Feature Requests: Preview: Garmin GPS Web upload

We've just released a preview version of the new web-based Garmin GPS upload tool.  Now, instead of download, installing, and running a separate piece of software, you can upload you route data directly from any compatible Garmin GPS directly from the website.

 To access the new tool, select "Import->from Garmin GPS" from the route creation page.

 Remember however, that we did say preview...there still seem to be some kinks when using the tool with Internet Explorer.  We're working with Garmin to clear this up, but in the meantime Firefox users should be able to enjoy this.

 As always, we welcome your feedback here.

Hey Jeff Thanks Sounds Great. I Run with the 305 I'm going to have to try that!!!!

Jeff,

This is a great tool and I use it all the time so here's my uncritical kink feedback to help you make what is a great site even better. Please don't see this as criticism, just the obsevations of a beta tester, and let's face it why test if you don't discover things that could be improved on!

I have actually posted this on the help section, but now think this might be the right thread.

1. As mentioned by another user, community discussion 1104, the device is found, the data uploaded but no map produced. As per my reply to that question I have a work around that works, and as well as looking forward to a fix am intreged to know why my work around it works!

2. As per my post  discussion 1096, the distance is not the same as either what's recorded on the edge or my computer which are both close so i think they are right. is this because the follow the road feature isn't applied to uploaded data, as close inspection of the route shows that whilst it's a very close approximation of the route, and serves for embedding on our blog :

cessenoncycling.blogspot.com 

the route is not as per the ride and the edge obviously does have the info and waypoints(?) stored. I wonder if the elevation is also out for the same reason. I have no way of challenging that other than I know on my last ride my toatlly climbing given the ups and downs had to be more than that stated.

I hope this is received in the spirit it is sent and look forward to your response. I have multiple profiles, listed below, in order to differentiate between the types of rides we do, tandem, MTB, solos and me on my own and will be ahppy to supply any info you need tokeep improving this great site.

keith.aitchison@gmail.com

Tandem, solos,mountainbike, keithalone 

I used this feature for months on my windows box and I LOVE it.  I love how you just plug in your watch and bam what you just ran is on the map!!!

 I recently got a new Mac that I use as my main computer and the GPS upload no longer works.  The garmin plugin now works for the mac (as tested on garmins site and motion based) but I am antsy to be able to use it here (my favorite tracking/mapping runs site).  I wonder if it is just checking and seeing that it's not windows/firefox and not even trying if that plugin would work now.

I found a post saying this feature would be updated a few months ago, so I am hoping it is in the works :)

All-

I have added Garmin Import support to the new beta version of our route engine (see here).  

Now Internet Explorer and Mac users should be able to use this feature.  Note that Macs support us currently untested, so if a Machead can test this and report back I'd really appreciate it.

We have a group dedicated to discussion of the beta, and I encourage Garmin users to join in the conversation.

 jeff

CRosetti-

What types of differences in distance are you seeing?  When we import the data, we calculate distance based on the exact datapoints we get from the device.

On some routes, Garmin's software will interpret the points differently, as multuple "start" and "stop" points, where the distance doesn't accumulate.  For this case, I would expect the mileage you see here to be slightly higher than what you see in Garmin's Training Center.

Can you link me to a route that shows an example of the distance discrepency so I can look into this further?

 thanks,

jeff

Jeff,

Just recently joined MapMyRun. This is great. Thank you!

I just tried the Garmin import tool from my Intel-based Mac running 10.5.2 using FireFox and my Forerunner 305. Worked like a charm. I'll try Safari at some point and post the results.

I'm converted! No more paper logs!

Thanks,

Mark

rudyfive:

It's not working for me! I'm using a Mac OS X Leopard and Garmin Forerunner 301 with FireFox. The Beta import goes through the process of reading my garmin, shows percent imported and then ends with 0 routes, 0 points found or something like that. I have 4 workouts stored on it and it's not reading them or processing them properly or at all.

I'm trying to get this program to work, if not I'll still to TrailRunner.

Thanks!

--Rudy Alvarez

The interesting thing is that I tried to use the beta Garmin GPS upload function again today, and I am given a message that says that my browser is not supported to use the Garmin Communication Plug-in. It is installed and running, and I can go to the garmin site, run the test, and see that the plug-in is running. Hmm.

I'm running MacOSX 10.5.2, Firefox 2.0.0.13, and the Garmin plug-in v2.4.10. Also fails using Safari v3.1.

When I tried this the other day, I had also tried using MotionBased right before using MapMyRun. Both were successful using Firefox. I wonder if using the MotionBased upload somehow puts the browser into the right state to work with MapMyRun. Just wondering.

Also updated my Forerunner to v2.80 of firmware tonight.  This might also have something to do with the fact that it worked yesterday and doesn't today. 

Thanks,

Mark

duffetta:

rudyfive:

It's not working for me! I'm using a Mac OS X Leopard and Garmin Forerunner 301 with FireFox. The Beta import goes through the process of reading my garmin, shows percent imported and then ends with 0 routes, 0 points found or something like that. I have 4 workouts stored on it and it's not reading them or processing them properly or at all.

I'm trying to get this program to work, if not I'll still to TrailRunner.

Thanks!

--Rudy Alvarez

The interesting thing is that I tried to use the beta Garmin GPS upload function again today, and I am given a message that says that my browser is not supported to use the Garmin Communication Plug-in. It is installed and running, and I can go to the garmin site, run the test, and see that the plug-in is running. Hmm.

I'm running MacOSX 10.5.2, Firefox 2.0.0.13, and the Garmin plug-in v2.4.10. Also fails using Safari v3.1.

When I tried this the other day, I had also tried using MotionBased right before using MapMyRun. Both were successful using Firefox. I wonder if using the MotionBased upload somehow puts the browser into the right state to work with MapMyRun. Just wondering.

Also updated my Forerunner to v2.80 of firmware tonight.  This might also have something to do with the fact that it worked yesterday and doesn't today. 

Thanks,

Mark

 I figured out what I was doing wrong.  I wasn't actually using the new release of the import tool.  When I do use the new, "beta" release, everything works mostly great for me.  The one issue that I ran into was that the most recent run in my Garmin Forerunner 405 didn't show up on the list of imported workouts.  Not sure what is going on there.

Now just trying to work out what the best workflow is.  What I would like to do is to nightly or every couple of night take my 405 to the computer, download the routes, capture them in the training log.  When doing this I found that the software often didn't always pick up the data going along with my run, such as time, etc.  Also, when importing runs from previous days, saving the run to my training log always assumed that the workout was done on the current day, not the day on which the data was captured.

Any thoughts on how best to work with the new import tool to capture daily workouts into the training log?

Thanks,

Mark

I am also getting frustrated by the difference in what my Garmin 205 says and how it imports into MapMyRun. Yesterday I ran 20 KM and it imported as 19.25 KM. That is 750 meters difference. Which distance do I trust? Did I run 20 K or did I run 19.25 K?

I use MapMyRun religiously and will not change unless I find something just as good that is more accurate.

The above example is just a recent example. None of my runs import at the same distance. NONE. I have tried Firefox and do get the same import distance.

Any suggestions? or do I just suck it up? What distance should I train by? Do I need to run an extra 1 KM just to make sure that I get my distance?

Or is there something wrong with my Garmin?

Steve

Andy-

Thanks for this info, it really helps.  Thanks especially for mentioning the detail about 'every second'- I think that's the key here.  You're right that we do limit the number of data points that are imported per run, but this has never presented a problem in our testing as we always recommend and use 'smart recording'.

If you enable 'smart recording' I think you'll see the distances will line up a lot more closely.  I understand that it may seem backwards, but the data is actually more accurate when smart recording is enabled, because the GPS is saving the data that it knows is relevant.  When 'every second' is the setting, it forces the GPS to save more data than it really needs, and makes is harder to process.

Can you please try changing your GPS setting to 'smart recording' and reporting back if it helps?

thanks,

jeff