Transferring Tracks via Basecamp to Google Earth

I like to store copies of walking and cycling trips that I've done in Google Earth. I have an etrex 20. So I go into Track Manager on the etrex and select "Current Track/Clear Current Track" to clear the data from the last trip. I then go into Setup/Tracks and select Record, Show on Map.

Because I set the etrex up indoors, it doesn't know where I am. That's OK, I would like it to start recording once it has a signal. But instead it seems to assume that I have started my trip at the last point where it had a signal, which could be thousands of miles away. The problems with that are that, while I'm on my trip it assumes that I have covered thousands of miles in the first few seconds/minutes. So the data it shows for maximum and average speeds on the Trip Computer are ridiculous.

After the trip I connect my etrex to my computer and open up Basecamp. It seems I need to click on "Internal Storage" in the top panel in BaseCamp, select the current track in the lower panel, then go View/Google Earth/'Selected Items'. This then opens up the track in Google Earth under Temporary Places. But there are two problems:

1. Because of the problem mentioned above I can see the erroneous start point for my trip when I look at it on Google Earth so I have to navigate to that and delete it; and

2. Google Earth strangely thinks that the track is a Placemark, not a Path. If I right click on it and select "Properties" I get a dialog showing "Edit Placemark". This wouldn't matter except that I like to know the distance of my trip. For a Google Earth Path there is a tab which shows the Distance - for the Placemark there isn't. I can find the distance from the Elevation Profile, but it's not ideal.

Can anyone offer any solutions to these problems?

Thanks.

0 SUSSAMB over 10 years ago

First, at the start of where you want to record do a 'clear current track', not 'thousands of mile away'.

Second, once you do that and have a clean track Basecamp and GE should show you what you want ... at least it always works for the tracks I record.

0 Arbubu over 10 years ago

I do clear the current track at the start of where I want it to record.

0 SUSSAMB over 10 years ago

If you do and you're still getting tracks from 'thousands of miles away' you're not waiting until you have a satellite lock.

0 Arbubu over 10 years ago

If you do and you're still getting tracks from 'thousands of miles away' you're not waiting until you have a satellite lock.

Indeed, that's what I said. I set it up indoors. I could start my bicycle ride, wait a few minutes for a satellite lock and then stop to clear the data. But I don't see why I should have to do that. Why can't the unit start recording the track as soon as it has a satellite lock?

0 SUSSAMB over 10 years ago

It will, but it doesn't know whether it happened to have lost satellite lock between where you last switched it on and where you are now, so it draws a line between the two. If you want a clean track from the start of your ride/hike/whatever you need to clear the current track after you have a satellite lock at the start, not somewhere else.

The alternative is to only switch track recording on when you have a lock.

Either way it's not automated because it can't think/anticipate like you can :)

0 Arbubu over 10 years ago

I don't really follow. It knows that it has no lock when I clear the data so if I was programming it I would have it wait until it did have a lock and start recording then. But if you're telling me that it's programmed as you say then at least I know what the position is. I guess just switching track recording on once I see it has a lock is not much of a problem.

Any thoughts about the Google Earth placemark/path issue?

0 SUSSAMB over 10 years ago

Well for various reasons it's not programmed that way.

Once you have a proper track try GE again. It always works for me. If you have a track causing issues post it here so we can look at it.

0 Arbubu over 10 years ago

Well here's one I just drew in Basecamp. I don't see why that should work any differently to one created any other way. And I get the same problem as always when I send it to Google Earth.

0 SUSSAMB over 10 years ago

Interesting track ... !!

It loads fine in GE though so maybe you have a problem with your GE installation. Try uninstalling then reinstalling it.

0 Arbubu over 10 years ago

OK, if you don't have any problems then it's probably my installation of GE. Attached is the kml file so you can see the problem I'm having if you're interested.