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Repair track color errors between oregon 550 & basecamp.

Former Member
Former Member over 14 years ago
I have been experimenting with a cure to the track color error messages when I change the track color in my Oregon 550 and then connect to Basecamp with the USB cable. I originally introduced this problem with my thread entitled “Errors in reading Oregon 550 files in Basecame”. I decided to start a new thread to help simplify following along with what I have been working on. If you have read the above thread, then you are likely aware of the difficulties I and others have been having. There have been solutions to the problem, but none of them heretofore have been a sure cure. I have found a combination of XML editing corrections that seem to have finally worked. As you may know, in the recommendations made in the above thread, they would only partially fix the problem. When you moved the tracks from active to archive or vice versa or you changed the color of the track you would get that old “communication error” in reading the track when you plugged into Basecamp. I am still waiting for Garmin to fix this issue but maybe this will help until they fix the language barrier between Oregon and Basecamp. This is what I’ve found; see if it works for you.

First of all I usually use red as my track color. You can edit my replacement file to suit your needs.
1. Go to http://xml-copy-editor.sourceforge.net and download this XML editor. It is very simple and it works very well, it is free and I have found no spyware problems; however, I always run any download through 3 different spyware and virus checkers, you should do the same.
2. Hook up your unit to Basecamp.
3. If you have bad XML files, make a note of the listed bad tracks that Basecamp provides when it reads your GPS.
4. Open windows explorer.
5. Go to your Garmin instrument or to the micro SD card (where ever you have these bad tracks stored.) I keep mine in my Oregon 550 and not my SD card.
6. Expand your Garmin instrument file or your removable disk file and click on the “Garmin” folder.
7. In the “Garmin” folder click on “GPX” sub folder.
8. Your list of tracks should be here in the “GPX” folder or in the “archive” sub folder.
9. After installing XML Copy Editor, launch it.
10. Click on “OPEN” and go to windows explorer where you have found your bad track files.
11. Using your Basecamp list of bad tracks, open 1 or several files (you can open more than 1) into XML Copy Editor.
12. The first thing you will see is a command line with a red line under it; this is the bad command.
13. Highlight and delete everything between the commands <extensions> and </extensions>. Be sure to leave <extensions> and </extensions> and <trkseg> or any other commands intact.
14. Copy the lines below and paste them in between the <extensions> and the </extensions> lines. Note: the track color &#8220;Red&#8221; is listed twice. You can edit this color to suit your needs.

<gpxtrx:TrackExtension xmlns:gpxtrx="www.garmin.com/.../v3">
<gpxtrx:DisplayColor>Red</gpxtrx:DisplayColor></gpxtrx:TrackExtension>
<gpxx:TrackExtension xmlns:gpxx="www.garmin.com/.../v3">
<gpxx:DisplayColor>Red</gpxx:DisplayColor>
</gpxx:TrackExtension>


15. You will notice that the red underline goes away. To verify that this new track is written well, click on the 2 green check marks, one at a time, in the top tool bar and read the result of each on the bottom tool bar of XML Copy Editor.
16. Click on &#8220;File&#8221; in the top tool bar.
17. Click on &#8220;Save as&#8221;.
18. The &#8220;Save as&#8221; box will appear and it should be the file in your Garmin instrument folder where you originally opened the file you are working on in XML Copy Editor.
19. Click the save button.
20. It will ask if you want to replace the existing file; say &#8220;YES&#8221;.
21. You&#8217;re done with this file. Repeat as necessary.
22. When you are done with all the files, unplug your GPS and then plug it in again and let Basecamp read your tracks
23. You should have no error messages.

Until Garmin comes up with a real solution, I hope this helps anyone who is having the same problem I&#8217;ve been having. Please let me know if this fix works for you.
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 13 years ago
    DRM4X4 - Thanks so much for this post. I was getting frustrated with receiving the error messages each time I fired up BaseCamp with my Garmin Oregon 450. This post was a great help to fix the issue!
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 13 years ago
    You're welcome.

    I have have been woking off and on with this for some time now. I'm glad this patch helps you until they fix the problem.
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 13 years ago
    I have the same problem with Basecamp and a GPSmap 62s.
    Thanks.
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 13 years ago
    I have done as instructed here and I am now able to view my Tracks in BaseCamp from my 62s. Thank You very much!

    One more hanging problem...

    after doing this I edited my track colors in BaseCamp from red but they all still show up red on the 62s.

    How do I get the track colors to be the same on the unit when edited through BaseCamp and vice versa?

    attached is a example of a file that shows as red on my 62s but if you look at it inBaseCamp and XML editor it says the color is blue.
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 13 years ago
    If I understand your problem, my experience is to change the color you want on the Oregon and then plug it in to Basecamp. You will get the error message as before. When you edit the track using the XML Copy Editor you should see the correct color that the Oregon created, then you would change the other command in Basecamp to the color you choose. You can also save some steps by editing the colors when you do the first repair related to the error message fix. Basically, the Oregon seems to be happy in its own world and Basecamp is happy in its own world as long as there is both commands. e.g. the "gpxtrx" and the "gpxx" extensions. The colors can be the same or they can be different. Let me know if this helps at all. If not, I'll do some more research.
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 13 years ago
    After inserting your code in my bad files I can edit the track colors on the 62s and those track colors are reflected as the same color in BaseCamp and I do not get any error messages. I can also edit them in the XML editor and they are reflected on the 62s and in BaseCamp as the same color correctly.

    When I edit track colors in BaseCamp they are not the reflected as the same track color on the 62s.

    I prefer to edit my track colors in BaseCamp but I guess I'll just have to take what I can get at this point... Thank You very much for your help.
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 13 years ago
    I just put your track in the XML Copy Editor and made some revision. I deleted your track color commands in between "<extensions> and </extentsions> and copied and pasted my repair file in its place. You should now see red in the 62 and Basecamp.
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 13 years ago
    I have found that no matter what color you choose in Basecamp, it will never show on the handheld properly. e.g. - it shows up as cyan. This is where all the troubles start. When you realize that the handheld track color is not what you set in Basecamp and then you change it in the handheld and tray to read it back to Basecamp you get the error message. It's a vicious circle and they only way I have found to fix it is manually.
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 13 years ago
    Thank You. Any idea on how to get Track Color changes made in Base Camp to reflect those same changes on the 62s?
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 13 years ago
    Thank You. Any idea on how to get Track Color changes made in Base Camp to reflect those same changes on the 62s?


    Scratch this question... looks like you were typing my answer as I was asking it!