Blackdogdualsport.com Message Board

6/3/14: GPS NOTICE: Though we've been burned in the past, we will try it again - we will have GPS tracklogs (in GPX format) available each morning only, for those that want them. This is good news to many of you and as geeks, we hope it works out. You must bring your own USB thumbdrive to get the file, and provide proof of registration - no proof, no file. We will not install them onto your GPS for you. That will be up to you.

Good move Tom, and thanks! Question though: rather than load the file onto thumbdrives only can't we just load them directly into our GPS units so long as we bring a USB cable? I see you're using track files rather than routes, either way works and for trails tracks are probably better.

Looking forward to having GPS as a backup. Those roll charts are wonderfully accurate but it's hard to be looking out in front of you when you're looking down at those charts all the time. Thanks for providing them. We'll cross our fingers that everything goes smoothly.

TrailCruiser wrote:[i]can't we just load them directly into our GPS units so long as we bring a USB cable?

Thanks for the feedback guys. The reason we don't want to get involved loading them directly onto GPS's is that the data transfer rate is slower than straight to a thumbdrive, specifically if the thumbdrive is at least USB v2.0. Also, many peeps still have the older Garmins that only accept 500 points max for each tracklog and we don't have time to split them up, especially since I record always in maximum-point mode. Hope that makes sense, as I'm concerned I'll have 200+ riders breathing over my shoulder to get these files each morn.

For the GPS geeks: how do I get a file from a thumbdrive to my GPS? Are their dongles made with a female USB to the mini/micro USB connector on my GPS? Am I not thinking of some simple obvious method?

No, you are pondering the obvious concern. We offered GPS files once before to riders and what happened is that a few guys showed up, paid and got their files, which they had shared with many of their friends and they took off. Their friends did not sign waivers, became a liability to us, and basically robbed us of our hard work and monetary costs, hence we're a little gruff about this.

Do you (or a friend) not have a laptop you can bring to facilitate this?
-Tom

Tom, I think you have just solved the whole question by saying (do you have your own laptop). Basically you're just leaving the actual download in the hands of each GPS user. one extra step, but at least there won't be a line of frustrated people because of unforeseen technical difficulties at the registration table.

I'm bringing my Roll Chart and Tape..... just in case