GPS
Managing Tracks
First, you need to be familiar with Track Definitions & Terminology. Please read if you have not already done so.
Viewing your GPS Memory on a PC
File Explorer App
File Explorer is the tool I use to Download ride Tracks to your GPS at my rides. You would also find it very handy to clean up or manage the tracks in your GPS.
Open the File Explorer application (manila folder Icon). It should be set up to have two side by side panes. The one on the left is a tree of the folders on your hard drive and is called the “Navigation pane”. The one on the right is called the “File & Folder Listing”. It shows the File and Folder contents of the folder selected on the left pane. It is best to go to the top, open “View” and click “Details”.
Now connect your GPS to the PC via a USB cable. The GPS will automatically turn on and boot (this may take a while), then go into external memory mode, then it will pop up at the bottom of the left pane.
Your GPS & the Micro SD chip inside will appear as two external memories at the bottom. It will look like this:
- Garmin (Your Model)
- Micro SD Memory Card
The Micro SD Card is not used for any Tracks or Waypoints on Dual Sport rides -- Ignore it.
Click on the arrow to the left of “Garmin (your model)” and you will see:
- Garmin (Your Model)
- Garmin
The lower Garmin is the permanent internal memory where all your GPS
data is stored.
Click on the arrow to the left of the lower Garmin and you will see:
- Garmin (Your Model)
- Garmin
- GPX
The GPX is the sub-folder in the internal memory that contains the files
(Tracks) that are displayed on your Track Manager page.
Click on the arrow to the left of the GPX and you will see:
- Garmin (Your Model)
- Garmin
- GPX
- Current
- Archive
The “Current” and “Archive” are sub-sub-folders where GPX files are stored for future use by your GPS.
Contents of GPS Memory Folders
If you select (click on) the GPX folder in the left pane, the right pane will basically show what you see on your
“Track Manager” page of your GPS.
However, unlike your GPS “Track Manager” page which shows every “Track” that can be viewed on your “Map” page, the
right Pane on your PC may also show the “Files” for a day that contains the “Tracks” for that day that I downloaded at sign-in to your “Favorite”
folder and that you have made “Favorite” (moved to "Track Manager" page).
If you select (click on) the “Archive” folder, the right preview pane will show a list of Archived GPX files.
If you followed my set-up procedure, there should also be a file for every day you have ridden named
for the date ridden, like 2023-01-29.
After sign-in on a Countdown ride you will see a file for each day of the ride that I downloaded.
If you select (click on) the “Current” folder, your preview pane on the right will show one GPX file that contains
a Track of what you rode today.
If you followed my set-up procedure, this file will automatically be saved to the “Archive” Folder on the
next day you turn on the GPS, but its name will now be the date you rode it.
Using File Explorer to Manage Tracks in your GPS
You can now select any item(s) and delete them or drag them between folders like from the "Track Manager" folder to the Archive folder.
Clean Your Track Manager Page Before a Ride
When you come to a Dual Sport ride, you should have your Track Manager cleaned out.
You can do this by “Deleting” or “Archiving”
each unneeded item manually on your GPS or you can do it with File Explorer on your PC.
Downloading Tracks at DS Ride
When you sign-in at my ride, just hand me your unit. I will plug it into my cable and it will automatically turn on and boot,
and then go into external memory mode and I will see it on my computer.
I will then copy (drag) a separate file with many Tracks and Waypoints
for each day into your “Archive” folder. See Using Tracks for what you must do to use the Tracks.
Clearing Your Track Manager afer 1st Day of Ride
At the end of the first day of a Countdown ride, you must clear your Track Manager before making the
second day a Favorite (move from Archive to Track Manager).
You can do this ONE track at a time manually on your GPS.
--or--
You can bring it to me and all I have to do is; plug it in, drag the 1st day file (containing ALL the Tracks) back
to Archive folder or delete it.
It takes me only 2 seconds.