MRA and Garmin for Dummies?

[Vincent Curren]

Friends,

I will be riding around the French Alps starting in a little more than a week. See my post here for my question about using MRA as my GPS device for that:

https://forum.myrouteapp.com/topic/6737/best-practices-for-a-trouble-free-trip

In addition to stressing about what to bring and how I will fit it all on the rental bike, I am also stressing about routing! I plan to use MRA as my primary tool but I will bring my Garmin 396 along as a back-up GPS. I have created gpx 1.1 files for each route and transferred them to the GPS. I'm struggling trying to figure out the best way to use the routes in the Garmin that will have the best chance of preserving the routes we have planned. I assume there must be good information out there for people with little experience with gpx files.

Can anyone recommend an online reference where I can get a quick grounding in how to make best use of MRA and Garmin? e.g., converting routes to tracks, or using routes and still keeping original routing, etc. I need something like "MRA and Garmin for Dummies" because, wow, the jargon is dense and the software is not very friendly, IMO.

Thanks for any suggestions!

Vinnie

[Vincent Curren]

Thanks, Peter. I have the Garmin City Navigator NTU for Europe that I purchased last year before our ride around Catalunya. I updated the map last week, so, hopefully, this will be 90% consistent with the HERE planning map in MRA. The places where we really care what the route is don't have a lot of intersections, so hopefully 90% accurate will be good enough. My riding partners will all use gpx maps that I have created, and they have Zumo XTs, so I think I will follow them and hope for the best. I really am bringing my Garmin just as a last resort option. If I am in the middle of nowhere and I can't get MRA to work, at least Garmin should be able to get me back to the hotel with a direct route. Fingers crossed, anyway.

Yes, my zumo 396 is five years old. I have been reluctant to spend the $500 - $600 US for a Zumo XT, plus I would have to buy another map for Europe since Garmin will not let me transfer the map from my 396. I have been hoping that MRA will mature along with the Android Auto devices and I can retire Garmin. I think the technology is not yet stable enough for that, today, though.

Good idea to put basecamp on the laptop! I was hoping I was done wrestling with Basecamp, but you are right that it is probably the most reliable way to see what is happening with a Garmin map and getting it on my Zumo 396.

I think I have figured out how to mount the Garmin on the rental bike using a Ram claw and a finger grip Ram phone mount. The hardest part was power -- there is no room to plug a USB power cable into the back of the Garmin when it is on a generic RAM mount. I got creative with a saw, though, and made some room!

Thanks again,

Vinnie