MRA and Garmin for Dummies?
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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
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@Vincent-Curren
Hello VinniePeter again,
you like to use a 6 years old Garmin bike GPS in Europe sold as zumo 396?What kind of Maps do you have on this GPS.
A relative new Garmin City Navigator Europe or a routable OpenStreetMaps collection.
Problem should be that on transfer and calculation of routes you can get visible differences between the Here provided maps for Garmin and MRA and the OSM based maps.
And if frieds of you are using TomTom App you got also different routes.
Regard fixing , no idea I ride a convertible car only
Best you bring a ball joint universal fixing for handle bars with you like this. Well known even in US,it is an US Brand is RAM Mounthttps://www.rammounts.de/part/rap-b-400u
and a spacer like this
https://rammounts.de/part/ram-b-201u
and a fixing for your Garmin and your phone.
No grant but my proposal.
Regard to GPX transfer.
As far as I know this old 2018 zumo 396 can only be connected with your phone by the also old App SmartphoneLink and this do not allow to transfer routes like the Garmin Drive App do with my Drivesmart 76 from 2022. Here the MRA created GPX file load at your phone can be transmitted to my device 1:1 with no problems up to now.
As I now the only way to bring routes from MRA to your Garmin is the cable transfer from a Windows PC. Does not work direct with IOS. Best than is to have Basecamp on yor Laptop and make an upload there, short check and transfer from BC to your 396.If you go to Youtube seek for MyRouteApp USA you will find some vid in english from MRA group and users.
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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
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@Vincent-Curren
Vinnie,
As I told you I am a Convertible or Cabrio Tourer use navigation devices nearly twenty years in Europe with tour planning. Most of the time for French locations, my wife speaks French very well, he studied the language and I like France too. It was my first foreign holiday there in 1968 with 14 at the Gorges d‘ Ardeche, my hobby was white water cayaking.
Me I am better in English because I was working at a Cologne Car Manufacturer, a well known Brand in US from end of school to retirement.
after years with Garmin Nüvi and Drivesmart for Car navigation Basecamp and MRA for planning succesfully, the best web based planner for me with transfer to the Garmins I like to change full to MRA next in combination with CarPlay on my Ford Cars and the Cabrio, send the Garmin in retirement.
Up to now MRA next is very close to Garmin in advices and precision, sometimes even better.
I habe a few concern which are currently popping up and reported here in the forum regard lost of notification of Waypoints and one for me more important deficit.
If you like to use interim Waypoints marked with the Hand (in Garmin shaping point with alarm) as POI for a stop like coffee break, visiting a museum on the tour which ends at the evening at a final destination those you will get an announcement after the last shaping point only once and not with a counter in 1 kilometer you reach Coffee stop 500 m in 200 m destinatin reached at your right side. You have always to check the distance counter top right on the mobile display which is not present on the CarPlay screen.
Garmin present interim alert stops on the top with counter and verbal announcement for the last mile 3 times.
Also you have to now shaping points with announcment do not have digits in the description or need an additional text like shaping point in the info box.