*.fit files still on Virb Elite

I posted this in the Virb forum however it was suggested I post it here as well as it may be relevant to Virb Edit...

Hi, I have had my Virb Elite for approx one month and it is at the latest firmware version (3.90) installed

I download and delete the videos of my ride using Virb Edit. I have noticed that the *.fit files are accumulating in the "Activity" folder from when the Virb was new, even though all videos have been deleted. There are also 4 x *.gpx files in the "GPX" folder from the middle of last month for some reason.

Should these *.fit and *.gpx files purge themselves automatically, are they there for a reason or should I delete them manually now and then?
Unless you go looking for them it is not obvious that they are there.

0 Former Member over 10 years ago

I recommend backing them up somewhere in case you do want access to your GPS data at some point in the future.'

But yeah, you can clean those up every now and then if you need more space. They do not get automatically deleted.

0 Tim_B_ over 10 years ago

Thanks Falagar.

I use an Edge 510 so have all the historic GPS data on several sites already, but just to clarify, the GPX files are the GPS data? If they are, it seems strange that I only have 4 files from maybe 12 rides with the camera (and often multiple videos on each ride) so the majority of them have been deleted, and some of them remain. The FIT files on the other hand seem to be generated every time I start and stop a recording and the majority if not all of them are still there.

I'm going to delete them myself at some stage, guess I am now curious as to when each file type is generated and why some of the GPX files are still there but not others?

FWIW, i generally leave the camera off and just slide the side switch forward to turn it on and start recording when I want it. There are a couple of occasions where I have powered the camera on first to let the GPS get a fix as I knew I was going to start a recording a little way up the road, so not sure if that has any bearings on what files are generated.

0 Former Member over 10 years ago

It's a bit complicated.

The gpx files contain the gps data for when you are recording, the fit files contain the data for when the camera is on. But it's not the exact same data, some data (like acceleration) is only in the gpx, while other data (like explicit speed e.g.) is only in fit. VIRB Edit grabs both files and combines them.

I believe we delete the gpx files when you import and say 'delete from VIRB', I will check on that.

In general, if you can afford to leave the camera on the whole time and you don't have a separate GPS, then I would recommend not turning the camera on and off all the time. That way you get a better track (as well as distance, elapsed time, etc.) from the VIRB. The data will also be more accurate if you leave it on and give it time to acquire a good signal.