Usage of KML's

Discussion in 'GPS Technical Discussion' started by LostMyWayInCongo, Dec 13, 2016.

  1. LostMyWayInCongo

    LostMyWayInCongo

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    Dear all,

    As I am working in an isolated national park in DR Congo, of which I do not have maps for my Etrex Venture Cx GPS, I mainly navigate on a blank map with the only data being waypoints I saved.

    I do have kml files of the roads/rivers etc, and I am therefor trying to find a way of importing these kml files in my Etrex device so I can use them to navigate. I tried to simply drag and drop them in Garmin Basecamp but then the data is being shown as a track, and thus takes to much space.

    Not sure whether it's of importance but I'm a Mac user.

    Is there any way of importing kml's in my GPS device?

    I apologise if this would be a very simple or common question.

    Mathias
     
    Last edited: Dec 13, 2016
    LostMyWayInCongo, Dec 13, 2016
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  2. LostMyWayInCongo

    Nuvi-Nebie Moderator

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    I have just imported a 147KB KML file into Basecamp and saved it as a GPX file containing a single track, the new GPX file is much smaller i.e. it is only 18KB. If your track is bigger than the KML, you may be saving additional data in the GPX file i.e. other data already held in Basecamp

    When sending the track to your GPS make sure you only select the track and not all data
     
    Nuvi-Nebie, Dec 14, 2016
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  3. LostMyWayInCongo

    LostMyWayInCongo

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    My exported GPX file is indeed bigger than the KML, it might be that I'm saving additional data, but I can't find how to deselect it. Also, when I'm importing the KML file into Basecamp it appears as 74 Tracks, all consisting of a small part of the riversystems here in the park. Even when I export the data in one GPX file, it will still appear as 74 tracks on my GPS. I don't really see what I'm doing wrong. Thanks again
     
    LostMyWayInCongo, Dec 23, 2016
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  4. LostMyWayInCongo

    Nuvi-Nebie Moderator

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    You can select just one of the 74 tracks and send this single track to your GPS
     
    Nuvi-Nebie, Dec 23, 2016
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  5. LostMyWayInCongo

    LostMyWayInCongo

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    Yes, but I don't want that, I would like to have them all merged into one track. Can you please also help me on how to deselect the excessive data, in order to reduce the size of the GPX file? Thanks
     
    LostMyWayInCongo, Dec 23, 2016
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  6. LostMyWayInCongo

    Nuvi-Nebie Moderator

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    When you click on the 'Send my Collection to Device', all data is sent, to select only the tracks, routes and waypoints you want to send to your GPS, click on a single item in 'My Collection', this will highlight that item (draw a box around it), then hold down the Control key and click on the second item you wish to send to the GPS, continue to do this until all the items you want to send are highlighted, then right click on one of the highlighted items and select 'Send To ...' and select your GPS device, this will send only the highlighted items
     
    Nuvi-Nebie, Dec 23, 2016
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  7. LostMyWayInCongo

    LostMyWayInCongo

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    Thanks for your fast reply. I did what you suggested but have the same problem again, it seems to be to much data, even though the original KML file is only 243KB
     
    LostMyWayInCongo, Dec 23, 2016
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  8. LostMyWayInCongo

    Nuvi-Nebie Moderator

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    Another way of only sending selected items is to import the KLM file into 'My Collection' and then delete all items you don't want to send to your GPS, so that 'My Collection' does not display items you don't want, then 'Send my Collection to Device' can only send what you want
     
    Nuvi-Nebie, Dec 23, 2016
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  9. LostMyWayInCongo

    LostMyWayInCongo

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    But I don't want to make a selection of the tracks. I want to import all tracks (each track is a piece of the entire riversystem here in the park, all of them I want to put on my GPS, but for some reason BaseCamp divides them in 74 tracks.), it seems that the file becomes to big when I upload the GPX file. Is it possible to make a layer out of the tracks, maybe the size of that will be smaller as well?
     
    LostMyWayInCongo, Dec 23, 2016
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