Export feature not working correctly?

[gregoryd73]

Well Roy, you've done well without an RV-GPS then ... lucky, too. Also, you may be sticking to freeways rather than America's back roads. The potential problem with navigating a Class-A without an RV-specific GPS, where you can enter height (most importantly) is that Google (or other app) may allow you to take a route that your rig won't fit, under a railroad bridge, for example. RVTW allows you to enter all rig-specific information and will advise you if you pick a route that won't work for your rig. Having a propane tank on-board is another important bit of info that Google ignores.

I've been driving Class-A's for over 40 years and, in one instance, my Rand McNally saved my bacon from going under a low passing ... I saw it as I passed by, trusting the GPS. There are plenty of videos on the Internet of folks getting their AC units scraped off the roof! On the present 10,000 mile round trip across America, I've had to shut the propane off twice, as well.

So, if you don't go on back roads, you are not over 11 feet, and you stick to freeways ... you are probably going to be fine. You can take a chance and leave the propane on, as well, and hope you don't get stopped. I choose to be absolutely certain of my passage in my routes, as my coach is 12.5 feet tall, and we love 2-lane back roads!

Good luck and safe travels.

[bobbg]

I have read the thread above regarding Google Maps etc drawing straight lines when exporting from RVTW but I don't see where this has been repaired. As of today, I exported my first map from RVTW to Google Maps and am experiencing the same issue as was discussed in the above thread back in July 2021.

[Sue46]

So that support of various GPS units can be enhanced, Google Maps has been impacted and no longer displays an actual route, black lines connect the stops when a download of the GPX file is done. A solution to this for Google Maps is to download the CSV file instead. This puts a pin at each stop and a driving layer can then be created. This is a bit time-consuming but does produce a route. Once this is completed any additional layers you use can then be included.

If you use Google maps or any GPS the route you created in RV LIFE Trip Wizard will not be exactly followed, both will be re-calculated with their algorithm.

Are you aware of RV LIFE app, our navigation app that will match the trip you created in RV LIFE Trip Wizard? This comes with your subscription.



The RV LIFE app is our mobile app that will allow you to:
1) Look up campgrounds via our site campgrounds.rvlife.com
2) Search and Explore what's around you. (Points of Interest)
3) RV Safe GPS, do real time RV Friendly turn-by-turn offline navigation based on your RV dimensions.
4) Access a read-only version of your Active trips in RV LIFE Trip Wizard.
5) List your Favorite Places (that you flag as favorites in campgrounds.rvlife.com
6) Access RV Related Articles (from our site rvlife.com)

This can be downloaded and installed on your mobile device from your app store.
Active status trips created in RV LIFE Trip Wizard can be downloaded state-by-state for offline use, within the RV LIFE app.

All products and websites come with a single subscription and all use the same logon credentials.

[timjet]

Originally Posted by bobbg

I have read the thread above regarding Google Maps etc drawing straight lines when exporting from RVTW but I don't see where this has been repaired. As of today, I exported my first map from RVTW to Google Maps and am experiencing the same issue as was discussed in the above thread back in July 2021.

To my knowledge there is no effort by the developers of RVTW to "fix" the issue of straight lines appearing within mapping programs that will up load the .gpx format from trips created in RVTW.

I have found some success in Goggle Maps after uploading a trip from RVTW by adding a driving layer. You will then see routes adhering to roads and a derivable map. That route may or may not be the same route you created in RVTW but the origination and destination will be the same.

[bobbg]

Originally Posted by Sue46

Please send in a ticket to the Help Desk, we are keeping track of users that use Google Maps. The straight lines in BaseCamp I don't think should be, but I am not sure. I have sent this on to the programmers.

Hello Sue, I see your response dated in Jul /21 but as far as I can see there is yet to be a fix. Did the developers ever respond back to you with a fix or an explanation of what they plan to do about it?

[Sue46]

Look at my response in number 31

[bobbg]

Hello Tim, if you wouldn't mind, what's the step by step procedure in adding a "driving" layer?

[timjet]

Originally Posted by bobbg

Hello Tim, if you wouldn't mind, what's the step by step procedure in adding a "driving" layer?

With Google My Maps open you will see several icons below the search bar. Click on the one that looks like a Y with an arrow forming the top portion of the Y facing to the right.
A new layer will be added and you will have to add the origination and first destination in the layer box that displays. Continue adding each leg destination until you have your entire trip displayed.

[tim myers]

I will not give up the screen size and voice commands of my Garmin RV GPS for a map on my cell phone. The Garmin keeps me safe with regard to routing. Others have reported issues with routing, but other than one spot in Michigan, mine has been spot on.



I did try the RV Safe GPS app coming home from Michigan on Labor day last year and it was as sporadic as my attempt to import the .gpx file into the Garmin.


Seems all RVTW needs to do is import the coordinates for the different way-points and let the GPS do the routing in between. Any route dragging you have done to tweak your route shows up in RVTW as an individual way-point, but I am not a programmer.


Hope they decode to get this sorted out, I have used free apps that import beautifully.

[cobia6620]

I just purchased a garmin rvs gps 890 and want to use it for a march trip. Typically I create a route in trip wizard and transfer gpx file to base camp then transfer route to the garmin.
I'm seeing the same issues in this forum
1. route shows up directly in base camp where it used to be a track and I then converted to a route
2. route now transferred to gps does show straight lines and does not follow the roads I selected
question
can I trust the gps to follow the exact route transferred from base camp? or will it recalculate?

if I have multiple stops in the trip wizard route it shows up as separate routes in base camp between stops. any way to fix?

I'm 71 and not computer savy so if there is a solution please make it simple

I can manually recreate the route in google my maps and send to base camp will this insure the gps follows my exact route

[timjet]

Originally Posted by cobia6620

Snip

question
can I trust the gps to follow the exact route transferred from base camp? or will it recalculate? It will always recalculate.

if I have multiple stops in the trip wizard route it shows up as separate routes in base camp between stops. any way to fix? You can use the join the selected routes feature of BaseCamp

I'm 71 and not computer savy so if there is a solution please make it simple I'm 71 too, good age isn't it.

I can manually recreate the route in google my maps and send to base camp will this insure the gps follows my exact route The GPS always recalculates your route.

The GPS will always calculate your route from origination to destination regardless of what you import to it. This is necessary because the GPS will always honor the avoidances you programed into it. If you import into your GPS a route you created in BaseCamp the GPS will closely follow that route IF you created enough turnpoints in BaseCamp to force the GPS to follow that route.

Just know this: Your GPS will always calculate a route between origination and destination OR between turnpoints created in BaseCamp based on the avoidances you programed into your GPS.

When you import a trip from RVTW into BaseCamp each stop is recreated in BaseCamp as an individual leg called a route. If you wish you can combine routes in BaseCamp using the "Join the selected routes" feature.

Your last comment: I can manually recreate the route in google my maps and send to base camp will this insure the gps follows my exact route.

If you read my above explanation you now know that your GPS will always recalculate your route based on the parameters you programed into it.

This may be helpful to you and is how I use RVTW, BaseCamp and Google My Maps:
I create a trip in RVTW from origination to destination. That trip may be 500 miles or 10,000 miles, doesn't matter. I then find campgrounds along my trip using features within RVTW. I also find TA truck stops using the fuel POI feature of RVTW and add those stops into my trip using the fuel distance feature of RVTW. I now have all my campgrounds and fueling stops in proper order in RVTW. I export this trip to BaseCamp.
Once imported into BaseCamp the trip is broken into separate routes and shows as a straight line between the beginning and end of each route. When you re-calculate each route it now displays the route following roads.

You can now download each route into your GPS. The GPS will display each route in the trip app and will also display each destination including the fuel stops in the "Favorite Places" app on your GPS.

Now what I do is using the Favorite Places app, I pick my next campground and allow the GPS to calculate the route to it. If I have a fueling stop, I insert that into the route and the GPS recalculates the route to the next campground with the fueling stop inserted.

Using Google My Maps you can download the trip from RVTW into Google maps but again it will display as a straight line between stops. Use the driving directions layer and inserting each stop the display will now follow roads. Because the routing algorithms of the various mapping programs are different the routing may be different.

I just use my GPS routing.

[tim myers]

Seems like a lot of work. I just use the voice command feature of my Garmin to enter the address of my next stop whether it is my fuel stop or my campground for the night.

Am I missing something by not working through the Garmin Base Map App?

[timjet]

Originally Posted by tim myers

Snip

Am I missing something by not working through the Garmin Base Map App?

Not really.

The only reason I import trips from RVTW to BaseCamp is so that I can import all my stops to my GPS. It's probably easier to just do as you do. But I do all my planning and import all my stops before I leave for a trip. Each travel morning I already have my campgrounds and fuel stops in my GPS and I simply select those stops and off I go.

I have a computer tablet next to my drivers seat displaying my routes in Google Maps, which as mentioned above may not be exactly the route my GPS displays. I like to have a global view of my route, something my GPS can't do.


Note too that we travel a lot and long distances when we leave for the summer. Short trips with one or two legs probably would not be worth the effort I described above.

[cobia6620]

thks for all the info
until I experiment with a procedure to transfer from RVTW to the 890 I'll simply plan the route in RVTW with fuel, food and rest stops
then I'll manually create a route for each day on the 890 and insert the fuel, fuel and rest stops as intermediate waypoints
I like the 890 where I can shape a saved route to avoid large cities and known high traffic areas
much to learn on how all this works
I still have an Iphone 12 with the RV Life app running simultaneous with the 890