Off-Road Features
I use BCN for off-road trips in the desert. I go with a group and we explore out in the middle of nowhere. Since I bought a tablet and use BCN I became the official navigator. The rest of the guys in our group just bought tablets and BCN as a result.
I like to import past tracks of an area we would like to explore before we go back. It would be nice if the imported tracks and waypoints could be stored in separate folders so they could be deleted later. As it stands BCN puts them all in the same place which makes it hard to remove them later.
For reference I import tracks from completed trips into Google Earth. I really like the way Earth handles imported information. Each import gets its own folder so it cane be shown or hidden on the map. That is the type of thing I would like to see in BCN.
Why is there a restriction on the size of tile folders? I would like to save more information in each folder. I tend to save map tiles and overhead imagery. The folders fill up quickly with this volume of information. With microSD card sizes nowadays it would be nice to be able to put more information in each folder.
Thank you for offering a great program at an affordable price. I went from a 3" screen on a handheld GPS to a 10.1" screen with USGS topo maps. I am able to get around in the back country like never before. BCN changed our whole off-road experience. Thank you!
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BCN normally stores an imported file with track and waypoint data in one trip database. The app has no way of knowing how you’d like this trip data divided up into two or more trip databases.
So once the file is imported, you probably need to create another trip database, and move selected tracks and waypoints into it. This is done with one of the ‘batch’ options explained in section 4.d.iii of the user manual.
It would be nice to display trip data from two or more trip databases at a time on the map screen like Google Earth does. The BCN app currently allows only one trip database to be shown at a time. However, I think this feature can easily be added by letting the user select more than one trip database on the TRIP DATA -> ‘Click to Change Trip Database’ screen before returning to the map screen.
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I use trip databases when I go out. I record each trip track in a new database so I can export them as a single trip and not have data from multiple trips in the tracks.
It would be nice to be able to show and hide individual tracks from previous trips. If I import all the trips I made in the past I would have many lines that would make the BCN display very confusing.
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The BCN app has a new feature now that allows you to show or hide individual tracks, and also to export individual tracks in a trip database. So you can have as many tracks as you like from previous trips in one trip database, and you can set it up so only one track is displayed at a time.
This is done by clicking the new ‘Select All’ icon on top of the track list screen (TRIP DATA –> List View –> Tracks). This opens up the next screen with options for Delete, Export, Copy to, Show, Hide, and a few others. You’ll need to ‘unselect’ some of the tracks until one is left that you would like to display or export. These are more of the ‘batch’ options as explained in section 4.d.iii.2 of the user manual.
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What version of the software has this feature?
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The latest version (6.7.2) has it, and it's also on two versions previous to this.
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I don't see the menu option TRIP DATA –> List View –> Tracks. Am I missing something?
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You have the TRIP DATA menu shown here. Click the first of the five options where it says 'list view' in small print. The opens the track/waypoint list, and then you need to click TRACKS to see the listing for tracks. The new feature is then enabled by clicking the square (Select All) icon on top.
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Perfect, thanks.
What is the best way to export tracks from a Google Earth? When I bring tracks in from Earth they are segmented and I have tons of waypoints along the track. I would like to bring them in in one piece with only waypoints that I created and not thousands along the track.
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It's possible to edit the KML/KMZ file so it only contains the tracks and waypoints you're interested in, but an easier way is to create a new folder under 'Places' on Google Earth, and drag and drop the tracks and waypoints you want into it from the original trip folder. Then you can export the new folder as a KML or KMZ file, which can set up as a new trip database in the BCN app.
Combining segmented tracks into one track is a little more difficult, but in can be done by opening the KML or KMZ file in a text editor, and locating two tracks you want to combine. Just copy and place the coordinate string of the second track after the coordinate string of the first track. Make sure the connecting points are adjacent. Then delete the <LineString> </LineString> attribute section for the first track
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Thank you for your reply.
The thing that is confusing is when I work with the tracks in Earth they are continuous but when I export them from Earth and import them in to BCN they come in segmented. I am working with what I thought were single, continuous tracks not segments. I can e-mail you a file if you send me your address.
I tried opening a KML file in the Notepad text editor and found it to be large and complex. Combining the segments as you suggest is a solution but will be a daunting task. Do you know if there is an app that can do this for me before I begin editing the files?
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I think that if you look closer at the coordinate string for a track that is thought to be continuous in a KML file, it is divided up into several coordinate strings with a separate attribute section for each one. This is why the BCN app sees them as segmented tracks.
Two desktop applications that are able to combine two or more selected tracks with a few clicks are Garmin Mapsource and BaseCamp. Many users prefer BaseCamp because it's free and does the job
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Thanks! I'll dig into the files tonight. I'll also look at Basecamp. If it will combine the segments that will be the easiest option.
Thanks again for BCN. It completely changed the way we navigate off road. Since I got my tablet and BCN two other members of our group bought tablets and BCN for use on our next trip the beginning of February. It is a great product that is very useful.
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Garmin Basecamp will do what I want to do. This is how I did it:
Create a new list folder
Import a track
Click the first Active Log point.
While holding the shift key click the last Active Log point. Hit delete
Do the same for any other points along route or waypoints you don't want.
You should be left with waypoints and track segments you want.
Click the first track segment you would like to combine
While holding the shift key click the last track segment you would like to combine.
Right click the selected segments
click "join the selected tracks..."
You can chose to delete the segments or not.
Export the track:
Click the folder you want.
Click File; Export; Export 'FOLDER NAME'
Import the file into BCN.
This got me a single track instead of segments. I can also choose the waypoints that come into BCN with the exported files this way.
I hope someone else can benefit from this. Thanks for all your help.
Bob
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I have a nearly identical request - be able to display trackes/waypoints from multiple databases, while writing only to the active database. The current setup and proposed sworkaround is very uniwledly for databases with a lot of entries. For example, I have a gmaps database for Death Valley, with hundreds of tracks and waypoints. Every time I go there I add dozens of new waypoints and a few additional tracks. Manual selection for export of only the new stuff is a giant PITA. BCNAV's main competitor supports this functionality, so I am currently exploring whether it meets my needs. This is enough of a need for me to consider switching.
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Boyan,
What is your e-mail address?
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