Showing multiple tracks on map

Working with Montana 650T, Basecamp. I've downloaded a set of tracks for Nemadji State Forest.

Can I combine all these tracks into one file so I can have all tracks displayed on my map? So far, I've only figured out how to get one at a time.

Actually two questions:

All tracks show all the time if you have them set to "Show on Map". Unlike units with good tracks features (60/76), the new Garmins use the stupid .gpx format and this "Show on Map" bit will not transfer from PC to GPS so after downloading tracsk, you must open each one and set the "Show on Map", you must also set the color of the track because again Garmin thinks it know better what color you would like to see.

My guess is that you are navagating one track at a time not just viewing it on the map and following it.

Answer to second question, yes you can combine multipul tracks into one track as long as they touch. It is a piece of cake in MapSource but again with new BaseCamp Garmin changed the cut and past tools for tracks and made it much harder. However with 200 saved tracks available, this trick is much more applicable to old 20 track units.

I have been working on a GPS class for 60/76 but some things apply. You may want to see if it helps:
http://www.dualsportwest.com/Gps/GpsOverview

Too combine 2 or more tracks in basecamp select them in the order you want the track to go in. Then right click on one of them and select "advanced options" and then "join tracks". It'll show the order you've selected and you can change it if you want or just select OK.

If you haven't joined the ends to the beginnings you'll get a long track connecting them.

1,000 times simplier in Mapsource. It is far more complicated than what you state.

You can first join any tracks end to end where one tracks ends at the same point where another starts like a staging area (like last post). Then:

You start with the first track,

Make a copy of first track from first intersection to the end

Reverse that track

Paste that reversed track to end of first track

Make copy of the track that crosses first track from point of cross to end of second track

Paste that to end of first track which was at intersection and is now at end of half the second track

Past second track to end of the thing you just made.

Just keep doing this and you can have one saved tracks of a whole spider web trail system.

Thanks, I think.

I've gone back to the Montana and it looks like I do have all the tracks shown, they just aren't colored. Only the track selected is colored. Can the all be selected at once?

http://www.javawa.nl/imgfromgpx_en.html

Take all your tracks, open them in Basecamp. Color code to your heart's content. Export the list as a .GPX file. Run it through the above program, follow the instructions, name it what you like... "track map" for example. Create your track map overlay. Load it on your gps. Enable (show) the newly created map overlay via the map settings on your gps. It will be visible above any other map that's also showing.

You'll never look back. No track point or number limit, no matter what the GPS unit. Simply brilliant.

What do you mean "all the tracks shown"? Seeing them in list in track manager just means they are there not that they are showing. When you open each track, is there a check in the "Show on Map" box (60/76) or something like that?

No, you have to set color and ON/Off for each one.

Are they transparent? I thought the 62/78 (andn assume Montana) set them to some color but always off.

It is a good system for people who want an accurate map of Open routes in an area that also has Closed routes or an area where the routes are not shown on the loaded map.

City Nav and other 3rd party map makers really need to get all the new Travel Management legal routes and make them available to the public who want to stay legal when they ride.

However it is useless for an organized ride where you want to follow just some tracks. You wouild still need to download the tracks you are to follow with options etc. and off course turn off the overlay map.

Hey Jerry!

Here I disagree. For an organized ride:
As the leader I'd create my route at home on Basecamp using the routing tool and whatever maps and routng algorithm suited me. Of course the concern distrubuting routes is that they will recalculate differently on different model units. Regardless, using the "rubber banding" technique (like on GoogleMaps), the Basecamp routing tool on a computer is the most efficient way of creating a route, and I'd make sure the route was precisely how I wanted it to run. I'd create waypoints for the points of interest: gas stops, scenic locations, campsites, etc along the way.

Then, (and this is KEY), I'd convert the route to a track within Basecamp. Export the track + waypoints as a single .GPX file. Load the .GPX file into the imgtoGPX program. It creates a .gmapp file I'd name, say "M9.gmapp". Distribute said file to other riders.

They either load it onto their computer to be compiled using Mapinstall (Mac). To get this map properly placed on a PC so that Mapsource can use it and upload it with the other compiled maps to your GPS, it seems best to use the same crazy dane's program called GMTK, available here: http://www.javawa.nl/gmtk_en.html

Either way, the riders will create the gmapsupp.img that they will load onto their gps units for this ride, (for units that support only a single compiled map image on the handheld (60/76csx series), or load the M9.gmapp directly onto their unit's memory for those that support multiple concurrent map images. (montana, etc).

Now, all riders have a bullet-proof immutable track of the route I've created. As long as they have the M9 map selected to show, they can be running whatever other maps they want -- City Navigator 1808.4, Bicimaps Baja, Bluewater charts. All they'll have to do to ride my M9 route is to follow the green line. (I made the track green, and have tracking set to red). If you want to get really fancy, you can set Proximity alarms for the waypoints (now true POI's) to alert riders to nearby gas stops or photo ops.

Granted, this can't be done at the trailhead, but most gps users know how to load maps onto their unit. I've done this for M9 (not the POI part), and it worked beautifully.



That's a >20,000 point, 2400mi track that loops counterclockwise from Idaho Falls across ID, OR, CA, NV, UT, and part of WY back up to ID, which was combined on Basecamp from 8 separate routes. No way it would fit onto a 60/76 series unit at that resolution... it'd have to be split up and filtered into 20x500 point pieces -- that's a lot of straight lines through curves, and maxes out the track capacity, no room for anything else. Using this technique, the number of tracks that can be viewed is limited only by the SD card memory (that's where maps are stored). The above gmapp file is 234kb. Tiny.

For the original poster's query, I'd assumed that the purpose was to be able to view multiple tracks for an area as options of where to ride, not to distribute an organized route. There's no reason different sets of tracks couldn't be assembled into different lists for different purposes. You could have a map of tracks of an off-road riding area, another map of tracks that are interesting ways of riding home from work on backroads. They could each be activated individually.

I've only recently discovered this, and as you can probably tell, I'm pretty enthused. From now on, this will be my primary way of distributing an organized ride. I'll still send out a .gpx file of the waypoints and routes, but I know the .gmapp track map will work on every garmin ever made and look the same.

no! Each map overlay generated by IMGfromGPX is transparent, and when selected on the GPS unit is visible on top of whatever other map you have showing -- ie: you can still see the Topo or CNNA map underneath!

When I say not all tracks are shown, only the current track is colored. The others are there I guess but they are just lines on the map, might look like a road or street if I did not know they were a track. If they were all colored it would be more obvious. Maybe it will make sense when I get out there Saturday.

You still don't understand what is going on. YOU CAN SET THE COLOR OF EACH TRACK!!!!!!!

When you say "current track" what do you mean?

Are you Navagating one of your Tracks? Although you can, very few people ever "Navagate" tracks , they just follow them on the map just like an Autoclub trip map except the machine shows you if you are on the track or not.

Perhaps "Current Track" is what Garmin called "Track Log" for years. If so it is not Current, it is a History of where you have been. You can also set the color of this Track.

The other posibility is that Tracks can either be in the "Archeive Folder" and can not be made visible on the screen or in the "Current Folder" and can be set to ON/OFF to be seen on the screen.

Yes Tracks are "just lines on the map" like you said.

Now go to yourTrack Manager page and open a Track and see how YOU CAN SET COLOR. And make sure it is ON.

I do similar to Dr Rock, but I use GPX2IMG instead of the tool he pointed to. And rather than distributing my ride map via email to fellow riders, I hand out microSD cards with my map and R&R map already loaded on it. When the ride is over, I get the microSD cards back. This way I have better control over the distribution of my map.

GPX2IMG --> PC only (full version $20)

IMGfromGPX --> Mac & PC (full version free -- certainly deserves a donation, though)

A question, do you name the mapfile "gmapsupp.img" or do you have two files on the SD cards -- "MYmap.img" and "roadRec.img" for instance? My understanding is that the 60/76 series can only read a single map called "gmapsupp.img" which can be compiled from tiles from any number of maps.

I make a single gmapsupp.img file that contains all the maps I select. I work almost exclusively with the 60/76 series.

I'll move on. Don't appreciate being yelled at.

Sorry, I am trying to help you see Tracks and me learn about Montana at same time as I have to alwo help customers see Tracks at my Dual Sport rides.

I just can't tell from your answers what you are really doing.

Wow giving cards would work great for high $ ride for small numbers where you make sure you get cards back. For something like LA-B-V downloading maps would work but there is a color issue. Many (some) people need to change colors of tracks to see them. Also I have a bunch of customers that for some strange non-logical reason just refuse to turn Easy Way tracks on. I tell them they help knowing where you are on the event, you may need them if you have trouble but they just don't want them.

Also still have people walking up with III+ and Vs.

For most of my rides, the only way maps would work is to have at lest two each day. The rides are three days with start and finish of each day at same place. I guess if you can draw direction arrows on maps, you could have one each day. Trade off is switching a few maps vs turning On/Off a bunch of tracks?

Scott, I want you to know that I found out how to go from MapSource to GE then draw a track (object) on a trail I can see at Lookout City, then export it, then convert it to .gpx on some other web site, then add it to my file of all trails at Lookout City! Don't know if I can ever do it again but I did it once.

Wow, never thought I would hear that. I guess I'm obsolete now!

Do you think a Map image of a track will be able to be uploaded and seen on and Old 2910? Just asking but need to try this on my NUVI 500. That will help. Glad I found this thread. Learning why a Montana may be worth the extra$.