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Cannot upload .gpx files to connect

9674289
1 month ago

I've been trying to upload Elizabeth Wenk's waypoints for the John Muir Trail to Garmin Connect (a .gpx file). I get the message "Your course cannot be imported. Something is wrong with this file." when I try to import. I know this isn't true since MANY people have used this same file. I can also successfully upload the file to the GaiaGPS app so it's definitely not the file. This is a problem with Garmin Connect. Garmin please fix this issue! I got my Garmin watch for the purpose of navigating and if I can't upload courses I will return the watch.

Please help!

  • 0 1 month ago

    Could you post a link to the site where you're getting the GPX file? Downloading as waypoints might be the issue. This site works, as well as many others - https://backpackingroutes.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/john-muir-trail-jmt.gpx

  • 0 1 month ago in reply to bluefish

    Problem is not all devices are compatible with Explore.

  • 0 24 days ago

    Also having this issue trying to upload on the Garmin Connect website. I am starting next week and was hoping to have the waypoints in my device. Let us know if there's any resolution. Link where I was downloading the GPX file: Link to Drive

  • 0 23 days ago in reply to 2013843

    TL;DR to import waypoints without Explore or Basecamp [*], I think you need to connect your watch to your computer and copy the waypoints GPX file directly to the \Garmin\NewFiles folder on your device. 

    If you are on Mac you need OpenMTP to copy files to newer Garmin devices.

    I tried this with the Wenk JMT trail waypoint GPX files on the linked Google Drive and both of them worked. The waypoints appeared as saved locations on my FR955.

    [*] never used basecamp myself, but it seems that it's the app to use for this kind of thing if Explore isn't supported.

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    Details:

    Both of the Wenk JMT trail waypoint GPX files contain 494 waypoints each (and nothing else - no route/track). (One file has 8 character names for compatibility with old devices, the other has longer names)

    To test each file, I connected my Forerunner 955 to my PC and copied the GPX to \Garmin\NewFiles on the watch.

    After unplugging the watch, I saw some of the points in the Navigation > Saved Locations menu. Unfortunately that menu only shows up to 50 locations (from nearest to furthest away).

    To double check that all the waypoints made it on to the watch, I copied \Garmin\Locations\Lctns.fit from the watch onto my computer and opened it in fitfileviewer.com. That site confirmed that all 494 GPX waypoints made it on to the watch (and my existing locations were still there, but I could already see that on the watch itself)

    Only problem I can see is that it might be hard to delete all of those new locations off of my watch unless I use Explore or edit the FIT file. 

    In hindsight I probably should've made a backup of my Lctns.fit file first haha

    (Btw I can confirm that modern Garmins have no problem with the longer names.)

    ----- 

    Also I can confirm that Garmin strips a lot of the extra data from that file (like type, description, comment and label). (Based on importing the file into Explore and exporting it back out.)

    For each waypoint, Explore only retains the coordinates, time, name, elevation, and symbol.

    It doesn't look like the waypoint symbols work on my watch, as I just see a generic flag icon.