How to make a GPX file

[Handy]

I have a list of Lat/Long coordinates that I want to load into my Garmin Oregon. How do I convert that list into a GPX file?

[DRTBYK]

Originally Posted by IDAHandy

I have a list of Lat/Long coordinates that I want to load into my Garmin Oregon. How do I convert that list into a GPX file?

Use GPSBabel using the input form: DeLorme XMap/SAHH 2006 Native .TXT

Then select your output Waypoint form: GPX XML

Your Lat/Lon formate needs to be correctly formed for whatever format you have chosen.

That should do it.

Cheers,

[9Dave]

What Dan said.


And if your list is really short, you can just create a new Mapsource file, create individual waypoints and copy/paste the coordinates (in the correct formate for the way your preferences are set in Mapsource) to each waypoint.

[Countdown]

Originally Posted by IDAHandy

I have a list of Lat/Long coordinates that I want to load into my Garmin Oregon. How do I convert that list into a GPX file?

Just terms but Lon/Lat is just data and you can't "convert the data to a file", you want to create a file with the data in it.

Once you have the data in any type of GPS file, you can then conver that file to another type of file with GPSBabble etc.

Like Dave said, you can hand enter or copy data into a new MapSource file which you can save as .gpx, .gdb, etc.

[DRTBYK]

Originally Posted by Countdown

Just terms but Lon/Lat is just data and you can't "convert the data to a file", you want to create a file with the data in it.

Once you have the data in any type of GPS file, you can then conver that file to another type of file with GPSBabble etc.

Like Dave said, you can hand enter or copy data into a new MapSource file which you can save as .gpx, .gdb, etc.

I'm not following you at all Jerry. I use GPSBabel all of the time to convert Lat/Lon data in text files. It looks like this:

lat lon
58.41108413 41.58592
57.22838402 40.7857132
70.05699998 46.95699996
59.49240002 37.98660002
67.63560997 38.75359001
71.55788996 33.41797002
63.61753464 35.03917694
60.909576 37.682161
63.69418002 32.95169002
74.47082997 36.13531999
73.44022997 32.37234998
57.90172594 41.10980988
59.59259033 39.14574606
56.34080904 41.2351226
69.19094997 34.28232
74.20854002 32.87481003
74.26996998 33.45395998
73.65478498 37.379395
55.99088 40.35287004
68.30535002 42.13797997
68.38758001 40.57662997
61.38825417 35.71861259
58.50399971 40.2101326
69.02034606 34.20522502
58.11673156 41.25649444
60.23159981 34.90777024
69.03731002 42.48798997
73.94132 39.35123001
58.82200241 40.21845818
73.14184603 38.65380898
68.95672004 43.19627001
70.84662404 33.893423
57.23310471 40.88707924
72.15873001 37.88697003
74.437744 38.08007802
63.86806 44.70194003
72.33544903 38.01879901
60.60041 34.00449
68.20947999 41.25159999

It takes one click of a button to convert that text data to GPX XML data in a GPX formatted file and any GPX-aware program can read; including MapSource.

What's easier than that?

Cheers,

[Countdown]

WOW I never used GPS Babel, that is really friendly to convert text to a GPS file. Do you copy the text or will it convert a Word or Excel file direct? Not that I ever do more that one way lon/lat at a time.

[DRTBYK]

Originally Posted by Countdown

WOW I never used GPS Babel, that is really friendly to convert text to a GPS file. Do you copy the text or will it convert a Word or Excel file direct? Not that I ever do more that one way lon/lat at a time.

Hi Jerry,
If you use Excel, just save the output as a CSV formatted file. Then chose the CSV input file option. If you are using Word, just save as a Plain Text (unformatted) file. If you have more information than just LAT/LON in columns then you need to have the proper "header" row above the data columns - like this:

Lat, Lon, Name,
58.41108413,41.58592, name1
57.22838402,40.7857132, name2
70.05699998,46.95699996, name3
59.49240002,37.98660002, name4
67.63560997,38.75359001, name5

There are additional GPX as well as Garmin specific "headers" that will create the complete "extended waypoint info" such as: Address, City, State, Country, Phone.

More than you wanted to know most likely but I've found it worth learning over the years.

Cheers,

[Handy]

Thanks Dan.
If you are doing this from a CSV file just make sure you select comma separated values as the input format and not Columbus/visiontac V900 files (.csv)
Took a few tries before I figured it out.

[DRTBYK]

Originally Posted by IDAHandy

Thanks Dan.
If you are doing this from a CSV file just make sure you select comma separated values as the input format and not Columbus/visiontac V900 files (.csv)
Took a few tries before I figured it out.

Oops! Sorry about not being more specific. I've used Comma Separated Values (CSV) for so many years I don't spell it out any more. I'll check myself in future conversations. Thanks for the feedback. Hope that works out for you.

Cheers,

[Handy]

Well it worked sort of. It put all of the longitudes east instead of west so all of the sites are over in China. How do I tell it I want west longitude?

[DRTBYK]

You must use "-" for W & S when you use dd.ddddddd format.

Cheers,

[Handy]

I tried putting quotes around them and they still end up in the east

[DRTBYK]

Originally Posted by IDAHandy

I tried putting quotes around them and they still end up in the east

Probably better if I give an example. When you want a Western Longitude you must use a minus sign in front of the number. When you want a Southern Latitude you must use a minus sign in front of the number.

47.000000, -120.000000 (is in the northern latitudes and the western longitudes)
-45.000000, 55.000000 (is in the southern latitudes and the eastern longitudes)

Cheers,

[Handy]

Got it, thanks for your help.