using gps

Does anyone know if the Foretex 301 will allow me to upload gps waypoints and another person download them into their gps device?

Thanks.

Yes - but you'll need a PC interface cable and a PC with the Garmin software.

Thanks Jake.

if you have garmin's mapsource software

you'd use it to connect to your foretrex and download the tracks, waypoints and routes

then you'd delete the tracks and routes leaving only the waypoints

then save the file as something like pgpwaypoints.gpx file

thius .gpx file can be sent by email as an attachment

the receiver could then load the .gpx file to pretty much any gps that had a computer connection as .gpx files are supposed to be the new standard for gps transfers

if you don't have mapsource there are many other freeware programs that can do much the same thing

Thanks Eric. I'm planning to use "Garmin Connect", but this is all new to me.

Any idea how accurate the speed is for the Foretrex?

speed readings are generally very accurate on gps as long as they have a good lock on the sats. eg they are generally MUCH more accurate than car speedometers (zero to +10%) which rely on tyre size, eddy currents, cables etc.

but they can sometimes give some wacky results, like 500mph, when you startup in a new area. however once settled down with a good lock and open skies they are the best

after all the top units are used to measure changes in the earth's surface of less than an inch around volcanoes and fault lines etc

I had the 201 and it worked also with usual freeware. Problem was the pin... so it is no on the seabed.

Cheers,

Klaus

Hmm, that's good to know! This one has a velcro thingey to wear around the forearm. I was going to mount it on the boom. Maybe not.

on the boom you should be fine. the problem with the pin is when you put your hand on the deck or some other position where your hand is bent 90 degrees to your arm. It puts stresses on the pin as the unit is bent between your arm and hand and the pins just pop out. Presumably your boom will remain straight (hopefully) so it should be safe on there.

You can always use the patented Tawd Hart insurance policy and aqua-seal (liquid nails) the strap to the back of the 201 housing.

Well...at least he didn't use duck tape.

As long as the 201 doesn't get to wet they are fine. In conditions were its being blasted with water, which happened to my boom mounted units, they failed.

I have yet to find a waterproof gps, even velocitek speedpucks, which I use now, get a bit misty inside and require regular dissassembly and drying out.

On the plus side with the foretrex most of them come back to life after a drowning, one of them it took over a year to dry out enough to work, but it does.

Darryn
Mosquito
Bullet
1782

none of my 201's ever died to water exposure. I have lost two in the drink though because of the pins and then one time the velcro strap just came off my arm during a launch at daytona beach.

I got the 301. It arrived today. Hopefully, the bugs have been worked out.

Years ago, a friend had trouble with his expensive "yachting chronometer" (wrist watch), falling off his wrist and disappearing into the drink. So, he cut a section off the arm of a defunct wet suit, cut a hole in it so he could read his watch and slipped it over his wrist and watch. He was able to push all the buttons just fine and had no more problems. Maybe I'll try something like that, except on the boom.

That is a very good idea Pete. Wonder why I have not come up with that idea? I am going to make a VHF radio mount, Video Camera mount and GPS mount out of my old wetsuit.

Hopefully you'll post some picture? Details get the best of me.

So, I'm finally getting around to the Foretrex 301. All I've been able to determine so far is that I must buy a download from Paretologic. It's only $30, still, does this sound right?

https://buy.paretologic.com/safecar...&uid=0&buttonTrackingID=18597837

What?! No! If all you want to do is share GPS coordinates, there are a plethora of FREE software applications available that will talk to your GPS. EasyGPS is one such product amongst thousands.

You don't need to buy software.

thanks Tad. I owe you a beer.

.....I would say at least $30 in beer.

GPS Action Replay can be used to replay your entire track on a pc and even on a webpage..like google earth...but also has sailing specific indicators/features.

and/or to share, upload the track directly to mapmytrack.com and then post people the link

Very cool stuff. Looking forward to it.

What I'm trying to do at the moment is varify that there is trail marker at each of these waypoints:

http://www.calusablueway.com/content/gps-coordinates

But what I get is this: http://www.calusablueway.com/sites/calusablueway.com/files/phase2.gpx

Which I can't download into my receiver.

Anyone have an extra cable for the 301?

works for me, 82 waypoints there

go to http://www.calusablueway.com/content/gps-coordinates

right click the phase 2 waypoints where it says gpx

select "save link as" and save it to your desktop

then connect your gps to computer

use your gps software to open the phase2.gpx file so the waypoints show

then transfer them to your gps

Still no luck uploading the file. I don't have any software except OEM. I have an email into Garmin, will see what they have to say.

I did record a short activity, just walking around my yard and that's incredible! I can't believe the accuracy!

How many knots were you moving?

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/48014882

Very cool.

looks like you have some bird poop on you roof .. might wanna clean that up (just kidding)

Plumbing vent.

the cable should come with the gps. i use http://www.gpsinformation.org/ronh/g7towin.htm. To upload the tracks from the gps to animate the tracks get http://www.topofusion.com/ it is free and you can run up to 3 tracks at the same time http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mt4Qc2IQMLg

to edit the tracks go with the http://gpsactionreplay.free.fr/ software you can take out any individual track point

i don't like the 301 because of the battery cover. one more thing water can get in. the 201 is all sealed.

bernd ny nacra5.8na sc19

Thanks, lots of good stuff guys!

And while you're at it, fix the cracks in the driveway.

Those are limbs of a Royal Poinciana, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delonix_regia which was bare at the time.

have you been able to save the waypoints, .gpx file, to your computer?

did your gps come with any software, if so what?

have you successfully loaded it to your computer?

if so, have you been able to connect gps to computer and have it recognised by software?

It did not come with any software but I've looked at four different programs and for the present will be working with
http://www.topofusion.com/

Yes to the other questions: .gpx files are loaded and the gps is connected to the computer.

Now I just have to work with it a bit, learn it and get comfortable. I'll post my first track.

Thanks to all you guys, I'm sure I'll have more questions.

i always save my tracks on google earth too. you just drop the .gpx file on it and save it as a .kmz file

if you just want to download/upload waypoints 1 of the simple free gps software packages may be the best start

i use mapsource but that's not a free download, basecamp might be?

http://www8.garmin.com/support/mappingsw.jsp

Basecamp seems to be the way to go. Sorry to be such an ignoramus.

Again, thanks for all your help.

Really? (ain't Google marvelous? )

Now I know where to deposit all these leftover Marco Rubio signs

(YES PETE I'M ONLY KIDDING!)

No you're not! Thank God you don't live across the street, my lawn would be covered with them.

and maybe a couple 100 white castle wrappers

why is Timbo's wife's car at your house?

Recorded a short track yesterday, about 2 hours, trying to figure out how to upload.

Where are you trying to upload to? This site?

Yes.

I'm really looking for a training discussion. Specifically, I can't tell if I'm constantly pinching or just not picking up on the headers.

Also, I sail in a pretty cool area and I'd like people to know about it and hopefully they will reciprocate by showing me their favorite places to sail.

I really like this gps/mapping/keyboard tourist stuff!

The best way to upload something like a GPS track to this website, is get it mapped on your screen - then take a screenshot and save it as a jpg.

Are you on a PC or a Mac?

pc. I'd most like for other people to be able to play the track; get a feel for the local water.

Once I get a handle on it, I'd like to post a track of Sanibel Causeway to Lover's Key.

Well that gets quite a bit more complicated if you want it to be "animated" :P

yeh, I'm finding that out. Is it possible?

i saw erice had a little video showing his track / path around his lake.. so it is possible for sure.

Anything is possible Pete. However, what you need is beyond the scope of the help that I can provide.

Thanks anyway Tad. I quess this can be my quest for an online working group, "The Intrepid virtual sailing tourists"!

One of the guys posted a Youtube video of the tracks, but no map. That would seem the likely position to go back to.

Okay Bernd, how'd you do this and can you put it on a map?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mt4Qc2IQMLg

Pete, I guess you want to produce something like this then?

It takes way too much time and effort to make. The tracks were captured with three Velocitek devices, imported, sliced and diced then animated by SpeedPlay (the paid version of Velocitek software). The published flash recording was recorded with Jing.

It took forever to produce, I've never done it again after that regatta.

That's what I'm looking for, but I don't have velocitek. I just bought a foretrex 301

i think the answer is yes.. very possible.

the problem is it requires a decent amount of post production skills and software. If you have neither the skills or software.. you would have to hire someone to create the movie (animation), or take the time and learn it yourself.


so the next question i would ask ... "is it worth paying someone for hours to create?"

PGP - I have a Foretrex, too, and what you can do pretty easily with the recorded data is this:
http://www.cat-segeln-eckernfoerder-bucht.de/ (=> Regatten)

Your English is W-A-A-A-Y better than my German! Right now I'm (trying) to work with topofusion. I'll save gpsar for another day.

Thanks anyway.

Progress?

i once spent a few hours and made a video for youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNAsxV1ltMU

now i spend a few minutes uploading to mapmytracks

and let their software do all the work

http://www.mapmytracks.com/erie

http://www.mapmytracks.com/explore/track/44409

I'll definitely give it a look. Thanks!

Pete, how would others tell from that if you were pinching? You'd probably have to know the actual TWS/direction, right?

Probably. If you pan out you'll see a head land about half way up Sanibel Island. My specific question would be, with the wind coming out of the W at about 7mph, would that head land cause a header. Watching my speed drop into the 2+ knot range from 5, either I'm missing a shift or allowing the boat to pinch. I think there was an oscillating shift, I'm just not sure if the headland was part of it. Of course, shift or no shift, I might still have been steering badly.

How do you pick up shifts, other than tell tales?

hi Pete

you wanted to know how to animate tracks and the put them up on youtupe

1. i get the tracks of my GPS with "g7towin" and save it as a .gpx file.

2. open the track with "GpsarPro" (i paid for it, it's that good)and fix the track points that are off the chart (i did not go 50kts ). it also gives all the speed results like best 10sec, 500m.... than i resave the track.

3. load the track into "TopFusion" where you can animate the track with a map like this www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlUtFU321aA

4. that's the tricky part to get a video from the animation.
i use "CamStudio.org" to capture the animation as a video the software is not great but it works.

hope the helps

you can always goto "connect.garmin.com" and upload your tracks. they have animation and maps to. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/42612803

i knew you made a video or 2 but i didn't see that software.. that is really very cool.

how does it know the wind direction? does it calculate that from your path, or do you input that value?

GPSAR, gps action replay, even the old free version Gpsar333, is a very small but sailing specific bit of software made a few years ago by a french windsurfer interested in speed runs

it can do a lot of fun things, like make polars, set different colors for different speeds, give averages of 500mtrs etc.

the map part takes a bit of mucking around though

it has some wind direction finding abilities that presumably work well if the wind blows consistently

however it doesn't work too well on small mountain lakes where the wind channels down valleys and around islands etc.

GPSAR is what i use to analyse my sailing on my computer

http://gpsactionreplay.free.fr/

the wind direction note on the youtube video was a youtube annotation that i added to help make sense of the sailing for non-sailors

but to share animated tracks it is much easier to use internet based animators like mapmytracks

but mapmytracks is not sailing specific and so has less sailing functionality

Now they tell me!

http://gizmodo.com/5636541/contour-adds-integrated-maps-into-its-helmet-cam-videos

Pete: http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-08-14/entertainment/22220481_1_gps-devices-demo-race-track

Far out! Thanks.

Arie and I launched from the Sanibel causeway yesterday and went out to watch Summerset. http://www.cmcs-sail.org/

My truck and trailer were still there when we got back, we didn't get a ticket, get shot or arrested. So I guess for the moment the Sanibel causeway is accessible for cats.

http://connect.garmin.com/player/53372119

This is the easiest way, by far, that I have found to post gps tracks.

this site work well, as well.

http://www.mapmytracks.com/

Do so! I have mine always on the boom and never had any problems. However, if you just want to record data and don't need direct view on the display (speedometer, etc.) you can store it in the pocket of your trampoline - if it has a zipper. The unit does receive satellite signals in there, too.

Actually, this last track was recorded inside the hull. I put it and some valuables in a waterproof bag and stuck it in the port.

I also like this summary report. No idea what the elevation is all about.

Cool! Guess it did work...and you must be better at technology than you give yourself credit for

Since this is measured by barometric pressure changes, it was probably the hull heating up/cooling (since the GPS was inside)

Elevation, on a lake?

Reminds me of the Texas Aggie Waterskier who got a new waterski for his birthday. He didn't use it for over two years though.

Why not you ask?

Because it took him that long to find a lake
with a downhill slope!

if you have a high end GPS unit it may have a true barometric pressure sensor...but chances are it's sensing it's position relative to the satellites to establish a 3D position (lat, long, elevation). Calculating elevation by GPS signal is less precise than latitude and longitude and the 11 foot difference is likely just the amount of error in the elevation calculation and/or a periodic weak signal.

Or maybe you were flying a hull hooked in a harness wearing the GPS around your neck on a Supercat 20, F20 carbon, M20 or tornado...

Factor in the 8-10 foot ocean swells and the 11 feet seems a bit on the low side.