A tool to help with navigation on the Garmin Fenix 3 and other recent Garmins
If you want to keep up with updates, follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/CTCX2Fit
UPDATE Sep 26 2019. No changes in the GUI versions. It's been powering https://www.plotaroute.com in DLL form for some time, and there are occasional updates to enhance that. I'm still using the existing versions with Garmin Fenix 5 and 6x units, and not seeing issues, but will be happy to update if anyone is having issues.
UPDATE Sep 17 2017. 1.06b adds distance values to the coursepoints, consistent with current Garmin files, and fixes a bug that could cause the layout manager to hang opening the pace/speed dialogs.The link for the Mac version has changed, apologies.
UPDATE Sep 2017. 1.04b has a small change, adding stop/start events surrounding the course, which improve performance on the Fenix 5 and don't seem to affect performance on the Fenix 3. Appearing on the downloads now for Windows and in the near future for Apple and Linux.
TLDR version: links for converter software here (for Windows) or here(for Mac) or here(for Linux (32-bit)). The Windows version sometimes trips a Norton heuristic at startup. I have yet to figure out why. When you are testing courses (whatever the source), use something at least 2km/1.5 miles long, don't just run round the block, as the watches don't behave well with very short courses.
The Garmin Fenix 3 had almost certainly the best course-following navigation of any watch Garmin had produced to date, bar the Epix with its full topo maps. Both your planned route and the path you've taken stand out clearly on the screen, and are clearly distinguished by colour - one place where the colour screen is genuinely useful. If your route contains coursepoints, the F3 will show a full-screen display with a fat arrow showing you which way to turn, along with text describing the point. Not just once, either, as it will give you advance warning a few seconds before you reach the turn. Bright, legible, and stays on the screen more than long enough to read. (Unlike a certain other device which stops displaying its tiny arrows faster than my 50-year old eyes can decipher them at night). Between that and the little red "bug" arrow at the screen edge showing you the direction you should be going, there is barely any need to go to the map page; just follow the instructions when they pop up, and display your metrics screen of choice.
It's a shame, then, that the software support for this is so bad. Garmin Connect generates courses well enough, but it only generates coursepoints for a limited range of devices (which for no obvious reason doesn't include the F3), doesn't let you set them manually, and gives no more information than which way to turn; there is no text to tell you street names. In fact, the only Garmin software that fully supports adding coursepoints to courses is Training Center, which is unsupported and hasn't been updated in years. Exporting courses from Garmin Connect so that you can add coursepoints is fiddly, but possible, as explained here. Training Center will successfully transfer TCX or FIT courses to your F3, but the PC version at least will also transfer every other course it can find while it's at it; you'll want to create a secondary user account, read in the TCX files you want to transfer, then delete them after transferring them to the watch. Gpsies.com, bikeroutetoaster.com, plotaroute.com and ridewithgps.com will all generate courses with coursepoints for turn by turn navigation, but there's a catch: they can generate GPX or TCX files, but not FIT files. In fact, gpsies has recently added FIT export support, but there are a couple of minor issues with the lap header and timestamping which mean the coursepoints don't trigger reliably and the course distance shows up as zero in the course list. The Fenix 3 has an XML parser which can handle GPX files but not TCX files. This strikes me as a jaw-droppingly daft omission. Sure. you can load in GPX files with waypoints, but the watch won't interpret those as a course with embedded turn by turn directions.
So what we need is software which will convert TCX files with embedded coursepoints to FIT files, which are easy to transfer to the watch; mount it via USB, and drop them into the NEWFILES folder (which is hidden by default, so you'll need to unhide it to use it). It turns out that there are a couple of other useful things you can do along the way. Some sites produce TCX files which don't contain distance values for the trackpoints;that's not legal while that is legal TCX, it doesn't go down well with the F3, which will run straight through the course as soon as you start it; but it is easy to fix. (Strava is an offender here; a shame, because it has the very nice touch of taking, not the shortest route, but the route which is most used by other cyclists, between your waypoints). If you have a speed/pace goal in mind for the course, it's handy to be able to set the pace in the file.
And that is what this (for Windows) or this (for Mac) or this (for Linux) will do for you. Those are bitly links to files on Dropbox. If you want to see exactly where either one goes, copy and paste it into a browser, then add a + to the end before going to the link. If you want to be sure it's what I uploaded there in the first place, for Windows version 1.06b the MD5 hash is b9377bebeef581317f955c05b9ed5e03 and the SHA1 hash is 550a260e569e79ba98016be6ecf88735071301e3; for Mac version 1.06b the MD5 hash is ac7847aa99c71c00eb71c59fc827a62e and the SHA1 hash is d0ac0e0927601f9909571774d2feebaa005cbbfe; for Linux version 1.02b the MD5 hash is 138d17feb7359b9cc3975d25cd77d033 and the SHA1 hash is 87a3761fa6a000bd71fda1d5a2f3dc519ced551a.
The Windows version is a zip file containing a Windows program and its required libraries; Mac version is a .dmg. It's written in Qt, using the FIT SDK to handle generating the output and pugixml to parse the TCX file. Qt is handily cross-platform, and the Linux version is in the works.
Unzip the downloaded file or double-click the DMG, double click CourseTCX2FIT.exe, and you'll see this:
Very simple. The File menu only contains Exit. If you want to change the embedded speed in the TCX file, use one of the first two buttons, pick km or miles, and use the spinners to set your target pace. The windows look like this:
If you're converting a ridewithgps course, untick the box if you want the coursepoint for the start to show. Personally I find it just makes the watch beep and flash without telling me anything I didn't already know.
Now click Convert File, select the TCX file to be converted, and click Open.
You don't get to pick where the FIT file is saved. One downside of Qt is that the standard file save dialog doesn't let you specify a default name without messing with undocumented and unstable bits of API, so I've coded this to save it to the same directory as the original TCX file, using a sensible filename which doesn't overwrite any existing files, and tells you what that name is. If you really hate this, tell me, and it can be changed.
If all goes well, in a couple of seconds you'll see something like this:
If the converter fails, or worse yet freezes completely, please let me know - I'd like to be able to handle anything within reason.
My own workflow is building the course in ridewithgps.com, checking the automatic turn-by-turn is OK, converting and scaling pace, then dropping the file into NEWFILES on the F3. If I want to take somebody else's route and add coursepoints to it, I'd use gpsies.com instead of ridewithgps. Ridewithgps will add street names to the coursepoints automatically; it doesn't get it right at every junction, but it gets you a long way. The alternatives which give you automatic coursepoints are bikeroutetoaster.com and gpsies.com. Bikeroutetoaster is flexible and supports speed changes on hills well, but the map is annoyingly small on screen. Gpsies has one really nice feature: you can set it to place the coursepoints a specified distance before the turn, so if you find the F3 is alerting you too late, you can fine-tune where the alert will arrive. You need to click 'add cue sheet' to make gpsies generate coursepoints. Interestingly, you can tell it roughly how many coursepoints to add: too many on a short course and it'll be pointing out every gentle curve in the road; too few on a long course and it might start missing major junctions. You should therefore review the points it's added, and delete or add points manually to make sure you're getting guidance exactly where you need it.
If your preferred planner doesn't insert coursepoints, your options are to import your route into Training Center and add coursepoints there by hand, or import it to gpsies; gpsies does a fair job of adding coursepoints automatically to imported courses; once you've uploaded it, click 'edit or delete', then 'modify track', then 'add cue sheet'. Importing files and converting them to routes is a premium (read, costs money) feature on ridewithgps, and bikeroutetoaster will do it but won't add coursepoints at junctions. If you use Training Center, bear in mind that it can be fiddly getting it to send only the specific course you want and no other data to the watch. Also, if you've used a site which doesn't record the distance of each trackpoint in the TCX file, or doesn't set a sensible pace, you'll want to run the file through my converter anyway to fix these.
Depending on feedback, I can tweak the UI, tweak the pace so it responds to uphill/downhill slopes, or add advance warning for upcoming turns. That last will mean four alerts for every turn, though, so it's potentially confusing unless the advance warning is really too late for you. I'll also post the source on github. Be advised that you'll need to register with the ANT alliance and download the FIT SDK yourself, as the license on that prohibits me redistributing the source code.
As a footnote, some users are understandably disappointed that the Fenix 3 doesn't support the basemap that the earlier Fenix models did, and won't share my view that the F3 does courses better. I wasn't myself convinced that it was much use, and I don't miss it. I picked up a Leikr on Kickstarter; now that was a useful basemap, although the battery life of that device wasn't enough for marathon training or days of hillwalking.
Further footnote: the original version of this post claimed that not having distance in a TCX file trackpoint was forbidden by the schema. Actually, it's permitted, though it doesn't work very well in practice in a course.
Old update messages:
UPDATE Nov 2016: Garmin Connect's course creator now supports automatic turn alerts on the Fenix 3! You don't get to adjust them manually, and they don't include street names, so there is still a use for the 3rd party solutions described here.
UPDATE Mar 2016: Finally posted a Linux build! v1.02b for Windows and Linux checks that the coursepoints are correctly ordered by time (which is not the case for TCX files exported from Gpsies.com). No luck with fixing the Sonar issue yet, sorry.
UPDATE Feb 2016: the Norton Sonar issue is still showing up. Under the cosh at work at the moment, but I'll start looking hard for memory overwrites and so on in the code as soon as time permits. Sorry about this.
UPDATE 12 Jan 2016: If you are seeing alerts from Norton Sonar about my program tripping some heuristic, please re-download it. I have rebuilt it using the newest version of Qt, which properly supports Windows 10, which makes the issue go away. There is no functional change. The hash values for 1.01 were wrong as a result from 12 to 19 Jan, sorry.
UPDATE 11 Nov 2015: v1.01 is out for Windows and Mac. Linux to follow later this week
UPDATE 8 Jan 2016: gpsies now has some support for FIT file export, with caveats
UPDATE Sep 26 2019. No changes in the GUI versions. It's been powering https://www.plotaroute.com in DLL form for some time, and there are occasional updates to enhance that. I'm still using the existing versions with Garmin Fenix 5 and 6x units, and not seeing issues, but will be happy to update if anyone is having issues.
UPDATE Sep 17 2017. 1.06b adds distance values to the coursepoints, consistent with current Garmin files, and fixes a bug that could cause the layout manager to hang opening the pace/speed dialogs.The link for the Mac version has changed, apologies.
UPDATE Sep 2017. 1.04b has a small change, adding stop/start events surrounding the course, which improve performance on the Fenix 5 and don't seem to affect performance on the Fenix 3. Appearing on the downloads now for Windows and in the near future for Apple and Linux.
TLDR version: links for converter software here (for Windows) or here(for Mac) or here(for Linux (32-bit)). The Windows version sometimes trips a Norton heuristic at startup. I have yet to figure out why. When you are testing courses (whatever the source), use something at least 2km/1.5 miles long, don't just run round the block, as the watches don't behave well with very short courses.
The Garmin Fenix 3 had almost certainly the best course-following navigation of any watch Garmin had produced to date, bar the Epix with its full topo maps. Both your planned route and the path you've taken stand out clearly on the screen, and are clearly distinguished by colour - one place where the colour screen is genuinely useful. If your route contains coursepoints, the F3 will show a full-screen display with a fat arrow showing you which way to turn, along with text describing the point. Not just once, either, as it will give you advance warning a few seconds before you reach the turn. Bright, legible, and stays on the screen more than long enough to read. (Unlike a certain other device which stops displaying its tiny arrows faster than my 50-year old eyes can decipher them at night). Between that and the little red "bug" arrow at the screen edge showing you the direction you should be going, there is barely any need to go to the map page; just follow the instructions when they pop up, and display your metrics screen of choice.
It's a shame, then, that the software support for this is so bad. Garmin Connect generates courses well enough, but it only generates coursepoints for a limited range of devices (which for no obvious reason doesn't include the F3), doesn't let you set them manually, and gives no more information than which way to turn; there is no text to tell you street names. In fact, the only Garmin software that fully supports adding coursepoints to courses is Training Center, which is unsupported and hasn't been updated in years. Exporting courses from Garmin Connect so that you can add coursepoints is fiddly, but possible, as explained here. Training Center will successfully transfer TCX or FIT courses to your F3, but the PC version at least will also transfer every other course it can find while it's at it; you'll want to create a secondary user account, read in the TCX files you want to transfer, then delete them after transferring them to the watch. Gpsies.com, bikeroutetoaster.com, plotaroute.com and ridewithgps.com will all generate courses with coursepoints for turn by turn navigation, but there's a catch: they can generate GPX or TCX files, but not FIT files. In fact, gpsies has recently added FIT export support, but there are a couple of minor issues with the lap header and timestamping which mean the coursepoints don't trigger reliably and the course distance shows up as zero in the course list. The Fenix 3 has an XML parser which can handle GPX files but not TCX files. This strikes me as a jaw-droppingly daft omission. Sure. you can load in GPX files with waypoints, but the watch won't interpret those as a course with embedded turn by turn directions.
So what we need is software which will convert TCX files with embedded coursepoints to FIT files, which are easy to transfer to the watch; mount it via USB, and drop them into the NEWFILES folder (which is hidden by default, so you'll need to unhide it to use it). It turns out that there are a couple of other useful things you can do along the way. Some sites produce TCX files which don't contain distance values for the trackpoints;
And that is what this (for Windows) or this (for Mac) or this (for Linux) will do for you. Those are bitly links to files on Dropbox. If you want to see exactly where either one goes, copy and paste it into a browser, then add a + to the end before going to the link. If you want to be sure it's what I uploaded there in the first place, for Windows version 1.06b the MD5 hash is b9377bebeef581317f955c05b9ed5e03 and the SHA1 hash is 550a260e569e79ba98016be6ecf88735071301e3; for Mac version 1.06b the MD5 hash is ac7847aa99c71c00eb71c59fc827a62e and the SHA1 hash is d0ac0e0927601f9909571774d2feebaa005cbbfe; for Linux version 1.02b the MD5 hash is 138d17feb7359b9cc3975d25cd77d033 and the SHA1 hash is 87a3761fa6a000bd71fda1d5a2f3dc519ced551a.
The Windows version is a zip file containing a Windows program and its required libraries; Mac version is a .dmg. It's written in Qt, using the FIT SDK to handle generating the output and pugixml to parse the TCX file. Qt is handily cross-platform, and the Linux version is in the works.
Unzip the downloaded file or double-click the DMG, double click CourseTCX2FIT.exe, and you'll see this:
If you're converting a ridewithgps course, untick the box if you want the coursepoint for the start to show. Personally I find it just makes the watch beep and flash without telling me anything I didn't already know.
Now click Convert File, select the TCX file to be converted, and click Open.
You don't get to pick where the FIT file is saved. One downside of Qt is that the standard file save dialog doesn't let you specify a default name without messing with undocumented and unstable bits of API, so I've coded this to save it to the same directory as the original TCX file, using a sensible filename which doesn't overwrite any existing files, and tells you what that name is. If you really hate this, tell me, and it can be changed.
If all goes well, in a couple of seconds you'll see something like this:
which tells you in two places where your converted file ended up. Seriously, you'll be able to find it. If it doesn't go so well, you should see something like this:
If the converter fails, or worse yet freezes completely, please let me know - I'd like to be able to handle anything within reason.
My own workflow is building the course in ridewithgps.com, checking the automatic turn-by-turn is OK, converting and scaling pace, then dropping the file into NEWFILES on the F3. If I want to take somebody else's route and add coursepoints to it, I'd use gpsies.com instead of ridewithgps. Ridewithgps will add street names to the coursepoints automatically; it doesn't get it right at every junction, but it gets you a long way. The alternatives which give you automatic coursepoints are bikeroutetoaster.com and gpsies.com. Bikeroutetoaster is flexible and supports speed changes on hills well, but the map is annoyingly small on screen. Gpsies has one really nice feature: you can set it to place the coursepoints a specified distance before the turn, so if you find the F3 is alerting you too late, you can fine-tune where the alert will arrive. You need to click 'add cue sheet' to make gpsies generate coursepoints. Interestingly, you can tell it roughly how many coursepoints to add: too many on a short course and it'll be pointing out every gentle curve in the road; too few on a long course and it might start missing major junctions. You should therefore review the points it's added, and delete or add points manually to make sure you're getting guidance exactly where you need it.
If your preferred planner doesn't insert coursepoints, your options are to import your route into Training Center and add coursepoints there by hand, or import it to gpsies; gpsies does a fair job of adding coursepoints automatically to imported courses; once you've uploaded it, click 'edit or delete', then 'modify track', then 'add cue sheet'. Importing files and converting them to routes is a premium (read, costs money) feature on ridewithgps, and bikeroutetoaster will do it but won't add coursepoints at junctions. If you use Training Center, bear in mind that it can be fiddly getting it to send only the specific course you want and no other data to the watch. Also, if you've used a site which doesn't record the distance of each trackpoint in the TCX file, or doesn't set a sensible pace, you'll want to run the file through my converter anyway to fix these.
Depending on feedback, I can tweak the UI, tweak the pace so it responds to uphill/downhill slopes, or add advance warning for upcoming turns. That last will mean four alerts for every turn, though, so it's potentially confusing unless the advance warning is really too late for you. I'll also post the source on github. Be advised that you'll need to register with the ANT alliance and download the FIT SDK yourself, as the license on that prohibits me redistributing the source code.
As a footnote, some users are understandably disappointed that the Fenix 3 doesn't support the basemap that the earlier Fenix models did, and won't share my view that the F3 does courses better. I wasn't myself convinced that it was much use, and I don't miss it. I picked up a Leikr on Kickstarter; now that was a useful basemap, although the battery life of that device wasn't enough for marathon training or days of hillwalking.
Further footnote: the original version of this post claimed that not having distance in a TCX file trackpoint was forbidden by the schema. Actually, it's permitted, though it doesn't work very well in practice in a course.
Old update messages:
UPDATE Nov 2016: Garmin Connect's course creator now supports automatic turn alerts on the Fenix 3! You don't get to adjust them manually, and they don't include street names, so there is still a use for the 3rd party solutions described here.
UPDATE Mar 2016: Finally posted a Linux build! v1.02b for Windows and Linux checks that the coursepoints are correctly ordered by time (which is not the case for TCX files exported from Gpsies.com). No luck with fixing the Sonar issue yet, sorry.
UPDATE Feb 2016: the Norton Sonar issue is still showing up. Under the cosh at work at the moment, but I'll start looking hard for memory overwrites and so on in the code as soon as time permits. Sorry about this.
UPDATE 12 Jan 2016: If you are seeing alerts from Norton Sonar about my program tripping some heuristic, please re-download it. I have rebuilt it using the newest version of Qt, which properly supports Windows 10, which makes the issue go away. There is no functional change. The hash values for 1.01 were wrong as a result from 12 to 19 Jan, sorry.
UPDATE 11 Nov 2015: v1.01 is out for Windows and Mac. Linux to follow later this week
UPDATE 8 Jan 2016: gpsies now has some support for FIT file export, with caveats
Well i am glad i had a really patient friend teach me how to navigate DR before GPS as that seems really complex :)
ReplyDeleteTrust me, it was a lot harder to code it than to use it! :)
DeletePost makes it sound harder than it is; draw your course somewhere, download it, run it through the program, drop it into the F3 and you're done. I still take a compass and a map places I could get lost; no batteries to run flat!
Great work! Are you thinking to opensource your code at github or so?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, once it's tidied up a bit and these false positive Norton alerts are sorted out. Sorry to leave your comment unapproved so long, for some reason I'm not getting notifications for comments.
DeleteFound the wrong setting now & fixed it.
DeleteHi, I'm running Windows 7. When I try to launch the courseTCX2FIT.exe file. The main window appears then the application crashes. Can you please help me get it working. Cheers HD
ReplyDeleteI've tested it on Windows 7 and it worked; maybe there is a library missing for you. When did you download it? Could you try running it from a command prompt? (Open the command prompt, navigate to the folder where the coursetcx2fit.exe file is, type that name and press return, then let me know any messages it gives). Are you running Norton antivirus software?
DeleteHi. I've tried running from the command prompt and the application crashes in the same way. Below is the output from the Problem Details in the crash message
DeleteProblem signature:
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: CourseTCX2FIT.exe
Application Version: 0.0.0.0
Application Timestamp: 56ed3c18
Fault Module Name: ig4icd32.dll
Fault Module Version: 8.14.10.2176
Fault Module Timestamp: 4c3ce2b0
Exception Code: c0000005
Exception Offset: 002092cd
OS Version: 6.1.7601.2.1.0.768.3
Locale ID: 2057
Additional Information 1: 0a9e
Additional Information 2: 0a9e372d3b4ad19135b953a78882e789
Additional Information 3: 0a9e
Additional Information 4: 0a9e372d3b4ad19135b953a78882e789
Hi, I tried to run the application from the Command Prompt and it crashed in the same way. Below is the output from the Problem Details in the crash message
DeleteProblem signature:
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: CourseTCX2FIT.exe
Application Version: 0.0.0.0
Application Timestamp: 56ed3c18
Fault Module Name: ig4icd32.dll
Fault Module Version: 8.14.10.2176
Fault Module Timestamp: 4c3ce2b0
Exception Code: c0000005
Exception Offset: 002092cd
OS Version: 6.1.7601.2.1.0.768.3
Locale ID: 2057
Additional Information 1: 0a9e
Additional Information 2: 0a9e372d3b4ad19135b953a78882e789
Additional Information 3: 0a9e
Additional Information 4: 0a9e372d3b4ad19135b953a78882e789
Thanks Graeme, I can see that it's a graphics driver error. I may be able to help you work round it; will post again later.
DeleteGraeme, from the command line in the program directory, first try:
Deleteset QT_OPENGL=angle
.\CourseTCX2Fit.exe
If that doesn't work, try
set QT_OPENGL=software
.\CourseTCX2Fit.exe
Could you report back here if either of them work, or with errors if they don't? The error you see suggests it's trying to use an OpenGL graphics library for your graphics card which is failing; the commands above tell it to bypass that in different ways.
Hi. Thanks for the suggestions.
DeleteI tried the above commands but unfortunately nothing happened. The command prompt just went to a new line
Hi, Sorry I made a mistake typing in the commands (Schoolboy error). I've tested them again the the second command opens the application. Many Thanks for you help. H.D>
DeleteThanks for letting me know! I'm going to put scripts in the next release to run with those options without having to go into the command line.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis is really great and makes the Fenix 3 much more usable for navigation.
ReplyDeleteThe only problem I'm having is for long rides of 80 miles +. The course points display correctly for half the ride, then no longer display after 40 miles or approximately 50 coursepoints. This is planning with ride with GPS, and have been on two long rides. Is it a limitation of the Fenix 3?
It's a watch limit of 50 coursepoints I'm afraid - nothing I can do about it.
DeleteMight be a dumb question, but where is the download link?
ReplyDeleteLinks are in the fourth full paragraph. I've added copies of them at the top of the post for quick access.
DeleteWhy not report the issues and the fix to Gpsies.com , so they can fix their export files?
ReplyDeleteI actually did that before I posted anything about it, and it's on the site owner's TDL. Believe me, I'd sooner see the course planning sites directly producing FIT files the F3 can use.
DeleteMcBadger: that is a great work you did! What about to share your code with Gpsies or RidewithGPS to let them integrate it with their tool to streamline the workflow?
ReplyDeleteThe unnecessary conversion step would be eliminated, and there will be no need to install any software localy!
You will also contribute something cool and become a part of a bigger project and your code will be used more. And for all of us, it will be easier to use it.
Thanks! I would love to see all these websites exporting FIT directly, and cutting out this program. It would be way easier for me as well as everyone else; I just wrote it to work round the problem for myself and thought I might as well share it around. As mentioned above, I've talked to Gpsies about their export; I'm working on a library version for one of the sites, but I won't say which just yet as it's not even quite ready for beta yet.
DeleteThanks for reply. One more idea for you, as it seams you master multiple platforms.
DeleteEven more valuable than integrating with GPS services would be to integrate with Garmin Connect or watch by bluetooth.
Garmin's course builder is unusable and it is not possible to send a GPX/TCX route from mobile without wires and computer (so you can not replan during a trip without computer). The most helpful upgrade would be to POST route to https://connect.garmin.com/mincourse/create from website or mobile app or to watch by bluetooth, if it is possible.
Just an idea. Cheers, m
It's not possible to upload a course to Connect, unfortunately; you can upload it as an activity and convert it to a course (and then delete the activity to clean up your log), but that's it. The Connect IQ team have talked about adding more course handling functionality, so maybe that will be a route to this.
DeleteGreat program, thanks! Question though. I get a turn notification just before the street. This is a small problem because sometimes I pass the street, realize I missed it, and have to turn around. Is there a way to have the turn notification appear sooner? Does changing the pace/speed in your program make the notification come sooner?
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Not at the moment; it's on the TDL but I am struggling for time to add this.
DeleteThe turn notification proper is triggered by you passing the turn point; the advance warning might come sooner with higher planned speed but I have not properly tested it.
Hi
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for this tool, it works a treat.
Just wanted to add that on a Mac I drop the fit file directly into the courses folder on the Fenix 3 and that works too (no need to us hide the NewFiles folder)
Thanks! I have the impression the watch may do some editing on longer courses, though this might be on load rather than when it's added.
DeleteBrilliant brilliant brilliant... From crashing my Fenix 3 by dropping GPX files into Newfiles I stumbled on your comments in the Garmin forum and found your great app. I took a .TCX file and ran it through and the Fenix 3 accepted the resulting .Fit file without the usual fainting and swooning instigated when I try to introduce a .GPX file. Thank you so much McBadger. Part one of the process has been completed with your assistance. Now to put the product to the test. I DON't use a map and compass, preferring to plot a course and use my (fully charged each time) gadget to follow it. Previously this gadget was a Forerunner 305 which was hugely practical and successful. The Fenix 3 thus far has failed to measure up. Lets hope your conversion app fixes things. Thank you again ...Julia
ReplyDeleteVery welcome! Please keep me posted about how you get on, either here or on the forum thread.
DeleteHello McBadger, congratulations and thanks for this!
DeleteI have a dummy question though. On GPSies.com, do I need to insert the waypoint before, after, or right at the intersection? thx!
6co
Whoops, sorry, missed this comment. Just before is best; they tend to come up a little late, so setting them early gives you a few seconds warning of the turn.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletethanks a lot for your application,
ReplyDeletedo you know of a planner that can automatically add cues at intersections only, those are the only ones that really matters ..
Sorry, didn't notice your comment at the time. Finally unscreened it for you. Off the top of my head, no, I'd have to do some checking, sorry.
DeleteHello, great guide thanks. I tried it but unfortunately didnt work for me, probably Im doing always some mistake. I created track in gpsies with waypoints & also added cue sheet, did export track & wpt as garmin TCX. Then I used your programm to convert TCX to FIT file. After upload to F3 HR I cant see any waypoint & also navigation guides. Any advice? Here is my test track - http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=blsjkwjwzrjuietp&authkey=8EB84591CB7E065CB6D5C75EB99FDD07ADB3CB2DD7E203A6
ReplyDeleteHi Peter, your test track is too short! It needs to be at least a couple of km long or the F3 won't display the turn warnings. Headscratcher, that one, but we don't often need TBT for routes that short.
DeleteYou won't see waypoints on the watch, but when you do Navigation>Courses>(your course)>Do Course it will show alerts when you reach the corners for a longer course.
Hello, yes you are right it is OK now. Your guide is functional. I hope that Garmin will fix these ?? what are always appear ;-)
DeleteSo do I! It's only a couple of letters, you would not think it's that challenging to fix. The issue sneaked in before you could send coursepoints to the F3 using current Garmin software, so they regarded it as unsupported because you had to be using 3rd party software to see it.
DeleteOh yes, this using of 3rd party software and some workarounds for creating usable track for hiking with directions, waypoints its terrible. Im disappointed that garmin as premium class has such solution. I was considering Suunto Traverse but garmin win...I dont believe that new firmware will bring something new in this area & we have F5X here so for them It doesnt make sense do it, I think.
DeleteThe new beta firmware for the Chronos mentions 'improved course navigation prompts when used with a course created with course points', which hints that the F5 series will do better than the F3, even without the 5x maps. I'm not optimistic about the F3 getting improvements, though.
DeleteThe coursepoints from Garmin Connect are a lot better than nothing, though, if you need to set a course up in a hurry, now they've finally enabled them for the F3.
I've tried to download your tool and the link is timing out. Can I please have a new one? Thank you for your hard work.
ReplyDeleteHi Michael, I've tested all three links today from a machine not logged into my Dropbox or Bitly accounts, and they all downloaded in less than a minute each. Could you try it again? Is it possible you're trying it somewhere that Dropbox is blocked? Which version were you downloading?
DeleteGreat tool, works fine on 920XT too, no issues. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Good to know.
DeleteIm using this guide for each my trip. Im wondering if this can be used also for Fenix 5S/5 or these 2 new guys already have implemented navigation with proximity warning & WPT. on map. (dont know how it is in F5X).
ReplyDeleteI don't have a next-gen Fenix (yet!) but I have seen forum posts from people using this for the 5/5s watches, which seem to work in the same way, as they don't have mapping. For the 5X I'd expect it to be different, but there are settings you can change for the way course and map interact, so maybe you could use it successfully.
DeleteI'm using it on a Fenix 5 now. I've made a couple of tiny changes which make it work better if you join the route anywhere but the start.
DeleteNorton will not let me install the TCXtoFIT. It has a removal of the SONAR.Heur.RGC!g82. Any idea of what this might be?
ReplyDeleteI wish I knew - as noted at the top of the page, I have been trying to figure this out for over a year. It cuts in as the program launches, so all it's had time to do is set up the UI. There's nothing malicious in my code or in the Garmin library code, and I can't believe there's anything in Qt, it would have been spotted ages ago.
DeleteRecently I've been using the translation code as a DLL and Norton doesn't turn a hair at th DLL. So it must be something to do with the Qt UI section. Still no idea what, though!
DeleteMaybe you can join forces with this project
ReplyDeletehttps://github.com/gimportexportdevs/gimporter
It shares some same functionalities, the only thing what's missing is a converter from tcx to fit.
Interesting. I'm working on turning it into a stand alone library, which should fit well with that. Too heavy for the ConnectIQ app but should be fine on the Android end. Are you involved with the app?
DeleteNo I am not, but I am searching for I ultimate solution for generating offline gpx/tcx files with a mobile android device and sending these wireless to a Garmin device.
Delete1. App for generating tcx/gpx files offline = osmand
2. App for sending/converting the tcx/gpx file = gimporter/exporter
I am still searching and testing and hope some people can helping me with making this ( I think) ultimate solution :-)
I like your thinking!
DeleteThanks, maybe I am closer to the solution then I probably thought this morning! I will keep you updated.
DeleteAre you thinking of joining the other app?
Yes, but honestly it's going to be a while before I get to it - have another bi task with this to finish first and work is giving me very little time to work on this at the moment.
DeleteSome update; direct gpx export from osmand and converting to a fit file doesn't give the turn by turn warnings.
DeleteOn the garmin forum there is some discussion about adding tcx support: https://forums.garmin.com/forum/developers/connect-iq/connect-iq-showcase/158097-/page6
Thanks, sometimes patience is the best solution 😀
Thanks, interesting thread.
DeleteAt the moment I am working on Android with the iq connect app Navmin, this app makes a fit course translation of the Osmand gpx.
DeleteThe fit file provides coursepoints with turnbyturn info, streetnames and is more accurate at crossroads etc.
Nice. More accurate than what? :)
DeleteThen Garmin Connect
DeleteNo argument here!
DeleteI downloaded and tried to run your program today. But 2 Win 10 computers and an old Win 7 laptop threw me an error. The following files are missing:
ReplyDelete"The code execution cannot proceed because the file was not found. Reinstalling the program may fix the problem"
MSVCP140.dll
VCRUNTIME140.dll
Thank you for looking into this. Tried re downloading and reinstalling several time. Andy
Hi Andy, sorry about that. Those files are part of the MSVC runtime libraries. You can install those from here https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=52685 It should be the 64-bit version you need. Let me know how it goes, here or @CTCX2Fit on Twitter
DeleteThe tool is unusable on my Windows 10 machine. I can't see Files menu. If I click where it should be I can get/see menu item Exit but couldn't find a place to click so that I open tcx file.
ReplyDeleteHi Costin, File does indeed contain nothing but Exit. Can you see three buttons marked Set Pace, Set Speed and Convert File? If not, there's a problem. If you can see them, that's all you need. To convert a file, set the desired speed or pace using one of the first two buttons, then click Convert File to open the dialog box to select the file for conversion. Let me know if you're still having issues.
DeleteOk, I got it now. I see the 3 buttons but I just figured out that to click on them I should hit with the cursor the empty space within the button control not the text, because if I hit the text nothing happens, the click action doesn't fire. Im able now to load tcx.
ReplyDeleteThanks.
Good! Anything unusual about your system? I've not had that reported before, clicking anywhere on the button generally works.
ReplyDeleteIt may be that DPI awareness of the app UI is not scaling it to the right dimensions. I have a high resolution screen (3840x2160) with a 250% scale factor. Fiddler for example has a command line argument for this situation (-dpiAware).
ReplyDeleteIt's possible. What I've read about DPI issues in Qt suggests it mainly manifests as unreadable text in the UI. Are the labels properly located in the buttons, and a reasonable size?
DeleteYes the labels from the buttons have reasonable sizes.
DeleteGreat tool, but I have an issue. This ran fine on my windows 10 laptop yesterday but today I just get a blank window when I run the .exe. The buttons never appear. I've tried deleting and re-downloading but it still doesn't work.
ReplyDeleteSorry for the slow response, I didn't get a notification email for this comment, only just found it. Has this sorted itself out? I built it on a Windows 10 laptop, and it has run happily on every W10 update, so I'm not clear what this can be. Do you have the newest version? Help>About will show that. What screen resolution? Does anything happen if you resize the window?
DeleteYour tool has been a lifesaver while dealing with an inept Garmin product. How have they still not added coursepoint functionality to the course creator in Garmin Connect?
ReplyDeleteI was interested to see that Gpsies has a new export option to download as "Garmin FIT CRS-WPT (ANT+)". The name suggests it finally does what it couldn't do before. I'd love to get an update with your expert opinion on this. Did they get the lap header and timestamping right, does it have reliable coursepoint triggering, etc? I love your tool, but having one less step in the convoluted process would sure be nice.
Thanks! The GC course creator actually does add coursepoints these days, but you have no visibility or control over where they go. Distinctly better than nothing, but not my tool of choice still. I'll take a look at the Gpsies export. CRS-WPT sounds suspiciously like a string of waypoints with no track, but I'll check!
DeleteTotally agree about less convoluted process; myself I am mainly using plotaroute now, as it has my tool embedded as a library. With that and an app on my phone and a ConnectIQ app, I can make a new route on the web and transfer it via phone to watch without ever plugging the watch in anywhere, coursepoints and all.
Right. What I meant is that the GC course creator doesn't have functionality for custom coursepoints. I run trail ultramarathons and need to set my own manual points for aid station locations, a few important turns, etc.
DeleteI'll have to check out plotaroute. Didn't know it had your tool embedded. That's great! Is gimporter the app you use to get the .fit file on your watch?
With you now. Totally agree. I have my first trail ultra booked for next July and am sure I'll be doing the same.
DeleteYes it's gimporter. I was really pleased when plotaroute asked for the library - after all, what I really wanted was a website that would create a decent FIT file, the tool was just a workaround for that.
Hi, I mailed John (Plotaroute), maybe you will receive this msg twice.
ReplyDeleteLocus Map has fit export, but there is an issue @ import into Plotaroute & Basecamp.
Advise by an expert for a correction would be appreciated by the Locus developper.
Locus forum link:
https://forum.locusmap.eu/index.php?topic=6505.msg58710#msg58710
Contact: "mail to": temporary at scarlet.be
Tnks.
Sure, I'll be in touch - pretty busy at the day job dealing with getting things shipshape for lockdown so may take a few days. (Seen all 3 of your comments - I have things set so nothing appears until I moderate it, if you were wondering where they were!)
DeleteHi mcBadger. Thanks for building this tool!
ReplyDeleteI am using Basecamp to create a route and transfer the route to Forerunner 920XT using Garmin connect. That works but I do not get turn-by-turn alerts.
I now created a route, saved as TCX, convert to FIT using CourseTCX2FITRC1 and upload into garmin\courses.
The route is accepted perfectly fine, but no turn-alerts.
- What makes the forerunner alert?
- Do I have to set some setting?
Any idea?
Thanks for following up
The answer to my own question is: the route (a with a and ) must also contain coursepoints, which are the turn-by-turn directions.
Delete---
Upload of TCX through Connect and then synch with Forerunner 920XT makes it lose the turn-by-turn directions.
Uploading TCX or FIT into the Newfiles folder is OK.
---
PlotAroute also exports FIT these days.
And to be complete: FIT cannot be imported through Garmin Connect.
DeleteI thought the problem might be the course not having any coursepoints in, but didn't have time to check Basecamp output to see if that was the issue.
DeleteIf you import files to Connect then send them on to your device, Connect will remove the original coursepoints and add whatever it thinks appropriate for your device (which is sometimes nothing).
Plotaroute uses my program converted to a DLL library, and with a couple of extra tweaks for handling sharp and slight turns, for its FIT export. I can therefore vouch for the export being good :)
Hello, first thank you for TCX2FIT, I'm using it since 1 year for my trails and hicks and it's a very very good tool. One thing is missing is the ability to also have a screen with "Remaining D+ to Next Waypoint" but I think it's something missing on the Fenix 6. I have a question, I'd like to do a tutorial on Youtube on how to use TCX2FIT, would you be agree with it? Can I add the link to this page on it? Waiting for your reply. And last question, do you have a paypal account or something else where we could send you a few € as for me thanks to this tool I did not spend a lot of money for a hicking GPS ;-)
ReplyDeleteSure, I’d be very happy for you to do that! Yes, the limitation is in the device, it’s not something you can set in the file unfortunately - the information is available if the device is designed to extract it.
DeleteI’m not trying to monetise this at all, it was a fun spare time project that I thought other people would find useful, but if you fancy subbing me a coffee or beer I’d appreciate that! https://paypal.me/DomMcIntyre
What is the name of the mentioned app here in this quote "Totally agree about less convoluted process; myself I am mainly using plotaroute now, as it has my tool embedded as a library. With that and an app on my phone and a ConnectIQ app, I can make a new route on the web and transfer it via phone to watch without ever plugging the watch in anywhere, coursepoints and all."
ReplyDeleteHi. Sorry, your comment was stuck in moderation for a couple of days. If you have Android, you need gexporter on your phone, available here https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.surfsite.gexporter&hl=en&pli=1 and ideally on your watch you want the gimporter companion ConnectIQ app https://apps.garmin.com/en-US/apps/de11adc4-fdbb-40b5-86ac-7f93b47ea5bb
DeleteThat hasn't been updated in a couple of years so isn't available for Fenix 7 Pro and Fenix 8 generation; with those, you can use GRouteLoader https://apps.garmin.com/apps/6b770e92-2cc6-437e-8de2-0efae208a455
Both of those are available as either widget or app. GRouteLoader is a bit more flexible, gimporter works more smoothly with gexporter as it launches automatically when you run gexporter.
I don't use an Apple phone, but according to the GRouteLoader website https://sites.google.com/view/grouteloader/grouteloaderiq you should be able to use GRouteLoader on the watch and TinyServer on the phone to send downloaded courses to the watch. Hope this is helpful!
Thank you very much. That Was very helpfull
ReplyDelete