
done the route once can use their judgement in creating the route,
rather than some clever computer algorithm. Not that I have anything
against automation, but I think the task itself is just too simple.

I don't know about the Etrex, but one annoying feature of the emap is
that the gps will attempt to enter a route or track midway if there is
a midway waypoint that is nearby. That it, the gps won't force you to
go to the start of the route or track. This can be a problem if the
terrain doesn't allow you to enter the route or track midway. What I
do is navigate to a waypoint that is at the start of the route or
track. Once I am there, I then set up the GPS to follow the route or
track.

I think Garmin wrote the software with the idea that somebody might
start midway in a route, i.e. turn on the gps at a midway location.
This would be the situation if you started your route, camped out
midway, then resumed the route.

nospam@nospam.se (Jan B) wrote in message news:<40bad725.6235180@wingate>...
> On Sun, 30 May 2004 17:37:21 +0100, Chris <proteus1@gmxDOTnet> wrote:
>
> >"Richard Hamilton" <rich.hamilton@NOSPAMntlworld.com> wrote:
> >
> >
> >>The issue I had with navigating using a previous tracklog was that it just
> >>didn't work. As I said, I have saved a previous tracklog to Mapsource and
> >>when I look at this on my PC screen it shows exactly where I went - no
> >>problems there. My start and end points are virtually identical (my house)
> >>and the track is basically a big loop (20 miles start to finish). However,
> >>if I load this track back onto my eTrex and use tracback things just don't
> >>work out anymore. When I did this the start point seemed to be correct on my
> >>eTrex but the end point was not at my house where it should be. Anyway, I
> >>selected tracback "to end" hoping I would then be able to follow the track
> >>all the way around the 20 mile route and back to where I started. Initially,
> >>the GPS correctly followed my original route but after 4.5 miles I had
> >>already reached my destination? The now nominated "destination" was actually
> >>on my original route but why it had now become the end of my track I don't
> >>know - I didn't even stop at the particular point first time round. After I
> >>went past it the GPS was of course then telling me to turn around and go
> >>back the way I had come. Also, if I changed the tracback to go "to start" it
> >>was trying to take me back the way I had come.
> >>
> >>Where am I going wrong?
> >>
> >I don't know why you have a problem using Mapsource, but I am
> >suggesting saving your tracklog directly to a track internally using
> >your Etrex. This will reduce the resolution of the track, but I can
> >see no reason why this will not work. I use another Garmin GPS myself,
> >but a friend with an Etrex successfully uses tracks in preference to
> >routes to navigate because of the 50 waypoint limitation.
>
> I think you nailed it. Richard probably downloaded an active track
> (the track log) containing a large number of points.
> Renaming and uploading to GPSR loads it as a saved track, with reduced
> capacity. The track is then truncated.
>
> The point on a higher resolution when navigating a track rather then a
> route might be true, but I have noticed when using "TracBack" on a
> Garmin Emap that the route line that is created by TracBack is more
> course with fewer points than the saved track. This is visible also
> when simulating a TracBack on a rather smooth track with only 18
> points.
> This specific TracBack gives 6 turns. It is cutting corners so that
> the maximum off track distance is 40 meters.
> /Jan

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