Making your own tracks from Google Earth to use with garmin

[KTMphil]

Making your own tracks from Google Earth to use with a Garmin GPS


Was just making some tracks from Google Earth NW of Mae Sariang to use with the Garmin GPS, thought it might be worth sharing how to do it.


1. In google earth get to the location where you want to make the tracks, zoom to a level where you can see the track you want to create



2. Click the "Add Path" button from the top of the screen




3. Click the cursor along the track leaving a trail


4. When done, in the window that opened, give the track a name and click ok


5. On the LHS the track will have saved --- right click on it and choose "save place as" and save as a KML file NOT a KMZ file ( you can choose in the pulldown at the bottom)


6. Save to a location on your computer where you can find it


7. In your browser open the URL http://gpx2kml.com/ - this program converts the KML file to a GPX file that Garmin can understand


8. Change the 1st field to KML to GPX


9. Browse and open the KML file you just saved from google earth


10. Click on convert


11. Where "here" is underlined right on it and save link as ----- this will save the gpx file to your computer


12. Open Mapsource.... "file- open" the gpx file you just saved



13. Once you have loaded the track, you can then plug in your gps to the computer then send the track data to the GPS



Here's Google Earth of the area NW of Mae Sariang






Here's the tracks we've made from it. Some maybe dried river beds, there's no way of telling until we get there.

 

[LivinLOS]

Re: Making your own tracks from Google Earth to use with ga

7. In your browser open the URL http://gpx2kml.com/ - this program converts the KML file to a GPX file that Garmin can understand

Just an alternative.

I have always used GPS Babel ( http://www.gpsbabel.org/ ) for this.. very simple tool.

 

[jb2112]

Re: Making your own tracks from Google Earth to use with ga

This is a big help!
THANKS! :RO

 

[Nightrider70]

Re: Making your own tracks from Google Earth to use with ga

For people with Zumo660 this is an alternative I find easier:

Run RouteConverter and select satellite image, which is google earth.

Make your track by holding down ctrl and click with the mouse along the trail.

Save track in gpx1.1 format in your Zumo's garmin/gpx folder.

Start Zumo and import the track.


Also see my other post:
gps-help/an-alternative-to-mapsource-for-zumo-and-nuvi-users-t1322.html

 

[garethw]

Re: Making your own tracks from Google Earth to use with ga

Whilst playing around with Basecamp, Google Earth and my Garmin 62s.

I found you can plot your track as you described on Google Earth, and save it to documents or whatever folder you decide to use, but in the default .kmz format.

I then opened up Basecamp and clicked the import option from the drop down menu, which opened up a new window, selected the track saved as .kmz and it was imported to straight to Basecamp with no file format change required, then once it showed on the map, select transfer to device and off it went onto my 62s.

Not sure if this is a Mac ism or Basecamp is capable of reading different file types and importing them with no need to convert to a .gpx

Hope that helps

 

[bigntall]

Re: Making your own tracks from Google Earth to use with ga

Great post Phil. You should make this thread a sticky for this section.

 

[Faz Harris]

Re: Making your own tracks from Google Earth to use with ga

With my limited technical pc and GPS knowledge...I am just contempalting of flying to wherevr KTM Phil is and pay him (minimal amount , maybe a few cans of Chang or Singha Gold) to show me how to do this. :RO

 

[KTMphil]

Re: Making your own tracks from Google Earth to use with ga

will do it for free faz!

 

[Faz Harris]

Re: Making your own tracks from Google Earth to use with ga

Haha...thanks Phil, that kinda saved me Bhts 800.00 ........